It must have been my day because six artists were lounging at the sketching area waiting for anyone to avail of their services when I passed by. I inquired how much it would cost to have my portrait sketched and they just pointed me to a small box at the counter. “Just a donation,” they replied.
I sat down for about 15-20 minutes and they started sketching my portrait. These artists, namely, Ged, Patrick, Alfonso, Alfred, Buddy and Bay-an, are regulars at the Tam-awan Village. They have been perfecting their craft and promoting the Filipino culture through their artists’ eyes.
Each of them have different interpretations of my face as they focused more on the character and the aura they perceive from the person rather than on the technical light and shade details. Sure, they take that into consideration, but these artists draw not just with their hands and eyes but also through their heart and soul and how they connect with the person they draw. Good thing I chatted with them while they drew and I saw in the results, they saw and drew a happy person in me.
I tried my hand on sketching while my friends sat down for their turn and realized it wasn’t that easy. So, I dropped my donation in the box. I saw that donations range from P150-P500 (less than $10) and put in my P200 bill. Only when I got the Tam-awan Village brochure that I learned it costs P350 for portrait sketching per artist. I felt guilty for giving them so little but when I saw the smiles on the artists’ faces, I knew they did it out of their passion for art more than for the trade.