"A final year project"
One of the bigger projects I have done. For my last year at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, I was tasked with creating a final year project which I could choose whichever to make. I decided to create a multimedia project which focused on a Children's Book related to the Banyan Tree, a popular tree from my culture of Indonesia.
"It starts with ideas"
Before I set upon the idea of focusing on the Banyan Tree and the culture surrounding it, I started with the idea of how superstition can negatively effect the environment. For Indonesians, it is no secret that many have seen the trees as a place of negative spirituality. The Kuntilanak is a popular myth in Indonesia, a creature which usually resides within the woods. The two images above represented my original plan of a village boy who meets the ghost of Kuntilanak, which turns out to be nothing more then a scientist wanting to warn everyone the dangers of deforestation.
​
After the conceptual art, I was given feedback for one thing. To create the designs of the character and world to look more "Indonesian". And so i began research, and stumbled upon the history of the Banyan Tree. Usually the Banyan tree is home to other spirits, however I decided to keep the original Kuntilanak idea and adding new ones, such as a Barong character, a famous dragon spirit in Indonesian Folklore.
The images above are concept art of my proposed conflict, in which the main character has to face an angry barong after damaging the trees. As you can clearly see, i have added a re-design to the village boy to have more Indonesian inspired attire, to give a more culturally appropriate look.
"A major re-design"
With the new direction taken, a major re-design was in order. The new story revolves around the Village Boy, and the Banyan Tree's protectors, Princess Bumi and the Barong. Princess Bumi was designed with a mix of an Indonesian princess and a Sailor Moon type fashion, with the Barong being well, the barong while also adding in the characteristics of a cow. The twist was once the villagers began to anger the Tree's protectors, they'd both turn into hostile variations of themselves, so the Barong morphs into a more Ox-like figure. After showcasing my concepts, I realized that both Princess Bumi and the Village boy looked less like Indonesians then intended and so the final designs were created.
"Storyboarding"
And so began the long and arduous task of storyboarding the entire book. I have established to myself that the inspiration for the book's style would be a mix of Dr Seuss's books and Crayola drawings, as such I researched many aspects which made them work, such as the rhymes, positioning of text and the like. It was a difficult process, however it thought me how to do proper communication and objective thinking. Criticism helped tremendously for the final project, and thus began the creation of the book.
"And after all that, the final product"
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
