Joyce Melegrito works as a graphic artist for a publishing company. She has also contributed some storyboards for an upcoming short film that’s currently in post-production. Joyce has a self-published piece called thoughts@2am, about the common thoughts of a person in love, and also a series of illustrations based off of every Android OS release called Android Eats. She’s been participating in local conventions since 2017 and has had the opportunity to join an exhibit in 2018. She enjoys working on her artwork (and sometimes crafts), watching TV, listening to music, and reading books and comics. Some of her interests include pop culture, animations and comics, literature, and design. You can find out more about Joyce Melegrito over on her website, Tumblr, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Q: Everyone has an origin story. Could you share with us the exact moment (or moments) wherein you realized that you wanted to become an artist?
I started drawing when I was a kid, and my earliest artworks involve bears scrawled in lined spring notebooks. People liked my work—and at the time, I was doing art for the sake of it. Until one day, a family friend recommended me to take a fine arts course—so I went along with this decision.
My earliest influences are found in watching animated shows—particularly those World Masterpiece Theater titles like Heidi, Girl of the Alps; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; and Princess Sarah. I also had moments of watching some other anime like Zenki, Akazukin Chacha, Mojacko!—and, well…some other 90’s titles complete with Tagalog dubs. (I still watch anime up to this day, hahaha.) At that point, I liked drawing characters inspired by anime and manga, and it used to be my personal style before getting into art school.
I also found inspiration in reading lots of material—from comics to picture books. As a child, I read a lot and got fascinated with different illustration styles. There were also times when I copied illustrations from various books, and it has been a good practice for me as a starting artist.
Q: From that moment, and throughout your journey as an artist, what has been your biggest struggle?
My biggest struggle for me is to go through the momentum of creating things. I have a day job, and there are many times when I do not feel like creating art because I was too busy working on something else—or even spacing out, looking for inspiration.
Q: How have you been able to cope with (or overcome) this struggle?
I do things one at a time, whenever I can. I am a go-getter by nature, and taking things one at a time makes me regain focus whenever I feel overwhelmed with stuff. I make lists of what to do, and I try to accomplish them based on priority.
Q: What would you consider is the ONE thing that REALLY helped you level up your skills?
Explore different approaches in rendering things! It really helps to go out of the comfort zone sometimes. And allowing myself to learn new things can go a really long way. Also, it really helps to find a mentor who will help me in honing my art skills.
Q: What is one thing you’d wish you’d known before you started your artistic career? Why?
Before I started my artistic career, I wish I could have educated myself in the business side of art. Sure, I have talent and skill, and people appreciated my work—but since I started selling them in conventions, I realized that people have different tastes. Some go for originals, while others prefer fan art and such.
Q: What drives or inspires you to continue making your art?
The people who believe in my talent and skill: my family, my friends, my colleagues at work, and people who belong in the art community. It really helps to have a lot of friends who do art, and I’m glad that these people helped me grow to be a better artist.
There are also other factors that inspire me everyday—ranging from daily life details down to the elements I get from reading books and watching TV shows and video clips. Attending conventions and going to art markets motivate me to create things, too.
Q: What does your average day look like? (And when do you fit in the time to create art?)
My average day looks like this: I wake up every day to go to work, and repeat until fade—just some typical schedule an office lady follows. I create art during break times and free periods—and whenever I can, I work on these on weekends and by the time I come home from the office.
Q: How do you deal with distractions or challenges that you encounter while you’re working on your art?
As what I’ve said earlier, I do things one at the time. I listen to the music while keeping myself focused on my work. Also, whenever I work on something, I take down notes about the subject matter, do thumbnails, and execute them based on these.
Q: What do you do when you feel just completely uninspired or burnt out? How do you motivate yourself to start working again?
Whenever I feel burnt out, I watch random videos, doodle whatever tickles my fancy, and read some articles online. When all else fails, sleep is a good thing. It makes me feel refreshed upon waking up, and it gives me motivation to create things.
Q: What would you say has been your most EPIC win so far?
My most epic win so far is that I have showcased some of my pieces in the Shelved Wishes exhibit last 2017. It’s an event that speaks about our childhood dreams, and it was fun to meet fellow artists who shared theirs through works of art.
Q: What would you say has been your biggest failure?
When I quit my first job in a printing press in 2013, thinking that I could focus more on personal works and to be closer to my so-called “dream job.” It’s true that I partly had this reason before, but I ended up working on a part-time coloring stint while looking for my next job. It’s better to have a fallback instead of blindly following my passion.
Q: What, for you, has been the best way to promote yourself and your work to potential fans, clients, or publishers?
Social media! It really helps to have social media accounts to promote my work online. Plus, joining art organizations/circles is a good thing, since I get to learn a lot from them—career-wise or something else.
Q: What has been your game plan throughout your journey? What’s the BIG picture here? The ultimate dream? The end game?
My game plan throughout my art journey is to make something that can inspire others. As for the ultimate dream, I’m thinking of working on a stationery line featuring my artworks, since I have been selling stickers at conventions.
Q: What, for you personally, has been the source of your ideas, creativity and talent?
My source of ideas, creativity, and talent can be found in everyday life—and this includes my own experiences. Also, I get inspiration from reading books and watching TV shows (and some films).
Q: What is your big “WHY”? Why do you feel the need to make art? Who are you doing it for? What’s the hidden reason behind your big dream?
I feel the need to make art because I want to inspire everybody by sharing stories through it. I am doing this for everyone—especially to those who inspire me to continue my artistic journey.
Quick-Fire Questions
Q: What 3 stories (comics, movies, documentaries, novels, etc.) would you say influenced and inspired your work the most?
- W.I.T.C.H. by Elisabetta Gnone, Alessandro Barbucci, and Barbara Canepa
- Archie Comics
- Cardcaptor Sakura by CLAMP
I chose these three because they all have their own way of telling stories through illustrations. Also, I like how the characters are rendered, as well as their fashion sense.
Q: What are the top books, art books, blogs, podcasts, or workshops you’d recommend that helped you level up your skills? (Feel free to plug in as many as you’d like)
- The Purposeful Creative by Arriane Serafico - a podcast show about pursuing my passions in life. This is available on Spotify, and its website is http://www.thepurposefulcreative.com.
- Line of Action - a website that offers timed drawing sessions with figure references. Please check it out on https://line-of-action.com!
- Sunday Nudes PH - a monthly figure-drawing program featuring live nude models. These sessions helped me hone my life drawing skills, especially that some poses and gestures cannot be captured through photo references. (If you’re interested in life drawing, follow them on Instagram @sundaynudes.ph!)
Q: If you could work remotely, from anywhere in the world, where would your office be? Why?
- Japan, because I need a serene space to work. Bonus na po rito ang mga nagsisihulugang mga sakura [And a bonus that comes with this would be the falling sakura] petals at the start of springtime.
Q: Name ONE artist/writer that, if you could, you would pick their brain and find out all the hidden secrets behind their amazing work?
- Eiichiro Oda. I just got myself into reading One Piece lately, and I noticed that every character in the story has qualities that match their personalities.
Q:
Who do you consider your biggest mentor that helped you improve your skills?
(Doesn’t have to be someone you’ve met
personally. Can be someone you look up to, or someone whose art has inspired
you to get better, over the years.)
- My thesis adviser, Noli Vicedo. He taught me anatomy back in college days, and it has been an honor that he guided me with my book illustration thesis. Also, I still apply what I learned from him up to this day. (Not to mention, material exploration works on children’s books!)