Pinoy artist Dexter Soy never thought a 'fan art' would get him a job at Marvel
Filipino artist Dexter Soy, who is illustrating the characters for the graphic series Captain Marvel, never thought a simple fan art would get him a job at Marvel Comics.
The Pangasinan-based artist was discovered by the international comic book publisher after he uploaded on the Internet a “fan art” or an illustration of Thor, the Norse God of Thunder and one of Marvel’s major characters.
A local comics writer, Budjette Tan, had discovered Soy’s Thor artwork and shared it on the microblogging site Twitter.
This caught the attention of Marvel senior vice president C.B. Cebulski, who hired Soy after asking him to illustrate a few pages.
Soy still finds it hard to believe that a fan art could lead to his biggest break.
“I never thought it would [get me a job at Marvel],” Soy said in an e-mail interview with GMA News Online.
Before Marvel, Soy had illustrated for two other international graphic publications: Electronic Arts’ Army of Two and Spartacus, which is based on a television series.
Early start
Even as a child, Soy had always been a fan of super heroes. He would draw them and collect trading cards with these characters.
Soy is the only artist in the family. “My dad likes to draw, but other than that, nobody else on my mother’s or fathers’ side is inclined toward drawing,” he shared.
While working toward an architecture degree in college, Soy continued to improve on his drawing skills by creating his own comic strips and producing fan art.
He closely followed the work of American comic book writer Joe Madureira of Uncanny X-Men fame and Filipino comic book artist Leinil Francis Yu, also a Marvel illustrator. He considers both his idols.
Soy also continued to update his online gallery on DeviantArt.com, where he uploads his illustrations from as far back as 2006.
The page has a solid fan base that has closely followed Soy’s career, from a freelance artist who gets commissions to an internationally recognized illustrator inking for a huge comic book publisher.
Be more visible
Seeing how the Internet has made it possible for a local illustrator to be discovered by a New York-based media company, Soy is encouraging other Pinoy artists to build their online portfolio and be more visible on the Web.
“Try to get your art out there. It’s much easier to get exposure nowadays with the help of the Internet,” Soy advised.
While not everyone gets a serendipitous break like he did, Soy advises aspiring artists to constantly work on improving their craft and to always aim for the best in their art.
“They should never give up and always enjoy what they are doing,” Soy said. - VVP, GMA News
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