Fund Raising Update: incentives.

Whether you know it or not, we are at war... war with a disease that is affecting more and more people every day.  We lost Kage Baker last week, one of my favorite Authors, to cancer.  I can list easily a dozen more people I know personally that have this horrible disease, or know someone who has lost someone to cancer, or are taking care of someone with a form of cancer.  In fact, if you do not know someone with cancer, then you are a minority... one of the lucky few.

I hate this disease for what it does to people, and to our society.  It takes from us the people we love, it robs us of great minds that could have done wonders if given more time, and it drains us... mentally, physically... I hate it.  I'm not a Scientist or a Researcher or Doctor, so what can an Illustrator and Cartoonist do, who is tired of sitting by dong nothing?  My answer is this fund raiser.  I am hoping to raise money for the American Cancer Society, and I pray that they are going to take this money and do some good.

So far we have raised $260!  Yay, us!  That's not enough, of course, but it's a start.  I have set a modest goal of $1000, with the hope of collecting more, and the fear of collecting less.  Let me state right away that this fundraiser is not putting anything in my pocket. This is why I chose to go through FirstGiving.com and to donate through them to the American Cancer Society.  It's all legit, and in the open.  You can see how much is collected, and you can read how much goes to the American Cancer Society, and at their website you can see what they do with their money.  Everything seems to be above board, as they say. :0)

Because I feel so strongly about this, and because of who I am, I have chosen to create special incentives for those of you who do donate through my site.  HappyGlyphs Comics and I have created special artwork that you can see above for a Thank You card, and a very nice collectible pin featuring our mascot, the HappyGlyphs Sheep.  The pin is exaclty like the pins you can get at Disney, except it features my sheep, instead of Goofy or Pluto.  The same quality and collectibility, but different.

Hopefully these gifts will be enough to encourage you to donate to a worthy cause. No, you shouldn't be donating just to get gifts, but it is a great cause, and there are so many places you can donate, sowhy not here?  And why shouldn't you be rewarded for taking your time and your money, and for helping those families who are ravaged by this disease.  Yes, ravaged. If you haven't experienced cancer, you have no idea how bad it can be for the person suffering, and for their loved ones.

Please donate, if you can.  Thanks,    JOHN :0)

http://www.firstgiving.com/johnsteventon

PS How can I forget? When we reach $1000 in donations, I will put your names in my hat, and choose one lucky winner to win the original art for the Knight Family in Disneyland illustration you see above.  Heck, here's a scan of the original art here. Ain't it pretty?

Kage Baker, Rest in Peace

I have just learned that Kage Baker has passed away... from cancer, no less.

Kage will forever be one of my favorite Authors, and I wished I had taken the time to tell her how much her work has meant to me. We had corresponded a few times, and each time was wonderful... intelligent and funny, like her. Her being famous, though, I felt like I shouldn't 'bother' her, and so kept correspondence to a minimum. I wish now I hadn't, and in fact I was planning on writing to her soon. Damn my procrastination, and damn cancer.

If you are unfamiliar with her works, I highly recommend the Company series, in which a company discovers both time travel and immortality... but both have a catch. To make a long story short, they create immortal agents throughout time to save and preserve mankind's treasures, such as rescuing scrolls from Alexandria moments before the big fire. Heck, I can't tell you how wonderful these stories are, so don't listen to me... go check them out at your favorite bookstore or library, and pick one up if it gets your attention.

I would say start at the beginning, but In The Garden of Iden, her first of the stories, reviews have been mixed. It's a great story, and sets off a huge story arc with as many plot twists as real history. However, 'some' people say it reads like a harlequin romance. I didn't have that problem at all, and treasure that book as much as any other. My favorite immortals are Joseph and Lewis, so books featuring them are top of my list. Kage does have some short story collections bases on the series, so you may want to start there?

What can I say? I will miss her works, and regret not being able to correspond with her further. I'm sorry that I never met her, and will not have the chance now.

I hate cancer. Kage Baker is yet another reason to fight this horrid disease, and I will be pushing my fund raising for the American Cancer Society even harder now.

More on my fundraiser in a future post. I now am offering incentives, and a contest, for those who do donate. This disease affects so many, and now we are deprived of another great soul. The world is a much worse place without Kage Baker here.

JOHN

Cartooning 101: Props and Models

I remember as a kid getting a new plastic model kit like the Aurora Prehistoric Scenes or MPC Pirates of the Caribbean model kit with Snap Action! I'd tear open the box, twist pieces from the sprues, start gluing the pieces together, and then read the instructions that say "never twist pieces off the sprue" and "don't glue piece a to piece b or your model will not work" and "paint these pieces before gluing". Well, fortunately I sometimes find a bit more patience now than I had in those days. :0)



No matter what kind of Cartooning or Art that you do, chances are there will come a time when you'll need a model or prop to help you draw or paint something. In the old days we kept a photo morgue of all kinds of people and objects in various poses and situations, and now of course we have the internet where gazillions of photos can be brought up at the touch of a key. Still, photos don't always do it for me. Sometimes you just can't find a certain angle, or a high enough resolution to work out a detail. A solid understanding of how an object is made is usually necessary to draw that object correctly, or having that object readily available for study.
{Update: I've added the above cartoon which I did a long time ago, just to illustrate what happens when you can't find good reference! I had to keep the boat way up front to hide details off screen, and ended up using an unatractive aluminum skiff. The boys definitely deserve better. :0) ]



Well, with The Inquiring Minds especially, I find myself needing to draw boats, and boats are tricky! All those curves and such... and yes, there are plenty of photos of boats online, but I've never been satisfied with any of them. You can buy toys, of course, cheaply, but sometimes toys take shortcuts, are not realistic, or just don't have the details you're looking for. So... I found a wooden model kit...a Do-it-yourself from bottom up model of a skiff, which honestly left me feeling like a dinghy at times. :0)



Midwest Products Co, Inc has a line of beautiful looking boats of all sorts. Now I have a lot of projects going on, but I just couldn't resist "The Skiff" all wood display model, with a skill level of 1. HA! Okay, it wasn't that bad, but there were times I thought I was crazy for attempting this. The instructions are actually very detailed, and mostly straightforward. There are a few places I took notes where they needed to be clearer, but overall the boat came together with a lot of patience, a little cursing, and a lot of gluing my fingers together.



No, it wasn't easy, but it was rewarding. Even though the wood split at one point, and wouldn't bend at another, I had the smarts to work things out... and hope that paint would cover anything else up. :0)

And since my boat is being used by The Inquiring Minds, a few scrapes and scuffs make it all the more realistic looking. Now.... if I could only think of a name? What would two young boys interested in adventure name their boat?

Cheers, JOHN :0)