Another CIITzen made our school proud! Adrean Tolosa, a first-year student of Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Arts, was named a runner-up in the recently held JICA Digital Arts Contest with the theme “Sustainable Development Goals: Building an Inclusive Future”. Out of 145 submissions from aspiring artists nationwide, only 12 made it the top and Adrean’s artwork is among them.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is an organization that supports the Philippines in activities leading to advancement for human security, enhanced effectiveness, efficiency, and speed. Part of JICA’s continuing endeavor is to raise awareness among the young generation on the Sustainable Development Goals by the United Nations and the contribution of JICA in making this happen. Hence, the Digital Poster Making contest was organized to reach out to the young folks and see their viewpoint on the cooperation work of JICA in the Philippines in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.

Given this purpose, Adrean transformed his perspective of JICA’s contribution into an inspiring and meaningful illustration. In order to get to know more about his work, we made a short chat with Adrean and here it goes:

How did you come up with your concept?

I simply reflected on our current economy here in the Philippines. One of the things I noticed was the growth in technology through the help of Japan. After this, I imagined the support that Japan provided the Philippines over the years and decided to include them in my illustration.

What are the tools you used? And, how did you start creating this masterpiece?

I created the artwork using Adobe Illustrator. Since I don’t have a pen tablet yet, the mouse and the pen tool on illustrator, became my companion throughout the whole process. I started sketching my idea on paper then took a photo of it before finally making the design on a computer. It took me around a day to finish the whole artwork.

What is the primary message of your artwork?

The wall of poverty is the barrier that the country is confronting. Let’s rise up! See the changes that have been built that continuously making great contributions to our country up to now.

What are your expectations after submitting your entry?

In all honesty, there were no expectations. This is my very first off-school competition and it happens to be a nationwide contest so I did not set any expectation. While working on my artwork, my primary goal was to clearly communicate my message through this visual art without expecting any award. The runner-up win came as a total surprise. I’m very happy and feel sincerely proud with my artwork.

How did you learn that your artwork was chosen as one of the 12 winners?

One schoolmate saw JICA’s post on Facebook. He tagged my account after finding out that I was among the runner-up[s] in the competition. There were no emails or letters sent so it was just through social media that I’ve learned about it.

How did this competition inspire you as an aspiring artist?

It definitely increased my confidence. I realized that it is fun and challenging at the same time to join such contests. With this, I’ll definitely participate in more art competitions in the future.

Congratulations for acing the JICA Digital Arts Contest, Adrean! The CIIT Community is so excited to see more of your work as an artist in the future.