ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Special thanks to the following academicians and specialists for the guidance and recommendations of species to feature.: Carmela Española, Mariano Roy Duya, Abigail Garrino, Jayson Mansibang, and Gerson Kim Penetrante of University of the Philippines Institute of Biology; Trinket Constantino of Ateneo de Manila University Department of Biology; Diane Estephanie Bagui and Schenley Anne Belmonte of Forest Foundation Philippines.

* I post most frequently on Instagram, so for a sneak peek at the latest projects (that might take a while to land here), feel free to follow along there! 😉

Local homeware brand Casa Juan MNL commissioned me to illustrate and design the “Ibon” collection. As with our previous project (see “Bulaklak” collection), Casa Juan’s Ms. Michelle Fontelera gave me total freedom to come up with a list of Philippine endemic birds to showcase. Because of how well their colors work well together in a set, I ended up choosing the Cinnamon Ibon (Hypocryptadius cinnamomeus), Red-eared Parrotfinch (Erythrura coloria), Blue-headed Fantail (Rhipidura cyaniceps), Palawan Flowerpecker (Prionochilus plateni).

For a natural and accurate depiction, I consulted bird expert Ms. Trinket Constantino of ADMU’s Department of Biology and member of the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines regarding Philippine native trees that the featured birds normally perch on. She identified some and provided me with a short list which I then chose from and made artistic interpretations of alongside their “partner” bird species. (Please check out her and Ms. Abby Favis’ wonderful campus biodiversity documentation project, The Ateneo Wild!)

The collection is available in sets consisting of salad plates featuring the four bird-and-tree pairings, and a dinner plate decked with elements of the native trees.

* I post most frequently on Instagram, so for a sneak peek at the latest projects (that might take a while to land here), feel free to follow along there! 😉

#ForestLandscapesPh is a collaborative initiative with Forest Foundation Philippines that began in 2021. Building on our earlier campaigns that centered on native trees and wildlife, we wanted to grow the love even further, this time by spotlighting the country’s most important forest landscapes.

These beautiful places are vital ecosystems that so many communities depend on for food, livelihoods, cultural pride, and protection from the effects of climate change. From the storm-shielding Sierra Madre mountains (Luzon’s backbone!), to Bukidnon’s lush farming fields, Leyte’s carbon-rich peatlands, and Palawan’s sanctuary for unique species, each region has its own special story that shows how forests are tightly woven into our lives.

To showcase these connections, we designed a set of notebooks, one for each landscape, with covers featuring a special site, an endemic bird, and a native plant. We also made bird pins so that people can wear and take a piece of the landscapes in their day-to-day.

In 2023, contnuing our collaboration, we created illustrated forest maps of the four key landscapes: Sierra Madre, Mindanao, Palawan, and Samar & Leyte. The maps highlight protected areas, indigenous communities, local industries and produce, ecotourism spots, and native biodiversity to show all the different ways these regions help keep our forests healthy and self-sustaining.

The advocacy items aim to help support genuine conservation work and keep the stories of our forests alive for generations to come. A percentage of profits generated from the sale of all items were donated to the Foundation’s partner NGOs in the landscapes. (You can see how much we were able to raise and contribute here.)

Huge thanks to the amazing FFP Project Management Team for guiding and supporting me every step of the way. <3

• Diane Estephanie Bagui
• Schenley Anne Belmonte,
• Eric Buduan
• Atty. Jose Andres Canivel
• Ana Veronica Gabriel
• Xyla Mercedita Gualberto
• Marjorie Pamplona

* TMxCBA Collab photos are courtesy of Team Manila Graphic Design Studio

* I post most frequently on Instagram, so for a sneak peek at the latest projects (that might take a while to land here), feel free to follow along there! 

The illustration process was carefully guided by EDC BINHI’s foresters which made it possible for me to render the species as accurately as possible. I chose to use a line drawing technique (as opposed to my usual painterly style) in order to highlght and define each species’ unique features. These drawings were then used on t-shirts, bags, and other merchandise (soon to be available in my webshop), and some other items for the organization’s exclusive use.

* I post most frequently on Instagram, so for a sneak peek at the latest projects (that might take a while to land here), feel free to follow along there! 😉

Local homeware brand Casa Juan MNL commissioned me to illustrate and design their “Bulaklak” collection of tableware. Ms. Michelle Fontelera, proprietor of Casa Juan, kindly gave me complete freedom to suggest flowers to feature, and eventually we went with the Tayabak or Jade Vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys), Sanggumay (Dendrobium anosmum), Renanthera monachica, and Dendrobium victoriae-reginae – all of which are epiphytes that are endemic to the Philippines.
The collection is available in sets consisting of dinner plates, salad plates, and soup bowls.

* I post most frequently on Instagram, so for a sneak peek at the latest projects (that might take a while to land here), feel free to follow along there! 😉

A collaboration with CraftMNL‘s Marielle Nadal-Reyes, the Philippine Forest Blooms Embroidery Kit which features flowers of the Banaba, Salingogon, Katmon, and Amugis aims to help raise awareness for the importance of Philippine native trees in forest conservation through the leisurely and immersive activity of creative stitching. It was Marielle who had the idea of coming up with embroidery kits using my native flora illustrations, so I gave her a pencil sketch of a floral arrangement which she then beautifully brought to life using needle and thread.

The floral embroidery can be reproduced through an accompanying stitch guide (included in the info sheet) and a series of tutorial videos.

This project was implemented with the support and guidance of Forest Foundation Philippines.

* Orders for the kits can be placed through CraftMNL’s Lazada shop. A portion of the proceeds will be used to fund more projects and products that can help spread the #DrawNativeTreesPh advocacy.

* All photos on this page are courtesy of CraftMNL and Marielle Nadal-Reyes.

* I post most frequently on Instagram, so for a sneak peek at the latest projects (that might take a while to land here), feel free to follow along there! 😉

The Philippine Native Produce Market Tote is a project with Slo Store‘s Aryann Avenido. Constructed by a local bagmaker following Aryann’s design, each tote is made of carefully-sourced sturdy canvas and features several compartments to make carrying groceries and other essentials a breeze.. We also had my illustrations of six food-bearing native plants, namely Himbabao, Tan-ag, Pako, Roselle, Niyog-Niyogan, and Libas, silk-screened on the bag as a way to communicate their nutritional value as well as showcase their beauty.

The project was implemented with the support and guidance of Forest Foundation Philippines. Orders for the bag can be placed through the webshop. A portion of the proceeds from the initial batch will go to Philippine Parks & Biodiversity to support underequipped forest rangers in Ipo Watershed with their patrolling & operations.

UPDATE: A total of Php 8,220 from the 1st & 2nd batch sales was raised and donated to PPBCSI. Here’s the link to the transparency report.

* The Philippine Native Produce Market Tote can be ordered through Slo Store. This collection was initially produced under the #DrawNativeTreesPh initiative. A portion of our proceeds will go to the production of more items that can help spread the advocacy. 

* All photos on this page are courtesy of Slo Store and Aryann Avenido.

* I post most frequently on Instagram, so for a sneak peek at the latest projects (that might take a while to land here), feel free to follow along there! 😉

The Philippine Forest Blooms Jewelry Collection is a project with metalsmith Janette de Veyra of Blue Flame Handcrafted . For this collaboration, I made vector graphic illustrations of flowers from Philippine native trees such as Banaba, Katmon, Ilang-Ilang, Malabulak, and Siar which Janette etched on brass jewelry. Each delicate piece is made by hand from start to finish and due to this meticulous process, we could only release a few pieces for each design for the initial batch, with no piece looking exactly alike.

The initial batch composed of 33 pieces was produced through Forest Foundation Philippines‘ support and got sold in just two days. We were then able to quickly transmit 50% of the proceeds from this batch ~ which amounted to P25,000 ~ to Philippine Parks & Biodiversity‘s Support-a-Ranger Program to aid the operations and patrolling of underequipped Ipo Watershed forest guards (read more about the program and also donate to the guards directly here.)

* #ForestBloomsPh Jewelry can be pre-ordered through this Google Form. This collection was initially produced under the #DrawNativeTreesPh initiative. A portion of our proceeds will go to the production of more items that can help spread the advocacy. 

* All photos on this page are courtesy of Blue Flame Handcrafted.

* I post most frequently on Instagram, so for a sneak peek at the latest projects (that might take a while to land here), feel free to follow along there! 😉

Plus63 Design Group tapped me to create a t-shirt design for Uniqlo Philippines’ UTMeArtPh x Fiesta Collection, along with fellow graphic designer-illustrators Frances Alvarez and Karl Adrian Aguro / Uncurated Studio. The Philippine festival assigned to me was Baguio’s flower festival, “Panagbenga.” I chose to incorporate native flowers that grow in Luzon, such as Ilang-ilang, Banaba, and Narra, and kept exotic species like sunflowers (which are comonly used in the festival) as adornments on the dancing couple.

As someone who wears Uniqlo clothing on the regular, working on this design was a complete thrill. Many thanks to Dan Matutina and Dang Sering of Plus63 for the trust.

* I post most frequently on Instagram, so for a sneak peek at the latest projects (that might take a while to land here), feel free to follow along there! 😉

Following our Philippine Forest Blooms collaboration in 2018, Forest Foundation Philippines and I worked on another joint project – Philippine Forest Fruits, a 30-piece postcard set featuring fruits of Philippine native trees – to help raise awareness for their importance in forest conservation. With FFP’s guidance and backing, we identified 24 native fruits to include in the set. The cards are printed with botanical gouache illustrations of native fruit-bearing trees like the Kamuning, Antipolo, Lipote, and Tibig. Information on each tree and fruit, such as their conservation status, their uses, etc, is printed on the back of each card.

* Philippine Forest campaign items, produced under the #DrawNativeTreesPh initiative, are available at the webshop. All proceeds will go to the production of more items that can help spread the advocacy.

* I post most frequently on Instagram, so for a sneak peek at the latest projects (that might take a while to land here), feel free to follow along there! 😉