Muninn

“If men had wings and bore black feathers, few of them would be clever enough to be crows."--Reverend Henry Ward Beecher

Nothing like a retreat into Norse mythology when you feel overwhelmed with yourself. It has always worked for me and it continues as I admit that the Greek Gods were not always the 'historically cool' ones. Norse Gods were brewing their own brawn and dousing their fear in mugs of ale made from the skulls their enemies.

Formidable as Odin was, I was always struck by the fact that he had this fascination for ravens much like Chengiz Khan. His ravens were named Huginn (Thought) and Muninn (Memory). Each day, he would send these two birds off around the world at daybreak to bring him news or tidings. In 'Grimnismal', Odin says

"For Huginn I fear lest he return not home, but I am more anxious for Muninn".

This suggests that Odin valued memory more than thought, something you wouldn't normally conceive about the God of war.

In this illustration, I have sought to represent a 'humaniod' or a 'sprite' (whichever you'd prefer) version of Muninn, which I feel, for obvious reasons should be represented as a feminine apparition. I am also working on Huginn's apparition, although with little success.

W.I.P

It's almost like my blog's got a tad rusty with the lack of updates, so as a filler I'm putting up an (incomplete) bg for my film. It's been three months of solid bonding with the lightbox for me and I miss my sketchbook and my photoshop endevours. :( I also realize that I cannot keep boring you with updates of Jared Leto as my new muse.

I keep promising myself that this is the last month of traditional animation and everytime I do that, my fingers get kinda itchy to pick up a tablet. This is the outcome of one such 'attack' of the itchy fingers, created just a week shy from my jury last month. I sincerely cannot tell you how badly I want to sink my fangs into some good bg work without the burden of animating shots. Pray that I succeed.

Reticuli on turntable

Reticuli from Nimisha Saikia on Vimeo.

I should have uploaded this way back in March, but it took me a while to locate the video file. I'm sorry about the render quality, it's way too low but I had no space in my laptop while I was exporting it. :)

I had made a sketch of this robot sometime during my fourth semester and decided to create it on Autodesk Maya as part of a course. The character is inspired by a wasp, inline skating but mostly by ARCEE ( Fifth Generation Autobot from Transformers Armada, Japan), the coolest female autobot. Even though I'm not too fond of bikes, I thing she can hold off pretty well with her gadgetry.

Feeding Frenzy

Feeding Frenzy from Nimisha Saikia on Vimeo.

Thought of uploading a video to show you guys how my black ghost knifefish feeds on his favourite meal of freeze-dried blood worms. Otherwise a shy and reclusive creature, the nocturnal phantom comes out only to feed, and when it does, oh boy, is it fast!

Epitome

The Polar bear faces the threat of extinction. By the year 2030.

As I am sitting in my comfort-bound lifestyle, under a spinning fan, with a list of obligations to rant about, I can't help but hate myself. I hate myself for things I cannot do, or think I cannot do to save this species. It is easy to create awareness about the plight of endangered species. It is easy to care. It is even easy to say that 'we all have our share of problems' and guffaw at the thought of saving an animal that we have never seen or will probably never see in our entire lives. But to drive a species to the verge of extinction, is savage. It is generic for most people to link advancement with growing globalization. For nations to direct their finances towards nuclear science and military. National security. That seems to be the greatest problem we can think of.

We are lost in the 'virtuality' of things. It is on the basis of such virtuality that our civilization thrives. Hail bank loans, employment securities, investment policies, mortgage yada yada. Things that DON'T EXIST. They are like the invisible grains of sand we pride ourselves of succesfully clenching. Frankly, THEY DON'T MEAN ANYTHING. They populate our lives and breed a festering colony of problems and make us so very 'enclosed'. So enclosed that the moment a car loan gets sanctioned, we breathe a sigh of relief. What is this false sense of security? We watch documentaries, thinking that we do our bit in educating ourselves about nature's impending problems. But does it really concern us? Does it allow us to grow and think beyond our pocket money, electricity bills and good haircuts? It rarely does.

It is the overwhelming humility of an animal such as the polar bear that is causing me to write this down. It epitomises something that we have long since lost. The humility of our survival. The virtue of our morning prayers. The reverence of our daily bread. For an animal whose survival hangs by a thread, we can barely wait for somebody to flick the remote and change the channel from Discovery to MTV.

A Polar bear can no longer feed itself because of the growing water levels in the arctic, preventing it from migrating and forcing it into starvation. They are braving the climactic impact and heading into the open ocean but they can only swim for a few days at a stretch. Judging by the sharp decline of arctic glaciers, this species would not have a ground to stand on by the year 2030. They would either drown in the arctic seas or starve amidst the frigid glaciers.

Which imaginary ordeal do we need to cook up to save this animal?



Please watch Disney's "Earth" to understand the plight of polar bear in depth along with several other species that are facing a threat due to global warming and industrialization.

Some basic linework for my film

Its been like a decade since I put something up, so I decided to post some ongoing explorations for my classroom project. These aren't final, mind you. I pretty much feel like a big ol can of LPG these days, and I don't even know why I can relate to an old can of LPG. Its a frustrating process..but it's bound to get better when the production starts (methinks!). Apparently there is something called a 'gestation period' while conceiving a film, and I'm not a big fan of that.

IF: Unfold

Ahern

Flingalong a flight

Rapta

Wacomizing at Famous

IF: Talisman

It had taken Jefito the gypsy, seventy years to accumulate and collect talismans in the form of pendants, coins, plants, rings, stones, statues etc from different parts of the world. One night, after having heard the Gods whisper about her impending departure from earth, she decided to bestow her bounty to the world through a little window of her house. Wanting to bless the world with her charms, Jefito was instead damned as a witch and incarcerated in a penitenttiary where she slowly died.

A new blog

I've just started a new blog entitled 'Pokey Little Friends' to share my experiences with those who love animals. My main intent was to dedicate it to the stray animals that surround us and pepper our lives with their uncanny and beautiful ways. I have been meaning to write about this for a long time and have plans of involving different people in running this little labour of love. If anyone has any story to share in regard to this topic, he or she is welcome to share it with me. If anyone wishes to become a permanent contributor, please mail me so that I can forward an invitation to you. It would really make me happy. 

http://pokeylittlefriends.wordpress.com/

Laviosa

After completing this particular piece I affirmed the fact that I simply hadn't learn how to use water colours. I used them like acrylic paints. But considering the amount of time it took for me to complete this, I'd say I feel pretty invested right now and dang those paints needed a giant push out of the tubes!  

Football grounds

Football grounds were not meant for football at all. They were made for stargazing and lounging on long nights. Especially with no clouds looming over our heads, the tangy smell of dew drops, and the sports deputy far at bay. 

Initial character explorations of Reticuli

The first two sketches were a part of my first set of character explorations for Reticuli. As you can see, I could not implement the colour palette since it made the character look too ludicrous. The character sheet that you see below was the basis on which I modelled the character on Maya by placing the three sketches along three different axis'. 

Duchess of Corsica with Naples the cat

The Brickers

Valkyrie

In Norse mythology, a valkyrie is one of the female figures who choose those who die in battle. The valkyries bring their chosen who have died bravely in battle to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin. Valkyries also appear as lovers of heroes and other mortals, where they are sometimes described as the daughters of royalty, sometimes accompanied by ravens, and sometimes connected to bottles of mead.

First look at Reticuli

This is my character for an ongoing course in Autodesk Maya. I picked up an old idea from my sketchbook and decided to create it on the 3D Platform. The software's driven me wild partly with excitement and partly with confusion (given the complexity of its operations). Rest assured Reticuli's taken its first breath and is ready to be rigged!! 

Parallel Verses

Parallel verses of the billows and gales,

of the moon and its shades,

until, thus thy realize a blinding maze.

Some of my favourite treasures from Ogden Nash

A WORD ON WIND

Cows go around saying Moo,

But the wind goes around saying Woo,

Ghosts say Woooo to you too,

And sometimes they say boo to you too,

But everybody has heard the wind but a few people have heard the ghost,

So it is commonly supposed the wind says wooo the most.

Scientists try to tell you that the wind is caused by atmospheric conditions at the north pole or over distant Canadian ranches,

But I guess scientists don’t ever go to the country because everybody who has ever been to the country knows that the wind is caused by the trees waggling their branches,

On the ocean where there are no trees, they refer to the wind as gales,

And it is probably caused by whales,

And in the Sahara, where there are no trees or whales either,

they call the wind simoom or something,

And it is the result of the profanation of Tutankhamen's tomb or something.

Some people are very refined,

And when they recite poetry or sing songs they pronounce wind, wined,

Well, dear wined, everytime you say woooo,

Why I wish you would say it to the people who say wined,

right afer you have said it somewhere where somebody is making fertilizer or glue.

THE COW

The cow is of the bovine ilk,

one end is moo, the other, milk.

Nemilos

Its funny how I started illustrating this particular piece. Being a devout fan and a defender of the myth behind the Lochness monster, this fanaticism triggered off as soon as I watched another film 'Hallam Foe', which was shot on the banks of the Lochness lake (and had nothing to do with the monster). Seemingly appalled at the fact that the ship bears a closer resemblance to a swan rather than the monster, I decided to shelve it away. However, I couldn't stop working with the amazing felt-tipped pigment markers and decided to complete this piece anyway! Call me a zealot. I christened it by the Greek term for merciless which is 'Nemilos'.

The Black forest

It would be interesting to note that the 'black forest' which so often makes an appereance in popular western fables and mythologies has indeed, an equally interesting history behind it. It is the birthplace of, and is synonnymous to a worldwide phenomennon known as the 'black forest cake', and also of the first cuckoo clock ever made. However, being a fan of the culinary arts I would rather emphasize on the former. In reality the Black forest exists in southwestern Germany in Badden-Wuttenberm, a place known for bitter winters and twisted, knotty trees. After reading the details about it, a small theme began to unfurl in my head.

The origins of the black forest gateau, (or cake) owes itself to a young, relentless landscape artist, Meinweg, who through her magic used ingredients from nature's bounty to decorate the landscape in the few months that summer lasted. Since the harsh winter would drown the townsfolk in sheer gloom, she worked very hard at creating a natural wonder with the help of the 'Ruthmeistein' or the 'faerie rabbits' that were considered a nuisance in that area. The rabbits did their bidding by helping the young girl and often contributed their own stock for this sake. The Ruthmeistein even sent food up from their burrows to be churned into pulp into the large knotty trees.

The townsfolk began to replicate the same using their baking tools, and voila! The Black Forest Gateau surfaces.

Speaking of which....I'm hungry. :P

and gawd, I'm tired!!

नोकीली बिल्ली (Pointy Kitty)

A sudden brainwave attacked the lethargic minds of two hens two days ago. It reminded Tarka and I, that our time on this planet is very short. So quite gallantly, we undertook this project, thanks to Patil's wonderful stitching skills and me for diving into the garbage box in the textile studio, in the hope of rummaging some loose cloth. We had no materials to speak of, and were reluctant to shed a dime. So what did we do? A torn kurta, some loose yarns, a pair of buttons. Nearly everything we used in this project was borrowed, including scissors. We are two MIGHTY PAUPERS with a BIG dream. And we made it HAPPEN. Yay!!

In these pictures you can see our pet frolicking with Mana's mice. They had a mighty sweet time together in the photoshoot!

A new venture

My family's up to some serious business rearranging all the furniture of the house to suit the needs of Buttercup Das and Bongo Roy.

A new pet! :) :) :) :)

The sheer beauty and grace of this animal had me hypnotised the first time I laid eyes on it. A powerful nocturnal creature, the black ghost knifefish now rests atop a large aquarium on my table, one I bought few days black, lovingly christened by the name of 'Gloopus major'. My hysteria has known no bounds since the time it has arrived, and watching it glide across the water has become one of my greatest pastimes. It is also an electric fish and originates from the Amazon basin

Darling buds of may

Sunday afternoons at a neighbourhood convent.

Out of another black diary..

"
I do not do voodoo, but I have dolls who look like my friends".

I'm thinking of doing a small comic book based on the illustration above. I've always been fascinated with the dark arts and this would be a close reminder of all the research I had done a few years ago. By the way, are you aware of the fact that physical traits can determine whether you are a witch or a warlock?

All witches and warlocks have attached earlobes!! I think you need to take a closer look into the mirror....