Love you to P-I-E-C-E-S. (WIP)

This was my my original contemporary artwork, which we no longer were required to do. However, I thought I would share my work-in-progress! I REALLY wish I would of had time to finish it, as I'd of liked it for the Spring show. 

This piece shows two dogs, forced to fight. The title "love you to pieces" derives from the fact these dogs will fight for their owners at the expense of themselves, and still love them unconditionally.Each dog has a noose around its neck, representing its eventual, certain death.

I did  this in multiple programs, such as illustrator for the silhouettes, Paint-tool Sai for drawing the dogs and sketch, and Photoshop for the shapes eventual color.

25 Fantastic Findings of Farley the Ferret

This is a numbered children book I'm working on! It's a work in progress, and I won't be able to finish it this semester, but I fully intend on completing and publishing it! This book centers around our main character, Farley, who is a ferret that LOVES finding fantastic things, and takes us on one of his daily ventures to show us his ferret-worthy treasures. I will be making a separate blog just for promoting Farley!

Farley is our main focal point of course, and I will be illustrating the pages with a crayon-like brush in PaintTool Sai. I think this will add to the more child-like feel of the book. Each page will put emphasis on whatever item or thing Farley has found!

25 Fantastic Findings of Farley the Ferret, done in Photoshop and PaintTool Sai.

Animation:

Here was a small animation I did for this project! I still intend on doing my other idea, but ran out of time! I thought this would be cute in the meantime. I did each frame in Photoshop, before animating it on Iaza.com.

Autumn Flight

This was a piece I had started in my Design I class when we were taking time to play around with art apps to get a feel of drawing on the Ipad. After doing most of this on the ipad, I did some touching up and refining in PaintTool Sai. I decided to post it here for my Digital Art class, since it's completely digital!

Autumn Flight, done on the Inksy Application on the Ipad, then later edited in PaintTool Sai.

Bonus:

So with this digital drawing I’m going to take a quick moment to promote bats, because they typically have such a bad rap! Here are some interesting tidbits on these little guys:

•  Bat's are the only mammal truly capable of flight.
  
• Fewer than 10 people in the last 50 years have contracted rabies from North American bats. You are more likely to catch Malaria from mosquito.They bite only in self-defense and pose little threat to people who do not handle them.
• On that note, one bat can eat up to 1000-2500 pesky mosquito's in an hour.
•  Many plants rely on bats for pollination and seed dispersal.
• Bats are often seen as gross or vile, but they are in fact highly clean animals. They are known to groom themselves almost constantly when not eating or sleeping—making them like tiny flying cats!
• Bat droppings in caves support whole ecosystems of unique organisms, including bacteria useful in detoxifying wastes, improving detergents, and producing gasohol and antibiotics.

Please never harm a bat, they are protected under federal law and it is illegal to kill bats. Knowing this, they are very vulnerable to extinction, as they only give birth to one pup per year—and they’re already becoming endangered thanks to white nose syndrome which can wipe out a total colony of bats. These little guys can have a life span of up to 40 years, being one of the world’s longest-lived mammals for its small size. Let’s not cut that short!

Besides, look how cute they are!?

Hopefully, if even a little bit, I've changed some bad perceptions of these guys.

Amazing Bat Facts." Bat Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2014.

Fought by Humans, Banned by Humans.

This was a contemporary art piece on dog fighting I did for my Digital Art class. I apologize its so large, but its easier to see the text that way! I did this piece in Illustrator, by outlining the figure of an emaciated pit bull and adding text on the inside. This piece obviously uses shape

 Fought by Humans, Banned By Humans, done in illustrator and Photoshop CS6.

BONUS IMAGE: This was the original dog I had vectored before adding the text! Sadly it wouldn't work for the above piece so I had to redraw it, but here it is any-who. 

    Also I hope this is okay, this is actually an essay I did for my English class on the same issue, but I think it really hits the nail on the head to show my stance on the banning of Pit Bulls. It's long, but if you're interested, give it a read! (I also have this essay on Turnitin.com the year I did it, which shows proof of my writing this essay, if needed! My English Teacher was also Dr. Smith on this campus.)

Ban Ignorance

            Breed-specific legislation is a law passed that prohibits or restricts a specific breed of domesticated animal. This usually more so pertains to a few different types of domesticated dogs. This law outright bans the possession of these animals or impedes severe conditions on ownership which must be kept no matter the behavior. These dogs are legally dangerous; a few of the restrictions include wearing a muzzle at all times outside of the home, having a permit and displaying warning signs at the entry way to a person’s home or property. However a ban can cause these dogs to be forcibly taken away from their owners to be put to sleep if caught within the area. The most widely known dog to be banned all over the world is the Pit Bull. They are banned across the United States, Canada, Australia, China, the United Kingdom and Western Europe. But why are these dogs deemed such dangerous troublemakers? Being the descendants of bulldogs, Pit’s where for bull baiting as well as dogfighting. Because of their muscular build, endurance and high tolerance to physical pain, they are the prime subject for the criminal act of dogfighting even today. Consequently they are seen as a purely aggressive breed that is prone to violent behavior. The breed soon found its way at the top of the list for human fatalities due to dog attacks and dog bites. Many believe banning these dogs will prevent further attacks. But is it at all what it seems to be made out to be?

            A dog is often the reflection of its owner and their actions; a neglected, abused or untrained dog can act out just as a child would if not given the proper attention, care or leadership they need. The ban on specific dog breeds is cruel and unfair, sending thousands of dogs to their deaths due to the irresponsible owners who could not properly take care of their own. Sadly, over 1,000,000 Pit bulls or Pit bull mixes alone are euthanized every year. This is not to say because they have aggressive tendencies; in fact most do not show any signs whatsoever. Most do not even bite. But in this case that does not matter; with the ban all it takes is for a dog too ‘look’ like a Pit bull to get taken away. Though no matter how loving, affectionate or well behaved the dog has been throughout its life-time; if the dog shares any resemblance or has pit-like qualities, the city can destroy it if they deem necessary with no further reason.

            The same dog notorious for being dubbed a mindless, vicious attacker some would hail as the perfect family pet. Many lost their best friends because of this discriminatory law.  One man lost his 8-year old service dog named Precious due to this law. He suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and the dog became essential to help him cope with his disability. Several service dogs were taken in despite past training and good behavior. An organization called the American Temperament Test Society put several thousand dogs through standardized drills designed to test the dog’s stability. Eighty-four of the given pit bulls passed, being ranked in front of beagles, Airedales, bearded collies and most all dachshunds. The same apparent trait that makes them excellent fighting dogs is the same trait that makes them a loving, affectionate pet. They are eager to please and that same resolute people use to make them fight and act fearless, is the same resolute they can use to be gentle with anyone. This makes them fantastic therapy dogs.

            But when did all of this hate on the breed start? Up until the 1980’s there was only one case of a known Pit Bull attack; however this was only because the male owner intentionally sent his dogs on the poor victim. Less than a decade later, dog fighting made a huge comeback with the contribution from rising gangs and drug dealers. Soon to follow was over thirty communities considering breed specific banning on pit bulls. There is a clear connection here, yet most all the blame is still set on the dog breed. These types of people do not care if their dog is confiscated and killed, they will simply get another one to use for their own entertainment and greed.  The fighting dog is sadly seen as a disposable item to be used and thrown away when it is no good anymore. They are bred irresponsibly with only one purpose, to please their masters in the end who will gamble on their death. In fact, most of these dogs did not attack their own handlers. They were not bred to fight humans, in fact if a dog turned on a human it would be put down. No man-eaters where allowed in the dog fighting world. The fighting dog’s live brutal lives and the only hope they have is to be ‘rescued’ only to meet a calmer death by an injection. These poor dog’s where trained and abused into this behavior by their human counterparts and by no means where born to behave as such.

            Moreover one reason pit bull attacks seemingly began to rise was due to popularity. Not because these dog’s where becoming more aggressive per say, but that they became more numerous due to their fame for a period of time. The kinds of dog fatalities change over time, because so do the breed popularities. For instance, when the popularity of the pit bull began to fall, so came the rise in Rottweiler and German Shepherd fatalities because more people where owning these types of dogs.

            With this in mind any breed of dog can develop aggressive or destructive tendencies if not properly handled. There was one case of a Pomeranian mauling a baby within a few minutes of the girl’s uncle leaving to fix a bottle for her in the kitchen. She died minutes after the uncle attempted to revive her. Even the loveable Labrador retriever has been known to tear a woman’s face off. But they are not banned simply because they do not have the bad rap pit bulls do. Pit bulls seem to have developed this bad karma due to the wide abuse of their owners. Certain breeds built like a the pit bull are more appealing to criminals to use in illegal activities such as dog fighting and more so end up in the wrong hands. But this again is not the breeds fault.  As Dean Whitehead of Los Angeles wisely said, “The violence inflicted by mistreated animals, and by animals that have been trained to fight or attack other animals or humans, is the responsibility of the owner(s) of the animal. They say that guns don’t kill people, people kill people. We don’t destroy guns and claim that we’re curbing violence.” (1)

            Harsh breed-specific dog bans are still being enforced strongly every day and many innocent dogs are murdered because of it. Stronger enforcements of ANY dog showing aggressive behavior and not just one breed should hold certain conditions. Any dog can bite when held by an irresponsible owner. Breeders and adoption agencies should also offer education to certain breeds that require more attention than others, making sure the animal is fit for its new home before sending it out. In the end one would think by now people would have learned to judge by character and not appearance; but nevertheless not even dogs can seem to escape these human prejudices even with the use of their cute puppy eyed technique and fluffy appearance.

Works Cited

Bastian, Jon. "DOG BEHAVIOR." CesarsWay.com. Cesar Millan, 16 Mar. 2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2012. <http://www.cesarsway.com/dogbehavior/basics/How-Did-Pit-Bulls-Get-a-Bad-Rap>.

Cohen, Judy, and John Richardson. "Pit Bull Panic." Journal Of Popular Culture 36.2 (2002): 285-317. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.

"Education is key to aggressive dog issue." Victoria Advocate [Victoria, TX] 7 Apr. 2012. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.

Gladwell, Malcolm. "Troublemakers." New Yorker 81.46 (2006): 38-43. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.

Greenwood, Arin. "Nuisance Or Necessity? ADA Suit May Overturn Pit-Bull Bans." ABA Journal 97.9 (2011): 18. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.

"Man's Best Friend?." Current Events 105.3 (2005): 3. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.

"Parents of savaged boy call for ban on pitbulls." Sun-Herald [Sydney, Australia] 1 May 2005: 49. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.

"PRO: Banning pit bulls would eliminate breed responsible for most dog-bite fatalities." Victoria Advocate [Victoria, TX] 27 Mar. 2011. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.

Ghosts, creatures and Coffee

Expressive Typography Techniques:

Fading Ghost, done in Adobe Photoshop CS 5.1.

    Alternate:

Fading Ghost, done in Adobe Photoshop CS 5.1.

Stacked Type:

Bull Handle, done in Adobe Photoshop 7.0

Ligatures:

Don't venture down, done in Adobe Photoshop CS 5.1.

Creating Figure Ground Art:

This is Bat Country, done in Adobe Photoshop 7.0.

Onomatopoeia:

Morning Fuel, done in Adobe Photoshop CS 5.1.

    Alternate:

Who is there? Done in Adobe Photoshop 7.0.

.:Good Dog::Bad Dog:.

This was for our vector assignment in class! I decided to scrap the other one I was doing and instead went with the same theme I'm doing on my contemporary project. Which is the abuse and banning of pit bulls. I tried to symbolize that both of these dogs from each scenario are victims. A fighting dog fights and kills for its owners pleasure, and is generally rewarded and praised if it hasn't lost (aka, been killed). A fighting dog is simply trying to please its owner, even at its own expense. A family dog suffers the stigma of a breed used for dog fighting. This stigma has caused the breed to become banned in several places, and dogs living in these places can become seized and euthanized once it takes place. In fact, in most places where they aren't banned, will still put down stray dogs resembling a bully breed due to stigma. The gun with the words banned across it symbolizes the fact that even a family pet with no past instances of aggression can be put to death from this harsh stigma.

I think the focal point of this piece is likely the dripping blood on the pit-bull to the right-hand side, not only because it’s vibrant color, but the same curiosity and psychology that brings humans to ogle car wrecks. Each of the pit-bull forms are different in color and pattern, but share a similar pose which mirrors each other. I think this adds balance to the piece, especially with the word "victim" in the center connecting the two.

I rather liked how this came out, since vectoring was rather difficult for me. 

Good Dog, Bad Dog, made in Adobe Illustrator CS5.1.