This one was from way back in July 2006. A friend asked me to help him with a project for school. He gave me a sheet of paper with a couple sentences written out. It was a creation story taken from Philippine folklore. He wanted me to illustrate it. And so I did... for some coffee, cigarettes, and beer.
Ah, me.
"Long ago, the Great Makagagahum found himself alone in the wide, desolate world."
"And so, he struck his staff firmly into the ground and there it grew into a majestic tree. He gathered the tree's seeds and spread them all throughout the world, and where ever they landed, new life came to be."
"Seeds landed in all sorts of places. Those that landed on the rich soil became grass and other plants. Other seeds that landed on the valleys and enjoyed the light of the sun became humans and animals. Seeds that found themselves in the waters and oceans became fish and other marinelife. Those that landed on top of trees became the birds and monkeys. While those that burried themselves in the darkness of the deep cracks and fissures of the earth became the engkantos and other malevolent spirits. One seed found itself in the deepest, darkest crack in the earth. There it turned into a great white hairy monkey that sat seething between two large rocks. It is believed that whenever the great monkey would shift its position, earthquakes rocked the earth."
Creation Story: Makagagahum
Original Size: 8.5"x13"
Medium: ink, colored pencil on vellum
