From Arab Folklore: A Handbook, Dwight F. Reynolds (2007)
"Folklore scholars divide folk narrative into a variety of different general categories. Fairy tales (also called simply folktales) usually involve magical or supernatural characters or powers, are typically set in a nonhistorical time, and often accounced by some sort of disclaimer or marker that the tale is fictional. English speakers are most familiar with the formula "Once upon a time . . .". In Arabic dozens of such formulas are used in different regions, but one particularly famous one is Kan Wa-ma Kan ("There was and there was not")" (87).
Examples: Om al Manakhel, Hadeed Hadeedoo, Om Hamar (sort of), Hassan and the Jewels, The Golden Cow, Hamada and the Fairy Fish.
"Another major category of folk narrative is the legend and the primary distinction between the folktake and the legend for folklorists is that legends are usually told as if they were historically true, and often some members of the audience or the teller in fact accepts them as true. Legends are usually told as having taken place in a known physical location, sometimes even a specific time period, and are often linked to some element of modern reality--a simple example might be a story that tells how a particular local cliff or rock came to be known as 'Lover's Leap'" (87).
Example: The Legend of Mai and Ghaillan
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
The Oldest Version of Cinderella
This Ancient Egyptian version of Cinderella is considered the oldest version of the story, recorded by the Roman historian Strabo in the first century BC:
Long ago in the Ancient land of Egypt where the green water of the Nile River flows into the blue water of the Mediterranean Sea lived a young maiden named Rhodopis. She born in Greece, but had been kidnapped by pirates and carried to Egypt where she was sold into slavery. Her owner was a kind old man and because he spent most of his time sleeping under a tree she never saw how the other servant girls in the house taunted and teased Rhodopis because she looked different from them. Their hair was straight and black, while hers was golden and curly. They had brown eyes and her eyes were green. Their skin had the glow of copper, but she had pale skin that burnt easily in the sun, so they called her Rosy Rhodopis. They made her work hard, shouting at her all day, "Go to the river and wash the clothes. Mend my robe. Chase the geese from the garden. Bake the bread."
She had no human friends, only the animals. She trained the birds to eat from her hand, a monkey to sit on her shoulder, and an old hippopotamus would slide up, out of the mud, onto the bank to be closer to her. At the end of each day, if she wasn't too tired, she would go down to the river to be with her animal friends, and if she had any energy left from the hard day's work she would sing and dance for them.
One evening as she was dancing, twirling around lighter than air with her feet barely touching the ground, the old man woke from his sleep and watched as she danced. He admired her dancing and decided that one so talented should not be without shoes. He ordered her a special pair of slippers. The shoes were gilded with rose-red gold and the soles were leather. The other servant girls hated her even more for they were jealous of her beautiful slippers.
One day, word arrived that the Pharaoh was holding court in Memphis and all in the kingdom were invited. Oh, how Rhodopis wanted to go with the other servant girls, for she knew there would be dancing, singing, and lots of wonderful food. As the other servant girls prepared to leave in their finest clothes they turned to her and gave her more chores to be completed before they returned. They poled their raft away leaving a sad girl on the bank. As she began to wash the clothes in the river she sang a sad little song--"wash the linen, weed the garden, grind the grain." The hippopotamus grew tired of this little song and splashed back into the river. The splashing of the water wet her slippers. She quickly grabbed them up, wiped them off and placed them in the sun to dry. As she was continuing with her chores the sky darkened and when she looked up she saw a falcon sweep down, snatch one of her slippers, and fly away. Rhodopis was in awe for she knew it was the god Horus who had taken her shoe. Rhodopis, now with only one slipper, put it away in her tunic.
Now the Pharaoh, Amasis, Pharaoh of upper and lower Egypt was sitting on his throne looking out over the people and feeling very bored. He much preferred to be riding across the desert in his chariot. Suddenly a falcon swooped down and dropped a rose-red golden slipper in his lap. Surprised, but knowing that this was a sign from the god Horus, he sent out a decree that all maidens in Egypt must try on the slipper, and the owner of the slipper would be his queen. By the time the servant girls arrived the celebrations had ended and the Pharaoh had left by chariot in search of the owner of the golden slipper.
After searching on land and not finding the owner he called for his barge and began to travel the Nile pulling into every landing so that maidens could try on the slipper. As the barge rounded the bend in front of the home of Rhodopis everyone heard the sounds of the gong, the trumpets blaring, and saw the purple silk sails. The servant girls ran to the landing to try on the shoe while Rhodopis hid in the rushes. When the servant girls saw the shoe they recognized it as Rhodopis' slipper but they said nothing and still tried to force their feet into the slipper. The Pharaoh spied Rhodopis hiding in the rushes and asked her to try on the slipper. She slid her tiny foot into the slipper and then pulled the other from her tunic. The Pharaoh pronounced that she would be his queen. The servant girls cried out that she was a slave and not even Egyptian. The Pharaoh responded with "She is the most Egyptian of all...for her eyes are as green as the Nile, her hair as feathery as papyrus, and her skin the pink of a lotus flower."
The Story of the Jinn-The supernatural and the Quran
Throughout history man has always had a deep attraction for the supernatural and the unseen. The existence of a world parallel to our own has always fascinated people. This world is commonly referred to as the spirit world, and almost every set of people have some concept of one. With some people, these spirits are no more then the souls of dead people- or ghosts. With others, spirits are either the forces of good or the forces of evil - both battling against one another to gain influence over humanity. However, both of these explanations are more in tune with folk tales and fantasy. The true explanation of such a world comes from Islam. Like every other way, Islam also claims to explain this realm of the unseen. It is from this realm that Islam explains to us about the world of the Jinn. The Islamic explanation of the Jinn provides us with so many answers to modem day mysteries. Without the knowledge of this world, the Muslims would become like the non-Muslims and be running around looking for any old answer to come their way. So, who or what are the Jinn?
Existence
The Jinn are beings created with free will, living on earth in a world parallel to mankind. The Arabic word Jinn is from the verb Janna which means to hide or conceal. Thus, they are physically invisible from man as their description suggests. This invisibility is one of the reasons why some people have denied their existence. However, (as will be seen) the affect which the world of the Jinn has upon our world, is enough to refute this modern denial of one of Gods creation. The origins of the Jinn can be traced from the Quran and the Sunnah. God says:
Indeed We created man from dried clay of black smooth mud. And We created the Jinn before that from the smokeless flame of fire (Quran 15:26-27)
Thus the Jinn were created before man. As for their physical origin, then the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, has confirmed the above verse when he said:
The Angels were created from light and the Jinn from smokeless fire. (Saheeh Muslim)
It is this description of the Jinn which tells us so much about them. Because they were created from fire, their nature has generally been fiery and thus their relationship with man has been built upon this. Like humans, they too are required to worship God and follow Islam. Their purpose in life is exactly the same as ours, as God says:
I did not create the Jinn and mankind except to worship Me. (Quran 51:56)
Jinns can thus be Muslims or non-Muslims. However, due to their fiery nature the majority of them are non-Muslims. All these non-Muslim Jinns form a part of the army of the most famous Jinn, Satan[1]. Consequently, these disbelieving Jinns are also called devils. Jinns also become Muslims, as they did in the time of the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, when a group of them were amazed by the recitation of the Quran. God orders the Prophet to tell the people of this event:
Say (O Muhammed): It has been revealed to me that a group of Jinn listened and said; Indeed we have heard a marvelous Quran. It guides unto righteousness so we have believed in it, and we will never make partners with our lord.(Quran 72:1-2)
In many aspects of their world, the Jinn are very similar to us. They eat and drink, they marry, have children and they die. The life span however, is far greater then ours. Like us, they will also be subject to a Final Reckoning by God the Most High. They will be present with mankind on the Day of Judgment and will either go to Paradise or Hell.
Existence
The Jinn are beings created with free will, living on earth in a world parallel to mankind. The Arabic word Jinn is from the verb Janna which means to hide or conceal. Thus, they are physically invisible from man as their description suggests. This invisibility is one of the reasons why some people have denied their existence. However, (as will be seen) the affect which the world of the Jinn has upon our world, is enough to refute this modern denial of one of Gods creation. The origins of the Jinn can be traced from the Quran and the Sunnah. God says:
Indeed We created man from dried clay of black smooth mud. And We created the Jinn before that from the smokeless flame of fire (Quran 15:26-27)
Thus the Jinn were created before man. As for their physical origin, then the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, has confirmed the above verse when he said:
The Angels were created from light and the Jinn from smokeless fire. (Saheeh Muslim)
It is this description of the Jinn which tells us so much about them. Because they were created from fire, their nature has generally been fiery and thus their relationship with man has been built upon this. Like humans, they too are required to worship God and follow Islam. Their purpose in life is exactly the same as ours, as God says:
I did not create the Jinn and mankind except to worship Me. (Quran 51:56)
Jinns can thus be Muslims or non-Muslims. However, due to their fiery nature the majority of them are non-Muslims. All these non-Muslim Jinns form a part of the army of the most famous Jinn, Satan[1]. Consequently, these disbelieving Jinns are also called devils. Jinns also become Muslims, as they did in the time of the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, when a group of them were amazed by the recitation of the Quran. God orders the Prophet to tell the people of this event:
Say (O Muhammed): It has been revealed to me that a group of Jinn listened and said; Indeed we have heard a marvelous Quran. It guides unto righteousness so we have believed in it, and we will never make partners with our lord.(Quran 72:1-2)
In many aspects of their world, the Jinn are very similar to us. They eat and drink, they marry, have children and they die. The life span however, is far greater then ours. Like us, they will also be subject to a Final Reckoning by God the Most High. They will be present with mankind on the Day of Judgment and will either go to Paradise or Hell.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Recent updates on the Golden Cow
Hi everyone,
this is the recent Development on the Golden Cow, please Forgive me i've been out of town for a while, and now i am back to illustrating. theses are couple of Scenes on the Golden Cow.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Hi all! FInally done with the main roughing out of my story. I'll be going over quite a bit though. Do forgive me, I'm not at my illutstrating best at the moment - typhoon hit so I"ve been clearing trees and things for a few days. Quite happy that we have power back for me to post this week haha!
Anyway, have a look. Cheers.
Open Questions: the collection of stories as a whole
Evil stepmothers or stepfathers are a common motif in many of these stories. Why do stepmothers or stepfathers tend to be represented or used in stories as cruel figures?
Magic is often used in many of these stories. What kind of magic is it? What kinds of things does it tend to be used for? On a more general level, what is the relationship between magic and Islam?
How would you organize these stories in an anthology? Which stories go together and why?
Which stories do you think hold the most potential for illustrations? The least?
Have you encountered different versions of these stories? Can you describe which stories and the way in which certain elements were altered?
Do you see any common patterns or elements running through all these stories?
Magic is often used in many of these stories. What kind of magic is it? What kinds of things does it tend to be used for? On a more general level, what is the relationship between magic and Islam?
How would you organize these stories in an anthology? Which stories go together and why?
Which stories do you think hold the most potential for illustrations? The least?
Have you encountered different versions of these stories? Can you describe which stories and the way in which certain elements were altered?
Do you see any common patterns or elements running through all these stories?
Open Questions: Hamda and the Fairy Fish
This story seems to be a fairly straightforward re-telling of Cinderella: is this an accurate statement?
Compare and contrast this story with the traditional Cinderella story: what is the same? What is different? What is the significance of these similarities and differences?
I thought it might be useful to share an interesting passage from a book I'm reading titled, Folklore and Folklife in the United Arab Emirates.
In the chapter on Folk Narratives, the author, Sayhid Had Hurreiz, writes:
"It is quite evident that the previous story (which is a UAE version of Hamada and the Fairy Fish--in the UAE it is titled al bideha or "The Fisherman's Daughter") is one of the variants of the famous folktale Cinderella . . . As is known in folktale scholarship, no other story enjoys wider distribution or extensive public attention that Cinderella. Its various themes and motifs have been used in opera, in children's motion pictures, in children's story books, in advertisements and so on. Studies covering many decades of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and extending over Europe, Asia, the Near East and the USA have been published on this story" (75-76).
Just food for thought . . . .
Compare and contrast this story with the traditional Cinderella story: what is the same? What is different? What is the significance of these similarities and differences?
I thought it might be useful to share an interesting passage from a book I'm reading titled, Folklore and Folklife in the United Arab Emirates.
In the chapter on Folk Narratives, the author, Sayhid Had Hurreiz, writes:
"It is quite evident that the previous story (which is a UAE version of Hamada and the Fairy Fish--in the UAE it is titled al bideha or "The Fisherman's Daughter") is one of the variants of the famous folktale Cinderella . . . As is known in folktale scholarship, no other story enjoys wider distribution or extensive public attention that Cinderella. Its various themes and motifs have been used in opera, in children's motion pictures, in children's story books, in advertisements and so on. Studies covering many decades of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and extending over Europe, Asia, the Near East and the USA have been published on this story" (75-76).
Just food for thought . . . .
Open Questions: The Thieves and the Tree Trunk
What is the moral of this story?
Does Captain Abdulrahman respond to his wife’s fears appropriately?
Stories are often made to instruct as well as entertain: what is the entertaining part in this story? Why or how would it appeal to children?
What is your response to the representation of females and males in this story?
This story seems more modern than the other ones, doesn’t it? Discuss what elements might or might not make it seem more modern (i.e. closer to our point in history/time) than the other tales.
Does Captain Abdulrahman respond to his wife’s fears appropriately?
Stories are often made to instruct as well as entertain: what is the entertaining part in this story? Why or how would it appeal to children?
What is your response to the representation of females and males in this story?
This story seems more modern than the other ones, doesn’t it? Discuss what elements might or might not make it seem more modern (i.e. closer to our point in history/time) than the other tales.
Open Questions: The Golden Cow
We are told by an unknown narrator in the story that Sara’s father has been married many times, and in each instance, his wives die before producing offspring. Though Sara’s mother is different, she is similar in the sense that she does die, though not after having had given birth to Sara. What is the significance of this information?
The Golden Cow is an interesting symbol in this story. Why a cow? What are some possible meanings here?
Remember that a symbol is something in the story that has meaning(s) beyond the literal. For example, in this case, is the cow just a cow, nothing more? Is the cow simply a convenient receptacle for hiding young, beautiful girls that wish to escape a dysfunctional home life? Or is there something more here? The library has a few symbol dictionaries in the collection: any takers?
The Golden Cow is an interesting symbol in this story. Why a cow? What are some possible meanings here?
Remember that a symbol is something in the story that has meaning(s) beyond the literal. For example, in this case, is the cow just a cow, nothing more? Is the cow simply a convenient receptacle for hiding young, beautiful girls that wish to escape a dysfunctional home life? Or is there something more here? The library has a few symbol dictionaries in the collection: any takers?
Open Questions: Hassan and the Jewels
At the end of the story, in response to pleads from the wedding dancers Hassan’s mother retrieves the feathered dress and gives it to her daughter in law. This is a rather strange or curious thing for the mother to do, isn't it? What is your response to this event?
Who are the “good” characters in this story and who are the “bad” ones? Do some characters start out good and then become bad? What defines their "badness" and "goodness?"
What is the moral of this story?
This story is full of “rich” symbols. What are they and what do they mean?
Who are the “good” characters in this story and who are the “bad” ones? Do some characters start out good and then become bad? What defines their "badness" and "goodness?"
What is the moral of this story?
This story is full of “rich” symbols. What are they and what do they mean?
Open Questions: Om Hamar (Donkey Lady)
This particular version of the story offers a few examples of graphic violence. Could this be considered inappropriate for adolescent or younger readers? On the other hand, is this tale any more violent or graphic than what the young are exposed to in other media: internet/television/cinema/news, etc.? Is this story any more violent or graphic than some of the other tales that we have?
Discuss the significance of the context: Garangao. Garangao seems to me like an Arab version of Halloween. Are there any cultural difference to take into consideration here? Is Garangao just like Halloween as it is usually understood in the west? Or are there some key differences to think about for western readers?
Many of the tales under discussion originate from other parts of the GCC. This one, however, is said to originate from Qatar. Is there anything in particular about this tale that marks it as undoubtedly Qatari?
The time period of the tale is circa 1930. Is this time period significant for some reason? In other words, why set the story in 1930 rather than 1900 or 1990?
Discuss the significance of the context: Garangao. Garangao seems to me like an Arab version of Halloween. Are there any cultural difference to take into consideration here? Is Garangao just like Halloween as it is usually understood in the west? Or are there some key differences to think about for western readers?
Many of the tales under discussion originate from other parts of the GCC. This one, however, is said to originate from Qatar. Is there anything in particular about this tale that marks it as undoubtedly Qatari?
The time period of the tale is circa 1930. Is this time period significant for some reason? In other words, why set the story in 1930 rather than 1900 or 1990?
Open Questions: Hadeed Hadeedoo
It is interesting to note that Hadeed Hadeedoo is female. Is she an example of a positive, powerful female considering all of these tales as a whole?
If we were to place the two main characters into "good" and "bad" categories, it seems obvious that Hadeed Hadeedoo is good and the witch is bad, right? Answer this question by examining closely the actions of each character in the story.
As in many of the other tales, magic plays an important role in this one. Who uses magic? What do they use it for? Who does not use magic? Are there times when magic could obviously be used but is not? Why?
Side note: a striking image in this story is the witch sharpening her teeth and ripping the young goat's flesh apart (an image that is repeated). Freaky.
If we were to place the two main characters into "good" and "bad" categories, it seems obvious that Hadeed Hadeedoo is good and the witch is bad, right? Answer this question by examining closely the actions of each character in the story.
As in many of the other tales, magic plays an important role in this one. Who uses magic? What do they use it for? Who does not use magic? Are there times when magic could obviously be used but is not? Why?
Side note: a striking image in this story is the witch sharpening her teeth and ripping the young goat's flesh apart (an image that is repeated). Freaky.
Open Questions: Om al Manakhel
Morjana clearly deserves her reward, but does the daughter deserve to be punished so severely for her behavior? Does this story have a happy or a tragic ending?
Fairy tales are often used as vehicles to transmit morals to children. If that is true, what is the moral of this story?
Morjana is recognizably a Cinderella figure. Compare and contrast this tale to the Cinderella tale. What is similar? What is different?
Is the woman in the road actually the old woman magically disguised?
Discuss the theme of magic in this story (and perhaps compare it to other stories): how is magic used? Is it used for good or evil? Both?
Why do stepmothers always seem to be innately evil figures in these tales? I know plenty of stepmothers who are nice, caring parents to their children, even if they are not are not biologically connected.
Fairy tales are often used as vehicles to transmit morals to children. If that is true, what is the moral of this story?
Morjana is recognizably a Cinderella figure. Compare and contrast this tale to the Cinderella tale. What is similar? What is different?
Is the woman in the road actually the old woman magically disguised?
Discuss the theme of magic in this story (and perhaps compare it to other stories): how is magic used? Is it used for good or evil? Both?
Why do stepmothers always seem to be innately evil figures in these tales? I know plenty of stepmothers who are nice, caring parents to their children, even if they are not are not biologically connected.
Open Questions: The Legend of Mai and Ghaillan
Does Ghaillian win the race in a way that is fair?
Mai is an interesting character in this story. Of the stories that we have, there are not many examples of powerful female figures. I was hoping that Mai would win the race against Ghaillan to show that women can beat men at their own games. Unfortunately, this is not how the story ends. In the end, the man wins again. How do you feel about the ending?
Many of our stories have unclear settings: "Once upon a time, in a land far, far away." This one, however, has a very specific and local setting: Al Khor. What is the significance of this local setting in the story? Why set this tale in Al Khor instead of Doha or Al Wakra or Dukhan?
Folk or fairy tales are often created with a specific moral or teaching in mind. What is the moral of this story? Is there more than one?
What do these stories mean?
UREP Team,
I've generated some open questions in response to a close reading of the stories. I hope that responding to these questions will create interesting discussion, surprising discoveries and productive research.
Everyone should involve themselves in these discussions, especially the layout team. This is a valuable opportunity for the layout team to make an important contribution to the project.
I realize that the illustrators are busy illustrating, which is good: I do not expect you to respond in depth. However, I think the illustrators could really benefit from following these discussions and participating in them when they can. How one interprets the stories intellectually will influence how one renders them visually.
Because our team is so culturally diverse, we'll each interpret these stories slightly differently for we are each reading them through the lens of our own cultural values and beliefs: this is a good thing! Part of our hope in this project is that these stories will spark discussion between Qatari and non-Qatari in order to learn more about each others cultural frameworks and hopefully lead to more well-informed and empathic relations between these two very diverse groups.
Let me give you a quick example. In the Legend of Mai and Ghaillan, Ghaillan wins the dhow race against Mai through technological innovation. While a locust (a locust? Where I come from, a locust is a grasshopper and they do not buzz around our heads--only flies do. Is there something lost in translation here? These are the sorts of questions we should be posing and seeking answers to in our discussion--this question, obviously, influences the illustration, does it not?) is buzzing around his head, Ghaillan pays particular attention to the shape of its wing and is inspired to create a "wing" for his dhow, which helps him win the race (examining nature to solve human problems is called "biomimicry"). In my culture, many (but not all) would interpret this move as cheating. Although the terms of the race are never explicitly discussed, my assumption would be that both merchants are only be allowed to use a dhow, men, and paddles, nothing more. This is a fair contest. Introducing the sail gives Ghaillan an unfair advantage. Therefore, interpreting his character and the race through my own cultural values leads me to conclude that I do not see him in a positive light: he is clever, yes, but he is fundamentally a cheater. I don't think that the text encourages us to view Ghaillan in this way, which leads me to believe that a set of cultural values different from my own are at work in this tale. This should prompt me to conduct research of some form to help explain this discrepancy.
I will create a separate post for each set of questions for each story so that we can keep things organized. Feel free to respond to my questions or, even better, pose and seek answers to your own. The questions I've generated are simply a place to begin.
You can read the text of the stories on the blog. They are located in various places. You'll have to search through older posts to find them.
I'm excited to get the discussions going. I think they will be very enlightening. Good luck!
I've generated some open questions in response to a close reading of the stories. I hope that responding to these questions will create interesting discussion, surprising discoveries and productive research.
Everyone should involve themselves in these discussions, especially the layout team. This is a valuable opportunity for the layout team to make an important contribution to the project.
I realize that the illustrators are busy illustrating, which is good: I do not expect you to respond in depth. However, I think the illustrators could really benefit from following these discussions and participating in them when they can. How one interprets the stories intellectually will influence how one renders them visually.
Because our team is so culturally diverse, we'll each interpret these stories slightly differently for we are each reading them through the lens of our own cultural values and beliefs: this is a good thing! Part of our hope in this project is that these stories will spark discussion between Qatari and non-Qatari in order to learn more about each others cultural frameworks and hopefully lead to more well-informed and empathic relations between these two very diverse groups.
Let me give you a quick example. In the Legend of Mai and Ghaillan, Ghaillan wins the dhow race against Mai through technological innovation. While a locust (a locust? Where I come from, a locust is a grasshopper and they do not buzz around our heads--only flies do. Is there something lost in translation here? These are the sorts of questions we should be posing and seeking answers to in our discussion--this question, obviously, influences the illustration, does it not?) is buzzing around his head, Ghaillan pays particular attention to the shape of its wing and is inspired to create a "wing" for his dhow, which helps him win the race (examining nature to solve human problems is called "biomimicry"). In my culture, many (but not all) would interpret this move as cheating. Although the terms of the race are never explicitly discussed, my assumption would be that both merchants are only be allowed to use a dhow, men, and paddles, nothing more. This is a fair contest. Introducing the sail gives Ghaillan an unfair advantage. Therefore, interpreting his character and the race through my own cultural values leads me to conclude that I do not see him in a positive light: he is clever, yes, but he is fundamentally a cheater. I don't think that the text encourages us to view Ghaillan in this way, which leads me to believe that a set of cultural values different from my own are at work in this tale. This should prompt me to conduct research of some form to help explain this discrepancy.
I will create a separate post for each set of questions for each story so that we can keep things organized. Feel free to respond to my questions or, even better, pose and seek answers to your own. The questions I've generated are simply a place to begin.
You can read the text of the stories on the blog. They are located in various places. You'll have to search through older posts to find them.
I'm excited to get the discussions going. I think they will be very enlightening. Good luck!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Hello again. Here are more roughs for you. I do apologize, I'm a bit behind my own schedule. Hopefully you'll see the end of these drawings as they and get more refinement in but it's progressing still.
You'll see I've begun just a little with watercolor. It seems I'll have to put each panel together in a series of working between doing things by hand and meshing other parts together by computer.
Also, I"ve styled my hadeedo a bit more but in retrospect she's looking a bit like shaun the sheep so there are probably still changes to come.
Peace and coconuts from the Philippines to you all :D
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Welcome to Abdulla Al Kuwari!
Abdulla Al Kuwari has joined our project! He's illustrating "Jouha Counting the Donkeys" (I'll post the story soon) Below are some samples of the work he has done on the story. The photos don't really give justice to the quality of his work, but you can get a sense of what he's done in terms of telling his story sequentially. Please note how reader friendly his illustrations are, particularly for the younger audience we're targeting. Also note his use of exaggeration to convey important elements of his story. I also think his use of varied panel size is working well with the story.
Sources
Storytelling, Folktales and the Comic Book Format, Gail de Vos
Graphic novels for multiple literacies, Gretchen E. Schwarz
Image, Text and Story: Comics and Graphic Novels in the Classroom, Rachel Marie-Crane Wiliams
How Comic Books Can Change the Way Our Students See Literature: One Teacher's Perspective, Rocco Versaci
Marveling at The Man Called Nova: Comics as Sponsors of Multimodal Literacy: Dale Jacobs
Multi Cultural Literacy and Folk Tales
The Multicultural Literacy and Citizenship Project
http://people.hofstra.edu/alan_j_singer/Education/Muti%20Literacy%203.pdf
Teaching Similar and Different through Folk Tales
http://www.tip.sas.upenn.edu/curriculum/units/2010/05/10.05.07.pdf
Cultural Success of Folktales (abstract)
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1207/s15516709cog0000_68/abstract
Folk tales and literacy
http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED488980&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED488980
Folktales as Edutainment
http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1348225
http://www.intechopen.com/source/pdfs/10963/InTech-Promoting_socio_cultural_values_through_storytelling_using_animation.pdf
Folktales Lessons from Around the World
http://www.chatham.edu/pti/curriculum/units/2004/Tuckfelt.pdf
http://people.hofstra.edu/alan_j_singer/Education/Muti%20Literacy%203.pdf
Teaching Similar and Different through Folk Tales
http://www.tip.sas.upenn.edu/curriculum/units/2010/05/10.05.07.pdf
Cultural Success of Folktales (abstract)
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1207/s15516709cog0000_68/abstract
Folk tales and literacy
http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED488980&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED488980
Folktales as Edutainment
http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1348225
Promoting Socio-Cultural Values Through
Storytellinghttp://www.intechopen.com/source/pdfs/10963/InTech-Promoting_socio_cultural_values_through_storytelling_using_animation.pdf
Folktales Lessons from Around the World
http://www.chatham.edu/pti/curriculum/units/2004/Tuckfelt.pdf
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Om al Manakhel: Storyboard/Script Breakdown.
Hello Team. Broke up the script into sections based on action/plot/expression to decide on what & how to portray every scene/panel. Working on step 2: Illustrating the 7 sections into storyboards. Click image for clearer view.Sunday, July 17, 2011
Mai w Ghailan_02
Color scheme experimentation.
The style isn't finalized/consistent at the moment; sea, land, sky, and dhows are all communicated differently. But i'm working on it!
(I think i'm sea-sick!)
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Hello again, here are three more pages roughed out. They illustrate the scenes of the goat fleeing to the melon feild to hide, and outsmarting the witch again.
This time I added more text but after drawing it out see some of my issues like using it to effectively connect the sequences. I used some arabic this time in the speech bubble of the witch tapping the melon for example, and want to use it in other places to really coin certain colloquial phrases. I'll have to provide a key of course or some sort of translation later on...
Hope you can understand the drawings, I won't describe the scenes so do tell me if you understand what's going on :D
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Mai w Ghailan_01
I would like to thank you for letting me be part of this project.Above is a fun Dhow study to get me started!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Welcome Fatma!
I am very happy to welcome Fatma Ramaihi to our project! She'll be working on the story below.
The Legend of Mai and Ghaillan
The Legend of Mai and Ghaillan
Collected by Mariam Mohammed Al-Kuwari
Edited by Patty Paine
Artist Fatma Al Ramaihi
Note: The ships in the first part of the story the dhows do not have sails.
Many years ago in Al Khor, Qatar there lived a man named Ghaillan. Ghaillan owned many dhows. He was a brave merchant, and he was famous in Al Khor for his dhows, and for the skilled pearl divers he had working for him.
For many years Ghaillan had no competitors. Every morning his men would row far out in the turquoise waters. His divers would dive deeper and deeper, and in the evening his boats would return overflowing with beautiful pearls.
One day, a strong, beautiful woman named Mai arrived in Al Khor. Mai had her own fleet of dhows. She was a skilled merchant, and she had many strong divers working for her. Mai’s men were better divers than Ghaillan’s men, and Mai knew the best places to find oysters with the biggest, most spectacular pearls. Every evening Mai’s boats would arrive at the docks overflowing with incredible pearls, while Ghaillan’s boats returned with just a few, small pearls.
Ghaillan was enraged that Mai’s dhows and divers were better than his own. He decided to challenge Mai to a race. He told Mai to pick her best dhow and best rowers, and he would do the same. They would race to a sandbar farther out in the sea than anyone had ever rowed before. Whoever won the race would get to stay in Al Khor. The loser would have to leave forever.
The night before the race Ghaillan sat on the beach for a long time thinking about how to beat Ghaillan. As he sat on the beach a locust kept buzzing around his head.
At sunrise the next morning Mai and Ghaillan met on the beach. Each had their best dhow, and their strongest men. Hassan the net maker met them on the beach, and gave the command for the race to begin. Each team lifted their dhow. One dhow had Mai in it. The other dhow carried Ghaillan. The teams ran the dhows down the sand, and into the water. The men then jumped into the dhows and began rowing with all their might. Mai’s dhow began to pull further and further ahead.
Ghaillan called to Mai:
“Mai, where does you dhow’s power come from?”
Mai called back” Ghaillan, you know that the dhow’s power comes from the paddles! What a silly question to ask!”
Suddenly, a sail was raised from Ghaillan’s dhow. The sail filled with wind and sped past Mai’s boat. Ghaillan called to Mai as he passed her:
“You boat is powered by wooden paddles, but my boat is powered by wind. Wood will never beat wind!”
Ghaillan’s boat sped away leaving Mai’s boat far behind.
Late that evening Ghaillan was waiting on the dock for Mai’s return.
Mai asked: “How did you know how to catch the wind?”
Ghaillan replied: “When I sitting on the beach the night before the race contemplating how to win this race, a locust kept buzzing around my head. I looked closely at its wings, and it came to me: to win I must put a wing on my dhow so it would fly with the wind.”
Mai said “Ghaillan, you are truly a great merchant.”
Ghaillan replied, “You are a great merchant as well. When you leave Al Khor you may take my idea of putting a wing on a boat with you. This way, we will both have good fortune.
*
This is how the famous dhow wing (sail) came to be.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Hi guys, put together the rough version of two pages. Still many scenes to do of course but while that's going on I'm trying to figure out how it will all come together.
The scenes shown here are my witch running of to get her baskets for collecting dates, while the goat sneaks off (and onto the next frame) to the palm tree grove.
On the next page, the witch comes back into the picture carrying her giant baskets. From the treetop, the goat throws unripe dates at her. The witch thinks it's the from the birds hidden in the leaves and doesn't see that it's really from the goat. (The goats legs are shown at the top of the frame as it's being carried off by birds to safety.)
I'm not entirely satisfied with the drawings themselves but I'll refine them later. I'm trying to catch up by story boarding whilst putting the scenes into the frames and pages themselves so they're going to look fairly rough for a little while longer. I'm hoping in the end to use watercolor along with the ink lines.
More to come, best :D
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Zoe | H. and the Jewels
Hi everyone! In this painting I am trying to develop smaller arrangements within the composition to develop a narrative relationship. So, to play off of the jewel theme I'm hiding things like painted rings, glass, rocks etc within the composition under paint that I'm making to look like dirt and including other objects that H. finds along the way of his journey like bones and secret gardens.
Z.
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