Philippines-based illustrator, Mark Magnaye (AKA Blok), knew ever since he was a little boy that he wanted to do something creative when he grows up. “I guess I’ve always loved drawing and being creative,” he told Inky Goodness. “Initially, I wanted to be a comic artist; a dream that was influenced by the animes and cartoons of the 1990s. Though that changed when I entered art school. I was suddenly exposed to other art forms that I wasn’t all that familiar with before. Suddenly I was torn because I loved everything!”
With a passion for everything creative, Magnaye found his calling in minimalism, drawn to digital artwork that uses clean lines and shapes. “When I was younger I used to do these really busy compositions, something I’d call a fiesta,” he says. “But now I’m more refined using basic shapes and bold colors.” But though his work relies on basic compositions, his art is anything but basic.
“It was during my junior year that I discovered illustration, or rather saw it in a new light,” he recalled. “I used to hang out and kill time in the libraries in between classes. Sometimes I’d have three-hour breaks and spend all of it looking at picture books. That’s when my love story with illustration began, and I decided I’d like to pursue it as a career.”
He’s been hard at work since 2012 when he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Communication from the University of the Philippines. And we’re almost certain we’re going to see more of him in the future.
