Artist Feature: Claudia Marianno Feb 17 2025

This month we highlight the work of rising star illustrator, Claudia Marianno!

Claudia has been proudly represented by Advocate for a year now. She refined and defined her style through the ItsMe mentorship program and then instantly became a popular choice among clients. She was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil where she studied architecture. It was through a project on colors in Mexican architecture for her course that she became fascinated with art and began painting and drawing daily. These were her first steps toward becoming a professional illustrator.

We asked Claudia for the highlights of her career so far.

"My most important work has been a non-fiction book for Penguin Random House. The subject was unknown at first, and I was just very grateful for the opportunity. Then when they told me it would be about Beyoncé I almost had a heart attack! Having the chance to represent her beauty, personality, and movement was certainly a huge step in my career. The book is now available for pre-order and will be released in October 2025."

She also gave us a sneak-peek at what she's been working on lately.

"In my first year at Advocate, I have worked with several international publishers, including Hachette, Auzou, BellWether, Oxford University Press, Penguin Random House, and HarperCollins. I mostly work on non-fiction books and am currently illustrating a series of six books for BellWether and one for Penguin Random House. I'm excited to begin work on my next non-fiction book, which happens to be about the my greatest idol."

Claudia can't reveal the subject of her latest book just yet, but she did say she has the discography ready to play on repeat! It sounds inspiring and we can't wait to reveal more when the time is right! For now, Claudia shared more about what else inspires her.

"With each work, I try to create something unique and full of color, texture, and personality. Illustrating people is my greatest pleasure. I like to imagine them in their lives and try to bring a unique quality to each character. I'm inspired by things that are odd and different, as well as bold and saturated colors found in nature. Before I start a project, I spend hours or even days researching the people, history, fashion, locations, decoration, and period related to the person. This is a very fun stage for me! I like to capture the atmosphere of a person so that I can bring that essence into my illustrations. I try to bring something bold, unique, and a little quirky to my work to capture the reader's imaginations."

Claudia also had some kind words to share about her experience at Advocate. We feel very lucky to have connected with Claudia at the dawn of her career and have enjoyed helping her rise to success!

"The agents at Advocate are always willing to help, answer my questions, and give the best advice to help me reach new goals. My professional life has changed completely; I would never be an international illustrator if it weren't for all the work the agency does. My main goal in life is to keep evolving, both in terms of artistic quality and refinement of style. I feel very fortunate to be making a living from art. Not even in my wildest dreams did I expect this!"

We expect more great things from Claudia in 2025 as she enters her second year with us. To see her latest work, visit her her full portfolio HERE!