Many people have had enough of the pandemic’s gloom. Thankfully, the future seems to look brighter with decreasing virus cases and vaccination. Indeed, there are so many reasons to hope for the better.
This is reflected in this year’s theme of the National Arts Month celebration, with the theme “Sining ng Pagasa,” which aims to use art as a tool of expression and a source of hope. Artworks show the “the creative ways we respond to the pandemic, natural calamities, and other social ills,” according to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
The struggles of the pandemic are real and this is evident in the education of future professionals. However, for these young architecture students in the University of San Carlos, who had to start their tertiary education online, flexing their artistic side transcends the anxiety and uncertainty caused by the pandemic.
Apart from doing architectural design plates, these guys enjoy sketching and rendering activities in their other courses, such as History of Architecture.
“Watching the piece slowly come to life as I work on them and getting immersed in the details is the fun part of it,” shared architecture sophomore, Therese Martinez.
Her batchmate Henrick Cabanero agreed: “It is a way to pass my time and to meditate and relax, bringing me to a certain ‘trance.’ Completing my work is a tangible reward for my efforts.”
Therese’s and Henrick’s works were featured in their school organization’s “Feature Fridays,” which highlights outstanding works among Carolinian architecture students to serve as inspiration to their fellow architecture students. In terms of maintaining that vigor while attending online classes, planning is the key, for Therese and Henrick. Cramming will not work. They make sure that their academic tasks are done on time since it allows them to do other things to relax.
“I learned to take breaks and spread out my working time through weeks, instead of a few days,” Therese said.
Freshmen Keon Villegas and Mark Magdadaro keep their zest for what college life has to offer. Keon admitted that his “creative juices” kept building up while being at home most of the time so he always does his best even in the simplest assignments. On the other hand, Mark considers each activity as an “experiment” where he must continuously strive to push himself to get the quality of work that he envisioned.
Each of them has different favorite media in drawing. Keon loves his drawing pens and considers himself a huge fan of hatching and cross-hatching. “Shading (my drawings) and making them appear three-dimensional is the fun part of rendering,” he said. “It’s like a puzzle where I have to figure out what works best.”
Watercolor is a favorite of Henrick and Mark because they feel a certain connection to it.
“Giving time for a wash to dry just to help with blending before it dries and allows another layer for depth and contrast teaches patience, reminding me to trust in the process,” confided Henrick. Mark added that in using watercolor, its “pigments” are able to express his emotions. “Moreover, I was able to save resources with watercolor because of the process of mixing it with water and it does not run out quickly.”
Asked for their advice to young students on being creative while learning at home, they all agree on the importance of always finding the right inspiration and staying true to their creative selves.
Apart from enjoying what they do in their academic training as future architects, they also share the same hope and enthusiasm of experiencing face-to-face classes soon and continue to unleash their artistic talents.