Thursday, February 10, 2011

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.




Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Rose's Colors

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

 (click to enlarge) 

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.

  (click to enlarge)

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.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

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.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Treatment

Rain pours down on Rosalina’s small home. The tropical landscape is dark and all the colors are desaturated. Rose lies sleeping in her compact, somewhat messy room. Lightning crashes outside the window and she bolts up in bed. She sighs and scratches the back of her head tiredly. After getting dressed, she trudges to school, fighting against the wind and rain. She stumbles several times on her way there. Another student passes her on his bike and accidentally splashes Rose with muddy water. She glares at him but the wind doesn’t let up so she can’t stand still and fume.

The interior of Rosalina’s school is dull and gray. The classrooms and hallways aren’t empty but they are uninteresting. Outside, the downpour of rain continues. After removing her rain gear, Rosalinda sits in the back of her classroom. She is initially attentive but everything is painfully boring. The clock ticks loudly as the teacher drones on. Rosalina shifts repeatedly in her seat and rearranges her papers. Slowly, the teacher’s voice almost entirely fades away. The sound of rain takes over. Rose attempts to distract herself but ends up doing essentially a seated version of the pee-pee dance. Finally, she raises her hand, asks permission to go to the bathroom and bolts into the hallway. She walks briskly towards the bathrooms but, as she reaches the girl’s restroom, a third colorful bathroom door draws itself into existence. Rosalina frowns in confusion at the door. She looks back at the girl’s bathroom then curiously peaks inside the mystery restroom.

This bathroom is easily as large as Rosalina’s classroom, if not bigger. The ceiling stretches up to give enough room for a huge tree to grow next to the stalls. Small, strange woodland creatures and fairies scamper over the tree. A duwende stands at the base of the tree, shaking his fist at one of the troublesome little animals. A waterfall sits directly behind the mirrors and sinks. Either a tikbalang or a bungisngis is washing his hands when Rosalinda appears. He notices her bewildered expression and assures her this is a unisex bathroom. Rosalinda’s expression doesn’t look reassured. However, after glancing back outside at the gray hallway, Rose goes inside the surreal bathroom.

None of the creatures pay much attention to Rose. Nevertheless, she sneaks slowly over to the stall, peering around as she moves. She purses her lips and checks inside the stall. The toilet is normal for a public restroom. Rosalina sighs and looks relieved. After one last check around the bathroom, she slips inside the stall. A large, hideous she-beast comes out of one of the other stalls and fixes her make-up in a mirror. Rosalina flushes the toilet and starts to exit the stall when she hears a gurgle. When she turns around, the toilet begins gushing rainbows. Her mouth practically falls off of her face is so horrified. Hesitantly, she closes the lid and tries to sneak out the same way she snuck in.

Unfortunately, the toilet springs to life. It howls and complains about Rosalinda’s manners. All the creatures in the bathroom turn and stare at Rosalinda. She stands frozen in place for an awkwardly long moment then moves back inside the stall. The toilet holds out a plunger for her and she takes it hesitantly. Her expression is one of complete disgust and embarrassment as uses the plunger to stop the overflowing rainbows. The toilet dismisses her, returning to its inanimate state. Rosalinda exits the stall and glances up to check if everyone is still staring. They all seem content now and go back to doing their own things. Rosalinda sighs in relief. Then, she notices she has some rainbow sticking to her. She frowns and goes to the sinks, where she scrubs it off. Once she is clean, she walks to the door, giving one parting glance to the strange bathroom before exiting. Once she is out, the door melts away. As she walks down the hallway to her classroom, Rose leaves shining, rainbow colored footprints on the gray floor.