The Rat

For this unit I chose to research the rat, an animal I have always been fond of and believe to be widely misunderstood. I informed myself on both the positive and negative attributes of the animal; the part they played in the spread of the Black Death, symbolism and representations in popular culture, the pet or 'fancy rat' and the creature as vermin. As part of the project, I created a cute rat from knitted carrier bags and discarded materials to address the comparison between 'pest' and 'pet'.

Below are a selection of sketchbook pages, my wire sculpture and knitted rat:

Asian Short Clawed Otter

The animal I selected to study was the Otter as I believe them to be one of the happiest and most playful creatures in the animal kingdom, and I thought that a happy animal would make for a happy project. Once I started studying them I found that they are more complex creatures than I first thought.

The Asian Short Clawed Otter happens to be one of the few animals that are monogamous, meaning that they mate for life, they are also extremely intelligent, being one of the limited amount of animals that can create and use tools. I chose to try and illustrate these facts along with their playfulness, as there were to many facts to focus on I found it hard only choosing one.

The Indian Elephant

Elephants have always been my favourite animal, so I was sure about using them in this project. Through further research into Elephants I chose to look at the Indian Elephant, where I found about their incredible intelligence and their use in symbolism (both religiously and aesthetically). Elephants are strong and big but also playful. They are also symbols of wisdom and stability; something that I wanted to try and convey in my work as well as the fact that they are easily recognisable creatures.

Whales

I'd chosen to look at whales for my project as I am in awe of them, their majestic, gentle, giant lives in the huge ocean. Their struggles are largely human related with little or no motive, from over hunting in the 20th century to illegal hunting and selling of whale meat in some countries today.

Orangutan

I chose Orangutans for my research as they are my favourite animal, it gave me opportunity to explore them both academically and visually. I concentrated on their endangerment for my final piece in the form of a children's book encouraging conservation. 

Polar Bear

I decided to study the Polar bear, this is because it is one of many endangered species caused by climate change. As researched and experimentation developed, I felt that illustrating climate change through the Polar Bear was extremely important and I feel it's a subject that needs to be addressed more than it currently is due to the seriousness of the matter.

The African Lion

From a very young age the Lion has been my all time favourite animal, I loved watching the Disney film 'The Lion King', so when this project came around it was the obvious choice. When it came to reasearching this animal, its Power and Strength were defining features of the animal, making it such a popular symbol for royalty and United Kingdom. I wanted explore this and more in my research which lead me to Lion anatomy. The Lion is built to hunt and kill its prey very effectively, from its eyes, to its jaws and  its deadly claws which all became the main focuses of my final outcome.

Sheep

I decided to study sheep as I live on the doorstep of a Country Park and Farm and the sheep graze in the fields at the top of my road. I don't eat sheep but value our quintessential British countryside which wouldn't be so pleasing without sheep. My research revealed that sheep are extensively entwined with our history, culture, wealth and even the shape and look of our landscape.

The Asian Elephant

I chose to illustrate the Asian Elephant because it is an animal I found particularly interesting. I think the way they are worshipped and treasured by the Asian community is really fascinating and the elephant is seen as a good luck symbol in many cultures.

The area I focused on is the habitat loss of the Asian elephant leading to the animal becoming critically endangered. Therefore my lino prints show the Asian elephant fading and the landscape changing.

Kate Cronin

Cat

Experimental animation by Holly Stanton

Bat

The animal I chose was a bat because most people think they are evil and ugly but I think they are very misunderstood and if people took the time to look they would see they are amazing creatures that do more good than they do bad. I also chose to research the bat because of its dark and creepy look that often puts people on edge. I was also fascinated by their nocturnal behaviours and how they are the only mammals that are truly capable of flight.

Gorilla

The creature that I have researched is the Gorilla. They are a very misunderstood animal, as with many previous depictions of them, they are often portrayed as an aggressive monster. They are, in actual fact, very sensitive and inquisitive creatures that need to be protected. Their main threat is us as humans but they are also affected by the deadly Ebola virus. My project explores the Gorilla's sensitivity as a species. 
Rozelle Hawes

Hyena: Crushing Bones with over 1000 pounds of pressure in a single Bite.

The creature that I have researched and illustrated was the spotted Hyena. They are amazing animals and key factors that influenced my visual developments are: They have the most powerful jaws in the animal kingdom, They are Bone cracking hyena; Crushing bones effortlessly like a hot knife through butter exerting over 1000 pounds of pressure in a single bite. I have made many drawings using cut and paste technique, Photoshop and 3D objects to communicate my information through graphic Design.
Chris Essel