Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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
Facult y:
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
4.3 Inspirations 14
5 Thesis - as I started 16
5.4 Feedback 23
6 Methodology 25
6.2 Effects 28
6.4.1 Title 30
7 Analysis 34
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
A very special thanks to my thesis advisor Mitch Butler for his guidance and making this project meaningful for
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
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.
Abhishek Kumar
TEN INCARNATIONS
Page 2
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 -
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
My objective was to show that the Hindu mythological events could also be successfully expressed using digital
medium.
Abhishek Kumar
TEN INCARNATIONS
Page 3
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
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
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.
(1) Preference for simple outline and choice of typically representational lines.
(4) Repetition of lines, of entire figures, and of dots for intensive or rhythmical purposes.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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 Lakshmipromising
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
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
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
promot ers 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
"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.
Abhishek Kumar
TEN INCARNATIONS
Page 10
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
“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
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
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
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
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,
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 count enance 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
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
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
Gods and demons to churn the nectar out from the ocean. This nectar
helped the Gods renew their youthfulness and avoid death. This
In his third incarnation as Varaha, the boar, Vishnu used his tusks to
raise the earth, which had sunk in the sea. This incarnation
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,
powerful and forbade the worship of all Gods and forced people to
(neither man nor beast) and tore the demon into pieces in the evening
form.
asked the demon, who ruled the three worlds, to give him land three
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
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
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.
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.
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
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
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
5.4 Feedback
After I was done with my animatic and some part of the animation, I started showing it to my friends and
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
(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
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.
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
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.
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
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
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
(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
(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
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.
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
(2) The main character appears on top of the background as a third layer of the animation. In most cases. I only
(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
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
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
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
(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
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
(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
(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;
(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.
I had fourteen main sequences in my animation (one title, ten incarnations, one opening clip, one ending clip
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.
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.
Abhishek Kumar
TEN INCARNATIONS
Page 31
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.
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.
Abhishek Kumar
TEN INCARNATIONS
Page 32
Motion Graph
10
6
4 7
In-between Vishnu's form
Title 3
OM 1 2 5 9
8 OM
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.
“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.”
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
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
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
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
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.
This incarnation sets a mood for the animation as it starts smoothly with slower speed. But it just shows the fish
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.
It tells a story in just ten seconds period in one shot. It has no cuts. But there is no static traditional form of
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
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
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
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
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.
I have used religious symbols, which directly relate to this incarnation. Folk art style static image for this
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.
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
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
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
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:
(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
(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
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
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
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
< 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.”
[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
The work is divided into 18 books (concerning an 18-day war among 18 armies). The main narrative concerning
[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
[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
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
Jain, Jyotindra, Ganga Devi: Tradition and Expression in Mithila Painting. Ahmedabad, India: Mapin
[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.]
Shearer, Alistair. The Hindu Vision: Forms of the Formless. Thames & Hudson, 1993.
Prakash, K. Authentic Folk Designs from India. New Delhi: Dover Pubns, 1995.
Anand, Mulk Raj, MADHUBANI Painting. New Delhi: Publications Division, Ministry of Information and
About an Artist.<http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/exhibits/devi/>.
<http://www.blonnet.com/catalyst/2002/01/24/stories/2002012400020100.htm>.
Masters of Russian Animation : Battle of Kerjenets, Seasons, Heron and Crane, Hedgehog in the Fog, and Tale
11. APPENDIX
Image Source:
Roopayan- Art Arcade.
< http://gyandoot.nic.in/commerce
/roopayan_com.html >.
Image Source:
Mingei International Museum.
<http://www.mingei.org/prevexindiavillage.html>.
Abhishek Kumar
TEN INCARNATIONS
Page 6
Image Source:
Image Source: Shalincraft.
Shalincraft. < http://www.asianart.com/exhibitions/jwdc/>.
< http://www.asianart.com/exhibitions/jwdc/>.
Abhishek Kumar
TEN INCARNATIONS
Page 7
Year: 2001
Image Source:
<http://www.magindia.com/ex2000/
<http://www.magindia.com/ex2000/
ganesh/main.html>.
Abhishek Kumar
TEN INCARNATIONS
Page 8
Brand: Sony
Category: Corporate
Agency: R K Swamy/BBDO
Year: 2001
Brand: BPL
Category: Colour Televisions
Image Source:
Agency: Kamerad
<http://www.magindia.com/ex2000/
Year: 2001
ganesh/main.html>.
Image Source:
<http://www.magindia.com/ex2000/
ganesh/main.html>.
Abhishek Kumar
TEN INCARNATIONS
Page 9
Image Source:
Image Source:
Ganesh Beedies. <http://www.501bd.com/bot1.htm>.
House of Spices.
Image Source:
Ganesh brand oil.
< http://www.ebizkolhapur.com/
Adverts/Simple/KaveriOil.asp >.
Image Source:
Ganesh Beedies. <http://www.501bd.com/bot1.htm>.
Abhishek Kumar
TEN INCARNATIONS
Page 10
Pic.6i: Branding
Brand: Society
Category: Tea
Year: 2001
Pic.6j: Branding
Brand: Kinetic AX
Category: 2-Wheelers
Year: 2001
Pic.11a-11l: Ganesha
RESEARCH: Indian Traditional Arts and Digital Tools, Hindu God Forms and Symbols
Thesis Idea Development
Proposal Writing
Storyboarding
Layouts
Clean Up Animation
Final Animation
Thesis Writing
Post Production
Abhishek Kumar
TEN INCARNATIONS
Page 15
Title Sequence
The OM sequence