Illustration inspired by Bali

My entry for Illustration Friday's theme this week : CRAVING

I created this illustration based on a Balinese mythology, inspired by my travels to the island of Bali. I was in Bali last April and I rented a small bungalow which resembles the one in my illustration below. This is an illustration of a Balinese witch who likes to devour children. In the myth, the Balinese children saved themselves from being eaten by dancing.

by: © Maria Madonna Davidoff

My Batik Painting in Bali, Indonesia

Batik Painting by Maria Madonna Davidoff


This is my enrty for Illustration Friday Theme Intricate.

What can be more intricate than a batik painting. Two years ago, I decided to spend
a few months in the Island of Bali , in Indonesia, to study Batik painting.



This is one of my first batik paintings of a Balinese dancer. Batik is a wax resist dyeing technique used on textile. Batik is considered as national art in Indonesia.
I've been to several Balinese performances and I was really mesmerized. It was such a mystical and wonderful experience. The dancer were almost trancelike because in Bali, everything they do creatively are offered to the gods and godesses.



Here is where I set up studio in Ubud, Bali 2007



I was taught by a Balinese teacher who held classes in his own home.
Here I am in one of my classes:




Below, I am painting my first batik with my Balinese Batik teacher Wayan:
Here you can see me applying the wax resist first:




With my Balinese Batik teacher Wayan:



Below are some of the traditional dyes I used in Bali:






This is how I use colored dyes for my batik :





This is how I dry my batik--outdoor under the sun, the natural way:
It can get very hot in Bali--As you can see in my face full of perspiration:



Finally, after a hard days work painting, here I am relaxing in front of my Bali bungalow:


This is my walkway towards the Bunglaow:





Relaxing in Ubud:




Below, I am in front of one of the Balinese temples:



Graphic Novel (work in Progress)

This is also my entry for Illustration Fridays theme: INSTINCT
My Instinct told me that I must create a graphic novel based on my cousin's childhood in Manila.
Since this is a work in progress, I'd like to share with you my process and the development of my character. I decided to change the spelling of her name from Cita to Sita. That way, I don't need to explain how to pronounce Cita as " see-tah", as seen in my first sketch. I was happy with the way Sita looks--she was a very frail and skinny girl, she's also a half Chinese/half filipina-- I need to emphasize that background of hers as the graphic novel evolves . My cousin told me that because she's half Chinese, growing up in Manila , she was considered a bit of an outsider among the local Filipinos. I called her yesterday from her New York office and she gave me permission to continue with this project using her childhood experiences as my subject.

I know, I know --this is a big endeavor--but it excites me and although I do not really consider myself a writer--, I can try to visually tell her story at least.

So... today, I gave her some color. I also cropped her body. I did not want her to look as if she was praying. Let me know what you think.