Miko Del Rosario’s VFX artworks create narratives that allow people to dream.
Vogue Philippines invited 10 artists to showcase what “celebration” means to them through their chosen medium. Artist Miko Del Rosario finds celebration in the moments in between.
Visual effects and 3D artist Miko Del Rosario has been sketching most of his life. He first discovered 3D art by watching his dad. The elder Del Rosario is an architect and one of the first 3D artists in the Philippines. Del Rosario began toying around with his dad’s programs at around nine years old, and his love for the medium never waned.
“My biggest goal is to pull the viewer into the world of my pieces since my works are somewhat still within reach of reality,” he tells Vogue Philippines. “I try to get the viewers as invested in the piece as I can, and I love it when people in the comments of my posts would try and build a story based on the artwork, without me giving away an actual story.”
Though 3D art is still a relatively new discipline, Del Rosario says he has seen an exponential growth in popularity over the past few years, particularly since the pandemic started. The artist himself explains that during lockdowns, though many career opportunities were halted, he was able to hone his craft and build an online-centered career.
He notes that his favorite project to date actually stemmed from this period. As a way to practice, he forced himself to make at least one artwork each day and post it on his social media. Eventually, this turned into a project that he kept going for 500 days. This actually paved the way for the start of his VFX career.
In terms of the community, he witnessed a handful of artists transition to the digital medium, and found a new passion in it. To Del Rosario, the bigger the community, the better.
“I would love to see more upcoming digital artists get inspired by 3D and give it a try since there’s so much freedom and creativity once you get to know the programs,” he says. “I understand it’s intimidating at first, but I’m sure there are lots of people out there that will fall in love with it while going through the learning process.”
Del Rosario describes his current style as dystopic and surreal. “I love to focus on surrealistic moments,” he says. “Moments that you could only wish would happen in this world. Scenes that are in the middle of possible and impossible, if that makes any sense.”
The artist’s next goal is to bring the beauty of VFX and 3D art to the mainstream, while highlighting the wealth of talent the country has to offer. “There’s so much more we can do,” he says, dreaming of larger projects such as full feature films. His task now is to continue working toward those dreams.
“If a concept as grand as that was formed somehow, I consider that a success on my end,” he says. “It’s a great feeling when your goals are reached with your artworks, especially when you know how hard you worked to reach it.”
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“I’ve learned that you can celebrate alone and in the middle of nowhere—and that it’s often these smaller, quieter times that allow you to truly understand and honor what it is you are celebrating.” —Miko del Rosario