Lydia Velasco was born in Navotas on December 27, 1942, the daughter of Jose Velasco – a set designer for LVN Studios – and his wife Melania. She majored Fine Arts at the University of Santo Tomas and later worked in Advertising as one of the first women in the industry. But the allure of her own artistic practice was too strong, and she eventually decided to become a full-time painter. She became a member of the Saturday Group, becoming familiar with such art luminaries as National Artists Hernando R. Ocampo and Cesar Legaspi—both of whom had already worked with her in advertising. And it was in advertising that Velasco discovered her particular passion in depicting the female form. “I was one of those that the bosses would ask to do the story boards for TV commercials of products such as Palmolive and Camay,” she recalls. “Whatever it is, I would make sure their faces contained certain expression-coy, seductive, smiling, or winsomely trying to attract attention. Even then, I already knew that I wanted to paint.”