Monster Dog Show Catalogue by Savannah Alexandra

What is Monster Dog Show Catalogue about?

Monster Dog Show Catalogue was a compilation of images that I made in October. On Instagram and on other platforms, there's a trend called Inktober. It started out as a way for artists to practice inking and drawing on paper with pen and ink. It’s evolved into a crazy big thing where people pick months and draw around a theme during that month. For the past few years in October, I've been doing something called Dogtober. I've been drawing dogs every day for the month of October.

Last October, I decided I wanted to do mythical dogs because there are so many different myths, folklore, and legends around the world that talk about dog gods or dog Spirits. I thought it would be fun to feature them as if they were partaking in a yearly mythological dog show happening "beyond the veil." In this made up concept- ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and other mythological people bring their monster or dog spirits to be judged.  I researched a bunch of different dog breeds from around the world as well as different dog lore and myths in order to create these illustrations.

Each page in my book has the illustration, a short description of the lore that inspired it, the "Judge's Notes," and the dog's various names. 
The paragraph called “Judge’s Notes" was something I modified off of pre-existing dog breed standards plus what the lore implies about the mythological dogs. At a dog show, you have judges who come over and look at the dog. The point of the judges evaluating the dog is to have an unbiased third party and is well versed in the “breed standard” for that dog. They look to see if that dog fits that standard, and makes sure the dog is structurally sound and healthy.

I also made fake Kennel Names, Registered Names, and Call Names for each dog. Kennel and Registered names are to whom the dogs belong to and what their official name is when participating in shows. Call names are what you call the dog on a day-to-day basis, for example when they are at home. I based these names off of the lore surrounding these dogs. It’s fun information that I got to make while doing this project!

What inspired you to write this book?

When I was done with my Dogtober challenge, everybody wanted all the art pieces. But I didn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on prints. I thought, why don’t I just compile them all into a book!

Which drawing stands out to you the most, when looking back?

Fenrir comes to mind. I feel a personal connection to it because my mom is Norwegian, and Fenrir is a Norse wolf god. In my lore, I made him a wolf-like dog. I feel an attachment to him because of the Norse connection.

I also really like the Cadejo. They’re Hispanic and legend says there’s a good one and a bad one. They were fun to design because it was fun to make a cute looking one and a bad looking one.

Lastly the Xolo from Aztec legends. It was fun to design vibrant patterns on both the dog and the handler’s clothing, The Day of the Dead inspired this concept.

What part of the writing/illustration process did you find the most enjoyable with this book?

This project was a combination of different things I already enjoy creating. I really like dogs, dog breeds, and fashion.  I enjoyed being able to research fashion around the world and think about how to give them a professional and modern twist on existing historical and cultural looks. Getting to take traditional aspects of the outfits and incorporate them into a new design while still reflecting their roots.

I did the same for the dog breed designs as well. I looked at the lore and then I looked at the dog breeds that were created in that area, then tried to combine the two. I like researching existing topics or objects and then making them into something new.

I also enjoyed coming up with their kennel names and fake standards. I had some help from some of my friends who are dog fanatics that know more about the nuances of dog shows.