Second Pass at Thumbnails

Rosalina's Uniform

According to a Filipino friend of mine, if the story is set in present times, Rosalina ought to be in a school uniform. Here are some uniform designs that I am considering. Stephanie talked me out of the frilly socks so ignore those.

Rose’s poses ended up a lot cuter than I intended. She isn’t supposed to be this cutesy, at least not at the beginning of the story.

The last design with short skirt was fun to draw but I don’t like that it changes Rose’s silhouette. I’ve always imagined her being triangular. Also, I can't shake the urge to put her in plaid. Once I decide on an outfit, I'm going to experiment with patterns.

There is a way to keep Rosalina in her old outfit but I would have to establish it properly. June 14^th is Independence Day in the Philippines and people all around the country wear traditional clothing. According to my friend, this can last from a day to a month depending.

In case anyone is confused right now, the Filipino school year is from June until March. Wet season starts in June and ends around October. The dates work out, which is awesome.

I don’t dislike Rose in a uniform but I liked her with a really loose collar. Something about it worked for me. She seemed more relaxed and open. Of course, if Rose is in a uniform, designing her classmates will be easier. Any opinions?

Update: I did a really, really, really fast picture of Rose in plaid.

Completed First Set of Thumbs

I made it through all my thumbnails. Good luck deciphering them!

Kristina and Stephanie gave me really good suggestions for changes so these thumbnails are a little out of date.

First Pass At Thumbnails

Click to enlarge any of the following beautiful works of art.

Disappointing

There are not words for how disappointed I am in Dayo: Sa Mundo ng Elementalia.

Why is Dora the Explorer a manananggal? When did she start hungering for human fetuses? I missed that episode.

Does anyone know a good example of Filipino animation?

Tikbalang Description

I thought I was going to have to come into class today with a pile of sketches and an apology. This stupid tikbalang wouldn’t cooperate. However, at 3 AM, I decided to try one more time before throwing in the towel. This happened:

Even if it isn’t perfect, I’m excited to have something.

Right now, he’s too dumpy. He should be older and thinner. Regardless, I’m happy that he’s standing upright.

While he isn’t cruel, this tikbalang certainly isn’t nice. His sense of humor is incredibly dry and he enjoys seeing just how much he can trick people into believing. It’s hard to tell when he is joking and when he is serious. Unlike some other mythical beasts, he doesn’t go out of his way to bully humans. He does what is convenient for him. He is stronger than a human but, in monster terms, he isn’t particularly powerful. While he is apathetic about his own looks, he can be shallow and judgmental towards other people. Through a series of small miracles, he ended up getting married, which is another story entirely.

Rosalinda Description

Rosalina’s biggest problem is that she is a middle child. She isn’t as smart as her older sister or as popular as her younger sister. Rose gets her school work done but lacks the drive to go from good to great. She has a comfortable group of friends and doesn’t attempt to make new ones. At thirteen years old, Rosalinda has resigned herself to being ordinary. She doesn’t know what she wants to be when she grows up but she likes her science class slightly more than the others. This is somewhat ironic since Rose is casually superstitious.

Rose's Colors

Rosalinda needs bright, warm colors but I'm having trouble picking a good combination.

 

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I showed the above picture to a friend and she suggested a more golden yellow. I had originally wanted Rosalinda to be wearing red and white but she does look nice in yellow.

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Tikbalang Research

The tikbalang myth originated during Spanish colonization. Conquistadors introduced horses to the Philippines and then spread rumors to make the native people afraid of the night. This might help explain why there so much conflicting information about tikbalang. They only had to make enough sense to scare people.

A tikbalang is half man, half horse monster. It is tall and boney with disproportionately long limbs. It is often described as having legs so long that, when it squats, its knees are above its head. I've only found one illustration that give a tikbalang legs that long and it wasn't very good. Instead, tikbalang are usually drawn with long arms. Most sources say tikbalang live in forests and mountains but some say they live in swamps, under bridges, or in trees. There is agreement, however, that tikbalang smoke cigars.

Tikbalang spend their days messing with travelers. How serious they are depends on which myth you prefer. There are accounts of them being mischievous and sending people in confused, endless circles. Other myths make them angry and aggressive, going so far as to kill the unfortunate traveler. It is widely believed that you can counteract the tikbalang's trouble-making by wearing your shirt inside out. No one has been able to explain to me how this works. You can also politely ask permission to pass by a tikbalang, which makes far more sense to me.

The more research I do on tikbalang, the more out-of-place snippets I find. Tikbalang can turn invisible. They can turn into humans. They can mimic voices. They are benevolent guardians of elemental kingdoms. They are demons. They only bath on full moons. They are beautiful women who grew very old. They are aborted fetuses sent back to Earth from limbo. They are actually half-bird, half-man. They ask their prey a riddle and those who answer right get a pot of gold. Personally, I don’t like most of these traits. They are better suited to other creatures. However, if I wanted to use any of these abilities, they are available.

Most sources agree that a tikbalang can be tamed. They just don’t agree on how. The story I have heard most often is that a tikbalang has a mane of sharp spikes and, if you get one of the three thickest ones, you can use it to make the tikbalang your servant. However, you must subdue it first by riding it until it is exhausted and admits defeat. Another version of the story says you must pluck three golden hairs from its mane to tame it.

There is a Filipino movie called Dayo: Sa Mundo ng Elementalia which features a tikbalang among other mythological Filipino creatures. I haven’t been able to find a copy but, hopefully, I will before next semester.

So far, I haven’t been able to draw my tikbalang successfully. Part of the mythology is that they have strange proportions, which isn’t helping. I do have a good grip on his personality but I’ll save that discussion for this week’s class. I am sure of one thing, though. There is a saying about rain on days with clear skies. May kinakasal na tikbalang. A tikbalang is getting married. Since there is a saying about their weddings, I want my tikbalang to wear a wedding ring.

Rosalina's Design Ideas

Pinning down Rosalinda’s appearance hasn’t been easy. She still isn’t consistent from drawing to drawing and I’m not sure she is Filipino enough.

Currently, she is supposed to be 14 years old. I don’t want her to be overly effeminate or energetic. Rose could be bright and colorful if she wanted but, at the beginning of the animation, she isn’t. She’s not boring but she is bored.

For the time being, I’m drawing her in a simple Filipino outfit. I think it is called a baro’t saya but I could be wrong.

There are several different ways to wear this outfit.

I don't like the colors but the dress itself is nice and simple. I'm leaning towards making Rosalina's red and white. However, I haven't colored a full body picture of her yet.