How Old Is Old?

Some things never grow old like the enthusiasm I have for comics. For years, I have pondered long and hard to why I give much interest in a medium most people see as children’s entertainment. It’s a somewhat search for the truth, the purpose and the reason why I love comics so much. Everyday is a new discovery as I read the many thousands of work being churned out by great artists and writers. And it’s a journey one page at a time.

Surprisingly, I never thought I’d be so inspired by being exposed to the works of the old Filipino masters. Anime, manga and all other foreign influences have been my primary influences for the most of my artistic endeavours. I could imagine asking my younger self to enumerate Filipino comic book artists and hearing only a few. But the names Alcala, Redondo, Coching and Nino have permanently found a home in my heart as great artists. I would have wished to see them stroke their brushes one more time – sans Nino who I had the pleasure of such.

It has come to a point that I give them a nod, a pat on the back, a shout that their styles are, in my sincerest belief, have become more relevant and meaningful in this day and age. In as much as we drown ourselves with the modern styles of our foreign counterparts, an opportune moment has presented itself ever so silently. There is a Filipino style of illustrating komiks and the fact of knowing that is great.

Here I present a sample of what I want to play around with. The meeting of old illustration techniques and digital editing skills placed into one piece. The juxtaposition of conformity and modernity will be the biggest challenge in the proposal. This is where I skew the timeline and create an alternate reality – that’s the idea anyway.

Here’s the process that the art went through. A many thanks to Joel Chua from Pixel Pintura for giving plentiful advice given to the piece. I also added the logos that were based from old scans of Pilipino Komiks. I’ll probably trace other old komiks logos and converting them to vector and uploading them to this site for others to use sparingly to their own artwork.

Digital Art and Beyond

It’s interesting to learn how many artists today are shifting to digital art. With the proliferation of computer programs such as Photoshop, Painter, Illustrator and Maya, art has become somewhat more accessible and appealing to people. I’ve come to know that the creative and media industries today prefer applicants to be knowledgeable with the said programs. The digital paintbrush has become an industry standard and can become a powerful addition to an artist’s already abundant tools. I’m a traditionalist in terms of how I approach my art. But these past few years of being bombarded with digitally rendered paintings, edited photos and 3D models have changed my perception. At first, I was hesitant and a non-believer of such a technology. I soon realized it was just a means to an end. Soon, painting with an invisible brush was inevitable.

Digital painting number one. A first of many artworks to come, my first digital painting was a blast! I had never had this much fun in a long time. It was a challenge, yes, but overall a mind-exercising experience. And to think I didn’t have to go through my usual setup session of preparing tubes and palettes, cleaning brushes and containers. Of course, traditional has its advantages. But professionally, going digital is a must if I have to hit deadlines and such. The possibilities are as far as the infinite digital canvas.

Ye Old Reliable

Sometimes even the oldest and phased out tools can stand the test of time. Ever since mom bought me a new laptop, I still do think that my old laptop still had a kick in it to go on. So I fired it up and yes, it still does work almost perfectly. Way back in 2007, I had asked my parents to buy me a laptop, foregoing my birthday gift a year earlier to give them a head start. But lo and behold, they instead gave my brother’s laptop and bought him a new one. Sensing a little unfairness with the situation, they had explained that his Acer Travelmate 2702LC was faster than the newer laptop. In spite of a fictitious disadvantage, I came to accept the terms of engagement.

As my classmates will know, our 3rd and 4th year in college was the most hectic. It required us to be a step further in technical know-how with programs such as Photoshop and Illustrator keeping company at the busiest of nights. Old Acer never did let me down, considering I wasn’t the only one using it. Some of my classmates would sleepover at the dorm and we would take turns crashing the keyboard. It also provided ample entertainment at our most boring times. I owe a lot to this fine piece of equipment and am not saying goodbye just yet.

So far, my new laptop has been great, dealing with Photoshop and multiple programs with ease (not so perfect but I can still manage). Though sometimes, it does boot at the wrong side of the bed with check disk giving me nightmares.

I’ve been messing around with the preview page I posted a week ago, getting used to digital colouring and multiple hot keys. I do face some problems like design issues and wrong colour tones, but you do have to make the program work for you and not vice versa. By the end of this week, I’ll be posting the test coloured page and hopefully, have bought a drafting and computer table by then. My fingers are itching to pencil thesis pages.

On a side note, last Sunday’s lunch was very satisfying as I made an Ilocano delicacy called Kilawen. It really tastes good, as long as you balance the taste among goat skin, onions, onion leaves, ginger and calamansi. I took our golden retriever Maui to the vet and her ears, which are the most troublesome part of her life, have finally subsided swelling. My grandma will finally leave the hospital and thank God for her successful operation and recovery.