Get To Know Lei Melendres, The Artist Behind Our First NFT Collection!
Lei Melendres, an artist originally from Laguna created our inaugural NFT collectible. His expertise and artworks are proof that he is not just Laguna’s best. He is also Philippines’ one of the finest when it comes to doodle art and illustration.
In our previous article, we talked about his past clients, collaborations, and achievements in different organizations. Now, Lei who celebrates a decade in the art industry opens up how he found his niche and what are his views towards online galleries and CryptoArt.
Join us as he shares a glimpse of his journey in becoming the successful doodle artist that he is now.
How did you get started to be an artist?
I started drawing at a really young age. I learned the basics from my mom. Then I learned to draw anime from my older brother. We used to be very competitive when it comes to our drawings and the idea of becoming better the more that I practice was carved into my brain.
How did you find your niche or art style?
Since I began at a really young age, I was able to try so many different styles but I never mastered any of them. Plus, I easily get bored doing the same exact style over and over. I just don’t see myself growing as an artist doing the same kind of drawings.
However, with doodle art, the sky’s the limit on what kind of elements you want to include in your artwork. I’m actually able to make use of all the skills I’ve learned so far to make a single artwork which is fun, challenging, and exciting. When people began to notice and praise my work, I knew I was in the right direction.
Who are the artists that you look up to?
I have a lot but here are some people on top of the list: Twei, Mcbess, Mr. Misang, Nychos, Kim Jung Gi, James Jean, Cinta Vidal, and Steven Harrington.
What’s your favorite work and collaboration?
My favorite artwork by far was my “Manila Invade” artwork from way back 2014. I submitted that artwork to the first Behance Portfolio Review ever conducted in the Philippines and I won the first Behance Coin Award in the country as well.
My favorite collaboration would be my “Lei Melendres X Project” series where I created an unfinished artwork and let anyone who was interested finish it by adding in their own style and elements to finish the whole artwork. You can find the whole collection by searching #LeiMelendresxProject on Instagram.
What are your thoughts on online galleries compared to traditional ones?
I think the only difference between these two is that you get to touch and smell the environment whenever you’re in a traditional gallery. Aside from that, every experience can be converted into a digital experience depending on the budget. I think with VR being improved in a fast-paced manner, eventually, people would prefer to go to online galleries in the future for the experience you can only get in a VR world.
What are your thoughts about CryptoArt?
I honestly think that CryptoArt is the future of digital art — with it, there are so many possibilities. Finding out that there’s actually a market for it makes me super excited to work on my series.
Since it’s your first time to “tokenize” your artwork as a Non-Fungible Token (NFT), what are your expectations as a CryptoArtist?
Since my collection would be one of the first artworks to ever be tokenized here in our country, I expect things to start at a slow pace. People are still new to the concept and they need a lot of educating in order for them to appreciate what CryptoArt really is. I’m also fairly new to this crypto industry so aside from collectors not being aware that my art is now available, I too have a lot of things to learn before I can work my way up to the top. But, I’m really not in a hurry and I’m just enjoying the process.
What will collectors look forward to in your collaboration with Ownly?
We decided to create a collection of different characters and once you’re able to collect all 10 Characters out of 20 Characters in the collection , you’ll get the full-blown piece. I intend to make this artwork extra special so I’m going to put in a lot of effort and time in accomplishing it. I’ll be introducing a lot of new characters but my best characters from my previous works will be present and with some improvements.
We’re very excited that we partnered with Lei in our first collection! We believe that his NFT collectibles will push other artists to venture into making CryptoArt. More importantly, it’ll help collectors worldwide to see the talent of Filipinos when it comes to art.
Watch out for our future announcement and be the first one to get Lei’s single-edition CryptoArt!
Follow Lei on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leimelendres/
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/leimelendresdoodles
Behance: https://www.behance.net/leimelendres
DeviantART: https://www.deviantart.com/leimelendres
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/leimelendres
More about Ownly:
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/ownly.io
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ownly.io/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ownlyio/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ownlyio
Join is in our community!
Telegram: https://t.me/ownlyio
Discord: discord.gg/cXez8Jz8
Fb Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ownlycommunity
