Senior Thesis

Hey there! For those of you who don't know me, I'm Meghan, a senior art studio major. When I graduate I will have only been an art major for three semesters and I am so very glad I made the decision to switch from nursing to art. From the day I began taking Darrell's Art 234 course, I knew I wanted to be a graphic designer. Although I am past the days of being a biology major, I still have an interest in the sciences (in fact I will still be earning a biology minor). More specifically I am very interested in the world we live in and our impact as humans on the nature around us. For my senior thesis I have decided to design a series of prints on animals that are extinct directly due to humans.

Unfortunately, there are several animals to choose from. The first animal I have chosen is the West African Black Rhinoceros, which was officially declared extinct in 2011, but was most likely extinct years before then. While they have been low in numbers before, the most detrimental reason that they are now extinct has been poaching. It is widely believed throughout Asian countries that the rhino's horn can be ground up and mixed with water to cure anything from a hangover to cancer. Of course, there is no scientific proof of this, because it is not true. However, people still buy into the lie and continue to perpetuate the killing of hundreds of rhinos per year to get their hands on the very expensive horn. The thought that an entire species has been wiped off the planet for the sake of a false hangover cure is mind boggling.

With that being said, here is a very rough draft of what I have been working on for the rhino design.

My goal is to design these prints using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop and then use various printmaking processes to translate them onto paper. Once I begin that process I will post an update!