The job of illustrating komiks did not come easy for Leonardo “Nar” Castro, and the status he enjoys nowadays as one of the pioneering and best known illustrators in Philippines does not show the hardships he had undergone to reach this point in his career.

Castro was brought to the world of komiks illustration not by plan but by circumstances and of course by sheer talent and perseverance.

Castro was born in 1941 with only his mother to take care of him. His father had died even before he was born and had left the family in a less-than-ideal situation. The young Castro took it upon himself to work in order to send himself to college. He wanted to become an artist being an admirer of Fernando Amorsolo, Vicente Manansala and other famous painters. However, his mother wanted him to be something else but an artist. In 1959, in spite of his mother’s dissent, he enrolled himself at the University of Santo Tomas taking up Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts. He was then working as one of the in-house artists of Ginn & Co., Inc., a US-based book publisher. Castro would later move on to another job at Benipayo Publications where he became the art director of its Literary Song Movie Magazine.

It was his job at Benipayo that would introduce him to the world of publishing. Working there, he became familiar with the companies and the people involved in publishing. The young Castro took this opportunity to widen his career options. He was, most of all, interested to work in the field of arts. He dropped out of college finishing only two years of his studies and decided to dedicate his time and effort in the pursuit of his goal.

In 1961, Castro and an officemate visited G. Miranda and Sons Publication to apply for a job as illustrators. Partly, the young Castro was drawn to G. Miranda out of curiosity as to how comics were done. Upon seeing the works of his favorite illustrators, the young Castro was so impressed that the thought of those works obsessed him. He resigned from his job and thereupon embarked on the search for his ultimate goal: to become a komiks illustrator. He was then 21 years old.

It was not going to be easy for Castro. Having no previous experience as a komiks illustrator, several of his attempts to get a job in komiks companies were utter failures. When first asked to demonstrate his talent in drawing, he drew Elvis Presley, then a pop icon sensation. The publisher was not impressed. He did not get the job.

But Castro was not disheartened; on the contrary, he was challenged to hone his skills in order to do better the next time around. He applied to three more companies with the same results. One of these companies was straightforward enough to tell him that his talent was just not cut out for komiks. Despite these rejections, Castro decided to have one more go at it, this time with the resolution that if he could not make he would give up. Luck would prove to be on his side as he was finally accepted. It was to be the start of his long and fruitful career as an illustrator.

Castro’s biggest break came when Mars Ravelo, the editor-in-chief of Atlas Publication—then one of the biggest komiks publishers—decided to give him a project to illustrate novels that were to be serialized in komiks. Ravelo himself was a giant among komiks writers. The collaboration with Ravelo proved to be one of the most exciting and memorable for Castro. From then on, Castro continued to illustrate for the most popular writers of the time: Nerissa Cabral, Pablo Gomez, Tony Tenorio, Gilda Olvidado, Jim Fernandez, Vic Poblete, Carlo J. Caparas, L.P. Calixto, Zoila, Helen Meriz, and Elena M. Patron.

Aside from illustrating novels, Castro has also taken other projects as storyboard artist for advertising agencies like Caballero and Associates, K-Adventures and Jimenez Basic Ads Agency. From1987 to 2002, Castro also worked for the Pilipino Reporter, a news tabloid, as editorial cartoonist. From the time that he started working as illustrator, Castro has worked for the biggest publishers such as Atlas Publication, Graphic Arts Services, Inc. (GASI), Counterpoint Publishing, and The Manila Times. He has also worked for some comics abroad. At present, he is commissioned by the American Learning Institute of Hawaii as one of its artist-illustrators who render classic novels into illustrated form.

Castro is widely recognized by his peers in the industry and has held several key positions in various organizations. Among these are: Member, Board of Directors, Artist Feature Syndicate, Inc.; Treasurer and Director (1978-180), Akbayan ng Nagkakaisang Dibuhista; 2nd Vice President and Treasurer (1982-1984), Society of Philippine Illustrators and Cartoonists; Member, Board of Directors, Komiks Operation Brotherhood; and Treasurer and Member, Board of Directors, Unified Artists of the Philippines.

Castro remains very dedicated to his art, even as he continues to pursue his interests in other media such as oil and watercolor. For Castro, komiks illustration is not only a means to earn a living. More than that, it reflects his passion for life and his desire to express himself and direct his own life just as he had done a long time ago when he decided to pursue his interest in art. “Illustrating is similar to being a director,” Castro says, “only it is much more. In illustrating stories, you are not only the director; you are also the actor at the same time. You bring into your work not only your mind but also your heart.” For Castro, this makes illustrating stories a very special art. Perhaps as special as the experience he has had from the very first day he decided to direct his life to this endeavor.