WORKS
ABOUT & CONTACT
@2024 Xidan Liang
Bearskin
Adapted from Grimm's Fairy Tales 2024
This is my adaptation of the Bearskin Man from Grimm's Fairy Tales, a story that is no longer about love and marriage. There is no father who controls his daughter's right to marry—just the meeting of ordinary, mutually needy bearskin men and independent girls, and the silent companionship and mutual influence between them.
A man makes a deal with the Devil and becomes trapped in a bearskin, though he gains the ability to pull endless gold coins out of his pocket. The Devil tells him, “You cannot live like a normal person but must live as a monster for seven years. If you endure, you will have access to limitless wealth.”
The man agrees and begins his life in the bearskin. By the second year, he becomes a complete monster, his hair, beard, and eyebrows growing wild and unkempt. Though he uses his money to help many people, they still see him as a terrifying creature. Over time, he begins to lose his human mind and grows afraid that he will lose his humanity completely.
In the fourth year, he meets a sad girl in the forest. She has lost her job and is in despair. The bearskin man gives her gold coins and tells her to use them to do what she wants. Before parting, they make a promise: they will meet again in this place three years later, and as a token, they split a ring in two, each keeping one half. For the bearskin man, this promise becomes a lifeline, something reliable to remind him not to lose his mind or become a monster completely.
The girl takes the gold coins and starts a new life in the city. They each begin a different journey.
In the end, the bearskin man and the girl meet again in that same place. Without words, they simply hug. The bearskin man sheds his monstrous form and turns back into a human. They say to each other, “Thank you for letting me meet my better self,” and then each of them goes their separate way.
Character designs and Thumbnail
Black and White Manuscript
Adapted from Grimm's Fairy Tales 2024
This is my adaptation of the Bearskin Man from Grimm's Fairy Tales, a story that is no longer about love and marriage. There is no father who controls his daughter's right to marry—just the meeting of ordinary, mutually needy bearskin men and independent girls, and the silent companionship and mutual influence between them.
A man makes a deal with the Devil and becomes trapped in a bearskin, though he gains the ability to pull endless gold coins out of his pocket. The Devil tells him, “You cannot live like a normal person but must live as a monster for seven years. If you endure, you will have access to limitless wealth.”
The man agrees and begins his life in the bearskin. By the second year, he becomes a complete monster, his hair, beard, and eyebrows growing wild and unkempt. Though he uses his money to help many people, they still see him as a terrifying creature. Over time, he begins to lose his human mind and grows afraid that he will lose his humanity completely.
In the fourth year, he meets a sad girl in the forest. She has lost her job and is in despair. The bearskin man gives her gold coins and tells her to use them to do what she wants. Before parting, they make a promise: they will meet again in this place three years later, and as a token, they split a ring in two, each keeping one half. For the bearskin man, this promise becomes a lifeline, something reliable to remind him not to lose his mind or become a monster completely.
The girl takes the gold coins and starts a new life in the city. They each begin a different journey.
In the end, the bearskin man and the girl meet again in that same place. Without words, they simply hug. The bearskin man sheds his monstrous form and turns back into a human. They say to each other, “Thank you for letting me meet my better self,” and then each of them goes their separate way.
Character designs and Thumbnail
Black and White Manuscript