Marianne Hicks

Illustration - BA (Hons)

I am a Suffolk-based illustrator drawing my inspiration from stories, bright colours, and the natural environments around me to create colourful and whimsical illustrations. I work in both traditional and digital mediums, usually beginning my illustrations with a gouache or acrylic painting before scanning and adding more details and touch ups in photoshop. I love the risks and happy accidents that come with traditional methods and then mixing it with the much more deliberate decisions I can make with digital mediums.

One project I especially enjoyed working on was an animation brief focusing on The Seven Deadly Sins. I found myself thinking more about movement and the potential narrative that could surround my work and future projects. Through this project I started experimenting with mixing traditional and digital mediums to enhance my work which I have tried to continue through my practise ever since.

A standout experience to me while studying at Cambridge School of Art was when I was able to work with an animation student on their project for the Globe: Shakespeare and the natural world: Film Students respond to climate change. I worked with them to illustrate a set of trees representing the four seasons. This experience built up my confidence in my work and helped me to communicate my ideas, thoughts, and critiques in a more professional setting than the classroom.