Kalsun Alcantra is a professional artist based in the Philippines. Today Karlsun brings his boundless knowledge of art with his sketch-like style as we went in-depth about his unique work and experiences. Karlsun is also an Artist in Residence for Culturally. His residence exhibition "Lahat ng Maliwanag na Lugar" is on view now in our Hanbell Gallery!
What's your background or artistic story?
I'm Karlsun B. Alcantara and I have been drawing since I was 10 years old. I started drawing faces of famous cartoons in my childhood like Dragon Balls, Naruto Shippuden, and One Piece. After several years I'm high school, I started making realism drawings such as portraiture and it took me years to perfect it. I sketched the faces of different people even my crush. After years of practicing portraiture, I found another art style that I want to perfect and that is architectural drawings. In my 3rd-year of high school, I took the course of Technical Drafting and I loved it so much because it's so relatable to architecture. It is hard in the beginning but I enjoyed every process we made to improve my skills in technical drawing and planning structures. Because of it, I decided to take it as a future profession and that's also put me in my present art style which is urban sketching where I sketch structures built by a lot of famous architects around the world.
How do you seek out inspiration?
I always seek out inspiration in every structure; things that I personally see and online, because I appreciate every art element, details, passion they put in their art piece especially in architecture.
What do you aim to say by the themes in your art?
My aim in my art is to tell the audience that every place and the thing I draw has a small connection to us all by observing, understanding, and interpreting each art element, detail, characteristic, and especially the history. It can move us and may change our life.
What is integral to your work as an artist?
The most important thing to me and my work is interest. To make great things, not only in art, you must have full interest in what you're doing because interest gives enjoyment, patience, and focus, and it improves your art in this diverse and wonderful world we have.
How has your practice been affected by COVID-19?
Well, it has affected me a lot because as an Urban sketcher you must sketch things that you see personally, but because of the pandemic, I can't go to the places that I want to draw. Thanks to technology I draw things through pictures and continue sketching inside of the house.
As a professional artist, what is the biggest piece of advice you could give to an aspiring artist who is navigating the art world?
All of us are artists but if you want to pursue it you must be committed and consistent to be the great artist that you want to be.
Instagram: @kwago_sketch
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