I'm Mario Parra, a Chilean illustrator & character artist currently working as a freelancer in Berlin.
Unsurprisingly, my origin story starts with drawing since I can hold a pen. But unlike many of my peers, my career journey has been anything but a straight line.
I spent some years of my childhood learning traditional art and as a teenager painting graffiti.
After dropping out of industrial design, I became a self-taught graphic designer and UX/UI. During this period I tried it all, including, branding, motion graphics, coding, 3D modeling, video editing, and a bunch of other things.
However, my love for drawing never stopped and I continued to do it both personally and professionally.
Eventually, there came a time when I realized that I was working as an artist much more often than I originally expected, which convinced me to devote all my energy to it, and that's what I've been doing ever since.
At first, it might seem like the detour was a huge waste of time, but I would argue that my previous adventures helped me be where I am, as each one contributed to forging what I call my "style," which is a never-ending work in progress.
I love learning, exploring different techniques, and keep pushing the boundaries of my creativity.