Artist Interview - Dekimbe Caidic (Pt. 1)
Kamusta Dekimbe!
Firstly, huge CONGRATULATIONS on winning March Art Madness 2021 (MAM ‘21) - FLICK were so proud to sponsor the event plus guest judge Round 3 packed full of awesome playing card art.
We are in the middle of our festival celebrating Filipino Language Month… How do you celebrate Buwan ng Wika?
- Back in school we would have presentations and contests, like recitals of poems and “Balagtasan” stuff. However, as a kid I wasn't really into Filipino literature and all that, the closest thing to “Balagtasan” I’ve been interested in was Fliptop, it’s a Filipino rap battle usually seen on YouTube.
Do you get down into the traditional folk dancing?
- No, but they’re sure fun to watch, especially the one with coconut shells worn by the performers called Maglalatik. It’s a different kind of experience watching it live.
Can you speak many languages or are there any that you’d like to learn?
- I know four. Two major languages, Filipino and English. And two dialects, Waray, which is my mother tongue and Bisaya. Learning Hangul would be nice, to watch Bong Joon-ho movies without subs is a dream, but learning Nihongo or French will make me sound cooler, I guess.
What makes your home country so special to you?
- Probably just like how other humans value their homes. I barely remember what Odin in Thor: Ragnarok said but it’s something like, what makes the place are the people. If I wasn't treated well by my parents and the people around me I’d probably hate everything, my life, myself and the place i grew up in. And oh, we have a nice local alcoholic drink called “Tuba”, just forget about the other stuff I said.
Tell us what your Midnight Snack Klub deck is all about?
- It’s about the Paranormal Studies Club that’s about to be disbanded by the school due to the group’s lack of achievements, they’re given the last chance to save the club by proving that ghosts actually exist. The deck features the main characters of the story that will be seen in my one-shot Manga (with the same title) that I'm still working on. It’s gonna be my very first so this will be special to me.
What are the inspirations and ideas behind your character art?
- Most of them were based off of classic anime characters, for the looks at least. They’re my love letter to the stuff I love, or loved.
Is it hard to say goodbye to characters that you’ve drawn for projects or do you find more adventures for them?
- Yes and no? It’s just like raising dogs, at first you’d be like “I wanna keep them all,” but then you’ll realise you gotta let some of the pups go.
How important is the ‘story’ when creating characters such as those featured in your deck?
- Remember Finn from Star Wars: The Force Awakens? If you have let’s say a dozen stormtrooper toys all wearing their helmets, they’re just a bunch of stormtroopers, unless you see the blood stain on Finn’s helmet.
How did you find the actual process of creating art for cards that are seen on a tiny mobile screen by many all over the world?
- It was a hard and fun process, but mostly fun.
Do you enjoy card games yourself?
- Yes, there was like a time when my family played nothing but card games for days, literally for days. We’ll have all sorts of punishments for the losers, one of them is wearing stupid stuff on one’s head for a round. As a kid I have a lot of memories playing card games with relatives until late during loved ones' wakes. Some of the people were probably just there to gamble, but the kids stayed up for the snacks and card games.
What’s your favourite card from Midnight Snack Klub and why?
- The ace of hearts. I mean, who doesn't love a good nap?
What is your go-to SNACK?
- Pik-Nik!
Dekimbe’s go-to snack sounds gooooood, (golden, crispy, deliciously savoury shoestring potato crisps!) We’d love some of those here in the UK!
Part 2 of our interview coming soon….. until then join the ghost hunt with Dekimbe’s DECK!