T-Pencil talks to talented 'toonists

MANILA, Philippines - With the release of the latest in computer software, the magic of digital manipulation, and the advent of the stylus and the touch screen, we rarely see artists today intently drawing with pencil and paper. More often than not, art is directed straight from the creative mind to the computer.

The Thinker’s Pencil or T-Pencil, in an attempt to bring back the mastery and discipline of hand-drawn craft, gathers veteran and professional cartoonists Elizabeth Chionglo, Roni Santiago, Barry Jose, and Boboy Yonzon III to share the wonders of the pencil as a convenient and trusted art tool in today’s digital age. Being the only pencil manufactured here in the country, T-Pencil aims to work hand-in-hand with these Filipino cartoonists in raising the bar of Filipino art in the fields of drawing, sketching, and illustration.

Painter, graphic designer, and cartoonist Barry Jose, aside from specializing in caricatures, considers teaching his art to pre-school and elementary students his passion.

“I love seeing the children’s raw talent,” he shares. “It takes time to teach them, but watching them learn fulfills me.” The T-Pencil, in fact, is the perfect art tool to hand to beginners, as the pencils are made of safe, non-toxic materials, as certified by the Department of Health (DOH) and Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).

The problem with a lot of young artists today, however, is that they are more comfortable designing and drawing directly on the computer.

“Those who don’t draft first with a paper and a pencil tend to make more mistakes,” Jose observes.

Baltic & Co. creator Roni Santiago agrees, opting to use pencils first for his initial sketches.

Elizabeth Chionglo of the Loveknots comic strip prefers the same method. “I sketch first on bond paper then trace the initial drawing with ink to avoid erasing.” She notices that the T-pencil eraser is of good quality — it doesn’t darken the paper or get dirty when used.

In the same way, Samahang Kartunista ng Pilipinas (SKP) president and Mango comics brand publisher Boboy Yonzon III shares, “I am a control freak — and pencils are easy for me to control.”

Pencils are easy to use and very practical. Using it trains amateur artists to learn the basic firsts and hone their crafts for better quality results.

“I can spot potential immediately, and I believe that all these young cartoonists need are more time to practice and further improve their craft,” Santiago observes.

Aside from sharpening raw talent, Santiago stresses the need to strengthen the Filipino artists.

“Local cartoonists need support. As comic editor, I make it a point to give more space and breaks to them,” he says.

In the same way, publisher and president of various comics organizations, Yonzon mounts events and festivals in support of local talent. “To me, the events that open up a venue for starting cartoonists matter more than my own individual art works,” he says.

The Filipino-manufactured Thinker’s Pencil salutes these talented and hardworking Filipino cartoonists, who do more than just draw to elevate — and preserve — the Filipino art and talent.