Photo by Kitkat S. Lastimosa

If we’re to believe stereotypes, artists are not exactly your next door neighbors. On one hand, you have the hermit types like the elusive street artist Banksy who chooses to stay hidden from crowds—and the police. On the other hand, you have the likes of impressionist painter Salvador Dali, who wore a cape and grew a 12-foot long moustache.

It isn’t surprising then that the images in our mind of artists are either of notorious recluses or flamboyant rogues. However, Tasha Ringor (IV BFA ID) is a different story. Despite having been profiled in the Philippine Daily Inquirer and designing the logo for its youth section, 2BU!, Tasha is surprisingly approachable. And though she is known for her quirky fashion sense—today’s outfit was a green beanie and chunky rain boots—she remains easy to talk to, down-to-earth and very much the real deal.

Comics and classics

Like many young girls, Tasha grew up drawing the things around her: Disney Princesses and Betty and Veronica. In elementary school, she spotted her friend sketching big-eyed characters. It was then that Tasha moved on to learn anime-style drawing from programs like Sailor Moon and Akazukin Cha-Cha, which were then shown on local channel ABS-CBN.

From there, Tasha discovered different types of Japanese animation and was especially inspired by retro-shoujo manga such as Rose of Versailles—“the type with sparkly eyes and with flowers everywhere,” she says. This kind of romanticized illustration is a style she favors to this day.

But while her style mainly mirrors that of anime, Tasha has also studied classical art and art history, including her favorite art movement, impressionist painting. All of these, she believes, have elevated her style beyond conventional anime techniques. These days, Tasha describes her style as “retro-shoujo anime with realistic elements and a touch of soft colors and pastels,” adding, “I really love impressionist paintings so I try to incorporate that into my style.”

Since entering college, Tasha has been a member of Heights’ art staff, and her works have been featured in the creative folio a number of times. Heights Associate Art Editor Juan Viktor Calañoc cites Tasha’s “What the Wind Looks Like,” her work for the publication’s Kwentong Pambata series, as her best yet.

He shares, “I’ve seen [her works] develop into a higher form of art. Her expertise is really digital painting and you can clearly see the progression in her art and how she transcended.”

Tasha reveals that artists have what she calls “backstage art”—works made for the artist’s eyes alone. On this note, Tasha shared that one of her hobbies is drawing androgynous characters. “When my friends see my drawings,” Tasha laughs, “they’re like, ‘Is that a boy or a girl?’”

Tasha welcomes this complexity to her work and admits that her illustrations may simultaneously confuse and amuse her fans. “Art should not only generate questions,” she says. “It should make the person think about the piece of art [and not simply be] something one understands right away.”

Juggling act

While Tasha’s big break came in the form of illustrating for newspapers, Tasha has also amassed a considerable online following (her username on deviantART and LiveJournal is Muse33). More recently, she has worked on sequential art for ABS-CBN—a job she considers to be her most memorable and challenging working experience to date.

“It was a very stressful thing, because they’d cram everything but it was still a great experience. It helped me work under pressure and with revisions,” she shares. “I had to get used to them returning my work and telling me what’s wrong with it and what to do with it.”

Tasha has also dabbled in self-published graphic novels with her collaborative piece, entitled House of Prayer and A Thousand Stars. “[My friends] would write the story; I’d draw,” she says. House of Prayer is set in 19th century Europe and interlaced with supernatural fantasy. Meanwhile, A Thousand Stars was sold in Manila Comic Con 2009.

She has a hard time pinpointing the moment when she decided to pursue art as a profession. “I don’t think [there’s] one specific experience but it’s the fact that I just enjoyed [drawing] so much that it made me think ‘Yeah, I really do want to make a living out of this,’” says Tasha. “I wouldn’t mind spending 12 hours on an illustration—which is something that I’ve done already.”

Busy as she already is, Tasha does not hesitate in taking on more projects. In fact, she shares that she’s found fulfillment working on her senior’s creative thesis, a project she’s doing with other artists. Thus, the theme of collaboration continues. In fact, she laments, “When you’re drawing, you’re usually hunched up on a desk by yourself.”

During her down time, she can be found doing her shift at the Department of Student Welfare and Services. Even then, though, Tasha is sketching. If you love drawing, she explains, it’s important to “draw everyday… draw the things around you and draw the things you find difficult to draw.”

Beyond the screen

Despite being one of the more visible student artists in Ateneo, Tasha remains grounded. She refers to those who follow her work not as fans, but as “connections” she has made through her art. She even describes her Tumblr blog as a personal one that just happens to have plenty of followers.

“I’m kind of shy about the content I post,” she admits.

Rather than become complacent, Tasha continues to dream. One day, she says, she’d like to do character design for a game company that marries anime art with the digital medium, such as Persona video games. She also looks up to Taiwanese-American visual artist James Jean, illustrator of The Umbrella Academy and Fables, and plans to make more graphic novels in the future.

And while she admits that the Philippines’ comic book and graphic novel art scene is pretty stagnant compared to that of other countries, Tasha is hopeful. “I’m not really in any position to comment on that … but they are working on it,” she says. “There is so much talent here.”

During our interview, we find ourselves talking about the sudden urges to create art. “Even if I’m busy with long tests, papers and my thesis, I still have to squeeze in a drawing here or there,” confesses Tasha. “I’d go crazy if I don’t.”

And perhaps that’s all an artist needs: talent, the willingness to adapt and above all, passion. Though stereotypes tell us artists go mad because of their art, perhaps it’s the other way around.