Jack's Pot lotto paper comics

There's probably a mystery behind why most pinoys, or maybe the world in general, are crazy lottery fanatics. Hope in a sea of chances could be the addictive motivation. I know some people who make a living just enough to get by, and sometimes not even enough, would rather religiously buy a 20 pesos ticket than saving or investing it for their future funds. For a country populated with mostly catholics, it's ironic that many of the faithful tolerate gambling as a vice, and surprisingly by people with meager means. Betting goes with very high hopes of winning the jackpot to satisfy deprivations and ultimate desires. I wonder if the odds of winning increases if the intention in betting is to really help in funding charity works? I think having unselfish intentions is a very powerful charm to bet with, probably even to the great gamble of LIFE!         

A lot of paper waste floating around suking lotto outlets during betting time. Thinking there must be a way to recycle these, I collected some. I know what you're thinking but I do believe too that these papers are filled with so much "hope" energy, DREAMS, perhaps a dash of magic, and prayers stuck onto them. Eew, that's probably too much dirt, eherm, deep, heavy stuff to scrub off. 

Jack's Pot No. 1 Voila, lotto art! (Comics on Philippine lotto paper/lotto art) 

ref magnet alien by Yas Doctor, 100 petot by BSP

I came up with comics dedicated to perspectives on money with a twist drawn on lotto paper. Incidentally, the layout and design of lotto paper are divided into frames aptly for comic strips.

Jack's Pot No. 2 (Comics on Philippine lotto paper)

Jack's Pot No. 3 (Comics on Philippine lotto paper)

Jack's Pot No. 4 (Comics on Philippine lotto paper)

May the LUCKY odds ever be in everyone's favor!

Tags: Lotto, lotto paper, how to win lotto, lucky numbers, comics, money, how to make millions of money, Philippine lotto paper, drawing, sketching on lotto paper, lotto art, lotto paper art, winning numbers, winning lotto combination, lotto numbers, lotto comics, lotto illustration, jackpot, satire, metaphor, visual narrative, wordless comics, lotto art, lotto art, lotto art.

Dreamtime

CANVAS proudly presents a two-man show 

by Sergio Bumatay III and Rommel Joson

at the CANVAS Gallery and Garden

13-27 June 2013

For inquiries, send an email to info@canvas.ph

In DREAMTIME, Sergio Bumatay III and Rommel Joson - both practicing children's book illustrators - plumb the depths of their dreams, entering places of indeterminate locations and frozen time. Here, they explore visual narratives and create characters and images that call to mind the cycle of creation and dissolution and while celebrating the wonder and power of dreams.

Here's a peek at the process of one of my works in the exhibit:

A full view of the artwork:

Postwar

36x48 inches 

pencils and acrylic on canvas

2013

And here's one of my favorite pieces from Rommel's collection:

Luklukan

36x48 inches

oil on canvas

2013

Here's a sneak peek of the collection.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Sergio Bumatay III is an award-winning children’s book illustrator, book designer, and occasional painter. His book, Naku, Nakuu, Nakuuu!, written by Nanoy Rafael, was recently awarded the Peter Pan Prize by the International Board on Books for Young People in Sweden. He also won the grand prize in the 20th Daekyo Eye Level Children’s Literature Award in South Korea for his picture book, The Best Book in the World. Among his significant works as an illustrator include Ay Naku!, 2012 National Children’s Book Award–One of the Best Reads; Naku, Nakuu, Nakuuu!, 2008 Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) Alcala Illustrator’s Prize grand winner and NOMA Concours Japan Encouragement Prize winner; The Boy Who Touched Heaven, 2008 National Book awardee; and the Tight Times, 2007 PBBY Alcala Illustrator’s Prize grand winner. He is also a member of Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang INK), the first and only art group in the Philippines dedicated to illustrations for children. He was a scholar and graduated magna cum laude at the University of Santo Tomas. Some of his illustration and craft tutorials can be read at www.serjbumatay.blogspot.com.

Rommel Joson graduated magna cum laude and college valedictorian from the University of Philippines College of Fine Arts in 2006. He also holds a degree in Business Management from the Ateneo de Manila University, where he also received the Dean's Awards for Visual Arts in 1999. He has won awards in the fields of painting, illustration, design, and advertising art direction. In 2005, he won 3rd Place in the Oil/Acrylic Category of the 38th Shell National Student Art Competition. In 2007, he won 3rd Place at the Neil Gaiman/Fully Booked Graphic Fiction Competition. He worked in the advertising industry for a number of years, winning Silver and Bronze awards at the Philippine Araw Awards and Silver at the 1st Adobo Design Awards. In 2009, he was featured in Rogue Magazine's List of Top 16 Philippine Illustrators. In 2012, he was a semifinalist in the Oil on Canvas Category of the Metrobank Art and Design Excellence Competition. He now illustrates children's books for various publishers, garnering Honorable Mention citations at the PBBY-Alcala Illustrator's Prize. He is currently a member of the illustration group Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang INK).

Rommel's blog.

Rommel's @AngINK.

A view from CANVAS Gallery and Garden

The Calling

The Calling

pencils and acrylic on plywood

Transmuting passion to a higher purpose.

My work for CANVAS annual banner group show entitled, 

Revolution: Celebrating 150 years of Andres Bonifacio

 On view at the UP Vargas Museum and Oval until June 18, 2013

WHEW, five years of banner art!

Clarity

Artwork for an upcoming exhibit. 
My process in creating personal works usually begins with making random textures. 

I "capture" characters formed from those textures. 
Sometimes, finding those characters takes time and staring long at the canvas.

Voice and clarity: two words that most established artists and illustrators keep mentioning in their talks. I kept repeating those words to know what they really mean because it used to be vague for me.

When they are talking about finding and amplifying "voice," does it mean the things that keep ringing in your head? Is it thinking out loud, visually? Is it really something that you wanted to say visually?

Personally, I think the "voice" refers to your principles, emotions, and your own life story.

When they are talking about "clarity," does it mean sharpness (literal and figurative) of an image? the focus of subject? Effectively translating verbal communication through visual language?

I think clarity in illustration, especially in picture books, simply means the reader can understand what's going on in the scene, or grasp what the images or objects are.

works in progress

Detail of our upcoming book 

Detail of artwork for an exhibit

Work in progress for the annual banner show

On the Spot!

On-the-spot art contest is more than judging what meets the eye.

I thought judging an on-the-spot art contest was easy. It should technically be simple: gather works that have something relevant to say and has appeal according to one's taste, rank them in order, and you have a winner. It turns out judging is more than that. You also take into consideration not only to whom you'll give hope for their future artistic career but also whose family you think needs the prize most. Well, I wish there could be criteria percentage for that.

I joined my first on-the-spot art contest in the 4th grade, it was also my first time to join the art club. One sunny saturday, our art teacher brought us to the Metropolitan Museum of Manila. It was my first time to go out on my own with fellows. The theme of the contest was interpreting the Grimm brothers' tales. I chose Rumpelstiltskin, drawing the princess without a face like Modigliani in black-purple gown weaving some gold out of hay. I think my entry was inspired by a Modigliani's painting from a back cover of the Reader's Digest my dad sends from Saudi Arabia where he worked as OFW, which I wasn't familiar about the painter yet at the time. As far as I remember, my work was unfinished. We also left early so we didn't know who won but we went home happy with freebies and new experiences. My favorite art teacher treated us snacks.

My second on-the-spot art contest was more successful. The event was at the Cultural Center of the Philippines grounds organized by Nido, dubbed as "Mga Munting Daliri On-the-Spot Art Contest." It was actually a fun day, my mom and siblings were there to support me while having a picnic at the bay area. I never thought I'd win but I offered my prize to my dad who was at home sick and depressed for being jobless.

Yeah, like a real telenovela!

Some of the succeeding art contests were also quite successful. As I grew up, my intentions became different. Times were becoming more difficult so I joined these contests hopefully to win the prize money and help my growing family.

By then, I acquired the techniques and particular look of the popular art style that kids and coaches think will be successful in local art contests. So, I also used the same style while relying on good concept to make it standout. The prevalent art style was this simple abstract geometrical figures colorized in gradated and saturated hues style. That was more than 20 years ago, and kids today still use the same style. Everyone uses the same visual language, medium, composition, technique, and palette. Does this mean that their coaches' or art teachers' knowledge on art stopped at Abstraction? I hope they teach more about art and other kinds of visual expression in various media.

My top pick: the only work in the batch which I think that yields narratives and looks happy to me. And also because this work strongly reminds me of my works back then, same style and technique, the prevalent "successful" style on every local kid art contests even today.

Usually, kids who join art contests mostly come from underprivileged families. If your art entry was like Amorsolo's or Juan Luna's, Picasso's or Michelangelo's, then you are probably one of those privileged kids who could visit museums, attend workshops, and knew art was more than this prevailing style. Usually one or two of these kids in the group join only for the sake of fun. The rest, it's gonna be for their family's food on the table or to pay for schooling.

Now that it's my time to judge a small art contest at the Ayala Museum one sunday afternoon, my view on art contests has changed. I went on to observe how the kids work, parents and teachers coaching on their side, full of hope and working their best effort. I could almost see myself in them.

I shared the judging with two senior and well-established artists. Surprisingly, we all had different favorites. Honestly, it was intense for me because it was hard to convince someone who's more experienced than you are. I couldn't express myself clearly and wasn't that assertive enough to both of my co-judges, I felt voiceless.

It was a learning experience.

I gave credit to these two works above for their realistic rendering and graphic compositions among the batch. Two of the three works that I think have advanced skills. Age range of contestants were 12 to 19 years old. Medium is limited to oil pastels on illustration board.

Some of the entries I picked as finalists. The theme was about their perception of being a Filipino. One of the judges quite convinced me over the work on the right most side. He thought although it looks anime, which is understandably the popular and influential style today, it's the only work that speaks about herself as a young Filipino artist full of potential and hope. The rest were using cliched symbolism and concepts.

From afar, young as they are, you can already tell which ones who really have inborn talent and the others who'll spend more years practicing, or pursuing by their parents.