Young artist creates Pride Month portraits for Netflix

“As an artist, I would someday want to tell my stories fully through the art that I make,” said Sai (@Pandesaii on Instagram), a 21-year-old digital artist and graduate of AB Animation from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.

The freelance storybook illustrator was one of two Filipino artists (the other being Jethro Ian) Netflix tapped for its Pride Month celebration. They were asked to draw their favorite LGBTQIA+ characters from the streaming platform’s extensive library.

They had a lot to choose from, given Netflix’s commitment to diversity, inclusion and representation.

“Representation is really important, especially for young LGBTQIA+ kids. Seeing ourselves being represented authentically helps a lot when we’re trying to learn to accept ourselves,” Sai said.

Sai, who enjoys using her iPad and Procreate for digital art, chose to make portraits of Robin Buckley (played by Maya Hawke) from “Stranger Things” Season 3; Ola Nyman (Patricia Allison) from “Sex Education”; Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis) and Aster Flores (Alexxis Lemire) from the beautiful Alice Wu film “The Half of It”; Mae Martin from “Feel Good”; and Antoni Porowski, Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Jonathan Van Ness and Tan France from “Queer Eye.”

Here are her portraits, and what she has to say about the characters.

Robin, “Stranger Things” Season 3: “She is a really cool character. She’s an amazing friend, and I’m glad that they added her and her LGBTQIA+ storyline in the show. I can’t wait to see more of her next season.”
Mae, “Feel Good”: “Mae Martin is really amazing and brave for sharing her past and personal experiences through her craft. It’s something I hope I can also do well in the future.”
Ola, “Sex Education”: “Ola is a really smart and headstrong character, and her coming to terms with her gender identity and feelings was amazing to watch.”
Ellie Chu and Aster Flores, “The Half Of It”: “It was great and really gratifying to see an Asian LGBTQIA+ lead in a romance story. I also really enjoyed their dynamic, and Ellie and Aster’s struggles with religion, race and family were something I think a lot of us can relate to.”
The Fab Five, “Queer Eye”: “The Fab Five are just amazing. Seeing them help people get back up on their feet always inspires me to do good and be kinder toward other people. They also really inspire me to use my skills and talents for the better.”
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