Manananggal the Filipino Vampire
As I said last week in my Marker Art post I’m really enjoying my new markers. Over the weekend I finished up a piece done Prismacolor markers. I then went over the markers in black pen. I used an 005, 01, and 05.
The piece is one I’ve wanted to do for a while. For those who don’t know my wife is Filipino. A few years back we went to the Philippines with her family. It was an awesome trip, and one of my favorite parts was getting to learn about Filipino myths, legends, and superstitions.
One of my favorites is the Manananggal, the Filipino vampire. Manananggal translates to”one who can remove.” In Philippine mythology the Manananggal is a witch-like person (usually a woman) with long hair and wild eyes who can detach her upper torso from the lower half of her body at night. When she does so she grows wicked claws and fangs, and bat wings sprout from her back. She usually flies in the dark searching for victims whose blood she sucks.
The common story is of a pregnant woman lying in bed asleep, the Manananggal lands on the thatched roof of the grass hut, lowers her long tongue into the house and sucks the blood of the fetus in the mother’s womb.
The only way to defeat a Manananggal is to find its lower torso and apply garlic or salt to the severed stump, which will make it impossible for the Manananggal to reattach itself. If the Manananggal is still in its monster form during the day, sunlight will destroy it.
Ever since I heard that myth I’ve wanted to draw it. The idea of a wild-eyed bat woman with her intestines hanging down always seemed pretty sweet to me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Filipino Vampire by Sam Flegal
An Artist's Journey 
I’m pretty sure that I live in the same neighborhood as they chick! 🙂 Hey nice work though! You are now one with the markers young grasshopper…