How did you become an illustrator?

I've been drawing ever since I could remember and I never stopped. After graduating High School and choosing between Bio Science or Art & Design, I went with my gut and chose my passion and went to art school. From there I discovered illustration through taking intensive Visual Communication Design courses. Although there was initial push back from my family that all work in Healthcare, I wouldn't be the illustrator I am today if it weren't for their loving support and dedication to hard work.

Thank you! I've always loved the experience of pushing paint and pencil on paper and when I started drawing and processing art digitally I wanted to retain the traditional integrity. I started scanning my drawings and paintings to the computer and would use those sketches as a base while using textured brushes, integrating natural grain textures and layering more line drawings.

I love illustrating portraits. There's something surreal in the subtleties in people's faces.

You illustrated several articles, and now a short story. What is the shift from non-fiction and autobiography to speculative fiction?

With speculative fiction, you can really get into the realm of imagination that a writer's words can take you to. With any narrative, I like to show the reader a different perspective that stems from the story but also goes beyond the words with a sense of wonder and mystery.

 

What is the process behind your work?

Regardless of the project, personal or for a client, I generally like to start off with word mapping, collecting references and creating mood boards. From there I roughly sketch out ideas and use the original sketch as a base and build layers upon it. Although I like designing thumbnails and exploring multiple concepts, I also like to keep the rendering and layering process organic and intuitive.

 

Tell me what would be your dream project with art – your wildest idea.

Good question. At the moment, the first thing that comes to mind is illustrating a Filipino restaurant menu or illustrating a family recipe book. It’s nothing super wild but it would be loads of fun.

 

In your personal illustrations, do you usually invent characters, or do you prefer self-portraits and fan art like the one you did for Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai?

I enjoy it all! A lot of the time the subject matter depends on my mood, or my experiences and emotional connections. Sometimes it’s as simple as watching a great film or people watching on the train.

 

Any project you would like to share with us?

I'm currently working on a project about my childhood experiences with my grandpa from the time we first immigrated to Canada.