Creature Design by Chance

For the "Chance" project I will be doing a study in creature design utilizing the "Coin Flip", "Dice Roll" and "Card Pick" techniques.

Referencing a list of parameters, creative choices on how a creature should be designed will be decided by chance. Steps are as follows:

1) Roll dice and choose animal Phylum based on number rolled.

       -1 = mammal, 2 = bird, 3 = reptile/amphibian, 4 = fish, 5 = insect

2) Roll dice to then decide what biological Order and, if necessary, roll again to choose which biological Family to use.

      - if "mammal" was chosen, 1=primate, 2=carnivore, 3=hooved animal, etc...
     - if then "carnivore" was chosen, 1=bear, 2=dog, 3=cat, 4=weasel, etc...

3) From here, specialized, custom cards will be used to determine what, specifically, the characteristics the creature will possess.

     - cards will chosen at random and include categories such as "animal size", "fur color", "animal build", etc.
     - if two cards from the same category are chosen, a coin will be flipped to determine which card remains a part of the design.

4) Once the creature is completely designed, I will then draw out the creature to the best of my ability to resemble what was chosen through the chance techniques.

NOTE: This method is designed to produce results that resemble animals found on Earth. The method could be changed to create creatures that look completely otherworldly, but for the sake of the project the scope is being limited.

Entry 1: Response to Readings

If generative art includes that of complexity, order, and disorder (or chaos), then it would encompass a broad range of art in general. Nearly anything could be said to contain order or disorder. How does one distinguish according to one of the rules in "What is Generative Art?" by Galanter, that generative art "must be restrictive enough that not all art is generative art."

One could make the argument that chaos, as it is described in the above article, is not possible when concerning working with computers to make art. If the computer is always acting on the programmer's wishes, how is it possible to make art that is truly "random"? The creation of a randomizing function is still orderly, so the creation of anything chaotic will, at its base, be orderly.