In this series, we shine a light on the uniquely talented creators that have joined the Uptick Network. Introducing the artists, showcasing their work, and interviewing them on the thought process behind their art, their experience as a creator, and their journey into this new and exciting space. This is the first in many series to come.
Merliel is an artist based in the Philippines. The style is a cacophony of vibrant colour, other-worldly creatures and a hint of horror-fuelled gore, creating a unique and distinctly contrasting style. Merliel was exposed to art and design from an early age, with many family members also being creatively driven. This was a big influence which prompted the continuation of that passion throughout life, going on to study animation and developing the fantastically unique style you see before you.
Like all the other kids, I started drawing when I was in 6th grade while anime was at its peak. Everyone whom I was close with was drawing, my sister, my friends and even my dad! All of the people that surrounded me influenced me to make art, although I only started taking it seriously when I reached Highschool. I pursued art up until College and now I am studying animation and making illustrations centred around other-worldly creatures with vibrant colours and a slight influence of gore.
I’m currently living in the Philippines. I wouldn’t say NFTs are popular here yet, at least not as popular as they are in the West. It is widely known in the art community to those that consume Western media, but other than that, it is still a foreign concept for the majority of the people here.
I love art so you could say I’m doing art for the sake of doing it but it’s not all there is, my passion for art stems from my upbringing. I’m not born into an affluent family, we were just getting by. I’d say that’s one of my main inspirations. I’m doing art not only because I love it, but because I have to do it, for the sake of me and my family.
Yes, I love the style I’m currently creating right now, which is this mix of anime and realism. I enjoy it and other people do too.
Definitely. Art is so ingrained into who I am that I can’t see myself doing something else.
Well, like most artists, an idea sparks, I find a fitting reference and I sketch the idea I have in a sketchbook. I transfer said sketch on to the digital canvas and I clean it up. I do the line art, lay on the flat colours and slowly render all of it to my liking. After that, I add the finishing touches!
The artwork I created inspired by the biblically accurate angel version of the cherubim is the art I’m proud of producing. Every time I look at it, I always whisper to myself “I made that, I created that!”. It’s a very peaceful feeling, almost to the point where I don’t need anyone to tell me what they think about it in order to feel fulfilled. Very freeing.
I handle creative block by sketching without expectations, resting a lot and most importantly by watching art tutorials and learning. I find that, for me, my creative burnout tends to stem from my inability to create what I have in mind and that is usually from the lack of fundamental skills. So by going back to the basics, I am able to overcome it.
I started drawing traditionally from an early age, I grew fond of watercolours and that made for textured artworks, of course still centred around women and ethereal themes. I slowly transitioned to digital art using a mouse, yes* a mouse*. I couldn’t afford a drawing tablet yet so I had to make do with what I had. It’s only when I opened my commissions where I made my own money, enough for me to afford a PC setup and a drawing tablet. Since then I drew mainly digital art, and while the texture is gone, it is still very much the same, just with a different approach and clearer visual understanding.
Well if we’re talking in a wider sense, I first found out about crypto through the infamous ape that was sold for millions, but in my first hand experience, someone commissioned an artwork from me to represent Nano, which I believe is a type of crypto coin. They loved the piece they commissioned from me so much that they helped me create my very first crypto wallet where they and many other people tipped me. That’s when I had a bit of a grasp on how NFTs worked, and now it is broadened by the opportunity I was given by Uptick.
To be fairly transparent, I think that the NFT space is reserved for those who have a big fanbase. I never really thought I’d make it in the NFT space without having to gamble a large amount of money. With that said, I was given an opportunity to showcase my artwork despite not having a large audience to ponder on, so my perspective changed a bit. I think NFT has its potential and if used properly, I think it can be very beneficial to artists.
I love listening to music while I draw. It’s one of those free therapies that keeps me sane. My favourite songs that I’m in love with currently are by a musician named AURORA, ‘This could be a dream’ and ‘Apple tree’ are two of the many songs that have helped me through a lot.
Uptick NFT is the world’s first decentralized full-featured mobile NFT app, now with web version. It is based on the commercial-grade NFT infrastructure of Uptick Network, and safely and conveniently manages users’ digital NFT assets, while supporting the independent issuance, purchase, transfer, resale, and cross-chain transfer and interoperability of users’ NFT assets. Uptick focuses on the pan-entertainment and life service industry, aiming to form a new creative economy for the Web 3.0 era.