A Parallel Planets piece by Unknown
Parallel Planets presents Apol Sta. Maria
in Self-Portraits of the Artist as a Young Man and Many More
Interview and Story by Erin Emocling
Mentioned: Pablo Picasso, T H R I L L E R, and art pieces that aren't for sale
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If there's anything that Apol wouldn't trade for anything in this world, I bet that it's paper and pen. That is, of course, if his fiancee is not among the options of that dire, hypothetical situation.
Apol Sta. Maria hails from Manila, Philippines, where he is ultimately known for his Pencil + Pen + Photoshop combos. He is the author the comic book
Ang Alamat ng Panget & Many Other and also does digital illustrations. If you haven't come across his works yet, now's the best time to do so because we're going to take a good trip down his memory lane.
Art runs through this man's veins. His love for art stemmed from his parents. His father was also a comic book artist during his prime years and, just like Apol, also worked in the advertising world.
About a month ago, Apol shared one of his drawings as a kid: a sort-of cross-dressing "2perman," who appears to have curly locks and sort-of man-tits. It was hilarious. I remember commenting on the post; I asked him if he was selling the drawing. He politely said no and mentioned that he has more scanned drawings from the 1980s.
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
At that time, I was, more or less, still in the process of conceptualizing Parallel Planets. It was only until yesterday that I recalled about Apol's drawings so I invited him to share them here. And since I really want to feature never-before-published pieces, this series is very, very apt.
He sent me a collection of 30+ drawings (whoa!) from 1983 to 1987, all of which were kept by his mother. "
I got them back from her around 10 years ago," he shared.
Now that he's all grown up, getting married, and is earning money & recognition from something that he loves to do since he was a child, I was eager to know what he would say to little Apol. I asked him, he whiffed a laughter, and answered, "
Ang galing! [Awesome job!]" He also admitted that he has always liked his drawings as a kid, especially when he noticed his affinity for symmetry and his strong influences by Jose Aruego (also a Filipino author and illustrator).
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
These vintage drawings are still relevant to Apol's present style, so I asked him if he ever thought about remaking his old drawings and use them as characters in his comics today. He boldly told me, "
I used to think that I should recreate all of my drawings from before but now, I don't have any plans on doing so. Instead, I used them during a talk where I used Picasso's quotes: 'To copy others is necessary, but to copy oneself is pathetic.'"
Each page is reminiscent of the time when ballpens and crayons were a child's best friends. '80s ruled! Who would've thought that Apol would still be going on the same track even after the all those years? Only goes to show that art doesn't only run through his veins; it's written (in this case: drawn) in the stars!
See the rest of the series below:
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
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| drawing by Apol Sta. Maria |
See? I told you, it was a whoa!-worthy collection. And of course, to keep up with Parallel Planets' vague theme, I also asked Apol a bunch of one-liners.
In this planet that we're thriving in—
What is your power animal? "Chicken"
Who is your alternate ego? "Waynes (White & Coyne)"
In an alternate universe where art doesn't exist—
What would your name be? "Apolinario Santa Maria"
What would you rather do? "Invent"
At the end of my interview with Apol, I asked him (again) if he plans on selling them. Because obviously, I'm still flailing to get any of these! Haha. He said, "
They're mine for keeping. Or maybe I should start having them framed?!" Aww. Worth the shot, though.
Apol Sta. Maria will have a booth at the upcoming Komikon event with his friend and fellow comic book artist, Rob Cham. He hopes to have reprint his first comic book by that time. He will also be having his first solo show at the Liongoren Gallery at Cubao, Quezon City but the date is still to be announced.
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