Kuris Talk # 11: Amado Caporal Jr.

Tarburnok face # 4: Cute face, strong X-factor, artistic soul... pencil and retro mix well!
Taburnok face # 3: Who would have thought that this little jungle boy can now give David Beckham a run for his money when it comes to Metrosexualism (note: men who love fashion)
Taburnok face # 2: Showing the fashionista side of his personality, Taburnok knows what's posh and fashionable!
Taburnok face # 1: He's not little Tarzan anymore, he's a mega talented man now!

Amado Caporal Jr.
Sharpening his gifts for Ilonggo animation
By Ronelo Ladiao

Sharpening his gifts has never been easy. As long as he can remember, he has been doodling and scribbling every time he holds a pencil since he was young. Until now, Amado remains passionate in what does best-- arts. His artistic growth was nurtured with challenges and inspiration to prove himself better in a world of possibilities. Now, as one of the founding and dynamic members of Kuris Animation Unlimited, a top caliber team of Ilonggo animators, Amado is sharing the same aspiration with them to create a possible Ilonggo pop culture phenomenon that would sharpen his way to success.

Coming from a middle class family in Tumcon Ilaya, Pototan, Iloilo, his parents Amado Caporal Sr. and Heidi Caporal considered their third child of five siblings as a gifted child. He was born on July 14, 1980. Amado’s younger years were fascinating for his parents because he has been seen having the potential of an artist every time he holds a pencil and a paper. He used to be fond of watching animated series Dragon Balls Z, Spiderman and Casper. Later, his elementary years at Guinakas Elementary School led him to achieve art and drawing awards that honed his talent further. Even in his high school years at Pototan College of Arts and Science, Amado didn’t stop reaping several awards which earned the respect of his friends and peers as the school’s top artist. In college, Amado took up Bachelor of Science in Industrial Education at West Visayas State University (Pototan Campus). During these years, he started to accept freelance art jobs to sustain his needs and help his family. His scope as an artist who used to draw his own comicbook expanded to arts and sign—t-shirt printing, lettering, canvas, mural painting, charcoal portraiture, stage backdrops, styro graphics and many others as long as it is ordered by his clients mostly composed of his friends or neighbors. After finishing college, he was already considered an in-demand artist in their town doing major art jobs for fiestas, school activites and various social activities. His clientele grew and expanded in Iloilo City doing backdrops and styro grpahics for several mall events, booth designing and exhibits. From the way he told his struggles to become a pro versatile artist, Amado earned the credibility and trust of the long list of clients whom he satisfied with his quality of work, a laudable ethics he always maintain with every art job he accept.

A new oppurtunity to sharpen his skills arrive when he was convinced to apply for a scholarship on 2D Animation given by PGMA- Training for Work Scholarship Program and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in partnership with Western Visayas College of Science and Technology (WVCST) last year. On April, he joined the second batch of 2D animation trainees who work together to hone their talents further. He played a significant role in finishing their group project, “The Adventures of TASI”, an animated school advertisement of WVCST which was shown at Marymart Mall last September. After the success of TASI, they graduated on October 19, 2007 at SM City Iloilo and participated in “Kinarton” animation exhibit at Museo Iloilo in the last week of November. To launch their newly-named group “Kuris”, he joined in the making of the first Ilonggo animated short film entitled “The BEQUEST” that revealed the origin of Iloilo City’s Dinagyang Festival in form of 2D and 3D animation. For his part, Amado was the lead background artist of the project and was responsible in making decisions to make the film more innovative. When it comes to good sceneries and background effects, surely he has an artist eye for this kind of craft. After two months of gruelling schedule and pressure, he shared the same fulfillment with his fellow Kuris animators when The BEQUEST was finally shown at SM Cinema 7 on the evening of January 25, two days before the highlight of Dinagyang Festival.More than five hundred Ilonggo spectators witnessed the first animated film in Iloilo City and gained favorable reviews among art critics along with their animation exhibit at SM City Iloilo lower ground floor entitled “Dinagyamation” from January 14-20.

Inspired by their group effort to come up with a historical animation event, Amado sets his eyes to prove himself better again by supporting the coming projects of Kuris Animators which include a re-launching of The BEQUEST, bigger animation promotions, exhibits, animation lecture drive and the making of the new animated project “LAPIS: Epic of the lost key”.

Though he still maintains his day job as a freelance artist, the humble but dynamic part-time animator remains sharp in everything he says in this candid chat…

Ronelo Ladiao (RL): Can you tell us when did you started to draw?

Amado Caporal (AC): When I was in elementary, I remember myself making my own comics that I share with my friends and my hobby was collecting some Marvel trading cards. I never thought being a freelance artist would be a great career for me after college.

RL: Let’s talk about your career as a freelance artist, is it hard?

AC: Very hard. There are lots of freelance artists out there that compete with each other to gain projects and clients. You see, with all the harship of life these days, artists tend to compete in order to survive. But I try to be patient and let my workmanship speaks about what I can do for my clients. Luckily, almost all of them are satisfied with my work and they keep coming back because they know how I give my best in everything I do. It doesn’t matter if my clients would pay high or low rate, I try to make sure that I could satisfy them with my output.

RL: Hypothetical question—if you’re an art tool, what would you want to be and why?

AC: Gusto ko mangin Lapis eh! Siyempre ang aton imahinasyon ginadrawing ta, kon magsala ginaerase ta kag liwaton para magobra liwat sang mas nami pa gid (I want to be a pencil. Of course, we draw our imagination and when we commit mistakes, we erase it to make a better one).

RL: Is there anything else you can do not related to arts?

AC: Yes, I’m good in haircutting as well (laughs).

RL: Since you have a degree in teaching, do you plan to become a teacher someday?

AC: Well, if given a chance I would like to become a good teacher. But right now, I realize it would be better if I would teach animation or some sort of animation instructor for hopeful animators. I hope that opportunity and dream would be realized for us in Kuris.

RL: This time, tell us something about “Taburnok”your orignal animated character for Kuris Universe and how is he related to your personality?

AC: Actually, I was inspired to create “Taburnok” when my sister got pregnant and had a baby girl even if she’s not ready to have a family because she’s too young for her age. During that time, we were asked to create an original character by our animation instructor. Though my niece is a baby girl, still I decided to create a male character, a little boy named Taburnok who is adventurous, agile, brave and somewhat funny like Walt Disney’s Tarzan. He lived in a jungle full of wild animals that obeyed him and treated him like a prince. He swings from tree to tree, drives away illegal loggers and those who cause destruction in the forest. But in reality he’s just an ordinary boy who is sleeping and dreaming to be like Tarzan. Taburnok represents my character and fighting spirit to survive whenever I go.

RL: In your experience, what do you consider as the most challenging part of being a Kuris animator?

AC: Kis-a indi ako satisfied sa obra ko gani ginachallenge ko pa gid ang akon kaugalingon nga lapawan ko pa ang akon nga nahimo sang una pareho sa ginhimo ko sa BEQUEST. Madamo pa ako gusto ipakita nga improvements sa amon mga projects sa ulihi. (Sometimes I’m not satisfied with my output so I challenge myself to overcome my effort in the past like what I did in The BEQUEST. I want to show a lot of improvements in our project in the near future). I want to give my best in what I do.

RL: What do you consider as the masterpiece of Kuris Animators right now?

AC: Ang BEQUEST eh! Siyempre ini nga project naton may samo nga 3D animation bisan wala naton gintun-an sa aton kurso pero gindidikaran naton nga tun-an kag tapuson. (The BEQUEST, of course, this project has mix 3D animation even if we didn’t take up in our course but we didicated ourselves to study and finish it).

RL: What is the most important lesson you’ve learned as an animator?

AC: Basta sa umpisa indi lang maghandum sang mataas. Sige lang anay kay may padya gid na ang aton kabudlay (Don’t aim high from the start, Just keep on going because our sacrifices will have a reward).

RL: What makes you happy aside from your passion in arts?

AC: So far I’ve always been happy and I try to be contented of what have in my life. I don’t consider problems as hindrance to my ambitions and think about them as inspiration to reach my goals.

RL: Parting shot query—if you were to transform your artwork into Ilonggo verbal expression, what would it be?

AC: “Kaurugot!”(sounds upset)… nga nami man kay damo ko naayan nga kabudlay para maimprove ang akon abilidad …kag masadya man para sa akon achievements (but good enough because I’ve been through a lot of hardship to improve my abilities…and still happy with regards to my achievements).

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