Chinese Zodiac Project
Statement
This project was inspired by the upcoming Chinese Lunar new year and I wanted to
create something special because I had fun with adobe live's 2018 Chinese new year post
card challenge which was the year of the dog. I took it upon myself this year to challenge
myself to create the 12 zodiac animals before the new year begins. I wanted something
that's recognizable and at the same time minimalist. The project was create one animal
each day to help bring awareness to the Chinese cultural holiday and it's first year to be
recognized by New York City as an official holiday to help Chinese Americans celebrate
their cultural tradition.
Project
The project was created using adobe illustrator and inspiration from the 12 Chinese zodiac
animals that are portrayed in the lunar new year. My constraints while doing this project
was only time and I wanted to finish the project before the week of the new year. I haven't
used adobe illustrator since 2014 and getting back into it was a rusty start, but eventually a
lot of the tools and commands started coming back to me along with learning a couple of
other tools that I have never used like the shape builder, blend and slice tools. These tools
made creating complex shapes from basic ones much more simpler.
Rooster is almost the epitome of fidelity and punctuality.
For ancestors who had no alarm clocks, the crowing was significant,
as it could awaken people to get up and start to work.
In Chinese culture, another symbolic meaning
of chicken carries is exorcising evil spirits
Oxen used to be capable farming tools in agricultural society,
which attach to the symbol of diligence, persistence and honesty.
People born in the Year of Ox are probably tardy in action,
but industrious and cautious. Most of them are conservative
and hold their faith firmly.
Snake carries the meanings of malevolence,
cattiness and mystery, as well as acumen and divination.
In some places, people believe that a Snake found
in their court can bring delight. However, in most cases,
this animal is considered evil, which scares people
from the bottom of the heart. There are some idioms in China
indicating the danger of this animal, for example,
once bitten by the Snake twice shy of ten years.
For Chinese people, the rabbit is a tame creature
representing hope for a long time. It is tender and lovely.
The moon goddess Chang'e in Chinese legend had a rabbit as her pet,
which stimulated the thought that only this creature was amiable
enough to match her noble beauty. People born in the Year of the Rabbit are
not aggressive but approachable. They have a decent, noble and elegant manner.
Sheep (goat, or ram) is among the animals that people like most.
It is gentle and calm. Since ancient times, people have learned to use
its fleece to make writing brushes and fur to keep warm.
The white cute creature often reminds people of beautiful things.
The Dragon enjoys a very high reputation in Chinese culture.
Chinese people regard themselves as descendants of the dragon.
In ancient China, this imaginary creature was thought to speed across
Though people consider the rat not adorable, and
it even makes its way into derogatory languages,
it ranks first on the Chinese zodiac signs.
It has characteristics of an animal with spirit, wit,
alertness, delicacy, flexibility and vitality.
The Five Elements of Horse is Fire "Huo", which symbolizes enthusiasm
and energy. The animal gives people an impression of independence and integrity.
Its spirit is recognized to be the Chinese people's ethos making
unremitting efforts to improve themselves with passion and diligence.
Dog is man's good friend who can understand the human's spirit
and obey its master, whether he is wealthy or not.
The Chinese regard it as an auspicious animal. If a dog happens
to come to a house, it symbolizes the coming of fortune.
The invincible God Erlang in Chinese legend used a
loyal wolfhound to help him capture monsters
The monkey is a clever animal. It is usually compared to a smart person.
During the Spring and Autumn Period (770 - 476 BC),
the dignified Chinese official title of marquis was pronounced 'Hou',
the same as the pronunciation of ‘monkey’ in Chinese.
The animal was thereby bestowed with an auspicious meaning.
Pig is not thought to be a smart animal in China.
It likes sleeping and eating and becomes fat.
Thus it usually features laziness and clumsiness.
On the positive side, it behaves itself, has no plan to harm others,
and can bring affluence to people. Consequently, it has been regarded as wealth
Tigers, considered to be brave, cruel, forceful, stately and terrifying,
are the symbol of power and lordliness. In ancient times, people
usually compared emperors or grandees with the tiger. Court officials often said
that 'accompanying the emperor is just like being at the side of a tiger'.
There are also many legends about this animal
