My art ten years ago...

I looked into my old sketchbooks and saw one of my very first charcoal artworks. And since my dad bought another frame he decided to hang it. My reference was an Ifugao photo by Masfere. I made this piece when I was still a student way back in 2003, and then it hit me, that was ten years ago!!!  Gosh I feel so old!

Ten years ago, I was taking charcoal painting classes on a portrait shop which my mom was grudgingly paying for. Thanks mom! :) The fee then was Php 100/session. At this point of my life I was not really into portraits, like any average teen in the Philippines anime was very popular, I was into slamdunk, rurouni kenshin, fushigi yugi, etc. After a month my mom said that she can't pay him anymore but the shop owner told me to go to the shop and he will teach me for free! The only medium I know then was charcoal and pastels! 

I started doing portraits of my family and relatives, first my sister, then my mom, my uncle, my grandma, grandfather, and then clients started coming in, and before I knew it I was earning from my art!

I remember consulting my teacher (the one who's teaching me at the shop) what course to take and he discouraged me to take up fine arts, his point was I already know how to do it and he suggested that I take a degree course like architecture (but I don't like straight lines and math! :) ). 

Looking back it's a good thing I didn't take my teacher's advice. I would have been a miserable architect. Dragging myself to school, going to the clinic everyday because my nose would be bleeding from all the math problems! 

I'm happy that I trusted my gut. So no guts, no glory is so true! :) It all boils down on what you really want, not what your teachers, parents, relatives think is best for you. Because at the end of the day it is YOUR life. No one should tell you how to live it but yourself.

Wow all of these memories because of a single portrait! :)