Tina Francisco

Penciller

Where were you born? Where did you grow up
I was born at Sta. Maria in the province of Bulacan and grew up in a small barrio called Cay Pombo.

Schooling? Art training?
I took up a course at AMACLC. No formal art training actually. I just found out that I could draw.

How long have you been working professionally in comics?
I was doing comics for 6 years in Atlas Publishing Company.

What things — both in art and otherwise – have you worked on, besides comics? Are comics a full-time gig for you or part-time?
I also worked on textbooks and other reading materials for kids. And… also, worked as an animation layout artist at Philippine Animation Studio Inc (PASI).

Talk about how you broke into the business –was it easy? Hard? Ups? Downs ? Any interesting anecdotes?
Nobody wants to hand me a script! I remember when I was just starting. It was depressing. Going back home empty-handed cause you’re a beginner and they felt they can’t trust you. Thank God my brother-in—law became an editor and handed me my first script. It was really hard.

When you held your first published work in your hands, how did you feel?
Wow! It feels great!

Did you work as an assistant to any other artists? If so, please talk a bit about those experiences.
Nope!

How did your parents take to the idea of working in comics?
They are more proud than me.

How would you describe your workspace? Is it part of your home, or do you go “to the studio”?
I occupy a part of our living room, I have two tables, our dining table( He! He!) where my references are scattered and my drafting table with a lightbox which my kuya (brother) did for me, cause he used to do furnitures. And my computer.

What job are you the proudest of? What’s your most embarrassing?
I feel proud of both doing comics and animation. Cause not everybody could do that.

Talk about your Family: Parents, siblings, home situation. Are you Married? Have kids? Anecdotes about married life, how it relates to your busy schedule, etc. If you have kids do they understand your job?What do they say about it? Do they read comics?
I am living with my mother and my two older sisters. My father already passed away . I am the youngest of 6 siblings. Three got married and lived with their own families.

What projects do you hope to work on in the future?
My dream, really, is to work in an animation studio who does animation movies like Nemo, Incredibles, and others. I really love to do cartoons. But any projects that would get my family to live comfortably would be great.

Where do you see yourself in five years? ten?
Still drawing! As long as they’d be giving me space to draw.

What is the interest in comics where you live? Do friends and neighbors know you draw comics for a living? How do they react?
Not much.

Yes. They’d say that I am talented that only few could do that. They would always say that somebody in their family also loves to draw and maybe they could learn from me.

What’s 1 thing you’ll always find in your refrigerator?
Sofdrinks or juice. Anything to eat when i get hungry.

What’s your favorite food?
My favorite foods are sinigang sa bayabas ( a native dish here ), pizza, pasta, and chocolates.

Have you ever thought of writing your own stories?
Someday.

Ever been in a gang?
No! But most of my friends are guys, Actually, all of them. Since I am an artist and most of them are men. Even my bestfriend is a guy. Tha’ts why I am not fond of wearing dresses and other girly stuff.

What’s an average day in your life like? Walk us through a typical day.
I woke up at 6 a.m, walk to the kitchen to have coffee or anything hot there to sip, then sit on my drawing table looking at the art I did last night. Turns on the cd player and work a bit. At 9 I eat breakfast, then work. Lunch at 12 noon then take a bath. And work ‘til 12 midnight.

Any humorous or interesting anecdotes to tell about the comics business?
Last February, 2004, I was invited together with my editor-in-chief, Ms Terry Bagalso by The Japan Foundation to attend their convention- ASIA IN COMICS 2004-Comics by Asean Women held in Tokyo , Japan .

If you weren’t a comic-book artist today, what would you be
I actually don’t know. Still an artist, I guess. Maybe on animation.

The single thing you’d most like to be remembered for in your life is…?
That someday, people who knew me or worked with would tell their friends that- “Oh! I knew her, she’s my friend, I’ve worked with her and she’s great!”

Gallery

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