At the young age of 18, Jose Miguel "Jomike" Tejido had already started to make a name for himself as an artist. Noted as the "child prodigy" of Filipino children’s books, Jomike, now 26, has over 25 titles under his belt, a long-running daily comic strip, and featured work in various publications and exhibitions. He is also currently the president of Filipino children’s illustrators’ group Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang I.N.K.).

Forest Whispers

Over the years, Jomike’s artwork has evolved in various forms and styles – traditional painting, collage, clay modeling, paper engineering (pop-up), and digital art – but he believes he has found his signature style in his abstract acrylic on banig art, offering refreshing, yet distinctly modern Filipino paintings that have gained local and international acclaim in his solo exhibits in Manila, Paris, Japan and Singapore, the 2004 International Board of Books for Young People (IBBY) Honor List for Illustration and the 2006 NOMA Concours for Picture Book Illustrations.

Jomike has been drawing since he was a little boy.

"I found some issues of Mad Magazine in an old chest when I was in Grade 2, and got inspired by Sergio Aragones’ wordless cartoons. I was amazed to find that pictures could actually tell stories," the young artist narrates. "I had no plans of being an illustrator – I just wanted to do comics for a daily newspaper."

His entry into illustration came in 1997. Then a first year high school student, Jomike submitted illustrations to a major broadsheet’s weekly children’s section, which landed him a regular stint in the publication. He also started submitting works for the annual Alcala Illustrators’ Prize Philippine Board of Books for Young People (PBBY).

"I got the hang of illustration after joining the PBBY contest year after year, and in 2001, I got signed for my first book. I also got my wish, my very own daily comic strip, entitled Mikrokosmos, which ran from 2002- 2007," Jomike reveals.

Writer-illustrator

Since then, Jomike has constantly churned out published works, including Abot Mo Ba ang Tainga Mo; Unang Unggoy; Ang Alamat ng Palaka; Ooppss, Kumukulo ang Tiyan ni Jimbo; Ang Lumang Aparador ni Lola, and several others.

He then expanded into conceptualizing and writing his own books, leading to a host of bestsellers, including Si Dindo Pundido; Ang Pambihirang Sombrero; Dinosaur Pop-up Book; and his animal myths series: Why do Birds Build Nests?, Why do Turtles Carry their Homes?, and Why do Squids Squirt Ink?.

"When I delved into writing, I got a chance to take full control of the book’s look, and that was exciting for me. I could paint fantastic worlds that can inspire kids to create their own art, and at the same time experiment with new book trends, hence, my pop-up books and paper models," reports Jomike.

And just when you think he wouldn’t possibly have time to do more, Jomike has also enjoyed a stint as host for the show Art Is-Kool; obtained his degree in architecture and worked in the family-run company, Tejido Architecture and Art; and released his compilation of Mikrokosmos comics.

The banig art that came to be Jomike’s signature style was born as he joined the biennial Japan-based NOMA Concours in 2000.

"The NOMA is an international illustrators’ competition that, in my observation, places an emphasis on indigenous art," Jomike explains. "Banig (pandanus mat) is an indigenous material that has the closest resemblance to paper, and I decided to try mat painting because I wanted to offer distinct and original Filipino art."

That year, Jomike’s series of cartoon-style paintings on banig did not win a prize. Six years later, in 2006, he re-entered the NOMA with a series of abstract-style mat paintings, and emerged with a runner-up prize.

Baboy Ramo

"Banig is ideal because it is not too heavy and not too expensive," notes Jomike. "Its texture makes the most prominent difference – the surface’s resistance to the brush instantly gives painted whorls a different feel. I enjoy violently painted, rough strokes that cannot be achieved on paper or canvas."

The banig art’s originality was confirmed in his recent exhibition in Singapore, where visiting art professors and foreign nationals proclaimed that they have never seen this style anywhere else in the world.

Following the trend of merchandise art, Jomike is now venturing into a line of banig notebooks that will soon be available at Fully Booked in Bonifacio High Street and Yabang Pinoy Bazaars.

"The notebooks give me a new sense of achievement that is different from painting an original piece. The notebooks embody my art style, and present a trendy lifestyle statement that I hope people would enjoy," he states.

And while balancing his art with his career as an architect, Jomike plans to eventually unite his two specializations.

"I plan to find larger architectural projects and link them with art, by providing key locations for paintings so I get to merge my hobby with my career," he says. "I also plan to branch out to being a dimensional designer, a path I am currently working on, with art forms that include designer toys that promote Filipino subculture."