The One with the Passion
Stories of young artists who do Art Commissions
By Angelica Orteo and Carlos Sibucao
When I was in High School, I told my parents that I want to take arts in college. I remember their cold and harsh response. They told me that there is no money in art. They told me that art is just a mere hobby and a passion meant for those who can afford in life, for the rich ones. But I believe the opposite. I believe that there is money in art and that there are actually lives who were greatly influenced and changed by art.
Art commissions/ Commissioning art is the process of hiring an artist to create an artwork based on the request of the client/customer. So, come along as we dive into the world of art commissions and get to know these college students who despite of the pandemic and their academic workloads, still manage to do their passion while earning financially and inspiring others.
Samuel Rodriguez
“Balancing your time and effort for artworks and academics is like walking on the thinnest tightrope ever made between two mountain tops”- Rodriguez, 2021.
Would you believe me if I tell you that our first artist learned the basics of Photoshop just through a single Viber call from a friend? Samuel Rodriguez, who’s currently taking up Management Information Systems at Ateneo de Manila University, started to take graphic design seriously at around March last year during the beginning of the community quarantine. But before that, he said that the only design tool he knew how to use was Canva. While dealing with the uncertainties brought by the pandemic, he was tapped by a friend from his local church to take part in the graphic design team of the church’s youth service. Sam, then, told him about the limits of his abilities but his friend just brushed it off and told him that what matters more is his heart to serve. He was then taught by Jonathan tal Placido, a mutual friend and another volunteer, the basics on how to use Photoshop via a single Viber call.
“Learning photoshop broadened my horizons and showed me the value of translating complex concepts and plans into pleasing visual media. Other connections started reaching out to me after seeing my work as they started their own small businesses during the pandemic and the rest is history”, Sam shared.
Sam said that he started commissioning/ making art designs to help his local church which gave him a chance to grow and make something meaningful and so he didn’t want to waste this gift. Aside from this, he also saw art commissioning through his graphic designs as his way of supporting businesses and movements that matters a lot to him especially during these times where Filipinos are trying to adapt to the heavy impact of the pandemic on their livelihoods.
“Primarily, I’m an events photographer. I love shooting live music and portraits. I also edit videos on the side. These days however, I grew to offer product photography and graphic design services for events and businesses that need fresh look for their projects”, He stated.
He considers Photoshop as the epitome of cutting and pasting photos to make collages which reminded him of his childhood days of gluing together various cutouts from magazines to make new pictures. He says that his art style is combining the crafty look of cut-out photos and the minimalist design language of today’s generation.
Currently, he is inclined to making designs for businesses and organizations that he thinks deserves to be seen and heard!
According to him, one of the struggles is that design takes time. He emphasized that from conceptualization to execution, it takes a lot of effort to make sure that your work can deliver the story that your client wants to tell while still being able to retain an appealing look. And due to this, a significant portion of his time for academics is stripped away.
When asked what are the other challenges he experienced, he answered without any doubt, eye strain. A really bad eye strain matched with lower back pain. He said that if he wants to relax, connect with other people, study, work or make art, he has to sit and look at a screen for HOURS. That’s why he’s now trying to learn new hobbies that takes him away from the blinding screens.
“I’m not sure if I could specifically name a designer that influences the majority of my work. To me, design is a collection of languages in which many people could speak the same language while discussing completely unique concepts. I follow a lot of artists on Instagram and Twitter and I try to note of how they use color, typography, and other design techniques to effectively convey an idea. What motivates me the most is my ability and privilege to use design as a tool to lift up unheard voices and causes on a platform in a very noisy internet landscape. Moreover, my mentors, who gave me a chance to handle a very important responsibility (Why me? There are so much more talented and experienced designers out there!) and God, who gave me an avenue to live out his commands to serve others in such a fun and fulfilling way”, Sam added.
He is now planning to make a consolidated gallery of his creative works. This includes his photography, videography and graphic design projects.
For any inquiries/ commissions, you can message him at Sam Rodriguez on Facebook where his works are currently posted as well as on Instagram @samplingmethod and YouTube Channel Sam Rodriguez!!
Arnold Padilla
“…the Philippines in general needs a lot of visual communicators in the society, that’s why I’m still a volunteer for youth led organizations promoting several advocacies for the nation, we really need to get educated, and to get educated, I’m taking part by using art as a medium for the society to visually learn and comprehend,” -Padilla, 2021
From traditional fine arts to digital arts — From pencil and charcoal sketches, to oil, acrylic and watercolor paintings; From branding, logo, visual identity, visual communication, graphic design to other various mediums — name it all, I guarantee you that Arnold can provide you everything in the name of art.
A diverse artist indeed, Arnold John Padilla, a third year student of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines taking up Bachelor in Advertising and Public Relations, has started doing art commissions from sketches of portraits to illustrations ever since junior high school at around 2013 to 2014. Up until today, he’s still doing commissions as he learned to shift into digital art as it is also needed in his course.
With his creativity and heart for the arts, Arnold recently launched Artnold as his personal art page. When asked what’s the reason behind the name of his art page, he told us that it was really his second choice. At first, he thought of “Code Nold” as the brand name after six months of conceptualizing. From “Code Red” as people refer during emergency situations that need urgent actions, he thought that “Code Nold” would be the same for when people need art, they would prefer him as their emergency hero. However, he remembered his nickname Artnold which was invented by his junior high school classmates. By then, he made his friends vote between the two said names and it turns out that the latter is more appealing and witty for them. Hence, the birth of Artnold.
“I don’t think it’s up for me to decide how to describe my art style, personal struggle ng mga artists when it comes to determining what is their own language. Open at subjective rin kasi ang art sa mata ng nakararami, it could be open to a lot of interpretation, thus I say, it’s up to the people how may they translate me in their existence,” he stated when asked what his art style is.
Nonetheless, as also mentioned above, he presents himself as a diverse artist, offering digital and traditional fine arts including branding, logo, visual identity and communication, graphic design, pencil and charcoal sketch, oil, acrylic and watercolor paintings and even different mediums.
“There are times I neglect my academic responsibilities, there are times I’m productive. It’s still a mystery to me how I managed to do commissions for 5 years while maintaining study. It’s a real struggle for me, and it’s my everyday battle too,” he said.
Aside from that and being underpaid at times, one of the most challenging parts of being an artist is having impostor syndrome episodes or in layman’s terms, an experience of believing that you are not as competent as others think of you. Thus, an everyday battle leading him to somehow invalidate his efforts as an artist.
Targeting young professionals, Filipinos opening business start ups, advocacy organizations that are in need of visual communicators, he wants to be their medium and part of their success. Aside from that, Arnold’s family also inspired him to push through. According to him, he grew up from poverty and is still living in it but he knows that they’re making progress little by little. Moreover, his art commissions also helped him sustain his academic financial needs, and alleviate his father’s hard work, who always comes home tired from his job. Earning money from his commissions, he stopped asking his father for his allowance. Furthermore, he wants to return the hardships of his parents as well as sustain the education of his siblings in the future as he is the eldest.
“They say keep your plans secret and let your success be your noise,” Arnold stated.
He told us that he is somehow confident because he has already laid out plans for the future. With the burning passion inside him, he will continue venturing as he will dive deeper into the creative industry. Thus, an artistic and colorful road ahead of him continues.
Let’s support local artists! You can avail Arnold’s services and artworks by massaging his personal art page, Artnold or message him directly on Facebook.
Adrian Pulgo
“My elder brother is my biggest influence. He was the one who introduced me to a new field of art, which then enabled me to be more versatile to different fields. More than being a brother, I think of him as my mentor. I’ve made a vow to myself to keep improving and always go beyond, in hope of someday, I’ll be an artist he can be proud of”-Pulgo, 2021.
Being an aspiring journalist and media practitioner in the future, while showing his artistry through his art commissions as an avenue to support his studies is not an easy thing to do, most especially these days, but Adrian Pulgo, most commonly known as Ades, continues to tell the tale. Adrian, 21, is a 3rd year BA Journalism student also from Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
Adrian first started taking commissions when he was in Senior High School but he launched his own art page, “Gurami”, on Facebook just last October. Can you imagine? At a young age he managed to make a platform to showcase his own craft and support himself financially. It started out only as a hobby , but he figured out that it can help in financing his studies so he started doing art commissions.
According to him, he got the name “Gurami” as a dedication to his late grandfather. He narrated that way back when they were living at a squatters’ area, there was a river where his grandfather used to fish and he often catches Gourami, thus he got the alias ‘Gurami’ from the locals there.
The services he currently offers includes making portraits of different medium such as colored pencil, graphite, charcoal, soft pastel and watercolor. He also do graphic services, such as logo and poster design.
Ades describes his art style as more inclined on minimalism as he is into simplicity and precision. He also added that his clients are usually those who are starting and/or small businesses, couples, and students.
“Taking commissions eats a lot of time. There are times where I am forced to sacrifice my time for leisure and academics so I could work on commissions. It also adds stress. Although seldomly, there are times that I feel drained and exhausted due to workload and lack of rest”, Adrian answered when asked what are the struggles of fulfilling his responsibilities while doing commission artworks.
He added that there are also times that he runs out of creative juices and ideas, which he and his fellow artists commonly call as an ‘art block’. He also said that the thought of having no job done is way too frustrating.
Currently, Ades focuses on keeping himself immersed and he continues honing his skills, as always. You can avail his works on Facebook @GuramiArtPh.
Bea Gerero
“Let them realize that art is something worth paying for by starting to pay a little for the art that I’m selling. It’s a way of opening the eyes of people to art, not just to earn.” -Gerero, 2021
Learning digital art from the basic line drawings and colors on March 2020 from her sister, who is also her biggest influence, out of boredom, Ruth Beatriz Gerero, a 20-year-old student of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila taking up Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in English, began her career in doing art commissions. Though she did not plan to sell her artworks in spite of creating some of it for her friends and family, she decided to sell it upon launching her donation drive in April last year.
With the warm support she received as a lot of people availed her artworks, she continued selling digital art soft copies until she opened her online shop by B PH — Initially named after her, by Bea — on Instagram and Facebook. Considering everyone as her target customers, she decided to offer digital arts on stickers, pictures, tote bags, coin purses, frame with Spotify code, and her newly released mousepad. According to her, some people can’t afford art because it is somehow pricey, though it’s worth the high price, she wants everyone to appreciate art more, the reason why her products remain affordable to both students and adults.
“It’s like everytime I launch an item in my shop, I have this “I made it” feeling that is why the brand name is under my name,” Bea stated.
Being an artist, businesswoman and student all at the same time comes with a lot of challenges. According to Bea, since we’re in the middle of the pandemic, wherein she’s buying things for herself, she thought of selling her artworks to earn as well as to not burden her family with her expenses. She’s also struggling from handling her art commission business and school at the same time because both require a lot of time separately. Aside from it being time consuming, it’s also unhealthy staying awake all day to finish everything from her requirements to commissions. Bea pointed out that there comes a point where she has to do artworks for rush orders like creating ten consecutive arts that are due after three days.
“…I want my products to be worth it so I make sure to give my customers the best quality. We all know mass production reduces quality that is why it is hard but I see to it that quality will always be the top priority for my products and my arts,” she said.
Aside from rush orders, finding suppliers for her products as well as the production stresses her all the time. Undeterred by all the challenges she has faced and is still facing, she really enjoys doing her digiarts. She told us that she feels like she has her own coloring book with her own drawings in it. With the people who believe in her, she continues unfolding that coloring book.
When asked about her future plans, she said that she has a lot of plans for her online shop and my arts, it’s just that she can’t share it yet. So intriguing and exciting!
Visit, stay tuned and support local artists! You can avail her detailed and realistic artworks, as she described, @art.by.beyaaaji and @byb.ph on Instagram and By B PH on Facebook or or you can message her directly at 0997 736 7652.
Art gives meaning to our lives and helps us understand the world, providing us different lenses of reality. However, as centuries passed by, the value of the arts has been neglected by the people in our society and even in education despite admiring the works of Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and many more. Local artists like Fernando Amorsolo, Juan Luna, and Napoleon Abueva are also known somehow by the people but how about the other artists especially the youth?
The spiraling stigma that art is merely a habit and that there’s no money in it has been prevalent in our country, hindering the artists, especially the younger ones, and those who want to become one. Nevertheless, now is the time we break that stigma for art is more valuable than what we think. Support local artists now!
