Iori Espiritu by Ikkei Abadies

An inspiration, model, humble and a one of a kind artist, Adarna House is surely proud of.

 A UST Advertising Fine Arts graduate Iori Espiritu one of Adarna House excellent illustrators visited UST College of Fine Arts and Design to have an inspirational talk about Children’s book illustration on selected Advertising arts students. It is to inspire the student artists on illustrating children’s story books. 

“We’ve got ADARNA” was the chosen title for the event. It was held in the UST Beato Angelico Bldg gallery. The Ideas That Matter team organized the said event, in which they invited Iori Espiritu to be the guest speaker. On the event itself, there were few information and background about illustrating children’s book. Also, we introduced Iori’s background profile and some of her inspiring artworks.  

Äng Mga Hayop sa Filipinas was her first Adarna book illustration. While looking at her artworks, I can see that she has the original visual style in creating the characters. It was an amazing moment when she just started telling stories about her experiences and gave us tips and pointers on how to be a good children’s book illustrator or an illustrator as well. She presented her proposal  book illustration in Adarna “When Zero Left Numberland” as an example. We also had a question and answer portion after her talk in which she answered those with her experiences as an artist. 

We also had some drawing activities led by Iori, which enhanced our minds in story illustration making and character sketch. I also helped her in facilitating the said activity like in the picture below. It was indeed fun and challenging. After the activity, she had a brief advice for us aspiring artist. She said that we should not just limit our imagination and learning. We as an artist should step out of the box and learn beyond the boundaries. Explore, Learn and Share. Be original, because being original is what makes you stand out. 

Iori Espiritu Back in CFAD

An alumni of UST-CFAD, Iori Espiritu gives a workshop to CFAD students! 

Here's what you need to know about Adarna Publishing House and Iori Espiritu!

ADARNA HOUSE

Education and the promotion of the Filipino language are the foremost commitments of Adarna House and we make sure we develop in Filipinos – old and young alike—a love of reading and learning. Our educational products and services for children, parents, teachers, and day care workers, go through an intensive, research-based development process that includes kid-testing and consultations with experts.
Our educational products consist of multilingual board books, storybooks, big books, and chapter books – all original publications that feature Filipino values, culture, history, and experiences – created only by the best Filipino writers and illustrators. We have reference books and manuals as well as materials to support teachers of reading and Filipino. We are proud of our Wikahon, the very first leveled tool for independent use by students to improve reading skills in Filipino.
Our educational services are meant to complement our products.  We work hard to offer enjoyable learning opportunities and memorable reading experiences as we strive to improve the quality of life of Filipino children by nurturing their love of learning and of country.
In working towards our corporate vision, Adarna House has entered various partnerships with both public and private organizations  who share our enthusiasm for children, our commitment to education, and our passion for reading.  Our primary partner and laboratory school is Raya School (raya.org.ph), which offers  progressive education for preschool and elementary levels.

Logo 
Our company is named after the Adarna bird, the mythical creature whose song could cure any affliction. Our logo— an image of this magical bird taking flight, its head turned to see where it came from—is the symbol of our dedication to the legacy of bringing the healing power of reading and learning to the children of our nation.  And just like the Adarna bird, we are bound to look to our roots to give us direction as we take wing.

Vision 
To be the best innovative provider of excellent educational products and services that will nurture the values, love of country, and multilingual literacy of the Filipino child in every home and school.  It will be every parent’s provider of choice to introduce reading and every teacher’s provider of choice to support learning.
Mission 
To provide educational products and services for Filipino children all over the world so that they develop a love for learning, for the Philippines, and for the Filipino language. 

IORI ESPIRITU

A graphic designer/ illustrator from Manila, Philippines. (Currently works at Adarna House)
Graduated with a degree in Fine Arts major in Advertising at the University of Santo Tomas, she is currently exploring the possibilities of clay and ceramics.
Iori is a member of Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang InK), is an association of artists committed to the creation and promotion of illustrations for children. 

Iorie Back in Beato by Eulaivi Clutario

     

         Last August 30, 2013, Iori Espiritu, a UST-CFAD graduate came to Beato to give a creative workshop to us, Advertising students. I was expecting to meet a snooty woman, with all her accomplishments, to come in The Beato Angelico Gallery. And gladly, that was not the case. I met a very cheery lady who eagerly said hi to everyone she could greet. Young yet very accomplished, it was inspiring to meet someone from CFAD who found a place for herself in the very competitive world of the arts. 

           With so much diversity in the industry, I recall Iori talking about how important it is to find your own style of illustration. And as I looked at her blogs where her works are posted, you would really be able to see her personality through her work. Through this, I have also learned that as artists, we shouldn't be afraid of chanelling our artistry through one medium, on art form. Iorie has also delved in the possibilities of sculptures.

        

             Iori's visit to Beato surely made an impact on CFAD students who were part of this event. We've learned to find our own take on how we see the world and translate that as our voice in art form. We were given the opportunity to meet someone who was once in our position as CFAD students, and now we're more motivated to be the best at what we do and then someday, be part of an industry that inspires the world.