Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Portunus Pelagicus, Jason Louie, Special Collections, Fleet Library

12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest 2026

Entry for the 12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest. Opening reception and award ceremony Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 6:30pm, Fleet Library, 1st Floor Main Reading Room. Juror: Gabrielle Reed.

I, Object, Mahrukh Khizar, Special Collections, Fleet Library

12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest 2026

Entry for the 12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest. Opening reception and award ceremony Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 6:30pm, Fleet Library, 1st Floor Main Reading Room. Juror: Gabrielle Reed.

The Big Book Of Little Joys, Nina Uy, Special Collections, Fleet Library

12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest 2026

Entry for the 12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest. Opening reception and award ceremony Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 6:30pm, Fleet Library, 1st Floor Main Reading Room. Juror: Gabrielle Reed.

Our Future Is Bright, Ellie Wolgemuth, Special Collections, Fleet Library

12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest 2026

Entry for the 12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest. Opening reception and award ceremony Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 6:30pm, Fleet Library, 1st Floor Main Reading Room. Juror: Gabrielle Reed.

Whale Falls, Cora Zeng, Special Collections, Fleet Library

12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest 2026

Entry for the 12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest. Opening reception and award ceremony Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 6:30pm, Fleet Library, 1st Floor Main Reading Room. Juror: Gabrielle Reed.

Enhancing Facial Expressiveness For Games Through Procedural Animation, Abhijit Varanasi

All Theses

Facial animation is one of the most important parts of bringing characters to life in video games and virtual experiences. This thesis explores a new approach to creating more expressive facial animations using procedural techniques and blended facial performance for more flexibility. The project uses FACS (Facial Action Coding System), which breaks down facial expressions into small, measurable muscle movements. By building a facial rig based on these muscle units, the character’s face can be animated in a way that reflects real human emotion. The animation in this work is not just pre-recorded, though it can respond in real-time to …

European-Islamic Ceramics From The Eighteenth Century Onward, Katherine Collins

Honors Program Theses and Projects

The foundation for this examination rests upon prior research analyzing ceramic traditions and trade routes across East Asia and the Islamic Empires from the eighth to the sixteenth centuries. This knowledge establishes how East Asian innovations, such as porcelain and underglaze techniques, flowed westward through the Middle East via silk trade routes, profoundly influencing South Asian, Middle Eastern, and Ottoman ceramic production and aesthetics. They were able to trace how crucial Islamic technical traditions, including lusterware and tin-glazing, were subsequently transmitted to the Mediterranean basin through conquest and trade. This provided the technical vocabulary necessary for European precursors such as …

Platforming For Circuit Education, Grady Oliver Schneider

Computer Engineering

The purpose of this project was to provide an alternative for students being introduced to resistive circuits. As a freshman in electrical engineering (transferred to computer engineering), I saw the struggles of other freshman to grasp the conceptual basics of circuits. While there’s lots of guides to circuit education, I think many of them fall short of being both engaging and teaching the intuition behind circuits. A lot of the more advanced concepts in circuits depends on the basic intuition of KCL, KVL, and Ohm’s Law. While there’s several basic techniques (such as voltage divider, current divider, and mesh current …

Pepita Pardell: Paradigma De La Invisibilización De La Mujer En El Cine Animado Español, Marta Pardell Carretero

GDI. Revista de investigación de Género, Diseño e Innovación

Pepita Pardell i Terrade (Barcelona 1928 – 2019) es pionera del cine de animación. Participó en la primera película que se rodó en España, Garbancito de la Mancha (1945), que también es el primer film hecho en Europa con la técnica del acetato (Pagès, 2018), así como en las principales producciones que se rodaron hasta 1993. Es también la primera mujer en codirigir cine de animación en España y en ser animadora jefe de un estudio. Su trayectoria es singular, inusual y vertebra la historia de la animación hecha a mano en nuestro país. Sin embargo, su trabajo no …

Greekmate: Communicating Startup Value Through Design And Marketing, Cameron Do-Khanh

Graphic Communication

This project examines how design and marketing can improve communication for early-stage software by applying these principles to GreekMate, a candidate management tool built for student organizations. The software functioned well but lacked a strong brand identity and clear value communication. Using Diffusion of Innovation Theory and research on UX strategy, the project focused on redesigning the brand system and marketing website to make the product easier to understand and more appealing to its audience. The redesign included a new visual direction, updated hierarchy, clearer feature explanations, and a more energetic style that aligned with student expectations. Informal user feedback …

From Inside The Recording Studio, Mckayla J. Adkison

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This project documents the historical, technical, and creative significance of recording studios through both industry examples and the design and construction of a personal backyard studio. By examining iconic studios such as Abbey Road and Capitol Records, the paper highlights how technological innovation, acoustic engineering, and architectural design have shaped the evolution of recorded music. These concepts are then applied to the planning and construction of a custom-built recording studio, emphasizing room dimensions, sound isolation techniques, acoustic treatment, lighting, and sustainable design choices. In addition, the project addresses the importance of aesthetics and emotional comfort in creating a space that …

Ecotheology For Kids, Lana Glenn

Theses

This project includes research into the eco-anxiety of children and how ecotheology may help ease the children’s minds. This project is meant as a sign of hope in the climate crisis; there are so many reasons to look forward to ecological improvements for the Earth. As adults, we should remind children of these reasons to be hopeful for the future. This 24-page book has illustrations with prayers to help calm the readers, while the cover is informational and inviting.

The Vampire In Video Games: Narrative Structures, Game Mechanics, And Cultural Significance, Ricardo Longo Minervino

Theses

This thesis examines how vampires are represented in video games by analyzing narrative structures, game mechanics, and cultural meaning. Using the existing games of Vampyr, V Rising, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, The Sims 4: Vampires, Skyrim: Dawnguard, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Bloodlines 2, the study identifies which design strategies successfully create an engaging and believable vampire experience for the player, as well as determining which development decisions could hurt the experience for players. Using formalism, symbolism, feminist methodology, and player reception theory, this thesis argues that vampire games function best when players confront moral dilemmas, experience consequences for feeding …

Processing Self, Ethan B. Mckellar

All Theses

Processing Self is a body of sculptural and utilitarian ceramic work that explores the intersection of the materiality of clay with the expression of grief and vulnerability. In this work I utilize the process of building unstable ceramic vessels and the communal action of wood firing to translate the experiences of grief and care into physical forms. As I build, I manipulate the clay to its limits, allowing it to falter under its own weight, and display the breakage and damage. By committing to support each vessel through its creation, I make a promise to persevere, echoing the commitment I …

Virtus Fidelis: Design In Modern-Day Catholicism, Elisha N. Butryn

Honors College Theses

Art plays a major role in how we view the world, and particularly, how we view religion. This thesis explores those themes and how design appears in modern-day Catholicism, and how Catholicism can impact design through the development of the brand Virtus Fidelis.

Script To Animatic: Reading Between The Lines, Kallie Jenkins

Master of Fine Arts in Digital Media Culminating Experience

This capstone describes the foundational steps created as a process for developing three scripts of varying genres into full animatics. This project guides you through the process of adapting a script written by an outside author and visually developing it to represent the story being told. Looking past the script, this project explains how to add depth to the characters in ways that shape their visual direction. It shows how those character choices influence body language, acting, and the environments around them, emphasizing the importance of composition, camera work, and the way a scene’s framing depends on the personality and …

Intentional Improvement Through 3d Environment Art, Samuel T. Pinnex

Master of Fine Arts in Digital Media Culminating Experience

The idea of self-growth can be exciting—the thought of where one might be in the near or distant future is exhilarating. As an artist, this is even more apparent. On the other side of that coin, the realization that it is all up to you can oftentimes be overwhelming. We all want to improve, and we want our work to improve with us as a showcase of that improvement. Over the past two years, I’ve learned how valuable it is to adopt a “growth mindset”. Once I became comfortable with this idea, the responsibility for my own self-growth no longer …

Wellspring: Visual Development For An Animated Series, Jane Anderson

Master of Fine Arts in Digital Media Culminating Experience

This paper delves into the interconnected stages of worldbuilding and storytelling for animation. Beginning with a single character sketch, the project explores and reports multiple phases that investigate how ideas take shape across different artistic mediums. Both visual and narrative processes are analyzed, including character and environment design, comic creation, and the production of hand-drawn animation tests. Each stage functions not only as a method of artistic study but also as a means of refining the story’s tone, themes, and visual identity. These explorations inform the final component of the project - a comprehensive show pitch package. This pitch synthesizes …

The Absence Of Something: Addressing Underrepresented Lgbtqia+ Communities In Video Games Through Holistic Character Design Techniques, Lydia Myers

Master of Fine Arts in Digital Media Culminating Experience

This research identifies pain points and gaps in current LGBTQIA+ representation in the video games industry, and showcases the characters that I have created in response to those pain points. Despite the games industry representing LGBTQIA+ individuals often, certain communities under the umbrella are included less often, less accurately, and less respectfully than others. The goal of this research is to identify important considerations for respectfully portraying underrepresented queer communities in video games: specifically transgender, nonbinary, asexual, aromantic, and polyamorous communities, which are especially under-explored. My included characters were created via a holistic approach to character design. Despite my professional …

Methodologies For Generating Passive Income As A Digital Artist, Levi Stone

Master of Fine Arts in Digital Media Culminating Experience

This research provides an in-depth exploration of 3D workflow methodologies for digital merchants, how and why to implement them, and their correlation with passive income earnings. Digestible strategies regarding the development, packaging, marketing, and sale of assets for digital marketplaces are explored at length. Motivated by the state of the digital media industry, this research demonstrates that secondary income is possible through consistent, applied methodologies. Topics include environmental storytelling, the importance of being user friendly, material variance, and much more. The author demonstrates the impact of reframing your approach when designing products with the intention to sell, and explores the …

Ayo: A Creative Fusion Of Advertising And 3d Modeling, Onyedika Okonkwo

Master of Fine Arts in Digital Media Culminating Experience

This culminating experience project tells the story of Ayo, an original cereal mascot developed through the intersection of advertising strategy, personal storytelling, and 3D modeling. Rooted in my professional background as an art director, this project represents my transition from 2D print design to digital sculpting, blending branding principles with character-driven visual storytelling.

Ayo and the fictional cereal brand Surf ’n’ Crunch serve as a portfolio-ready advertising pitch, built through reflective practice. My creative evolution at ETSU: first attempting animation, discovering its limitations for my skillset and timeframe, and ultimately embracing 3D modeling as a medium that aligns more naturally …

The Art Of Fantasy Illustration, Kurt Woodward

Master of Fine Arts in Digital Media Culminating Experience

This Culminating experience project showcases the full process for creating fantasy illustrations in the context of creating a tabletop board game. This project embodies all the different artistic elements that can go into creating a fantasy board game such as card illustration, logo design, card design, and board game covers. The author demonstrates skill and understanding of these elements as they pertain to their own purpose in the grand scope of this project.

For Emily Whenever I May Find Her, Dinah Biga, Special Collections, Fleet Library

12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest 2026

Entry for the 12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest. Opening reception and award ceremony Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 6:30pm, Fleet Library, 1st Floor Main Reading Room. Juror: Gabrielle Reed.

Helen Marie Besch… Sure Is A Student At Risd, Helen Besch, Special Collections, Fleet Library

12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest 2026

Entry for the 12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest. Opening reception and award ceremony Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 6:30pm, Fleet Library, 1st Floor Main Reading Room. Juror: Gabrielle Reed.

One Unending Thing, Keira Callahan, Special Collections, Fleet Library

12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest 2026

Entry for the 12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest. Opening reception and award ceremony Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 6:30pm, Fleet Library, 1st Floor Main Reading Room. Juror: Gabrielle Reed.

Unearthed Material, Hannah Chosid, Special Collections, Fleet Library

12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest 2026

Entry for the 12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest. Opening reception and award ceremony Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 6:30pm, Fleet Library, 1st Floor Main Reading Room. Juror: Gabrielle Reed.

Chokor, Tauseeq Gulzar, Special Collections, Fleet Library

12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest 2026

Entry for the 12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest. Opening reception and award ceremony Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 6:30pm, Fleet Library, 1st Floor Main Reading Room. Juror: Gabrielle Reed.

"Remove The Jacket", Shay Killeen, Special Collections, Fleet Library

12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest 2026

Entry for the 12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest. Opening reception and award ceremony Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 6:30pm, Fleet Library, 1st Floor Main Reading Room. Juror: Gabrielle Reed.

Dolores (From "Lolita"), Minmin Liang, Special Collections, Fleet Library

12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest 2026

Entry for the 12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest. Opening reception and award ceremony Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 6:30pm, Fleet Library, 1st Floor Main Reading Room. Juror: Gabrielle Reed.

Do Fish Have Dreams On Land?, Ellie Lin, Special Collections, Fleet Library

12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest 2026

Entry for the 12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest. Opening reception and award ceremony Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 6:30pm, Fleet Library, 1st Floor Main Reading Room. Juror: Gabrielle Reed.