dusty wilderness: character design

Monday, October 4, 2010

October !

Finally after weeks of planning and sewing, my customized plushies and keychains are out. This time round I had the privilege of collaborating with Mindflyer for this series of keychains. Designed by him and entirely sewn by me. They will be out on sale at the National Art Gallery Open House , City Hall, 1 Saint Andrew's Road on the 9th and 10th of October. Apart from plushies, there will be various other merchandise by Organisation of Illustrator's Council (OIC) and not forgetting to mention Kalkitos ! Do look out for the various exclusive designs by Kalkitos with many artists including me :)

Saturday, November 14, 2009

タヌキ

The Tanuki ( タヌキ) is Japanese for raccoon dog, being part of Japanese folklore. The Tanuki can often be seen outside Japanese restaurants and temples, bearing a big grin, adorned with a straw hat, a sake bottle and extremely huge testicles. There are meanings physically in the anatomy and the way it is portrayed, as well the objects they carry.

From Wikipedia:

The eight traits are (1) a bamboo hat that protects against trouble, (2) big eyes to perceive the environment and help make good decisions, (3) a sake bottle that represents virtue, (4) a big tail that provides steadiness and strength until success is achieved, (5) over-sized testicles that symbolize financial luck, (6) a promissory note that represents trust, (7) a big belly that symbolizes bold decisiveness, and (8) a friendly smile.

A common schoolyard song in Japan (the tune of which can be heard in the arcade game Ponpoko and a variation of which is sung in the Studio Ghibli film Pom Poko) makes explicit reference to the tanuki's anatomy:

Tan Tan Tanuki no kintama wa,

Kaze mo nai no ni,

Bura bura

Roughly translated, this means "Tan-tan-tanuki's testicles, there isn't even any wind but still go swing-swing-swing.