Ten Incarnations

TEN INCARNATIONS

A Thesis Submitted to

Parsons School of Design

a division of New School University, New York

in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

the degree of

Master of Fine Arts in Design and Technology

by

ABHISHEK KUMAR

2003

Faculty: Anezka Sebek

Advisor:

Mitch Butler

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page I

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements III

List of Illustrations IV

Abstract 1

1 Introduction 1

2 Indian Folk Arts 3

2.1 Madhubani Paintings 4

2.2 Floor-painting (Aripana) 5

2.3 The Style of Painting 5

2.4 Tools Used 6

2.5 Color Scheme 6

2.6 Forms and Symbols in Madhubani Paintings 7

3 Media and Hindu Gods 8

3.1 The Business of Gaming 10

3.2 Hindu Gods and Goddesses in Branding 10

3.3 Western Appropriation of the Gods 11

4 Bringing Madhubani Painting to the Digital World 12

4.1 Why Digital Madhubani Paintings 13

4.2 Transformation Process 14

4.3 Inspirations 14

4.3.1 Ramayana- The Legend of Prince Rama 15

4.3.2 Shubh Vivah by Nina Sabnani 16

5 Thesis - as I started 16

5.1 Initial Proposal 17

5.2 Vishnu’s Incarnation Stories 19

5.3 Story problems 22

5.4 Feedback 23

5.5 Title Sequence 24

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page II 5.6 The Transitions 25

6 Methodology 25

6.1 Exporting Files 27

6.2 Effects 28

6.3 Visual Style Considerations 28

6.4 Motion Considerations 30

6.4.1 Title 30

6.4.2 Opening /Ending clip 30

6.4.3 Incarnation Sequences 31

6.4.4 In-between Vishnu’s Sequences 31

6.5 Sound Design 32

6.5.1 Sound for Title Sequence 32

6.5.2 Sound for Incarnation Sequences 33

7 Analysis 34

7.1 What is Working and What is Not 35

7.2 Final Critique 37

7.3 Future Goals 38

8 Conclusion 39

9 End Notes 1

10 Bibliography 2

11 Appendix 4

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page III

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

It is a pleasure to thank the many people who made this thesis possible.

First of all, I would like to thank my thesis instructor Anezka Sebek for her support, encouragement and

guidance throughout the project. I wish to sincerely thank Mollie Doyle, our thesis-writing instructor, for her

instructions and ideas.

A very special thanks to my thesis advisor Mitch Butler for his guidance and making this project meaningful for

both the Indian and American audience.

And finally, thanks to all my classmates and friends for discussing this project and providing me with valuable

feedback.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page IV LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Madhubani Painting Examples

Madhubani painting on paper 2

Madhubani painting on mud wall

2

Vishnu’s Incarnation Forms

Incarnation 1 (Fish) 19

Incarnation 2 (Tortoise) 19

Incarnation 3 (Varaha) 20

Incarnation 4 (Narsimha) 20

Incarnation 5 (Vaman) 20

Incarnation 6 (Parshurama) 21

Incarnation 7 (Rama) 21

Incarnation 8 (Krishna) 21

Incarnation 9 (Buddha) 21

Incarnation 10 (Kalki)

22

Motion Graph 32

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 1

ABSTRACT

This project uses the traditional Gods of Hindu culture in a digitally created animation. It is an exploration of

Indian traditional styles and their translation to digital tools. The goal of this project was to create a visual style

based on Indian folk art characteristics using digital tools and presenting it in the form of animation. This project

aims to inspire the animators and digital artists of India, encouraging them to depict Hindu mythological events

in their work.

1. INTRODUCTION

For centuries, Hindu religion has been a definitive influence on Indian Art. Hindu paintings featuring Hindu

Gods, Goddesses, and the various Hindu pantheons are some of the most prominent symbols of Indian art. From

ancient times, artists have been depicting the various tales of Hindu mythology in colorful traditional art.

I am from India and I am highly influenced by the style of Indian traditional arts. I grew up in a town called

Darbhanga in North India, the so-called capital of the Mithila region [Appendix.Pic.1], famous for its

Madhubani paintings. These paintings are part of Mithila culture, which are growing in recognition. I grew up in

an environment where this art had its own influence. Beginning in the 1960s, this style of painting that had been

used to decorate the walls of houses was transferred to paper or canvas. These paintings have come to be called

Madhubani paintings (or sometimes Mithila paintings, after the name of the region).

The Madhubani paintings are typically done by village women. They paint figures from myth and nature on

household and village walls to mark the seasonal festivals of the religious year. They also create paintings for

special events of life. For example, when marriages are being arranged, the artists create intricately designed

wedding proposals.


Following are the examples of Madhubani paintings:

Image Source: <http://www.people.virginia.edu/>. Image Source: < www.csuchico.edu/anth/>.

I have been studying Madhubani painting and have worked with Indian folk artists since I was a child. When I

grew older, I moved to New Delhi for my university studies. While I was there, my world opened up. I had the

opportunity to study Russian, meet artists from other regions, and was introduced to the world of digital and

graphic design. It was a life changing experience for me and it culminated in my move to the United States and

to studying digital design at Parsons School of Design. Since then, I have strived to bring these two forms -

Madhubani painting and digital design -- my two great passions - together.

With the advent of digital tools such as Flash and Photoshop, the opportunity to evolve a traditional folk art such

as Madhubani painting is finally a reality. Traditional Hindu mythological characters contain a lot of intricate

details that is extremely tedious and difficult to create and use repetitively in a frame-by-frame discipline, such

as animation. Using the efficiency of the computer's ability to handle tedium, I have created an animation that

preserves the traditional art form and design of Hindu mythology.

My objective was to show that the Hindu mythological events could also be successfully expressed using digital

medium.


2. INDIAN FOLK ARTS

In India, beyond serving religion, images of Hindu Gods serve as integral design elements throughout the

culture. Religion has a big influence on every walk of Indian life. Hindu mythology is closely intertwined with

folk music, traditions and most of all, art forms like drawing and paintings. Almost all the traditional/folk art is

based on the events of Indian mythology.

Folk art is having a treasure house of symbolic language to contribute as a gift to Modern art Folk art may be

defined as the art created among groups that exist within the framework of existing society, but for geographical

and cultural reasons. They are largely separated from the sophisticated masses because of cultural reasons. As a

result, they produce distinctive styles and objects for local needs and tastes.

The term 'folk paintings' here encompasses pictures made in Indian villages by both men and women, for

ornamentation of their abodes, portrayals of their Gods and for their various rituals; and by local professional

painters or artisans for use by the local people. All these paintings were produced in a variety of styles and

themes. History, sociology, and geography infused the painting of each region with local flavor. The style and

quality of the paintings depended on the materials available in the place in which they were executed, basically

the very factors that are the characteristics of a region.

In the Indian folk tradition, art is like nourishment to the daily life of people. Whether an artist is from

Tamilnadu [an Indian state - Appendix.Pic.1], or is a potter who creates a massive terracotta “Aiyanar

[Appendix.Pic.2], or is a Madhya Pradesh [an Indian state - Appendix.Pic.1] tribal who creates “Pithora”

painting [Appendix.Pic.3]; at the moment of creation, the poverty-stricken, illiterate folk, transforms into a

master craftsman who can create marvelous plastic and visual forms with a creative genius, handed over to him

by generations. Topography and geography, too, have control over the medium of art. In the case of Uttar

Pradesh [an Indian state - Appendix.Pic.1], we can find folk paintings on the walls of houses. On the other

hand, in Assam [an Indian state - Appendix.Pic.1], one cannot find wall paintings because most of the walls of

the houses are built with cane or bamboo. The folk and tribal traditions treat all material available in day-to-day

life to be worthy of serving as a medium of expression. In this regard, artist-writer, Haku Shah writes, "When a

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 4 tribal touches a blade of grass, gourd or bead, fiber, twig, grain, pin, plastic button, conch shell, feather, leaf of

flower, he sees through it, smells it, hears it, and therein starts the ritual of being with it [1]." Each part of the

country with its own trees and plants, birds and animals, hills and dales has inspired Indian folk artists to have

multiple metaphors, series of symbols, and innumerable images to build a rich treasure-house of art.

The somewhat lesser-known traditions of Indian painting are the so-called "folk" paintings dating back to a

period that may be referred to as "timeless." These are living traditions, intrinsically linked with the regional

historic-cultural settings from which they arise. These paintings have an age-old heritage that can be traced back

to the beginning of the civilization on this subcontinent [2]. It began with cave paintings drawn with natural

dyes that were so strong that even centuries later the paintings can still be seen on the walls of the caves. The

folk and tribal painting came from the remote rural and tribal regions. Sometimes, the artists of these rustic

works were not educated. They lacked the basic means to attend schools. The various forms of paintings

originating in these regions served not just as paintings but also as a religious and social ritual performed daily.

It began with painting the walls and floor of mud houses. The people believed that this purified the ambience

and pleased the deities. Various religious and symbols were included in each painting.

Following are the common stylistic characteristics of Indian folk-art:

(1) Preference for simple outline and choice of typically representational lines.

(2) A simplification of colors and volumes so that shading is eliminated.

(3) Stylization of motifs to create decorative elements, and

(4) Repetition of lines, of entire figures, and of dots for intensive or rhythmical purposes.

2.1 Madhubani Paintings

Madhubani, literally meaning ‘from the forest of honey’, is the name of the village where Madhubani paintings

originated. Situated in the interior of North India, this art is an expression of creativity in the day-to-day life of

the local people. Done mainly by the females of the family, this art is regarded as a part of daily ritual. Initially,

only vegetable dyes were used for the paintings, but today the artists have access to a variety of poster colors

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 5 that caters to t heir needs and enables them to experiment with colors. The date when Madhubani art came into

existence cannot be traced backed to actual era. It is, however, centuries old art that is associated with the

normal lives of the villagers. In the Madhubani region, it is believed that every morning the worshipped deity

comes invisibly to the household to bless the members of the family and also to bring more prosperity.

Therefore, this art started as a welcome painting for deities. It started from the entrance floor and the exterior of

the house. Passed from mothers to their daughters, the art of Madhubani has constantly been improving in its

quality. As this tradition was initialized with a purpose of decorating the exterior of the house, the walls and the

floors always served as the canvas.

Painting is generally done by folk artists or classical artists in three ways: wall-painting (Bhitti-Chitra), canvas-

painting (Pata-Chitra) and floor-painting (Aripana). Of these, the wall-painting and the floor-painting are very

popular in Mithila region. The wall-painting or mural paintings are popularly known as Mithila paintings or

Madhubani paintings. [Appendix. Pic.4a-4b]

2.2 Floor-painting (Aripana)

Aripana is an indigenous word, which means “the art of drawing embankment or wall.” The word is derived

from Alimpana or Alepana (of Sanskrit origin) and, though grammatically correct, falsifies the real origin of the

word [3] [Appendix. Pic.5a-5b]. The art of Aripana or floor-painting has been handed down from generation to

generation. There is not a single house in Mithila in which ceremonies such as marriages are held without

Aripana. The women of Mithila specialize in drawing circular patterns of designs with a white liquid paste made

of ground rice mixed with water. Sometimes, vermilion is also applied, besides white, red, green, yellow, and

black colors. Various Aripana designs have the images of Gods and Goddesses painted on different shapes and

forms with multiple colors, reflecting the artist’s originality and imagination.

2.3 The Style of Painting

This style of Madhubani painting belongs to North Bihar. In keeping with the tradition under which it began, the

style is replete with symbols of fertility like the lotus plant, the bamboo grove, birds, fish, etc. in union. The art

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 6 shifted to drawing paper in the 1960s, and this brought with it a new freedom and creativity, as paper is movable

and economically feasible too. Figures from nature & mythology are adapted to suit this style. The themes and

designs widely painted depict the worship of Hindu deities such as Krishna, Rama, Shiva, Durga, Lakshmi,

Saraswati, Sun and Moon, and the basil plant. They also represent court scenes, wedding scenes, and social

happenings. Floral, animal and bird motifs, and geometrical designs are used to fill up all the gaps. There is

hardly any empty space in this style. The skill is handed down the generations, and hence the traditional designs

and patterns are widely maintained. One of the main features of Mithila paintings is simplicity. All that is

required for the artist is a suitable surface, ordinary paints, and local brushes. Preliminary sketching is hardly

required in Mithila paintings because the outlines are developed in a single sweep of the brush.

2.4 Tools Used

No sophisticat ed tools are needed in Madhubani paintings. Artists are still unfamiliar with modern paintbrushes.

They use one brush made from a bamboo-twig by wrapping the twig up with a piece of cloth or by having its

end frayed in a way that the fiber looks like a bundle of hair.

2.5 Color Scheme

The artists prepare the colors. Black is obtained by mixing soot with cow dung; yellow from turmeric or pollen

or lime and the milk of banyan leaves; blue from indigo; red from the Kusum flower juice or red sandalwood;

green from the leaves of the wood apple tree; white from rice powder; and orange from Palasha flowers. The

raw materials are mixed with goat's milk and juice from bean plants. Today green, blue, red and orange have

been added to these colors. The colors are applied flat with no shading. There is normally a double line drawn

for the outlines, with the gap between the lines filled by cross or straight tiny lines. In the linear painting, no

colors are applied. Only the outlines are drawn. Some village artists only produce black ink drawings. Other

village artists use pink, yellow, blue, red, and parrot green; each paint is mixed with the traditional goat milk.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 7 2.6 Forms and Symbols in Madhubani Paintings

The motifs of the designs include conventionalized flora and fauna, circles in series, spiral or curvilinear

devices, series of short lines, foot-points of fragmentary (imaginative) pictures illustrating legends and stories;

giving glimpses of environmental and natural life. While the religious paintings include various Gods and

Goddesses, the secular and decorative paintings contain various symbols of prosperity and fertility such as

elephant, horse, fish, lion, parrot, turtle, bamboo, lotus flower, Puraina leaves, Pana, creepers etc. Besides, in

these paintings, we also come across aspects of agricultural animal life, which plays an important role in the

rural economy of Mithila. The animal, in fact, is a duplicate representation of energy and character of God.

Thus, the subject matter generally falls into two groups:

(1) A series of heavenly forms.

(2) A series of strictly selected vegetables and animal forms.

For different occasions, they have different forms and symbols attached to these paintings.

Madhubani painting has lately received much attention and popularity. There are quite a few websites devoted

to Madhubani painting. I would like to add that to a large extent the credit for bringing recent and massive

popularity to this art form goes to Lalit Narayan Mishra, former Minister for Indian Railways. During his tenure,

reproductions of these paintings adorned the coaches of many fast and super-fast trains [4]. Copies of the

paintings became a hot-selling item for both native and foreign travelers. The reproductions can be found with

the hawkers in the bustling street side market along the Janapath in New Delhi, India - a must for every foreign

tourist! Credit is due also to Mr. Bhaskar Kulkarni, erstwhile member of the Indian Handicrafts Federation. He

was the first to organize an exhibition of the Madhubani school of paintings at New Delhi in 1967 [5]. This

brought instant international recognition to this art form. “Folk in a sense carries the connotation of anonymity,

collective wisdom, spontaneity and simplicity. With the development of Anthropology, a new awareness has

come into understanding the primitive and folk traditions. Anthropology has proved that regionalism in art is not

against internationalism [6].”

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 8 3. MEDIA AND HINDU GODS

In India, images of deities are ubiquitous, with religious stickers and posters covering virtually every Hindu-

owned rickshaw, phone booth, and tea stall in the country. Sacred images are even common in Indian

advertisements, with baby Krishna endorsing his favorite brand of Amul butter and Lakshmi promising

prosperity to those who eat her own brand of rice. While one can hardly imagine a parched Jesus wandering

through the desert and then gulping down a bottle of Coca-Cola in an American commercial, the Hindu

equivalent is not uncommon in Indian advertising. Such ads are always done with an unquestionable reverence

for the divine.

In India, television has faster and greater impact on society. Indian television, today, has grown into one of the

biggest television networks in the world. Terrestrial broadcasting, which has been the sole preserve of the

government, provides television coverage to over 90% of India's population [7]. The TV serials in India are

bringing the heroes and myths of the Hindu religion to life for a mass audience. Hinduism is central to Indian

culture, and many middle-aged people feel strongly that these epic TV shows are a great way of keeping these

religious stories alive.

The serials based on the two great Indian epics, Ramayana [8] and Mahabharata [9], were the most popular

programs on the Indian national network Doordarshan, until very recently. Rated as the most popular TV

program on India's national network Doordarshan, Mahabharata had a viewership of 96 per cent - a record in

the Guinness Book of World Records [10]. On these shows, computer graphics are used to create images of

Gods performing miracles, sailing across the skies and moving mountains. I still remember the effects used in

Ramayana (1988-90). It was great to watch the Gods and Goddesses fly, disappear, and walk on water. The

effects w ere pretty good for Indian TV standards at that time. These serials broke all previous records of

programs on Indian television. Streets became deserted as Indians abandoned work and chores to watch the

adventures of Lord Rama and Krishna. After the great success of these serials, other serials, namely,

Sreekrishna, Om Namasivaya, Jai Hanuman, Japam Tapam Vritham, Jai Matha, and Jai Ganga Maiya were

telecast. All these shows were based on Hindu mythology as depicted in the Epics and Puranas [11]. The

promoters of these serials take advantage of the religious archetype of viewers, at the expense of the literary

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 9 qualities of the source materials. To attract the viewers, in addition to archetypes, visual potentialities are

effectively used with the help of modern technology. The promoters attract more and more regional viewers,

and the serials produced in Hindi and mostly aimed at Hindi viewers, are dubbed in the regional languages.

Since the success of Ramayana, religious serials have been produced in large numbers. Especially since the

success of Mahabharata, they keep competing in computerized special effects. But the emphasis on content is

diminishing. While Ramayana and Mahabharata made decent attempts in presenting all acceptable versions,

later serials have only tried to cash on the sentiments of people. The mythological serials command the highest

viewership in India for any type of television program, drawing as many as 150 million viewers. This, in turn,

has lured advertisers and sponsors by the drove. The mythological genre is perhaps the only genre of

programming that maintains its repeat value, since an entire generation may not have watched it.

Everyone - adults, housewives, teenagers - watches religion on television. They all are enthralled by the

struggles, sermons, and philosophical debates that they see on their screens. If children don't, the parents often

force them to. The objective is to `instill values' in the kids and make them aware of their mythological history.

The best news for television producers may be that with 330 million Gods in the Hindu pantheon, there are

plenty of episodes just waiting to be made. As a genre, mythological programs will never go out of style. What

works in its favor is the family audience, including children that these shows attract. Broadcasters insist that

there is good money in airing such mythological programs. According to industry estimates, normal advertising

rate for mythological programs was about Rs 1 lakh ($ 2,000 approx) in February 2001 for a ten-second slot

[12]. The religious programs on Sony network are now the highest rated mythologicals across all channels.

Production costs for mythologicals are always steep because they involve a lot of special effects. According to

available industry data, the production costs of some mythologicals currently on air have crossed the Rs 20 lakh

($ 40,000 approx) - per episode barrier [13].

"Over here, people are very religious, and they love to watch epics ... they love to watch the serials which are

based on Gods." TV director Rajiv Desai said, “We have so many Gods and so many stories... we can keep on

doing it again and again. [14]” It is also assumed that more religion-based content is likely to invade living

rooms across the country in the months to come. The broadcast channels, meanwhile, are keeping their fingers

crossed that the audience will keep tuning into religious programming.


3.1 The Business of Gaming

Indian mythology, which has so far been limited to TV serials and a handful of movies, could lend itself

extraordinarily well to the creation of Net -based games. Mahabharata or Ramayana stepped into the world of

gaming. The idea was to understand the Indian Gods by playing games based on Indian mythology. Companies

like Indiagames [15] have games such as “Raavan Vadh”, where one can help Lord Ram kill the evil king

Raavan and establish the victory of good over evil.

3.2 Hindu Gods and Goddesses in branding

In India, manufacturers try to affect the psyche of consumer by branding an item with the names and images of

Hindu deities. They bring the premium image of a God and his virtues and associate them to their product, thus

exploiting the mass recognition of well-established imagery of the God to boost product branding [Appendix.

Pic.6a-6j]. The beauty of this strategy lies in the fact that the companies using God’s images do not have to be

concerned about any kind of intellectual property issues like copyright, thus enjoying an immense credibility

just by virtue of having connected their name to a venerated name. This kind of branding shows the popularity

of God/Goddess images in India and the corporate/legal freedom of their use.

Manufacturers use images and names of Hindu Gods on product labels and promotion materials to attract

buyer’s attention. Even in America, some of the phone card companies like MCI, which target Indian

consumers, print Hindu God’s images on its international phone cards and sometimes even the phone card itself

is named after a Hindu God. In India, the largest group of advertisers is the food marketers, followed by

marketers of drugs and cosmetics, soaps, automobiles, tobacco, appliances, and oil products. All of these

companies somehow associate their products’ virtues with the virtues of a God and try to sell it to the consumer,

who can very well relate to the image presented. For instance, Indian jewelers extensively use the image and

name of Goddess Laxmi, who is considered the ruler of all material wealth,. One of the most famous names

among jewelry shops in India is: Maha Laxmi Jewelers.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 11 3.3 Western Appropriation of the Gods

The profundity of Hinduism religion has prompted a multitude of creative souls to borrow Hindu themes and

motifs to use them liberally in their works. In many cases, this has added to the quality of the creative product

and benefited the Hindu heritage. But in some cases, it has only resulted in the creation of tasteless spoofs and

created nothing more than confusion and quandary in the minds of people. All the symbols and images also

expect a certain amount of responsibility in terms of their use.

I think a certain amount of respect should be given to the symbols of religion, be it Hinduism, Islam, or

Christianity. There have been so many products and ideas involving Hindu Gods and symbols, which have

created controversy in different parts of the world. In the United States, however, the Hindu sacred image has

taken on a secular life of its own. Few American consumers understand the religious or cultural significance of

such images, and value them for their "exotic" novelty.

Those who buy these products such as T -shirts with a Hindu God printed on it are really buying the design - the

vivid colors, the original motifs and images. I don't think they really care about the religion. Once this exercise

goes past fashion, it somehow can be insensitive to religious sentiments.

Some of the controversial cases include the movie Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom, which took unlimited

liberties with Hindu theology making the Hindu Goddess Kali a demon rather than Goddess. Also, in February

1999, Xena: Warrior Princess, one of the world's most popular TV serials, showed the Hindu mythological

characters Lord Krishna, Hanumana, Kali, and Indra doing things they never did in traditional tales and epics.

Another instance of cultural insensitivity was in the April 1999 issue of Vanity Fair where photographer David

LaChapelle shot Mike Myers posed as a cartoonish Hindu deity in a photo spread [Appendix. Pic.7].

First introduced to the American market in 1998, lunchboxes displaying Hindu Gods were inspired by the

"beautiful, bright, and appealing" depictions of Hindu Gods on Indian posters [Appendix. Pic.8]. But some

Hindus find the fad tasteless. In another separate instance in November 16, 2000, it was discovered that a

manufacturer, “Sittin' Pretty Design,” were selling toilet seats that sported images of Hindu deities Ganesha and

Kali. This Seattle-based firm sells these products under their “Sacred Seats” product line [Appendix. Pic.9].

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 12 In July 2000, a California Shoe Company had to withdraw sandals, which had images of Hindu deities blazed on

them, from the market after it learned that they offended Hindu religious sensibilities [Appendix. Pic.10]. It

remains an open debate whether such depictions are acceptable by any standard. But the bottom line is that the

choice between using the Gods for products in the media is a gray area. I was sensitive to this as I thought about

using a God in my work.

4. BRINGING MADHUBANI PAINTING TO THE DIGITAL WORLD

During my university life in New Delhi, I happened to meet some of the country’s most talented artists and

graphic designers. They inspired me to learn digital tools. Instead of just creating traditional folk arts on paper, I

decided to join a course in computer arts and animation to explore career opportunities in digital arts. I also

happened to watch some of the best Russian animations, which I still admire. I liked their personal style and

most of the plots were taken from folk stories. The visual style was similar to the folk arts. At that time, I tried

recreating Madhubani style of paintings using Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro. The results were great. I loved the

way these tools created similar kind of impressions. I began thinking about how I could combine these two types

of art – traditional and digital.

In 1996, I started working as a graphic artist in New Delhi and was involved in creating 3D models and in web

designing. At that time I realized that most of the digital artists from India are influenced by western world and

that was reflected in their works. 3D artists were creating aliens and spaceships. Animation as a science was just

evolving in India. Also, in India, the lack of transition to the digital age was pretty blatant. As a result,

traditional and digital artists seemed to go in their own different directions with no common frame of reference.

Keeping this in mind, I wanted to do some work where I could represent my ideas about the relationship

between traditional and digital art because I strongly felt that there should be a link between the traditional/folk

arts and the new digital age.


4.1 Why Digital Madhubani Paintings?

As I discussed, with time, traditional folk medium has changed. Originally, Madhubani paintings were done on

walls in villages. Later, the artists successfully transferred their techniques of wall painting to paper. Today,

most of the artists use watercolors and handmade papers. At the same time, they maintain the characteristics and

style of paintings although the medium has changed. In order to create a new source of non-agricultural income,

different organizations encourage artists to produce their traditional paintings on handmade paper for

commercial sale. Even in the more recent work on paper, the themes are normally the Hindu Gods and

Goddesses and stories from Hindu mythology. Now, instead of limiting their paintings to their villages, the

artists exhibit it throughout India as well as in different parts of the world.

Transferring the techniques of wall painting to the medium of paper gained these paintings more popularity and

recognition. Similarly, I feel that when these characteristics of Madhubani paintings are reproduced using a

digital medium, it will take the paintings to the next level, where more and more digital artists from India and

across the world will use these folk art styles.

At this time, I also explored the idea of using digital tools. Why do we need digital tools to express Indian

mythological events? How effectively can we create Hindu Gods and Goddess using tools such as Flash and

Photoshop? What is the best way to depict Hindu mythological events- traditional folk arts or animation?

There are continuing debates regarding digital form of art vs. traditional art.

As India's internationally renowned film maker, Shyam Benegal once said: "When sudden intervention by a new

technology or industry takes place in a traditional society, the first casualty is cultural literacy [16]."

How is using an Airbrush in Flash or Photoshop different from wielding a real one? I use both quite often, and

they each require their own particular skill and knowledge of use to get a good result. People claim that digital

art isn't real art because it's not done in "traditional" media. At some point the first human stopped drawing on

cave walls and started drawing on paper, and there was another guy who first came up with using paints and

dyes instead of chiseling images into rock.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 14 Techniques for creating art will keep evolving, but the fact remains that art is the final product. Also, art is

supposed to prompt an emotional response, and much emotion goes into its creation. Digital art can be just as

emotional and poetic as traditional art. Sitting at a computer creating paintings could be a different experience

from painting on a canvas, but can share similar art styles and expression. There will always be a place for the

traditional style of art, whether it be pencil, oil paint, or acrylic and the traditional art will happily co-exist with

digital art. Personally, I get a similar level of satisfaction when creating folk and digital art.

4.2 Transformation Process

I wanted to transform the traditional form of art into animation and the biggest challenge was to maintain the

traditional style of images in animation and to develop a style at the same time. When people see an animation,

they should easily relate it to Indian traditional folk arts, especially the Madhubani paintings- which inspired my

animation style.

Successful digital art should not try to imitate painting, but instead should seek a unique vision of the form,

which can be expressed using this new medium. That is why I decided to derive my own visual style instead of

animating exact Madhubani paintings. After my research, I found that depicting Indian mythological events in

the form of animation could be as effective as the traditional paintings and be accepted by the Indian audience.

Animation is a popular form of art and depicting mythological events in animation would make it more popular

among people, especially the young generation. Films and animations are the effective way to teach Indian

mythology rather than reading books. Also, it would make folk art like Madhubani paintings more popular

within India and abroad. It would also inspire upcoming animators to take mythological events as a subject and

would show them what would be the right way to transform the traditional style into digital medium.

4.3 Inspirations

To effectively create Madhubani paintings in the digital form, I looked at the works of other artists who had

taken folk art as inspirations for animation.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 15 As I mentioned earlier, my favorite animation style is Russian. Heron and Crane (1947) and Fox and Rabbit

(1973) are some of the best animations I have ever seen. There are so many Russian folk tales that are depicted

in animation. Japanese animations are also influenced by religion and mythology. Many of the aliens and

monsters in Japanese anime science-fiction adventures are thinly disguised, well known (in Japan) Gods and

demons. In India, TV serials based on mythological events are very popular and that’s why they have so many

TV serials and motion films depicting mythological events and stories of God and Goddess. As far as animation

is concerned, very little has been done in Indian media.

In a country the size of India, with its inherent problem of sixteen major languages and innumerable dialects, the

potential of animation for mass communication to address urgent needs of population control, the environment,

illiteracy, social malpractices etc., has hardly been explored. The national television network, which began to

reach out to the remotest corners of the country from the 1970’s, is yet to fully realize its power to inform and

educate. Equipped with computerized animation facilities, it has not revealed the potential of animation to the

enormous audience, which it could command. It has, however, demonstrated the scope which remains to be

tapped, for educational and entertainment applications of animated films.

For most Indians, the word "animation" does not conjure up any image at all; it is like an empty thought bubble.

Most know it as cartoons, associated with children and, therefore, considered suitable for such consumption

only. Most of all, it is associated with Walt Disney because in India there has been very little exposure to

animation films other than Disney whose work has been popular throughout India since the 1930s.

At present, based on Indian mythology or inspired by folk art styles, although we have a very few examples of

animated films that are produced in India, we can still talk about following two animated films which inspired

me the most for this animation project.

4.3.1 Ramayana- The Legend of Prince Rama

“Ramayana- The Legend of Prince Rama,” an Indo-Japanese venture, it is a two-hour animation film. Produced

in Japan in technical collaboration with India, the animation film is a fusion of the Manga School of Animation

from Japan, and the artistic style of the famous Indian painter, Ravi Varma.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 16 Eight years in the making, Yugo Sako’s Ramayana is a colorful retelling of the ancient Hindu legend. It follows

the journey of prince Rama and his loyal brother, Lakshmana, into manhood, spiritual maturity, and self-

discovery - as they seek to rescue Ram’s wife, Sita, kidnapped by the demon, Ravana.

“Ramayana- The Legend of Prince Rama” won the Best Animation Film of the Year award at the Santa Clarita

International Family Film Festival in year 2000. The film has demons at every turn, spreading pollution and

suffering across the land and using illusions to threaten the heroes. Hanuman, the monkey-God, and his primate

army are enlisted to help, and it’s Hanuman’s antics and one-liners that provide comic relief as the film touches

upon the themes of sacrifice, anger, justice, and forgiveness.

4.3.2 Shubh Vivah by Nina Sabnani

The closest example that related to my animation would be Shubh Vivah by Nina Sabnani. She won

international acclaim with her film Shubh Vivah, which is perhaps the first feminist animation in India. Released

in 1984, Shubh Vivah is a strong comment on the much-hated dowry system, a social evil where money is paid

by the bride's family to the groom and his family, when a daughter is married. Despite apparently noble

intentions, traditions of this nature usually degenerate when ritualized. Today, the demand for gifts far exceeds

the means of a bride's family; women are pitifully harassed when these demands cannot be met to the extent that

dowry-taking has now been officially outlawed. However, society continues to indulge in the practice: it is

almost an integral part of the economic system. Animated from the drawings of the traditional Madhubani style,

Shubh Vivah examines the attitudes towards women that prevail from birth and emphasizes the vital role that

education and economic independence play in gaining freedom for women.

5. THESIS – AS I STARTED

For my thesis, I was sure about two things from the beginning. One, I wanted to make an animation. And

second, I wanted to include different forms of Hindu God and Goddess, which I consider great forms of art,

especially the way they are beautifully depicted in India. At the same time, I didn’t want this to seem like I was

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 17 promoting my religion. I just loved these God and Goddess forms, symbols, and colors. Overall, it was great to

see how much impact these God images have on Indian culture and how advertising agencies in India use them

as a design element.

In Hindu mythology, amongst the 330 million Gods and demi Gods, there are only twenty-five most famous

Gods. Each God or Goddess has a set of symbols associated with him/her, which are separate forms of design

and collectively create an image of a God or a deity. Essentially, every Hindu symbol is an abstract

representation of God by means of collectively creating his/her image. Each Hindu God and Goddess has many

characteristics, like dress, 'vehicle', weapons, etc., that are themselves symbols of the deity's power. These

symbols range from the red mark on the foreheads of the women to the idols of the deities that the ardent Hindu

devotees worship. Each one has its own meaning. In the beginning, I was not very sure of exactly what I was

going to do with these gorgeous forms of God and Goddess or how I was going to build an animation using God

symbols and forms.

5.1 Initial Proposal

In the beginning, my focus was on forms and the symbols of Gods and Goddesses. I broke it down into different

parts. I talked about how we create an image of God. A form of God is basically a combination of set of

symbols and colors. At the same time, we have stories about each God and Goddess- a vast literature.

Combining these stories and forms provides us with so many mythological events and that’s what we depict in

most of our folk/traditional art works from India. I also investigated the hierarchy of God and Goddess to come

up with an idea for my animation. Hinduism believes in one supreme God, but it has an extensive hierarchy of

demi Gods, which relate to different phases of our lives. And hence, it is difficult to keep track of who is who.

For example: It starts with one supreme God- the source of all, which has the Symbol of Om. Then comes the

concept of Trinity - Bramha the Creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer -which are followed by

an endless number of Gods who serve these three main Gods. In a way, it works exactly like "Windows

Explorer" where we have one main folder and then subfolders and within that subfolder we have different

folders.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 18 I was very impressed with the way this hierarchal structure works in Hinduism. And I was planning to introduce

my "Windows Explorer" structure idea in my animation too. I also wanted to design an interface, which

simplified the hierarchal structure of Hindu Gods so that anyone could easily comprehend the hierarchy and

identify the Gods.

Initially, I also explored the color schemes of Gods. I wanted to define a color palette for the Hindu Gods. In

Hinduism, colors play a very important role in the religion and culture and have a very deep significance,

transcending purely decorative values. Artists use colors on the deities and their dresses signifying their

qualities. I wanted to go a bit further and define a color palette for the Hindu Gods. As an example one of the

theories is that Vishnu, because of his association with water, is depicted blue; therefore, all his incarnations,

including Krishna, are blue in color.

I was stuck with these two ideas. One, the hierarchal structure and, two, the form and symbols of God and

Goddess. Then I decided that I would be exploring these symbols in detail in my thesis, recreating the forms of

Gods and Goddesses using the same set of symbols and somehow using these new forms in my animation. I

studied the way other artists have been depicting Lord Ganesha [Appendix.Pic.11a-11l]. Lord Ganesha has an

elephantine countenance with a curved trunk and big ears and a huge pot-bellied body of a human being. Artists

have been creating so many different forms of the same God using the same set of symbols and he is, in a way,

the favorite God for modern artists. I wanted to exp eriment with the form, but with another God.

My thesis instructor, Anezka Sebek, described this idea as “vast” and felt that it lacked clarity in terms of what I

wanted to do. She wanted me to simplify the idea and I was told that there have been different artists trying to

recreate religious forms who got frustrated with their efforts. Also, for the purpose of class presentations, she

wanted me to show more and more visuals to make it understandable.

I changed my focus from God forms and symbols to the "making of animation" which was my final goal. I

decided to think more about animation rather than different forms and symbols of Gods and Goddess. Initially, I

needed two basic things for my animation. First of all, finding a story, and second, visual style. What was I

going to depict and how was it going to look? I decided that the story was going to come from an Indian

mythological event and the visual style would be similar to Madhubani paintings. Then, I started talking to

people including my Indian friends about the mythological event that I should select for the animation. Some of

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 19 them suggested depicting any popular event from Hindu epic Ramayana or Mahabharata. It was a good idea but

I felt that I should get something more than just a story - maybe a combination of different stories or the

expression of an idea or theory from Indian mythology. I thought the animation should tell more than just one

story because these stories are so famous that everybody knows about them and they know what the endings are.

I wanted the audience to experience the animation and experience more than just a story. Then I came up with a

story of Lord Vishnu and his ten incarnations. I talked to different people about this idea; they seemed excited

about it.

In the Hindu mythology, there are ten documented incarnations (Avatars) of Lord Vishnu. Throughout ages,

Lord Vishnu has incarnated in various life forms, through different ages, in situations when religion was in

danger because of certain evil elements in the world. Each incarnation appears in different forms and carries

different symbols based on the requirements and circumstances. These ten incarnations are different forms of

the same God, each being associated with a different story.

5.2 Vishnu’s Incarnation stories

In his first incarnation Vishnu appeared as a fish, Matsya, to convince

a human being, Manu (the first born), to collect all kinds of seeds and

pairs of all birds and animals and to get on a boat along with them.

After this, a flood drowned the earth and destroyed everything and

the good hearted Manu started a new human race. This incarnation

symbolizes the forming of protoplasm and invertebrates.

In his second incarnation as Kurma, the turtle, Vishnu helped the

Gods and demons to churn the nectar out from the ocean. This nectar

helped the Gods renew their youthfulness and avoid death. This

incarnation symbolizes the amphibian form.


In his third incarnation as Varaha, the boar, Vishnu used his tusks to

raise the earth, which had sunk in the sea. This incarnation

symbolizes the existence of mammals.

In his fourth incarnation Vishnu appeared as Narsimha, which was a

strange being, half-man and half-animal. A demon, Hiranyakashipu,

had obtained the boon of immunity through asceticism, from the

attacks of men, beasts and Gods. He had the assurance from Lord

Brahma that he could not be killed either during day or during night,

either inside or outside his house. Hiranyakashipu grew very

powerful and forbade the worship of all Gods and forced people to

worship him instead. Vishnu took the form of half-man, half-lion

(neither man nor beast) and tore the demon into pieces in the evening

(neither in the day nor in the night), by emerging from a pillar in

Hiranyakashipu’s palace and killing him in the doorway (neither

inside nor outside). This incarnation shows the development of hands

and fingers on animals and the evolution of the sub-human or ape

form.

In his fifth incarnation he was a dwarf, Vamana. As a little person he

asked the demon, who ruled the three worlds, to give him land three

times his foot. Once accepted, the dwarf suddenly grew to an

enormous size and covered all the earth and the heavens by his paces

and the demon was left with only the nether regions. This incarnation

reflects the incomplete development of man.


In his sixth incarnation, Vishnu as Parsuram , was a non-violent

priest who took an axe to kill warrior caste (kshatriya), which had

become arrogant and were suppressing the priests in the world. This

incarnation symbolizes the Stone Age. The axe symbolizes the start

of the use of metal by the mankind.

In his seventh incarnation, Vishnu appeared as Rama, the main

character in the Ramayana, who killed the demon Ravan. In this

biggest epic of Indian mythology. a myriad of topics are covered,

including war, love, brotherhood, ideal man, son, and so on. It is

essentially the story of an ideal king, son, father, and man, Rama.

This incarnation shows the ability of the mankind to live in cities and

to have an administration.

In his eighth incarnation, Vishnu was Krishna, the central character

in the epic Mahabharata. He helped the righteous Pandavas to defeat

the villains Kauravas. Krishna is also the philosopher of the

Bhagwad Gita, one of the holiest Hindu texts. This incarnation

reflects the development of the sciences.

The ninth incarnation of Vishnu is the Buddha, the establisher of

Buddhism. The purpose of this incarnation was to preach non-

violence and to advocate against animal sacrificing in religious

ceremonies. This incarnation reflects the intellectual and scientific

development of the man.


The tenth incarnation of Vishnu, Kalki, is supposed to arrive when

the world will be at a brink of complete chaos. He will rise from the

sea on a white horse and destroy all evil. This incarnation will save

mankind.

5.3 Story Problems

I decided to use Vishnu’s incarnations as my story. But the problem was that there were ten different stories to

depict for ten different incarnations. Depicting all the ten stories was not possible because it would involve a

massive amount of work. So I decided to depict just the key events taken from these ten stories of incarnations.

My main goal was to show these ten different forms of Vishnu in a sequence.

My target audience is people from India, people who have a basic idea about these incarnations, which allowed

me to assume that when they saw the key events depicted, they could relate to the story. Some of the

incarnations, such as Rama, Krishna and Buddha are more famous than others. I decided to have ten to twenty

seconds for every incarnation and, thus, the whole animation would be about two minutes or more. At the same

time I was looking for a story, which could connect all ten incarnation stories. Finally, I found one, a story of

evolution. The scientific theory of evolution states that life on earth began as single-celled organisms that later

developed into multi-celled beings. Moreover, the theory further states that aquatic creatures came into

existence first. Then came amphibians that could exist in water as well as on land. Land-dependent animals and

airborne birds followed the amphibians. Finally, human beings completed the cosmic drama of creation.

Similarly, the ten incantations of Vishnu are important and very interesting as we can see that he incarnates

progressively from fish to human form. Each story was an evolution story in allegorical form.

I also wanted to include some more important information in my animation. First, each of these incarnations has

its own timeline and occurs during different periods of time. Secondly, I wanted to show the viewer that they are

in a period between the ninth and tenth incarnation. The tenth incarnation, yet to manifest itself, would be the

ultimate terminator who would finish the evolutionary process in one mighty holocaust. And finally, I wanted

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 23 to suggest that after the tenth incarnation, the world will be purified again and the evolution process of mankind

will begin again. Initially, I was not sure how to express this idea. Since I was not using any voice-overs, I

decided to use text instead.

I created my second version of animatic with some text, which appeared only after ninth incarnation. It said –

“the current era- age of darkness and irreligion.” Then appeared some images followed by the text - 427,000

years later (as suggested by Hindu mythology, when the tenth incarnation will appear) - Vishnu will appear

amongst mortals as Kalki at the end of this age. And then- the earth will be purified and start all over again with

another age of truth. And that’s how I ended my animation story.

Adding the text was not a good idea as my thesis instructor Anezka Sebek suggested and I also felt the same. I

though I should somehow express this idea without using any text. Using text was a very direct approach, which

I didn’t like and it also broke the continuity of the animation. So I decided to remove the text and started

thinking of some other alternatives. During the semester break, I decided to add one element in the beginning of

the animation and end my animation by showing the same element again, which supports the idea that it’s a

circle of evolution and we will go back where we started. So I made a small clip of the Hindu symbol "Om." It

is the most sacred symbol in Hindu dharma. “Om” is the sound of the infinite. "Om" is said to be the essence of

the Vedas. Also, “Om” is representative of the Trinity of God in Hindu dharma (Bramha, Vishnu and Shiva).

"Om" was the perfect element to begin the animation with. So, I started my animation with "Om" and ended it

with "Om" as well.

[Detailed Storyboard in Appendix. Pic.16]

5.4 Feedback

After I was done with my animatic and some part of the animation, I started showing it to my friends and

classmates. I was collecting feedback.

Following is a summary of the feedback I received from people who saw my animation:

(1) They all liked the visual look of the animation and the way it used Flash to animate.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 24 (2) Some of them thought the speed of the animation was too fast and I should work on the pacing of the

animation sequences.

(3) Initially, I was using different forms of Vishnu for one incarnation. For example, I had different

representations of Vishnu as fish. I was told to keep one form of Vishnu for one incarnation to make it clearer.

(4) I was also told that instead of focusing just on Madhubani paintings; I should also try to add a few elements

from other folk arts of India.

(5) I got positive feedback on the title sequence as the viewers thought that it helped them understand the

animation better. But some of them were not sure if the title sequence would make much sense to an Indian

audience because they already know about Vishnu and the reason behind each incarnation. They also wanted me

to treat the title music part a bit differently than the main animation.

(6) Some of the viewers wanted that the treatment of every incarnation should be different, which I could

probably achieve by changing the color tone for every incarnation or by visually differentiating them in some

manner.

(7) They also thought that I should add some text or just numbers before every incarnation.

All these feedback helped me understand my piece better and I found that some comments would help make my

animation better.

My target audience is the people from India who are aware of Vishnu and his ten incarnations and they can

simply relate the events shown in the animation. But I did not want to neglect the non-Indian people. I felt that

they should also enjoy the animation and get a good experience by watching it, but most importantly, they

should know what they are going to see in the animation - just a little bit of background information on the

animation. Since my animation doesn’t have any voice-overs or supporting text, I decided to add an introduction

to my animation before it started. I made a title sequence explaining what the animation is all about.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 25 5.5 Title Sequence

The title sequence appears with images of Vishnu and his forms and some text. Text included is: “Whenever

there is a decline of religion, and a rise of irreligion, I (Vishnu) incarnate myself.” “To protect the good and to

destroy the evil, I (Vishnu) appear in every age.” “The story of Vishnu’s ten incarnations.” “The story of

evolution.” And then comes the names of different forms of Vishnu with relevant images. I got good feedback

on title sequence because it did help people understand the idea behind my animation.

5.6 The Transitions

The next step was to identify how to jump from one incarnation to another. I wanted to show that all these

different forms are of the same God Vishnu. Initially, I thought of using some kind of morphing effects from the

last scene of one incarnation to the first scene of another to show that the same God is taking a different form for

a different cause. But then I realized that this was not the best way as each time I would have to end the scene

with a form of Vishnu and the next incarnation has to start with another form of him. Finally, I decided to create

an original form of Vishnu instead and inserted it between every incarnation, which gives the user an idea that

one incarnation is gone and another is coming.

6. METHODOLOGY

The next step was to choose the tools that I wanted to use for my animation. In the beginning, I kept these

options open.

(1) Drawing and animation in Macromedia Flash.

(2) Drawing in Flash, effects and animation in AfterEffects.

(3) Drawing in Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator, animation in Flash and effects in AfterEffects.

(4) Drawing in Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator, effects and animation in AfterEffects.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 26 (5) For sound design, Adobe premiere, Pro-tools or Cakewalk Sonar.

Initially, I tried creating symbols used in Madhubani paintings in Adobe Illustrator. It looked good. But I

wanted something loose in style. For me, drawing in Illustrator looked more like a gr eat computer art but not

something drawn by a folk artist. Also, Illustrator is not an animation tool, although I could create individual

animation frames on layers in Illustrator and then export the image layers into individual Flash frames, and then

use Flash to see what my animation looked like. I thought it was too long a process to view how the individual

frames are working.

Then I tried Photoshop. I was getting good results in Photoshop but this is a raster-based tool whereas I wanted a

vector-based tool to create individual drawings. The vector-based tools produce much smaller file sizes for most

graphics. They are also very easy to edit, reshape and change color, since each object can be treated separately,

even without using layers. The true power of a vector shows up when we change the size of an image. Unlike

the vector image, which simply changes the information on the coordinates to create a larger size, a raster file

cannot create more information to fill in. It can get larger in only one way, and that is by making the pixels

bigger. The result is usually pretty ugly. Also, raster-based Photoshop had the same problem as Illustrator; it is

not an animation tool.

From my experience with Flash on other animation projects, I knew the advantages and disadvantages of this

tool. The latest version of Flash has enormous features like advance ActionScripting and video integration, but I

wanted to use the basic features of Flash - drawing and animation. Flash provides various tools for drawing

freeform or precise lines, shapes, and paths, and for painting filled objects. I selected Flash for creating

individual animation frames.

I used the following Flash functionalities:

(1) The Brush tool. I drew most of the outlines using the brush tool. It draws brush like strokes, as if you were

painting. You can also choose a brush size and shape. The shape I selected was an angular one, which helped me

create brush strokes with an angle.

(1) Pencil tool. I have used it for outlines. It works as a real drawing pencil.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 27 (3) Onion skins. The most useful feature for creating animation frames. Normally, Flash displays one frame of

the animation sequence at a time on the Stage. Onion skins helped me position and edit a frame-by-frame

animation; I could view two or more frames on the Stage at once. In this process, the frame under the playhead

appears in full color, while surrounding frames are dimmed, making it appear as if each frame were drawn on a

sheet of translucent onion-skin paper and the sheets were stacked on top of each other.

I tried to limit the number of functionalities used to maintain the similar style and characteristics for all the

frames I created.

The biggest problem with Flash was the sound editing capability. I could import sound files, but the system

didn’t give me options to edit it. Ideally, I would have integrated the raw sound file in Flash and then done some

level of sound editing based on the visuals.

I used Adobe AfterEffects to give effects to the images and animate them. In Flash, I created all bright flat

colors on which effects worked really well, especially when effects like glow and blur were applied.

6.1 Exporting files

All the files I exported from Flash to AfterEffects were in PNG (Portable Network Graphics) image format.

PNG is an extensible file format for the lossless, portable, well-compressed storage of images.

I broke all the individual frames in four to six layers depending upon the requirement.

(1) For every incarnation, I have different backgrounds, which usually contain flat brush strokes combined with

symbols. I exported the backgrounds separately. Sometimes, there are two background layers, so that it could

move in two different directions in the animation or could have different effects applied to it. In AfterEffects, I

have used the first two layers as background images.

(2) The main character appears on top of the background as a third layer of the animation. In most cases. I only

have one character in the scene at a time.

(3) Sometimes, symbols appear on top of the character as the fourth layer of the animation.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 28 (4) The topmost layer is the traditional border, is static most of the times and all the animation happens within

this boundary. [Detailed Illustration in Appendix. Pic.12]

6.2 Effects

For the backgrounds, I have used blur (Directional, Radial, and Gaussian) and 3D perspective effects. If the

background also contain symbols, it is treated as a different layer, and sometimes it has a glow effect, and if

required, some blur.

The main character has the glow effect. The glow effect helps distinguish the character from the background and

also the glow looks nice when applied on flat colors. It also has 3D perspective effects. Scaling and “distance to

object” is used to achieve the zoom in and zoom out effects.

The border on top has no effects.

For transitional purposes, I used mostly changing alpha and blur effects (Directional, Radial, and Gaussian).

AfterEffects is not an ideal tool for frame-by-frame animation. I found it difficult to import multiple files from

Flash and then arrange it on AfterEffects timeline. It’s good for movie files but the timeline concept in

AfterEffects is different from Flash. One cannot place different images in one line- they have to be placed on

different layers. Eventually it works but involves a lengthy process. I have about 4 minutes of animation, so in

this case placing frames at different layers would involve too much work for longer animations.

In the process I created individual drawings in Flash, exported them to AfterEffects, arranged them frame by

frame in AfterEffects, applied effects and animated the drawings. Finally, sound was added using Adobe

premiere and Cakewalk Sonar.

6.3 Visual Style Considerations

For animation visual style, I considered the following options:

(1) Recreate Madhubani paintings as it is, using Flash, and animate it.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 29 (2) Develop a style based on Madhubani paintings and use it throughout the animation.

(3) Recreate Madhubani paintings as it is, using Flash; and also develop a style based on Madhubani paintings

and use combination of both in animation.

Because of a flat and disproportionate look of the Madhubani art, animating it makes it look too comical.

Therefore, I decided to develop my own visual style inspired by Madhubani paintings but at the same time

wanted to use some static frames similar to Madhubani paintings. So I selected the third option and started

creating individual frames.

I found the following Madhubani painting characteristics based on my research:

(1) The figures are recognizable by a face in profile while the rest of the body faces the front.

(2) The face has one very large eye and a bumpy sort of nose coming out of the forehead.

(3) The figure outlines are drawn as a double line with diagonal hatching between them.

(4) The borders are highly decorated - either geometrically or with ornate floral patterns.

(5) Clothing also is highly decorated with geometrical, floral, or even animal patterns.

(6) The drawings of animals are easily recognized for what they are, but again tend to be very stylized.

(7) The forms and symbols in these paintings have their own significance and different forms and symbols are

used on different occasions.

(8) There could be different interpretations of symbols and their uses.

(9) These paintings have a limited num ber of colors and each color has its own meaning. Artists prepare the

colors applied.

(10) The artist uses traditional brushes (made from a bamboo-twig) for drawing.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 30 I considered the following styles for my animation, based on Madhubani painting characteristics:

(1) Instead of outlines drawn as a double line in Madhubani paintings, I used freehand angular brush.

(2) Similar to these paintings, I also have highly decorated borders although animation.

(3) I have used decorative symbols in a similar manner as they in Madhubani paintings in the background;

sometimes these symbols appear in repetitive patterns.

(4) These paintings have a limited number of colors; I have used blue for all incarnations of Vishnu.

(5) A big nose and very large eyes define Madhubani painting but my style is a deviation in that regard.

6.4 Motion Considerations

I had fourteen main sequences in my animation (one title, ten incarnations, one opening clip, one ending clip

and one Vishnu's clip, which appears in-between every incarnation.)

6.4.1 Title

This is a one-minute sequence, which explains what the animation is all about. There is no frame-by-frame

animation in this sequence. It is mostly done using Adobe Aftereffects and static frames are drawn in Flash. The

shots in this sequence are relatively slow in speed, in comparison to rest of the animation. I wanted the users to

read the text and get to know more about the animation. The later part of this sequence is relatively faster and

has some quick cuts showing all the ten incarnations of Vishnu one after another.

6.4.2Opening /Ending Clip

This four-second clip is depicting the Hindu sacred symbol “ Om”. The “Om” appears with a quick effect and the

symbols used in this clip are lot smoother and change the scale. There are no cuts in this clip.


6.4.3 Incarnation Sequences

Duration of these sequences varies from seven to thirty-one seconds. Initial two sequences are longer (sixteen

and thirty-one seconds approx.) and the animation pace is lot slower and smoother than the rest of the

animation. The third incarnation sequence is relatively short (eleven seconds approx.) and has no cuts.

The fourth incarnation (ten seconds approx.) is about destruction and I have used a few quick cuts and this goes

too fast. Fifth incarnation (ten seconds approx.) is more dramatic and relatively slower than the third one. Sixth

incarnation (nine seconds approx.) involves violence; it is faster in speed with lots of quick cuts. Seventh

incarnation (seven seconds approx.) is the shortest one and has less number of cuts (four). After seventh

incarnation, the movement becomes much more smoother because it is about a philosophical man (eighth

incarnation: twelve seconds approx.) and a spiritual man (ninth incarnation: ten seconds approx.) Transition for

these two incarnations are lot more smoother. And finally, the tenth sequence (eighteen seconds approx.),

suddenly picks up the speed and has too many quick cuts to show destruction and chaos.

6.4.4 In-between Vishnu’s sequences

There are ten in-between clips in this animation. Duration of these clips is approximately 3 seconds each. The

clip appears between every incarnation sequence. It is divided into parts- one, an ocean effect, and two, the

image of Vishnu. The image of Vishnu remains the same for all the ten sequences whereas the ocean effect

changes every time. This is one of the fastest sequences of the animation. I made it fast and small in length so

that it is acceptable even when we see it ten times in the same animation.

Following graph shows the variation in the pace of the animation from beginning to the end. “Om” represents

the Opening /Ending clips whereas the numbers 1 to 10 indicate the incarnation sequences.


TitleOM 1 2

3

4

5

6

7

8 9

10

OM

In-between Vishnu's form

Motion Graph

6.5 Sound Design

Sound plays a big role in my animation since I don’t have any voice-overs or supporting text. I have used Adobe

Premiere and Cakewalk Sonar for sound design. The sound piece is a combination of ambient sounds, Indian-

based instruments and Indian Ragas. Andy Miccolis from Parsons Jazz School helped me develop the score for

the animation.

Here is what Andy Miccolis has to say about his experience:

“I approached the soundtrack to this animation more as a sound designer than a composer. Having very little

experience with classical Indian music, composing a score would have been long, tedious and impossible within

the timeframe. Instead, I composed something more like a sound collage, editing and processing pre-existing

Indian music audio from a sample library and combining them with ambient and environmental sounds. There

was a minor setback when I used a sample of a Shehnai for a good portion of the piece, not knowing that this

instrument is traditionally only played at weddings. Abhishek and I worked through this problem together and

re-tooled it, replacing much of the Shehnai with Indian singing. After composing the soundtrack for Ten

Incarnations, I better understand Indian culture, aesthetics, and music and I am glad I had the opportunity.”

6.5.1 Sound for Title Sequence

I wanted to treat this part a bit differently from rest of the animation. I have used the North Indian Instrument

Shehnai [Appendix. Pic.13] and some special sound effects, which support the movements of the animation. The

sound of the Shehnai is considered particularly auspicious. For this reason, it is found in temples and is an

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 33 indispensable component of any North Indian wedding. The title piece has some text, which appears and fades

with sound effects.

6.5.2 Sound for Incarnation Sequences

The first three incarnations have scenes containing sea and water. So I have winds, waves, and water splashing

effects in the background. In the third incarnation sequence, I have also introduced vocal based on India ragas.

The fourth incarnation has destruction sequences. Here, I have used fast track vocal and loud drums to make it

more effective and have also added lion roaring, earthquake, and thunder sounds effects. Fifth incarnation has

Tabla [Appendix. Pic.14] and Indian ragas combined. Tabla is a famous percussion instrument from North

India. Sixth incarnation sequence is similar to the fourth in that it also has fast vocal and battle sounds in the

background and loud drums to support the quick cuts and violent environment. Seventh incarnation has Indian

ragas and cymbals in the background. After these sequences, the eighth one has a very romantic use of Flute and

Tabla throughout the incarnation depicting the beauty part of the animation. Ninth incarnation is about peace, so

the music is quiet and calm in comparison to the other parts of the animation. And finally, the music changes

drastically for the tenth incarnation, as it starts with loud violin and has lots of destructive noises including

explosions, fire, and thunder.

The Vishnu clip, which appears between every incarnation, has a splashing water effects because according to

the Hindu mythology, Vishnu lives in the ocean and his element is water. The clips with “Om” which come in

the beginning and at end have loud drum effects.

Initially, I was using more vocals in the background than the instruments and it also had lots of Tabla sound to

it. But since I was looking for more variations and different pitches of music, the sound design was not

satisfactory because it sounded all the same throughout the animation in spite of having variations, and was not

what I was hoping for. So later I decided to have different pitches of the music depending upon the pace and

content of the animation which dramatically improved the overall experience of the animation.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 34 7. ANALYSIS

Looking at the project now, I think I should have depicted the evolution part more prominently. Right now it’s a

part of the animation, but there is no relationship between one form to another, there is no direct comparison to

show how each form of God changed. Initially, I tried emphasizing the evolution part but it was somehow

interrupting the flow of animation because it also has the key events for all ten incarnations. If I had to show just

the forms of Vishnu in sequence, it would have been easier to show the evolution part of the story.

What worked out better than expected was the response from the non-Indian audience. They found it interesting

to watch. I have added still frames with the animated ones in my animation and the combination of these two

worked well.

The feedback from my Indian audience was encouraging. Most of the people like the treatment of the first two

incarnations and the transition between these two incarnations. Some of the critical feedback I got was related to

the key events I had selected for few incarnations. They were wondering if I could depict more meaningful

events for incarnations like Rama and Krishna. Also, they felt that for some of the incarnations I should have

added some more frames depicting other important events related to that incarnation. I felt that it was a good

criticism because the depiction of every incarnation leaves an impression about the incarnated from of Vishnu.

For Rama. it looked like he was just an archer, which is not true. He was a moral man and he taught how one

should lead a life full of virtue. I might consider adding a few frames for the Rama incarnation. For Krishna, the

eighth incarnation, some of the audience suggested that I should use the later part of Krishna’s life in my

animation. Currently I have Krishna, as a flute player and have depicted his childhood, which, of course, is on

of the main aspects of his life and most of the people loved this section of the animation, but some of them

suggested adding his later part of life where he fought for truth. They thought that was the main goal of

Krishna’s incarnation, hence it should be depicted instead of the initial phase of his life.

Initially, I was keeping the research and the animation project as two separate elements of my thesis, later I

realized that they are very relat ed. The research helped me build the animation. It helped me not only in the

visual style development but also in finding the story and creating music scores. Even the research I did that had

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 35 no direct relationship with my animation subject, helped. I found that the more research I do, the more aware I

become of the subject and that reflects in my animation.

Similar to the research, I was treating the writing a paper on my animation as a different aspect from making the

animation. But later I realized that the more I write and talk about my animation, the more new ideas I get, and it

becomes simpler. Whenever I had difficulties thinking about any aspect of animation, I started writing about it

and this process helped me refine my ideas. For example, while selecting the story points, I wrote a few pages to

find out which idea works best for the animation. Writing a few lines on any new idea helped me implement that

idea quickly and effectively. At the same time, I felt that just writing and not implementing ideas in the form of

an animation is also not advisable. I think one should try both to get good results. For example, while in the

process of developing the visual styles, I started writing about what all characteristics of traditional art I wanted

to keep in my animation; and at the same time I also tried creating it using Flash so that I could see the results.

This technique of writing ideas and implementing them simultaneously did the trick for me.

In future, hopefully I would try making an animation taking the exact forms of the Madhubani paintings and see

how I could make it into an effective animation. But for this project, I thought deriving a style from Madhubani

paintings was more challenging than just using the exact form.

7.1 What is Working and What is Not:

Incarnation 1: Fish (Matsya)

This incarnation sets a mood for the animation as it starts smoothly with slower speed. But it just shows the fish

form of incarnation, not depicting any related events.

Incarnation 2: Tortoise (Koorma)

The story telling works for this incarnation. It depicts the story of the churning of the Cosmic Ocean. Also, the

speed of this incarnation matches with the first one. The transition from the first to the second incarnation is

smooth because the location, which is under the ocean, remains the same. Additionally, within this incarnation,

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 36 the transition between the water and the earth is very effective when we see the mountains for the first time. I

think, the length of this incarnation (twenty seconds) is too long in comparison to the other incarnations.

Incarnation 3: Boar (Varaha)

It tells a story in just ten seconds period in one shot. It has no cuts. But there is no static traditional form of

Vishnu in this incarnation.

Incarnation 4: Half Man-Half Lion (Narshimha)

The transition from the third incarnation to this one is effective because of the change in speed. It becomes more

aggressive. Quick cuts for this incarnation work well as it is based on destruction and the violent nature.

However, background music for this incarnation should support the visuals more effectively. Visually, it is more

dramatic and I should have added more sound effects to it.

Incarnation 5: Dwarf Man (Vaman)

The static traditional style image of Vishnu is adding so much to this incarnation as it tells the whole story.

Perspective of the character is good, shows a good relationship between the earth and the character. Although

the abstract texture of the green colored sphere is not an obvious representation of earth, still the shape and color

of it gives enough clues to the audience to relate it to the earth. But I think the transition between scenes in this

incarnation should have been better.

Incarnation 6: Man with an Axe (Parshurama)

Quick cuts support the violent nature of this incarnation. Also, the transition from the previous incarnation is

dramatic and changes the pace of the animation. Sound effects are used nicely in this sequence. For example, for

the thunder scenes, instead of using real thunder affects, the loud drums noises are making it more effective. I

should have introduced some more dramatic poses for the character in this incarnation and should have used

them in quick cuts.

Incarnation 7: Moral Man (Rama)

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 37 As far as character animation is concerned, this sequence has more anim ation than others. Also the transition

between scenes is smooth. The static frame at the end of the incarnation should have been drawn similar to folk

art styles. I should have added more symbols in that frame. Also, for the story point of view, I should have

highlighted a different aspect of this incarnation’s life.

Incarnation 8: Philosophical Man (Krishna)

The transition from aggression to beauty is nice; it also gives the animation a new direction. From the story

point of view, I should have also highlighted a different aspect of this incarnation’s life.

Incarnation 9: Spiritual Man (Buddha)

I have used religious symbols, which directly relate to this incarnation. Folk art style static image for this

incarnation should have been added.

Incarnation 10: Holocaust (Kalki)

This incarnation sequence changes in mood and color. The color tone changes to red showing chaos and

destruction. Transition from the peaceful to loud and chaotic environment is also effective as we reach towards

end of the animation. Folk art style static image for this incarnation should have been added.

7.2 Final Critique

At the final review, the feedback was encouraging. Audience seemed to like the animation. They had two main

concerns related to the animation concept. First of all I was asked if it was possible to add more clues in the

animation to make the American audience understand the story better. How to make the animation more

meaningful for non-Indian audience or for someone unaware of the story of the ten incarnations of Vishnu? I

think giving more clues in the animation will make it more obvious and might ruin the experience of an Indian

audience. Also, as one reviewer described, the animation is more poetic in nature and adding more story points

will take out the poetic experience of the animation. I do agree with this and strongly feel that it is not about just

telling the story. It’s more about expressing the Indian mythological events in the form of an animation.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 38 Another reviewer was concerned about the relationship between folk and digital art, how this animation is going

to change the thinking of a folk artist and how closer my style is in reference to the folk art style. My answer to

this would be that this animation is not about encouraging folk artists to use the digi tal tools but it’s more about

encouraging digital artists to use the folk art styles and include Indian mythological events in their works. At the

same time, I am hoping that this animation will also create an awareness among Indian folk artists. If they have

the facility to use computer as a medium to create folk art, they should explore that opportunity too. Finally, I

got good remarks on the visual style of the animation, the audience found it visually appealing although they

didn’t really get the story part of it.

7.3 Future Goals

I’m planning to contact people from the Indian TV media to find out where in India I can show my animation. I

will try to promote it by writing about it to different India-based magazines/groups. I might have an added

advantage of being an Indian creating animation based on Indian mythology in America. Also, I will research

what groups/organizations in America might be interested in this kind of animation. There are a few USA -based

TV channels, which air Indian programs. I will try to contact them to see if they have some slot to fit my

animation in. I talked about my target audience as people living in India, but at the same time, I think, I can have

a wider range of audience. There are people who migrated from India to America; although they are not well-

connected but they show a great interest in all kinds of Indian art and related works. They do appreciate Indian

art and culture. I work for an Indian radio station in New Jersey (89.3 radio FM). It is a community radio station

and I host a talk show on Indian lifestyle and other India related topics. It’s great to see how people are still

connected to India and Indian values and how they are trying to preserve their culture even in America. This

show helps me understand Indian people living abroad and, thus, I see them appreciating Indian art and culture.

And that is the reason why some of the Indian folk art is more popular outside India. Madhubani painting is a

good example of this because it became more popular when Japanese started showing interest in it. One of the

most respected artist Baua Devi’s work has been exhibited widely throughout India as well as the Center

Georges Pompidou in Paris, and at the Mithila Museum in Tokamachi, Japan [17], and at the Matrix show at UC

Berkeley Art Museum, 1997 [18].

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 39 This animation will work as my portfolio too. I also feel that after the success of the animation film Ramayana-

The Legend of Prince Rama, more and more projects are coming up based on Indian mythology. For example,

DreamWorks is planning to make one eighty-minute animated film- Ramayana. I will also try to send it to

different film festivals. And if it is required to change the animation to fit into any particular category, I would

love to spend time and modify it based on the requirements.

I have plans to make more mythological animations in the future. I would like to contact animators and

designers with similar interests, so that we could create a series of animations based on Indian mythology,

keeping a similar visual style; and work independently or in a team to create a series of animations based on the

Indian mythology keeping a similar visual style. There are hundreds of famous mythological stories and events,

which could be depicted using a style similar to what I have used. To begin with, I have the following story

ideas:

(1) Life of Lord Rama (The 7th incarnation of Vishnu).

(2) Life of Lord Krishna (The 8th incarnation of Vishnu).

(3) Lord Ganesha (An animation depicting his forms and stories).

(4) Radha and Krishna (An animation depicting the love life of Krishna and his beloved Radha; this has been

one of the favorite topics for Indian painters).

(5) The Churning of the Ocean (The story of the 2nd incarnation of Vishnu).

(6) Tales of Shiva (The story of Lord Shiva and his famous violent dance called the Tandava (The dance of

destruction).

8. CONCLUSION

This animation was a good learning experience for me. I learnt a lot about the animation process and the

development cycle.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 40 The project started almost a year ago and I was getting regular feedback on my work from my thesis advisor,

instructor, classmates, and my friends. I was collecting the feedback to find out their opinions. During this

process, I realized that implementing all the feedback I get is impossible and also not practical. All the opinions

were helpful, but then I had to decide which idea I should implement and which one I should not consider

implementing. Showing the project to more and more people helped because sometimes I received feedback and

comments about which I had never thought before.

Personally, I feel the animation worked for me and I achieved what I wanted to do. Surely, this is not exactly the

product that I thought of when I started it, but even deviating a bit from my original ideas did help me come up

with a better product. Initially, I didn’t stick with my ideas on this project because I knew that with some more

research and idea development process, I could make it better and more meaningful. However, once I finalized

the stories and the style of animation, I decided to stick with it because I wanted to finish this project on time too

[Project Timeline in Appendix. Pic.15]. I learnt that one should be more flexible in the initial stages of a project

than in the later stages.

I'm hoping that this project will inspire other digital artists, especially from India, to work more on the

traditional styles and come up with more and more products like this. Of course, they have the liberty to create

their own styles and choose any story they want from Indian mythology and see how effective it is to merge

these two traditional and digital mediums. They might come up with better results than I did and better results

will help this concept grow in future and lead to more and more animation projects coming from India, based on

Indian mythology.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 1 9. END NOTES

[1] Thakur, Upendra, MADHUBANI Painting. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications, 1982.

[2] Based on the art history timeline the art produced on the Indian subcontinent from about the 3rd millennium

BC <http://members.fortunecity.com/njones/timeline1.html>. However based on the recent findings, An

archaeological site off India's western coast may be up to 9,000 years old. The revelation comes about 18

months after acoustic images from the sea-bed suggested the presence of built -up structures resembling the

ancient Harappan civilization, which dates back around 4,000 years.

< http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1763950.stm>.

[3] Roy, The Bratas of Bengal, “ The RANGOLI or ARIPANA, KOLAM or MURGGY, as it is known in

Bombay (now Mumbai), TAMILNADU and ANDHRA, is a pleasing decoration of the ground.”

[4] Railways in North Bihar. <http://cctr.umkc.edu/user/endomv/RAILNB.HTM>.

[5] Mr. Bhaskar Kulkarni. <http://cctr.umkc.edu/~endomv/BIH_ARTS_CRAFTS.HTM>.

[6] The Art of Folk Tradition. <http://www.chennaionline.com/artscene/history/folkart.asp>.

[7] Data taken from <http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/I/htmlI/india/india.htm>.

[8] Ramayana is one of the great epics of India. The Ramayana has been a perennial source of spiritual, cultural

and artistic inspiration, not only to the people of India but also to the people all over the world. It has helped to

mould the Hindu character and has inspired millions of people with the deepest of love and devotion.

[9] The Mahabharata (composed between 300 BC and 300 AD) has the honor of being the longest epic in world

literature, 100,000 2-line stanzas (although the most recent critical edition edits this down to about 88,000),

making it eight times as long as Homer's Iliad and Odyssey together, and over 3 times as long as the Bible

(Chaitanya vii). The name means “great [story of the] Bharatas.” Bharata was an early ancestor of both the

Pandavas and Kauravas who fight each other in a great war, but the word is also used generically for the Indian

race, so the Mahabharata sometimes is referred to as “the great story of India.”

The work is divided into 18 books (concerning an 18-day war among 18 armies). The main narrative concerning

the war is contained in the first ten books.

[10] BR Films India. <http://www.brfilmsindia.com/serial.asp>.

[11] The Puranas are the richest collection of mythology in the world. Most of them attained their final form

around 500 A.D. but they were passed on as an oral tradition since the time of Krishna (c. 1500 B.C.).

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 2 [12] Sony wins hands down on ad rates. <http://blonnet.com/businessline/2001/05/02/stories/14020204.htm>.

[13] Marketing God. <http://blonnet.com/catalyst/2002/01/24/stories/2002012400020100.htm>.

[14] Indian TV seeks divine inspiration. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1511780.stm>.

[15] India's leading game development company.< http://www.indiagames.com/>.

[16] Frame by Frame: Nina Sabnani. < http://www.cilect.org/chap8.htm>.

[17] The Mithila Museum in Tokamachi, Japan. <http://www.bekkoame.ne.jp/~mithila/Eindex.html>.

[The Mithila Museum is housed in a converted schoolhouse in Tokamachi, Niigata Prefecture, situated in

Japan's snow country. Here approximately 850 Mithila paintings, more than 300 paintings that the Mithila artists

created in Japan, Warli paintings by an aboriginal group in India, and Indian teracotta statues and figurines, are

exhibited on a permanent basis.]

[18] Baua Devi and the Art of Mithila. <http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/exhibits/devi/>.

MATRIX: August 15 through October 26, 1997 at the UC Berkeley Art Museum.

[This is the first United States exhibition of paintings on paper by the Indian artist Baua Devi. The exhibition

also includes a selection of works by other artists from the Mithila region of northeastern India. Baua Devi's

paintings explore an array of personal and mythological themes. An image, which she has come to adopt as her

own is the nag kanya, or snake maiden, a creature with the torso and head of a beautiful woman and the lower

body of a snake. The nag kanya resembles the snake goddess Manasa, whose attributes echo those of the key

Hindu god Shiva. The nag kanya also derives from the real snakes that occupy the watery region where Baua

Devi lives.]

10. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Thakur, Upendra, MADHUBANI Painting. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications, n.d.

Thakur, Upendra, History of MITHILA. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications, n.d.

Jain, Jyotindra, Ganga Devi: Tradition and Expression in Mithila Painting. Ahmedabad, India: Mapin

Publishing Pvt Ltd., 1997.

[A fine book on a leading artist who practiced what is sometimes called the Kayastha style of MADHUBANI

painting.]

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 3 Williams, Richard, The Animator’s Survival Kit. New York: Feber and Feber Inc, 2001.

Vequaud, Yves, The Women Painters of Mithila. London: Thames and Hudson, 1977.

[A book that contributed to and then reflected the worldwide popularity of MADHUBANI painting.]

Osaki, Norio, MADHUBANI Paintings. Kyoto Shoin, 1998.

Shearer, Alistair. The Hindu Vision: Forms of the Formless. Thames & Hudson, 1993.

Aldred, Gavin. Indian Firework Art. Trafalgar Square, 2000

Prakash, K. Authentic Folk Designs from India. New Delhi: Dover Pubns, 1995.

Dawson, Barry. Street Graphics India. Thames & Hudson, 2001.

Archer, W.G., MADHUBANI Paintings. Mumbai, 1998.

Anand, Mulk Raj, MADHUBANI Painting. New Delhi: Publications Division, Ministry of Information and

Broadcasting, Government of India, 1984.

Online exhibit of MADHUBANI Paintings. <http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/rc/index.htm>.

About an Artist.<http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/exhibits/devi/>.

The MAITHILI BRAHMANS: An Online Ethnography.<http://www.csuchico.edu/anth/mithila/>.

Marketing God: About religious content on Indian television.

<http://www.blonnet.com/catalyst/2002/01/24/stories/2002012400020100.htm>.

Indian God in Advertising. <http://www.magindia.com /ex2000/ganesh/main.html>.

Mudra Communications: A leading advertising agency from India <http://www.mudra.com>.

Mithila Museaum in Japan. <http://www.bekkoame.ne.jp/~mithila/Eindex.html>.

Sabnani, Nina. Shubh-Vivah. Videocassette. India, 1984, Color, 5 min

Masters of Russian Animation : Battle of Kerjenets, Seasons, Heron and Crane, Hedgehog in the Fog, and Tale

of Tale. Videocassette. 1998

Norstein, Yuri. Fox and Rabbit. Videocassette. Color, 1973

Norstein, Yuri. Heron and crane. Videocassette, Color, 1974

Masters of Russian Animation Vol. 3. DVD. Color, 114 minutes, 2000

Yuri Norshtein Film Works. DVD. Color

Sako,Yugo. Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama. DVD. Color, 1992

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 4 11. APPENDIX

Pic 1: Map of India


Pic.2: Aiyanar Terracotta

Image Source:

Mingei International Museum.

<http://www.mingei.org/prevexindiavillage.html>.

Pic.3: Pithora Painting

Image Source:

Roopayan- Art Arcade.

< http://gyandoot.nic.in/commerce

/roopayan_com.html >.


Pic.4a: Madhubani Painting

Image Source:

<kalarte.com/india/madhubani/ madh04.jpg >.

Pic.4b: Madhubani Painting

Image Source:

< www.people.virginia.edu/~pm9k/

madhubani/fishesl.jpg >.

Pic.5a: Aripana

Image Source:

Shalincraft.

< http://www.asianart.com/exhibitions/jwdc/>.

Pic.5b: Aripana

Image Source:

Shalincraft.

< http://www.asianart.com/exhibitions/jwdc/>.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 7 Pic.6a: Branding

Brand: Colgate

Category: Toothpastes

Agency: Rediffusion-Dy&R

Year: 2001

Image Source:

<http://www.magindia.com/ex2000/

ganesh/main.html>.

Pic.6b: Branding

Brand: Padmini

Category: Incense Sticks

Agency: McCann

Year: 2001

Image Source:


ganesh/main.html>.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 8 Pic.6c: Branding

Brand: BPL

Category: Colour Televisions

Agency: Kamerad

Year: 2001

Image Source:


ganesh/main.html>.

Pic.6d: Branding

Brand: Sony

Category: Corporate

Agency: R K Swamy/BBDO

Year: 2001

Image Source:


ganesh/main.html>.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 9 Pic.6e: Branding

Image Source:

House of Spices.

Pic.6f: Branding

Image Source:

Ganesh Beedies. <http://www.501bd.com/bot1.htm>.

Pic.6g: Branding

Image Source:

Ganesh Beedies. <http://www.501bd.com/bot1.htm>.

Pic.6h: Branding

Image Source:

Ganesh brand oil.

< http://www.ebizkolhapur.com/

Adverts/Simple/KaveriOil.asp >.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 10 Pic.6i: Branding

Brand: Society

Category: Tea

Year: 2001

Image Source: <http://www.magindia.com/ex2000/ganesh/main.html>.

Pic.6j: Branding

Brand: Kinetic AX

Category: 2-Wheelers

Year: 2001

Image Source: <http://www.magindia.com/ex2000/ganesh/main.html>.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 11 Pic.7: Mike Myers

Pic.8: Lunchboxes displaying Hindu gods

Pic.9: Toilet Seat Deities

Pic.10: On footwear

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 12 Pic.11a-11l: Ganesha

Image Source: < http://www.guruji.it/galleria/ritrattihindu/ganesh15.jpg>.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 13 Pic.12: Exporting Files in Layers

Pic.13: Shehnai

Image Source:

<www.vpuk.co.uk/Current -Projects/ Present.html>.

Pic.14: Tabla

Image Source:

< www.sikhworld.co.uk/ page33.html>.

Abhishek Kumar TEN INCARNATIONS Page 14 Pic.15 Project Timeline

September October November December January Feburary March April

RESEARCH: Indian Traditional Arts and Digital Tools, Hindu God Forms and Symbols

Thesis Idea Development

Proposal Writing

StoryboardingLayouts

Animatic

Sound Design

Rough Animation

Clean Up Animation

Sound Design

Thesis Writing

Final Animation

Post Production

Animation Style Development

Final Sound Integration


Pic.16 The Storyboard

Title Sequence

The OM Sequence In-between Visnhu Sequence *

* This sequence appears between every incarnations.


1st Incarnation: Fish

3rd Incarnation: Boar

2nd Incarnation: Tortoise


4th Incarnation: Half man-half lion

6th Incarnation: Man with an axe

5th Incarnation: Dwarf man


8th Incarnation: philosophical man

7th Incarnation: Moral man


10th Incarnation: Holocaust

9th Incarnation: Spiritual man


The OM sequence

Documents

Ten Incarnations