BillyToons is the brainchild of Billy Joe Fernandes.
Billy’s heart ticks to the beat of his homeland – Goa. Every happening, be it the sad demise of Fr. Bismarque, Formalin Fish, Coconut Tree destruction, or just saying “Deo Boro Dis Dium” (meaning, May God grant you a good day), BillyToons has captured them all through his art.
We spoke to him about his inspirations, journey, and of course, BillyToons.
Humans of Goa is our original and official series that shares inspirational stories from the lives of Goans. We speak to talented and contributing individuals from this wonderful tiny state.
Billy, tell us about yourself…
You might know me as BillyToonsGoa, but my real name is Billy Joe Fernandes. Creating toons has been an integral part of my life, from Scribbling on the bench to WhatsApp Stickers and even minting NFTs.
At home they call me Billy and my fans call me BillyToons, it’s funny when they ask me “What is your real name?” And I say, it is Billy. I’m from Sirsaim, a beautiful village with rivers, springs, hills, fields, and loads of Serene views, situated in the Bardez taluka of Goa.
Art has been my calling from the very beginning, it’s the best form in which I can express myself, and with the advantage of digital art and social media, it becomes easier to address the masses
I believe people need a little bit of humor, a little bit of color, a different perspective for better awareness and understanding, and I’m doing my part to keep the Goan Art, Culture and Heritage Thriving.
What was that one moment that changed everything?
I would say the moment when I laid my hands on the then-new Nokia 5800 XpressMusic which was Nokia’s first touch-screen phone which had a stylus and an app for drawing. That’s when my art went digital.
Any funny or inspiring childhood story or memory you want to share that shaped your life, and what’s the biggest challenge when pursuing this full-time?
Yeah, when I was still schooling at St. Britto’s High School, Mapusa this was in 1998, I was nominated by my school for the all Goa Child Art Competition organized by the Goa College of Art on the occasion of its Silver Jubilee Celebration at which I was awarded a certificate of merit. From this point onwards art became my identity.
As of now I’m a Logistics Supervisor at National Oilwell Varco in Dubai, creating toons is something that I do at home mostly in the evenings when I have free time, and that’s the biggest challenge as I try and create new content almost every day.
A bit about your role models.
Goan Artists like Mario Miranda, José Pereira, Alexyz have portrayed the best of Goa, and through their work preserved the identity of Goa, In this digital age, my goal is the same, to showcase the Art, Culture & Heritage of Goa on a Global stage, and leave Goa’s imprint on the Digital World for Generations to come.
What role did family and friends play? Any quick incident you recall?
My life has always revolved around Friends and Family, today whatever I am is because of the Love and Support from them, their belief, motivated and propelled me into exploring and developing my skills as an artist, I still remember one of my friends gifting me a book of Mario Miranda’s artworks which influenced me to have an art style of my own.
What would you tell yourself if you went back in time?
I would probably not even meet myself. Sure I’ve had tough times, but those are the times that have made me who I am today, and I’m grateful for those times.
Even if I would somehow land in the Past during a tough time, I would just watch myself and remember “These were the times that built me.”
Any person/celeb from the past you’d want to meet? Why?
Now that’s something I cannot miss out on, I would definitely like to meet the Late Mario Miranda, firstly because of the sheer honour of it, but mostly to feel his energy and vibe.
What is the legacy you want to leave behind? And for whom?
Goa is not the same what it used to be , and we don’t know when it will become ‘Golden Goa’ again, but one thing we know for sure, is that Art is always preserved and through art, Identity.
In this digital era, you must have heard about being careful of what we upload on the internet because it always remains on the web even after you delete it, I want to use this in a positive way by uploading my art about Goa, and spreading the awareness, humor, laughter, colours and characters that depict the identity of Goa in its entirety.
And with the evolution of the internet into Web 3, my toons are assured to portray and preserve the identity of Goa for Generations to come and that will be my Legacy for the Native Goans, The Global Goans and those who are in Love with Goa.
You can catch a snippet of this conversation on ItsGoa‘s Instagram page. Humans of Goa is our original and official series that shares stories from the lives of Goans. ‘Humans of Goa’ celebrates the spirit of every Goan.
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