Who is God? He’s A Damn Good Artist!

Okay guys, I am not talking about God, the Creator of heaven and earth. I’m talking about another “God”, Godfrey Escota to be precise.  Take a quick scroll down and have a glimpse of his amazing art, then scroll back up and let me introduce him to you.  Go!

God is one of IAS (Interactive Arts Services) Manila Studio’s prized artists. He holds a team leader post for the Pencils Department, doing storyboards for a clientele that includes advertising giants like Leo Burnett , Saatchi & Saatchi and Arnold Worldwide. Prior to that gig, he was a top ace in an animation studio somewhere in Pasig City.

I probably first saw the lad back in our college days. We went to the same school and took the same course, Architecture. Strangely enough, we didn’t know each other until we became co-workers, years later in IAS. That’s quite amazing considering the School of Architecture in Mapua is only half-a-floor, consisted of around six rooms measly.

At first glance on God’s art, one understands immediately that what he beholds is nothing less than a work of a master. His understanding of the human anatomy and figure is just exceptional. To my personal opinion, this mastery is what allows him to do complicated illustrations with ease and efficiency of a seasoned assassin, well versed in all drawing styles from manga to hyper-realistic renderings.

Frankly as I see it, he is easily the next big thing, the next Leinil Yu or Jay Anacleto, only if he chooses to. This makes me often wonder why he doesn’t.  Most of the time I blame it to his err… happy disposition and sometimes fickle mindedness, but hey, let’s give it to the man to decide when he’s ready.

I share this to give you guys a hint about the hidden gems that we have in the Filipino artists’ talent pool. How many out there are just waiting to be discovered, dug, mined and polished? The answer you’ll find might shock you and set you in a pleasant disbelief.

I remember wondering as I commute on a full bus, how many of the passengers could be artists like me or at least can draw? Could I be the only one? There could be times that I was, but in many occasions, I’d bet that wasn’t the case. There could’ve been Godfrey’s that sat beside me. In fact, there was a Godfrey in my school that I never knew until I started working with him several years ago.

It is just so exciting to think how many hidden God’s are there, lurking in the crowds that we see every day, doing their masterpieces in the privacy of their bedrooms and computers.

Just imagine.

See more of Godfrey in his DeviantArt and IAS blog interview.