Young Pinoy artist Kerby Rosanes tells stories with doodles

By day, 23-year-old Kerby Rosanes works as a graphic designer at a local company. But during his free time, he creates intricately detailed illustrations that have wowed art communities, design agencies and publications, and even musicians the world over.

He considers doodling his hobby, but it quickly turned into part-time freelance work after he gained a strong following online. He has designed the album cover of New York hip-hop artist Chuckie Campbell's “More Die of Heartbreak” and even participated in the artistic experiment and online exhibit The Gioconda Project, which aims to bring Contemporary Art to the wider public by showcasing the various interpretations of artists all over the globe of the Mona Lisa, or “La Gioconda” every year.



Rosanes graciously agreed to do an e-mail interview with GMA News Online.

Q: How old were you when you first got into drawing and how did it happen? Did you have formal lessons?

A: As far as I can remember, I got really interested in exploring the world of art especially drawing when I was in preschool, most likely at the age of five. We had this crazy homework to draw our “dream house.” It was one hell of a difficult subject for me, but I tried drawing it on my workbook. After many tries, I ended up tearing the page because of erasures.

Luckily, my mom came to the rescue and drew me the house I wanted in an instant. It was beautiful! From that moment, I knew I needed to practice and develop the skills in drawing. My mother inspired and motivated me.

Never had formal lessons. Just tons of time practicing and watching animé.

Q: Who or what inspires you and your art?

A: Well, aside from my mom, who's always been very supportive, discovering and looking at other artists' works keep me inspired. The beautiful natural wonders in our surroundings, especially in our country, also play a huge role in my body of work. That is why many of my drawings are infused with animals, flowers, vines, etc.

Q: Why do you prefer ink drawings? What does it do for you that no other medium can?

A: I have tried painting and watercolor before, but it didn't work for me since I don't have much time to spend at my drawing table because of work. So I tried to find other ways to continue doing my passion, even when I'm away from home. So, a pocket sketchbook and a pair of black ink pens were the best options. With them, I could always create new pieces during breaks in the office, long commutes, whenever and wherever I felt the need to draw.

Q: How do you get your drawings to become so incredibly detailed? Do you plan them or do you just run with your imagination?

A: It depends. For commissioned pieces/projects, I plan them out, for every single element is based on the client's creative brief and subject to their approval.

However, for personal pieces, such as those in my sketchbook, most were unplanned. I just need to sketch the main elements to make a solid idea, then I just let my mind dive into my pens and start doodling around the page. I always enjoy seeing a finished page of my sketchbook which was once blank; every tiny bit of detail comes out of nowhere.

Q: What's your favorite/least favorite thing to draw? What was the easiest/most difficult thing to learn to draw?

A: Favorite: Animals
Least Favorite: Human body

For me, it is so easy to draw fantasy creatures and animals even without a reference. Drawing the human form takes a lot of tedious research and rough sketching.

Q: How many notebooks have you filled with your doodles at this point?

A: I have at least four sketchbooks on hand at the moment. But I remember I still have a few other notebooks at our house in my hometown of Albay. The notebooks trace back some animé sketches, comics, editorial cartoons, and other stuff I did during my high school and college days. Lost count of it.

Q: Was there an instance when you got a “big break” or was it a slow build-up/accumulation of commissions that made you well-known in art circles?

A: Creating a personal body of work and sharing it for the world to see has given me the opportunities I had always dreamed of when I was just starting out. There are always those times that you felt no one cares about the stuff you do, but that has always been the challenge.

My big break in terms of client work was a result of the many instances of exposure I got from various online art blogs and some features in international print publications. It was slow, at first—that's normal and it's the most challenging phase to get through. But when I finally got noticed, that motivated me to get better with every new assignment.

Q: Did you ever want to do something else at some point and do you see yourself doing something else in the future?

A: A big doodle mural here and in some parts of the world or a solo exhibition. I want to discover and be exposed to different cultures of the world. It would be a great source of creative inspiration for me to strive in achieving every next level of my craft.

Q: I hear you have a coloring book out and will follow it up soon with a second book. Is it going to be another coloring book or purely an art book? When might your fans and admirers expect it?

A: Yep, Doodle Invasion Coloring Book is still available worldwide via Amazon. And yes, I am planning to release a second book late this year and most probably an art book. Also, Zifflin (publisher of Doodle Invasion) is also talking with me for plans on releasing Volume 2. We'll see which book comes out first before the year ends.

Q: What advice can you give to aspiring artists?

A: NEVER QUIT DRAWING. If you really love what you're doing, make sure to make the most out of it.

-- YA, GMA News

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Kerby Rosanes is on Tumblr, DeviantArt, and Facebook.