Maruša Gorjup | Dec 22, 1994 | Slovenia
I am a freelance illustrator, designer and concept artist born in Celje, Slovenia. I have been drawing and painting all my life and have turned my passion into a career. I am most proficient in landscape painting and designing imaginary worlds for video games and films. In my artworks I create interesting compositions by combining my design education with an artistic approach.
Every artist will tell you that they have been drawing and sketching ever since they were young, and I am no different. I remember hiding behind our wardrobe in the living room and doodling onto the wardrobe. Of course my parents weren’t super pleased with me at the time. And later on I would do my brother’s homework if it required drawing something. I really liked doing it, and my brother didn’t complain either.
When I was 14 I went to an art high school, where we had a lot of traditional and academic drawing painting. It provided a good start because I learned the basics of anatomy, perspective, art history and art and color theory. From then on I decided to study graphic design, because I wanted to do something with design, but the schools in my country had a limited selection. To tell the truth I had wanted to study concept art, but couldn’t find an affordable option.
After finishing my bachelor’s in graphic design I worked for a while as a graphic designer at a company, but soon realized that it’s not something I really want to be doing. Of course I still use the knowledge to this day. Especially when creating my own calendars and planners, or other projects, but illustration is really a lot more fun for me.
During that time I spent a lot of my free time doing studies of Ghibli and other animation backgrounds, so I could perfect the style and become better at composition and digital art. And then I continued my studies in Denmark, with a master’s degree in Video Game and Media Design.
My experience there was sadly cut short by the 2020 corona outbreak, as I came home for safety reasons and finished my master’s remotely. I have been living at home since then, and drawing and painting almost daily. I picked up traditional art again, mostly watercolors and gouache, which are super fun mediums to work with.
In 2021 I officially started my own business, mostly selling my prints, calendars, planners, holiday cards, as well as doing commissions or working on various projects. In the same year I also worked on my first children’s book illustrations.
