What led you to become an illustrator? I’ve always been interested in art since I was at a young age and all throughout my life I always kept drawing. I used to be a full time graphic designer and sometimes I illustrate a few projects too. Outside of work, I was exposed to a lot of illustrators locally and internationally and it made me realize that it was a possible career that I can delve myself into. I realized that illustrating is what made me truly happy so I took the leap and became a freelance illustrator.Did you study illustration in college? Yes, I studied in St. Scholastica’s College Manila taking up Bachelor of Fine Arts majoring in Visual Design and Communications. Where did you grow up? I grew up in the province surrounded by nature and enjoying the simple things in life. Do you have a childhood memory relating to drawing/art that you hold dear? Art has really been a big part of my life. I’ve been drawing ever since I was a kid. A lot of influences of what I drew were the cartoons I watched and the comics I’ve read. I even used to watch local and foreign art related tv shows that taught me how to draw as well, like Art Attack.Where do you live now and what drew you there? I live back and forth in the province and in the city. I love the balance of living in the busy city where there’s always an event to go to or a new restaurant to try but I also like coming home where it’s quieter and more relaxed. Who or What is your biggest inspiration? A variety of illustrators really inspire and motivate me like Lorena Alvarez, Victo Ngai, Bobby Chiu, Lisk Feng, etc. A lot of films inspire me as well, especially Studio Ghibli films and other animated films from Pixar. What are your interests outside of illustration? I really enjoy photography especially since I love to travel. I also recently started pottery and still trying to be better at it. I like doing crafty activities so a lot of my other interests are mostly art related. I’m also a beginner at freediving. It’s such an exciting sport especially living in a tropical country surrounded by beautiful beaches, I wanted to take advantage of it.What makes a good client brief? A clear art direction on what the client wants and precise with all the specs needed.How much of your work is hand drawn? I used to vector my illustrations but now I love the look and style of hand drawn illustrations that everything is now digitally hand drawn.If you were not an illustrator, what would you be? I was a graphic designer for about 4 years before I became a fulltime illustrator. I still do a few graphic design projects once in a while so I’d probably go back to it.If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? I had only been to Spain in Europe and would love to be able to travel around the other different countries there! I’d love be able to see and experience their cultures, scenic mountains and beautiful architectures.What themes or content in the world inspires you?As someone who loves the great outdoors, the beauty of nature will always be so inspiring to me! What is your go-to comfort food?Filipino or Japanese cuisineWhat movie can you watch over and over?I love Studio Ghibli films like Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle. These films inspired and influenced me as well since it was so magical and beautifully illustrated.What do you listen to when you’re illustrating?In contrast to how happy and colourful my illustrations look, I actually love listening to horror and true crime podcasts while I illustrate! What is your favourite quote?“Now go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here. Make good art.” -Neil Gaiman