Name: Cyrill Acuña
Age: 22
Pronouns: He/Him
Pronouns: He/Him
Tell us something about yourself
I am Cyrill Acuña, a kitschy freelance illustrator and web designer based in Marikina, Philippines. I am a digital illustrator by practice, and I am also practicing creative web design and graphic design. When I am not creating art, I am probably sleeping, reading novels, or consuming movies and tv series.
Where do you draw inspiration for your art?
Primarily, I draw inspiration from my childhood and how I drew when I was a kid. I am really a fan of old cartoons, especially 90s cartoons. I also like to draw inspiration from the Heta-Uma movement in the Japanese art scene. Basically, my art right now is an amalgamation of different things that I love from music, pop culture, and Filipino culture.
Describe your art style?
My art style is stylized cartoony but makes it more exaggerated. It’s like the Heta-Uma movement in Japan where ‘heta’ means bad and ‘umai’ means good. My work at first glance seems bad but somehow, it’s good!? Hahaha ‘bad but good’ in a literal sense just like my IG username. But at the end of the day, my art style is something that I enjoy creating - a safe space for me to experiment and try things. I work based on my intuition but most importantly I had fun creating.
Have you always wanted to become an artist?
Yes and no. Yes, because it’s my childhood dream to work in an animation studio or illustrate a book. But, growing up I think that isn’t possible, because some people say ‘there’s no money in art’ or ‘only rich people succeed in art’ that’s why I am hesitant to pursue an art career. That's why I took an IT course in college. But right now, I realized that it’s not too late to aim higher and pursue my childhood dream. It’s kinda surreal that somehow, I am slowly working on it right now.
Where can we see more of your art?
More of Cyrill Acuña:
For #Metroseen submissions, you can tag us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@MetrosceneMag) or use our hashtag. You can also send it via email at metroscenemagazine@gmail.com.
