Meet Filipino illustrator, Corinne Caro.

 

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

My name is Corinne Caro and I’m a freelance artist specializing in illustration and background paint. I enjoy painting sceneries, going on google street view to explore, and watching horror, crime and food shows! I first started working in games but I’m so happy to be doing work for animation and illustration now.

 

Describe the city you’re living in and what it’s like to live there.

The area in Sta. Rosa I live in used to be pretty quiet with plenty of grass to spare but is now becoming a popular destination for people to go to on weekends! The closest mall we used to have was around an hour away (because of traffic haha!) but now there’s multiple shopping outlets and cinema’s in our area.

 

The best thing I love about Sta. Rosa is how close it is to Tagaytay, an area a bit higher up in the mountains with cooler air, scenic views and has so much amazing food!

 

What is the best and worst thing about living in your city?

The best thing I love about Sta. Rosa is how close it is to Tagaytay, an area a bit higher up in the mountains with cooler air, scenic views and has so much amazing food! The worst thing about it is how bad traffic can be nowadays on the weekend.

 

Give us 3 words that describe what it’s like to be a creative in your city.

Being a creative in Sta. Rosa is pretty nice due to the atmosphere it has but it can be quite challenging as well as most events related to art are held in Manila. Bus rides depending on traffic could take up hours!
I got to live in Hong Kong for 3 years while I was studying there and I was so awestruck by how easy it was to get around! I got to go on hikes, see amazing sceneries and architecture. I always felt like a tourist while I was living there because I always discovered plenty of things every day.

 

How did you start your career in art?

When I was young, I never would have thought that I could have a career in art. I only started drawing because my friends were amazing at it and I wanted to be like them haha! This all changed when I was offered a scholarship for an arts high school. After that, I studied painting in university for a year before transferring to a school in Hong Kong on a course that focused more on entertainment arts. At that time, it was quite hard for me to keep up with the work as before that I was working in mostly abstract paintings haha!
I was extremely fortunate to have been offered a job before I graduated. I first started as a concept artist in a game studio in the Philippines. Since then, I got to work as an artist for games and animation.

 

I’m really so grateful to the people who helped me get me to where I am today!

 

Were the people around you supportive of your decision on working as a creative?

Yes! My family has always been supportive of my career despite them not understanding it too much. Transferring to the university in Hong Kong was a difficult decision for us as there was no way we could’ve afforded it financially but I’m really grateful that the university was able to help us out with that. I’m really so grateful to the people who helped me get me to where I am today!

 

What are some goals and ambitions you have for your future work?

One of my dream goals is to draw backgrounds for an animated show. I hope to highlight more local sceneries in my work as well! There are so many amazing places in the Philippines I’ve always wanted to draw.

 

There are so many amazing places in the Philippines I’ve always wanted to draw.

 

If you could collaborate with any person in the world who would it be?

There are so many artists that I admire and look up to for inspiration! But I would really love to be able to collaborate with my friends who have pushed me to be a better artist and person!

 

How would you describe the women around you?

I’m so happy to have met so many amazing women who are my biggest inspirations. From my mom, grandma, and aunt who cheered me on since the very beginning and my amazing friends who inspire me so much!

 

Were there any local female creatives that you looked up to when you were growing up?

I definitely looked up to my friends in gradeschool who were amazing at drawing! Without meeting them, I don’t think I would be where I am today. We often joke about out of all of us, it was me who ended up pursuing art in the end haha!

 

Are there any challenging aspects of being a female in your industry?

Aside from some experiences and small comments, I’m happy to be working with amazing people right now.

 

Allow yourself to make mistakes and learn from them.

Do you have any advice to young women who are aspiring to work in your field?

Be kind to yourself! It’s so easy to place such high expectations on yourself and push yourself to meet them. Allow yourself to make mistakes and learn from them. When your job involves the thing you love doing most, it can be quite difficult to separate your work life with everything else so make sure you take time off and rest.

 

 

Photos courtesy of Corinne Caro