YouTurn : Marc Oliver Fernandez

Kailan nga ba ako ulit nagfeature ng isang cartoonist sa YouTurn feature section? Matagal-tagal na din ayun sa pagkakatanda ko dahil masyado na akong nalibang sa mga ibang gawain ko. Marami nagtatanung kung kailan ko nga ba balak ulit magfeature ng isang cartoonist o illustrator sapagkat dumaan na ang inktober2016 ay wala pa daw akong nailalabas kaya naman bilang inktober2016 naman ay naisip ko bakit nga ba hindi ko ifeature ang isa sa mga masasabi kong mahusay na cartoonist sa panahon na ito. Masasabi ko din na naging tigahanga niya ako ng makita ko ang ilan sa mga gawa niya nagviral noong lamang kasagsagan ng #PusherAkoWagTularan kaya naman simula noon ay excited na ako makita ang mga bawat guhit niya na kanya naman ilalabas sa kanyang opisyal facebook na Budong. Sino pa nga ba ang tinutukoy ko walang iba kundi si Marc Oliver Fernandez o mas kilala bilang Budong mula sa mundo ng cartoonist.

Tara kilalanin ng husto si Marc Oliver Fernandez kung sino nga ba talaga siya at anu ang mga kwento sa kanyang mga ginuhit.

Full Name and Alias: Marc Oliver Fernandez | budong
Website/Blog: facebook.com/budongss
Twitter: @budongss
Location: Bayombong Nueva Vizcaya. Pero currently staying here in Makati City
Age: 22
Education: Bachelor of secondary education – major in english
Genre of your graphic illustration: comics
Tell me something about yourself that people don't know:
..ugh. I’ve suffered from anxiety depression before..a couple of years back.
I don’t really want people to know my situation before in fears of me becoming more anxious about people and how they look at me.
I used to skip meals, I tend to stay up late at night just staring blankly at the ceiling, and I even stopped making art and that was the worst.
I thought leaving everything behind was the answer to me overcoming what I was going through but I was wrong. It was through art that I also found relief, with the help of my family. I started making art again.
Doodling, drawing and simply making art has been my way out of depression, it has been an avenue for me to finally regain confidence, and it has been a means for me to burst out what I feel inside.

What is your current state of mind before we continue with the interview? 
Now, I can say I’m better… I’m back on track, I’ve regained myself and I’m more positive with life.yay!

Huwag tularan

When and how did you get your start in the industry?
It started with my comics strips appearing in the Philippine daily inquirer from June to July this year. After publishing my strips there, I also put up my facebook page where I post random comics, twice of thrice a week

Did you go to school to study this genre?
Nope.

How did you discover your passion for art? Was it always something you knew you wanted to do?
It started way back my kindergarten days when me and my brother used to draw random stuff on our wall (actually, until now..hindi parin pinapa-repaint ng parents ko yung doodles namen noon.haha). it has always what I wanted to do.. and yes, I knew that this is something that I want to pursue and this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.

Malapad na noo naging paliparan ng eroplano

How do you define graphic design?
It is for me a creative way of communicating by means of art.

How did you find your style? Has it changed since you started?
My style has changed a lot from the first time I did character and concept studies and up until now, I can say that I’m still exploring my style.

What was your first ever illustration of, do you still have it, if not where is it?
That classic bahay kubo with a coconut tree beside it and a ricefield on the background.haha. yes, I still have it…it’s pasted on our wall :D

Shes got eyes of innocence, the face of an angel, a personality of a dreamer,
and a smile that hides more pain than you can imagine.

Where do you get your ideas/inspiration from?
I get ideas from my everyday experiences ---going to work, walking in the mall, and things that I see and observe from people around me,  especially with my comics..it’s mostly overheard.

How did illustration/grapic design change your life? 
As what I answered in the first question…art and illustration has been a way for me to get out of my anxieties. Whenever I feel down or my body’s about to succumb to depression, I pick up my pencil and draw…to divert my attention and to just let things out. To turn a dark atmosphere inside my head into a colorful artwork, to scribble my thoughts on a paper and to just let my mind wander.
I don’t really know what will happen to me without art in my life.

What are the pros and cons of being a grapic illustrator?
Pros- I get to do what I love doing
Cons- ugh, the pressure of meeting with clients’ needs…and deadlines of course.haha

Usapang FLAMES

If you weren't a graphic artist/illustrator or a multimedia artist, what would you want to be? Why?
An English teacher. (pursuing my degree) or a football player.

What legacy will you leave?
I think my legacy would be my art. That when people see my artworks and illustrations, they’ll see the inner me. As I said, it’s a means for me to communicate and to let things out…my art is a part of me. Every piece I create is a puzzle piece of my life and my experiences.

How do you see yourself 20 or 30 yrs from now?
An artist.,..yaaay! perhaps, an artist travelling the world to share my art 
Your #1 art tip or words of wisdom.

Never give up, especially if you really love what you’re doing..yaaay! 

Any final message? Its your time to shine..
Never stop drawing and making art. You may not know where you’re heading right now, but eventually you’ll figure out that God has given you that gift for a purpose  strive to pursue your art and don’t hesitate to grab every opportunity along the way.
Never give up.

All fotos grab from the official facebook of Marc Oliver Fernandez,