Highlights
- Nagsimula si Jeff Segundo sa graphic design at nahanap ang kanyang sarili sa tattoo.
- Malaki ang naging epekto ng pandemya sa industriya ng tattoo
- Gumagawa ngayon si Jeff ng portraitures na may halong pagkain para sa kanyang mga kaibigan, foodies at mga may-ari ng food business.
"I think I was around 10 years old when I first started drawing. My family would get together after church. My cousins and I would watch cartoons and movies while we were drawing on a coffee table. It was like a weekly ritual."
Mula sa lingguhang ritwal na ito, itinuon ng Melburnian Jeff Segundo ang kanyang buhay sa iba't ibang uri ng art - mula graphic design, papuntang tattoo, patungong portraiture.
Before the pandemic hit, Jeff was working in Voodoo Ink in St. Kilda as a tattooist. Source: Carlos Josue
Screen to skin
Graduate ng graphic design, nagtrabaho sa art form na ito ng tatlong taon bago siya pumasok sa isang apprenticeship sa Northern Tattooing.
"I loved everything about graphic design, but everything was done on the computer. The thing I missed about drawing was using my hands."
"At that time, I got heavily influenced by the TV show, Miami Ink. It inspired me to become a tattoo artist."
Habang ginagawa ang apprenticeship, nadiskubre ni Jeff ang pagkakaiba ng pag-drawing sa papel at sa balat.
Jeff as an apprentice. Source: Jeff Segundo
"Paper is flat. You can make mistakes; but with tattooing, you can't. There's a lot of pressure involved. Also, you work with people, talk with them. You're drawing on them and need to cater to their needs. You need to figure out all the things to make the experience good for them."
Para kay Jeff, ang paniniguro na maganda ang karanasan ng kliyente ay isang art din.
"Some clients might see a tattoo online that they want to emulate, so they come to me and ask me to do them," he says, adding that at times designs are not doable, culturally unsuitable or could be done better.
Jeff specialises in Japanese tattoos. Source: Carlos Josue
"I try to make sure that the customer feels comfortable even if I sell him a different idea. You need to win the customer's trust - after all, he's trusting you to draw something on him that he should be happy with forever."
Larawan ng isang foodie
Nagiging kilala na si Jeff sa pagiging tattooist sa Voodoo Ink, ngunit kinailangan muna niyang ibaba ang kanyang tattoo gun ng mangyari ang pandemya.
"COVID greatly affected our industry. Even with the new lockdown plan which sees businesses opening slowly, we're one of the last industries to open because we deal with blood and have close contact with people."
Hindi lang ang karera niya ang tinamaan ng pandemya, naapektuhan din ang kanyang personal na buhay.
"COVID greatly affected our industry. Even with the new lockdown plan which sees businesses opening slowly, we're one of the last industries to open." Source: Carlos Josue
"My girlfriend and I were separated because of the lockdown and because she had to go back home to LA to tend to family members who got sick."
"First thing I ended up doing was sending her a gift. I was good at drawing potraitures and we both connect through food - so I thought, 'Why not marry the two?' I gave her a portrait of herself with her favourite food to lift her spirits."
Mula sa portraiture ng kanyang girlfriend, marami ng naging interesado sa gawa niya. Dahil dito, nabuo ang kanyang art endeavour na pinangalanan niyang Big Food Mood.
Separated by lockdowns and geography, Jeff decided to gift his fellow-foodie girlfriend with a unique portraiture. Source: Jeff Segundo
"I owe the growth of the project to my girlfriend. I initially just thought of finding a good way to connect with her."
"For clients and friends, what I do now is I ask for their three main favourite dishes. I go through their Instagram or they send me photos for references.
"The idea evolves depending on the dish. It gives me idea on how to position the subjects or how to make them interact with the food."
Maliban sa mga kliyente sa Australya at sa ibang bansa, tumutulong din si Jeff gamit ng kanyang art sa HashtagLunchbag, isang global movement na nanawagan sa mga tao na magbahagi ng pagkain at love messages sa mga lunch bags.
Jeff creates portraitures with food under his endeavour, Big Food Mood. Source: Jeff Segundo
"The initiative helped me promote my work towards more food bloggers and restaurants. Now, I'm starting to work with a foodie community in San Francisco as well."
Pagkatapos mahanap ang kanyang sariling estilo sa tattoo at portraiture, saad ni Jeff na ang ebolusyon niya ay nakabase sa mga cartoons na kinalakihan niya, ang mga hilig niyang pagkain at ang koneksyon na nais niyang mabuo sa mga kliyente at mahal niya sa buhay.
Jeff does commissioned work for friends as well as food business owners. Source: Jeff Segundo
"You just have to let your style unfold naturally. Be patient with it. To hone a style, you have to stay true to yourself - as basic as that is."
BASAHIN / PAKINGGAN DIN
