Writing for When In Manila means getting to feature amazing local artists—and that’s probably my favorite part of the job, because really now, the Philippines is home to a lot of young, fresh talents just waiting to be discovered.
Let’s talk about Kat Francisco. I remember stumbling upon her Instagram page one rainy evening at my office. I also remember instantly falling in love with her sketches, and the next thing I knew, I was already scrolling my thumb through her pastel-colored feed.
Get to know more about this young Filipina artist, and check out her work in this quick interview below.
LOOK: Beautiful Illustrations For The Broken And The Lonely
Kat Francisco is a visual artist based in Manila. She is currently a fine arts student at the University of the Philippines Diliman.
Describe your style.
My art consists of beautiful and sophisticated imagery of women with an emphasis on the details. By adding some elements of nature, I try to make it seem like they are carefully planned with soft features yet bold outcomes.
Who is Kat Francisco as an artist?
I think I’m still in the state where most artists are, trying to find a place to fit in. I may be comfortable with what I’m doing right now, but I know that someday my passion will serve its own purpose. I’m a dreamer and I believe that I can get things happen with the right amount of effort.
What does Kat do on a typical Thursday?
When I’m not drawing, I’m making playlists for my own pleasure.
Who influenced you to do portraits?
My mom.
What medium do you use?
My babes are mostly drawn in colored pencil, a medium I started working with since I was in high school. Sometimes I use watercolor and pastel as my base to build the layers of colors in my larger pieces.
We noticed you like using pastel colors (i.e., shades of pink and purple) in your artworks. Why so?
I didn’t know that I’ve been using pastel colors way too much until a friend asked me “Kat bakit puro pink artworks mo?” then I realized that I like pink haha! I guess I’m just comfortable in using warm pastel colors but I might try a different palette anytime soon.
Is there a story on how you discovered your style?
I’ve always been jealous of artists that can paint expressively, like how “free” their strokes are in their paintings. When I tried to do the same I didn’t get the pleasure that I thought I wanted. But when I did the things that I usually do, that’s when I realized that this is the style that I really want.
Where do you get your art inspiration from?
My ideas come out by emotions or by visual stimulation. I thank music for making a huge part of my imagination.
If you could only use three colors for the rest of your life, what would they be and why?
It would be pink, cool grey, and (I’d say white but since white is not a color), I’d go for tan. I guess these colors are basically me as a person. I may be loud, funny and outgoing to some people but I really value my time alone which I think makes it neutral.
What are your five favorite artworks, and the stories behind each one?
My first time to join Art in the Park 2015 with this artwork as one of my entries
Initially, I thought of drawing the entire face. But I got scared because there’s a big chance that I’m gonna mess up with the lips. Haha. This is probably the most realistic eyes I’ve ever drawn.
One of the most recent artworks that I did and got sold.
An artwork that I did overnight, one of the artworks that I contributed to Graphika Manila 2016.
Just an experiment that turned out to be a good one.
How did her artwork make you feel? Share your thoughts with us!
