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Some thoughts on the Matter.

Style is a combination of how an artists makes a mark (with whatever medium) and how he thinks. It is comparable to it to a writer's handwriting and how he uses words. I don't think we, as artists, can create style. It is a part of who we are. We can, however, become more effective at communicating regardless of style.


In the end it doesn't matter what your style is as long as your picture says what you need to say.

Milton Glaser said: "Picasso's always been my model for the idea that style was irrelevant and you just worked what ever way you wanted to work to express an idea, what ever idea that was. When the idea changed the style could change. I always disliked that loyalty to the idea of style so very much...it is absurd to be loyal to a style. It does not deserve you loyality."

I often find myself designing characters for my books or illustrations. Being able to create a character and draw him again and again has been a fun skill to develop. Lately I have enjoyed learning a ton about the process of character design from different sources such as DVD,s, and books. But one of my favorite places to go for inspiration and education about character design is the Character Design Blog.

It is a place where character designers are interviewed and their work is showcased. The designers featured on the site tell about their process, recent work, favorite jobs and all kinds of things.
So if you are ever in need of some character design inspiration check it out. It features awesome artists and has tons of great drawings.

By Manelle oliiphant
(Click here for part 1, or here for part 2)

Artists can control our thoughts.
So why should your average non-drawing, non-art loving Joe learn a little about art? It is because when we respond to art emotionally the artist that created the piece is controlling our thoughts. The artist felt something, translated it through symbols onto a canvas or into a song etc. Another person then views that piece and feels something similar. What if this artist had an agenda? Wouldn't you like to know enough about this emotional language to know how your thoughts are being influenced. Wouldn't you want to know enough to decide if that is really how you feel about a particular subject?

Logo design is a great example of art created with an agenda. Think of the golden arches. What do they represent? What is your emotional response when you see this piece of art. Do you think of the fun time you had as a kid getting a happy meal and playing on a hamburger shaped slide, or cold french fries and a squished burger. What about the logos you don't readily recognize immediately? When you see an ad for a new restaurant does it feel upscale and fancy, fun and kid friendly, cheap, retro? You have an emotional response to each logo. Is that an accident? Definitely not. Will your emotional response effect when and if you choose to dine at that particular restaurant? Of course. What if you are the restaurant owner? Wouldn't it be a good idea to know enough about art to choose how you represent yourself to the public?

Movies are another example of art controlling our thoughts. They are extremely effective at speaking to us emotionally because they combine many forms of art: visual art, music, sound, and writing. How many movie or television funerals have you seen where there is sad music playing and it is raining? The directors and writers don't make that decision because it often rains during a funeral. They made that decision because of the emotional response we as people have to rain and sad songs. When you are emotionally wrapped up in a movie do you ever stop to think "Hey, that is not really how I feel about that subject."?

Art is an everyday Experience.
In our lives we experience different forms of art everyday. We might not go to the local museum and see a show about the impressionists, or attend the opera, but we may shop at the store, listen to the radio, watch TV, or read a book. The thoughts running around in our heads are all influenced from a different source. Do you know enough about the source to know if that is really what you what to be thinking? As Humans we are meant to act and choose for ourselves. Don't give that human right up because of ignorance. of how you are influenced by the world.

So when are you ever going to have to use a knowledge of art? Its your choice, think what all those artists want you to think, or use a little knowledge everyday and choose how your thoughts are influenced.

By Manelle Oliphant
(click here for part one)
Why do People Need art?
For thousands of years humans have had the need to create art. Why do we do it? Why is there a need for art in our human existence? It’s all about emotion. Our life is experienced through our emotions. Our relationships, religion, hobbies, daily activities, everything is brought into our brain and experienced through emotions. Love, hate, frustration, humor, peace, joy, guilt, anger, confusion and many more are emotions attached to our daily human experience. We enjoy spending our time with the things that help us experience good emotion, and usually try to avoid those things that we relate to a negative emotion.

This being the case, it is easy to see why art is needed. Art is the language we use to speak to each other’s emotions.

By Manelle Oliphant

When I was in college I often liked to help my roommates and friends with their Humanities homework. I helped them partly because they needed it but mostly because it was fun for me. I never even took Humanities. I just liked studying it. On one occasion I sat at the kitchen table quizzing my roommate about art history. I was loving it and she wasn’t. Sometime in the middle of our study session she popped out the classic question. “Why do I need to know this? I am a nursing major. When am I ever going to use this?” I’ll be honest After spluttering some kind of response that didn’t convince her, I finally came up with the lame retort, “Well I don’t really know, but I had to take math, so now we’re even.” Since then, I have wondered why do we need art? What is its purpose in our lives, and why should your average non-drawing, non-art loving Joe learn about art?

Art’s Purpose
The purpose of art is to connect a person to an emotion. Artists can say they create art for any number of reasons but it usually starts with an emotion the artist has, or wishes, for the viewer, which then gets translated onto the canvas, the paper, or into music etc. From the Nike swish to the Sistine Chapel, art conveys an emotion to it’s viewer. The more effectively the piece does this, the better the art.

Often artists are given the advice to, “paint what you love.” The reason this works so well is because when a person loves something, and takes the time to create a piece of art to reflect that love, that emotion shows in the picture. That picture has the power to communicate to the viewer the same emotion that was put into it. This being the case, it seems like equally good advice would include “paint what makes you laugh,” “paint what makes you cry,” or “paint what you hate.” Pieces that are most effective would then consistently get the qualifying reactions from their viewer. Thus a viewer might see some pieces of art that he or she hates. Does that make it bad art? No, not if the piece was meant to convey that emotion.

Check back tomorrow for Why Everyone Needs Art, part 2

“Konnichi-waaaaa minna san! It’s meeee Jessica Hoshi! Today we got a super treat for everyone. This is our first ever article with a video, because my friend Talitha-chan is super smart and can do anything with computers. This is an article that was written by a guest author and they said we could put in on our site. We love big kitties because Shannon-sama has a big kitty named Kishi that is a magical cat. So we got this article about three cheetahs at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Their names are Majani, Kubali and Karroo! The first two are brother and sister cheetahs. Majani is a Swahili word that means ‘grasslands,’ and Kubali is also a Swahili word that means ‘to accept.’ Swahili is a language that is spoken in Africa, which is where there are lots of cheetahs, but not so many now cause cheetahs are endangered. I’m gonna get Talitha-chan to put links in our Fun Places list about cheetahs so you can get involved and help out just like us! Arigato minna!”

Meet Majani, Kubali and Karroo

Zero to 60 in 3.4 seconds.

No, it isn’t the latest super car or souped up motorcycle. In fact, these “vehicles” have no metal parts, engines or wheels at all. They have names, though. They are Majani and Kubali, brother and sister cheetahs who reside at the San Diego Zoo and are featured every weekend at the San Diego Wild Animal Park’s Animal Shows.

Three cheetah cubs

Photo copyright © Patricia Tricorache/CCF

Majani and Kubali put on speed exhibitions at the new San Diego Wild Animal Park’s “Cheetah Run Safari” where guests line the track and can get an up close, thrilling view of the animals as they dash past, chasing a small mechanical lure at speeds well in excess of 60 miles per hour. Majani, whose name means “grasslands” in Swahili, is the larger brother of Kubali, whose name means “to accept” in Swahili. Majani also holds the distinction of being the largest and heaviest zoo kept cheetah in the country, weighing in at 144 pounds. The largest and heaviest cheetah recorded in the wild was scarcely one pound heavier at 145 pounds.

Because of her size and weight advantage, Kubali is slightly faster than her brother. This may also be due to the fact that, like many big cats, female cheetahs must develop better and more effective hunting skills since they are responsible for catching and providing food for their cubs.

But what is probably most charming about these two magnificent animals at the San Diego Wild Animal Park is the fact they have befriended two dogs from the local San Diego Humane Society. That’s right. Cats and dogs, living together. Clifford is a labrador and Bear is a labrador/chow who were “assigned” to Majani and Kubali respectively, and act as a calming influence on the big cats when they are performing for the public. Like all cats, cheetahs can be somewhat reclusive in unfamiliar situations, but with their companions around, it seems the brother and sister team have an easier time of it during the Cheetah Run Safari shows.

Just for fun, the park staff lets Clifford and Bear out on the track for trial runs before the stars of the show take to the starter’s blocks. While they are probably quite capable runners, as some dogs are, labradors don’t quite compare to the fastest land animal on the planet.

After their runs, the big cats are fed and spectators have an opportunity to listen as their loud purring is heard throughout Cheetah Outpost. The Cheetah Run Safari is available on weekends to spectators and guests by reservation and requires an additional fee which does not include admission to the San Diego Wild Animal Park or Zoo. The program includes refreshments and a 5×7 photograph of one of the cheetahs from the show.

The third “dog and cat” team at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Wild Animal Park is also a dog and cheetah team like Majani and Clifford or Kubali and Bear. They are Karroo and Sven, a cheetah and golden retriever team that appears in the “Wild Ones” show in the San Diego Wild Animal Park’s “Cat Canyon” area.

A cheetah running

Photo copyright © Patricia Tricorache/CCF

Karroo and Sven Olaf are the current caretakers of a historical dog and cheetah tradition at the park’s Cheetah Run and Cat Canyon, signified by a plaque commemorating the original team at Wegeforth Bowl in the park. The original team, consisting of a cheetah named Arusha and a golden retriever named Anna, performed and worked at the park together well into their old ages. Chobe and Jessie followed, and now, the featured dog and cat team of Karroo and Sven continue to thrill and delight audiences at the San Diego Wild Animal Park’s many shows and attractions, including the Zoo’s show at the Hunte Ampitheater.

Cheetahs are a unique species, and are among the most specialized creatures in nature. Their bodies are a wonder of aerodynamics, agility, speed and strength, and there is undoubtedly still much to be learned about the way they hunt and survive in the wild. Cheetahs live considerably longer in captivity than in the wild, and this will hopefully provide more opportunties to help this spectacular big cat overcome some of the challenges that are facing the 12,000 remaining cheetahs in the world, including inbreeding, genetic defects and various viruses and infections that cheetahs are susceptible to.

But in the meantime, there’s no reason that people cannot marvel at the incredible abilities of Majani, Kubali and Karroo at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Wild Animal Park. There is no better way to learn to appreciate wild animals, their habitat and humanity’s relationship with nature than to see nature’s strength and dignity in person, and that is precisely the opportunity shows like the Cheetah Run Safari and the Wild Ones provide. Endangered species like the cheetah and many others around the world are everyone’s responsibility, and learning more about both endangered species and species with healthy populations is an excellent way for people to develop a more profound understanding of both the world we live in and the challenges we share in preserving the natural world around us.