Victor Tiomico’s journey as an artist was a rollercoaster of ups and downs. From working as a stockman and waiter to bartender and courier person, hopping from one company and work position to another, to finally finding his comfort zone in the world of art. Fate eventually declared that his calling was to become a full-fledged artist despite all the troubles he had to go through.
Tiomico’s love for art began in the blink of an eye thanks to the Japanese anime television series Dragon Ball. At age six, he frequently drew the series’ main character, Son Goku, until his older cousin decided to teach him how to draw his original character.
More often than not, it is the people older than us who tend to influence us at a young age—this was the case for Tiomico.
“First time ko makagawa ng sariling karakter no’ng tinuruan ako ng mas matandang pinsan ko na gumawa ako ng sarili kong karakter na may istorya, feeling ko do’n nag-start ang creativity ko dahil na rin sa impluwensya ng mas matanda sakin [The first time I drew my own character who had his own story was when my cousin taught me how to make one. I believe my creativity sprouted mainly because I was influenced by someone older than me.].”
Tiomico’s cousin also taught him how to do monochromatic art using oil pastels and how to use color wheels; all of these using the bond papers that his father often brought home from the office.
Throughout high school, the loss of Tiomico’s cousin did not cause him to find another master; instead, Tiomico found comfort as a self-taught artist. In his fourth year in high school, his aunt helped him purchase art materials such as educational books about realism—thus, finally igniting his interest in the said artistic style.
“Hindi pa uso [ang] YouTube noong mga panahon na ‘yon, palagay ko doon nagsimula ma-develop ‘yong skill ko sa realism dahil dati kasi puro anime talaga ang hilig kong i-drawing [YouTube was still not a mainstream platform during that time. I believe that my skill in realism developed at that point considering I used to only draw anime.].” Tiomico expressed.
He continued to find his place in the field of art as an employee at Wilcon Depot. At that time, he was a young and aspiring artist surrounded by different tools that could be used to create art; his milieu was already hinting at his impending career.
“Na-assign ako sa building materials at paints, kaya nagkaroon ako ng pagkakataon na aralin kung ano yung iba’t ibang klase ng pintura at paano gamitin, year 2008 that time [I was assigned to the building materials and paints so I gained the opportunity to learn about different kinds of paint and how to use them, that was around 2008.].”
Tiomico experimented with canvas cloths, plywood, and latex primers to produce an artistic piece; though he was still not accustomed to them, his inquisitive nature managed to arouse his enjoyment and led him to create abstract pieces. For once, curiosity did not kill the cat.
What started as a mere hobby eventually transformed into a passion, but before any of this became possible, Tiomico had to undergo numerous job changes, jumping from one company to another.
“Marami akong naging trabaho, 16-years-old palang ako [ay] nagstart na ko magtrabaho sa Jollibee as [a] stockman. Mas marami [akong] naging trabaho sa [mga] restaurants as a waiter at bartender. Pinakahuli kong trabaho ay sa J&T [Express], courier ako do’n. Bale naka 13 akong kumpanya bago ako tumigil, from 2006 to 2019. 2022 yung sa J&T [I worked multiple jobs; I worked as a stockman at Jollibee when I was a 16-year-old. I frequently worked at different restaurants as a waiter or a bartender. My most recent job was at J&T Express as a courier in 2022. From 2006 to 2019, I worked for 13 companies before stopping.],” Tiomico said.
Tiomico’s challenging journey was what paved the way for him to become a full-time artist. In 2019, he realized that his previous jobs were not enough to fuel his career and fulfill his ambitions.
“‘Yong last job ko, sabi ko sa sarili ko [na] last na ‘to, ‘pag wala pa ring nangyari at hindi pa rin ako naregular, magfu-full time artist na ‘ko [With regards to my last job, I told myself that it would be my last; if nothing good happens and if I don’t become a regular, I will be a full time artist.”
Who knew that a declaration as simple as that would be the catalyst for Tiomico to excel as an artist?
However, his entry into the art industry did not start well. Tiomico became a tattoo artist right before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, causing many countries, including the Philippines, to enter a lockdown and forcing him to leave his newly acquired job. Though unfortunate, Tiomico did not choose to succumb to the challenges of the pandemic, especially since he had just triumphed over his career blocks.
“Nakaka-depress lang din [‘yong] time na ‘yon, ‘yong inakala kong mag-aangat sakin [ay] bigla nalang nawala, pero hindi ako sumuko. Nag-try akong maghanap ng paraan kung paano kumita sa pagda-drawing, do’n ako nag-start sa digital arts [That time was depressing because the job that I thought would motivate me just suddenly disappeared, but I did not give up. I tried to find a way to make money through drawing and that was when I started doing digital arts.]”
In 2023, Tiomico, who was now a full-time artist, and his father, who was also fond of drawing and painting, took their chance on HUB: Make Lab, a creative hub in Escolta, Manila, by establishing their own area there. Their business would eventually become Baki’s and CoLove Corner, the latter being Tiomico and his wife’s store which was established earlier this year.
Tiomico’s life in the art industry boded well—he was able to open his first two exhibits in 2023 at 1159 Creative Space in Makati Central Square and Daloy Studio Group in Valenzuela City. There, he showcased his artworks which were mainly acrylic paintings and were a mix of figurative art and expressionism. In 2024, Tiomico kept on going with his 3rd and 4th exhibits at Quarto Arts and Events.
But Tiomico’s life did not simply revolve around painting; he also learned how to sculpt using epoxy clay—it was a sculpture that he used as his entry for the Daloy Studio exhibit.
“Sa sculpture, nag start ako no’ng binigyan ako ng tita ko ng air dry clay. Sa una, wala talaga akong idea [kung] paano siya simulan, puro trial and error talaga hanggang sa nakita ko sa YouTube yung mga tamang proseso. Una kong ginagawa [ay] nilalagyan ko muna siya ng armature na alambre [para] pampatibay ng pundasyon, saka ko lalagyan ng clay at momoldehan. Same lang din sa painting ang style ko sa sculpture, kadalasan [ay] kumukuha ako ng inspirasyon sa mga gawa ko na painting [I started learning sculpture when my aunt gave me air dry clay. At first, I really had no idea how to sculpt using clay, the things I did were mostly trial and error until I discovered the correct process on YouTube. Nowadays, I use wire armatures as the foundation before putting and molding clay. My style in both painting and sculpting is the same; I often search for inspirations for my sculptures from my finished paintings],” Tiomico explained when asked about his sculpture process.
All that aside, every artist clings to a certain routine when it comes to doing art. As for Tiomico, he revealed that he would start a day by praying, drinking coffee, and performing a bit of exercise before delving into his imagination so he could start painting. Everyone gets tired now and then and Tiomico is no exception; he would spend his in-between rests by playing basketball or with his children for at least 15 minutes so he would not burn out.
Life is not always sunshine and rainbows. While Tiomico did overcome multiple career blocks before becoming an artist, he still experiences certain challenges in the world of art. These are artist’s block, sometimes being overwhelmed by talented artists, and criticisms that are mostly negative.
Luckily, Tiomico managed to control these struggles. For the artist’s block, Tiomico established two disciplines for himself: first, he visualized all the things he wanted to do before sketching them and planning on how he would color them. Second, he designed the abstract pieces first so he could experiment with colors and patterns. By fulfilling these, Tiomico called it a day.
“Ngayon, ‘di ko na po siya nararanasan, puro excitement nalang, sa tingin ko [ay] na-overcome ko na ‘yong gano’ng state [Nowadays, I no longer experience artist’s block; rather, it is just excitement that I feel.]”
For criticisms, he simply ignores those who do not have the intention to assist him in further improving his creative works.
Tiomico declared that many of his inspirations were rooted in the likes of Pablo Picasso, Egon Schiele, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Vincent van Gogh, Oswaldo Guayasamín, Ang Kiukok, Vicente Manansala, Brandon Boyd, and Richard Smith.
“I admire [artists from the] past pero marami rin akong hinahangaan sa mga bagong artist. Iba lang talaga [ang] impluwensya ng mga legends, sila kasi ‘yong roots. Para sa akin naman, walang limit ang art, continuous [at] evolving pa rin. [I admire [artists from the] past but there are also modern artists who I look up to. It’s just that the former tend to be more influential because they are the roots. For me, there is no limit in art because it is continuously evolving.]”
He did not forget to cite one of his brothers who made cubist and expressionist artworks; there came a time when Tiomico was barely even aware that he was already adopting his brother’s art style.
Looking back on everything that Tiomico had experienced and leaving behind all the work-related setbacks he had in the past, he now thrives in the world of art whether it be painting on denim jackets, tote bags, canvases, and coin purses, or selling artworks at his family’s art stores, or planning for future exhibits and events, or fulfilling various art commissions, or just by simply experimenting when it comes to painting and sculpting.