“Help The Hodges” Update

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I’m leaving today to spend the weekend in Lincoln, Nebraska where I’ll be attending the annual meeting of the North Central chapter of the National Cartoonists Society. We’ll be judging submissions for the “comic strips” category of the NCS Reuben Awards. There will also be some presentations by other artists, some good food, and lots of goofing off.

Before I leave I wanted to update you on the “Help The Hodges” art auction on ebay. If you haven’t heard, hundreds of very cool animation- and cartoon-related items are being auctioned off to raise money for animator/writer/producer Tim Hodge, who’s son Matthew is in a coma after a car he was in was struck by a train.

Over the course of about three weeks a steady stream of items was being auctioned off. Then, without warning, ebay killed the auction and yanked it offline. I don’t know the details but apparently there was a misunderstanding that resulted in an accidental violation of one of ebay’s many fine-print policies. Over 150 items were wiped out in mid-bid.

The good news is that things have been ironed out with ebay and the auction will start up again on Saturday, February 27. As soon as it does you’ll be able to view a list of all the available items at HelpTheHodges.com. There will be a ton of neat stuff up for sale.

Before the auction was interrupted I was fortunate enough to land the winning bid on an autographed Disney maquette of Kuzko from “The Emporer’s New Groove”. It arrived in the mail yesterday and is currently perched atop the computer desk in my studio until I can build a proper shelf for it:

“Help The Hodges” is a great cause and a big win-win. There’s something neat for every fan of animation or cartooning, and its all for a good cause. But if bidding isn’t your thing, you can also give a Paypal donation to the Hodge’s at HelpTheHodges.com.

VeggieTales Creator Launches New Series (Video Trailer)

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A few days ago I blogged about a new series from the Phil Vischer, the creator of VeggieTales, called “What’s In The Bible?”. Here’s a short video introducing the series:

I’ve had the honor of doing some animation work on the series (including the puppet choir shown in the video). Volumes 1 and 2 will go on sale in Christian bookstores on or around March 1.

You can get the latest info, as well as follow “What’s In The Bible?” on Facebook and Twitter, by visiting the official site.

This And That

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More misc. links and news of interest from around the web:

Mort Drucker Interview – Stephen Silver has posted his video interview with famed caricaturist Mort Drucker over at Schoolism.com. The video, part of his new “Maters Series” is over two hours long. For $39.95 you can have unlimited access to the video online for 30 days. (Sorry, due to piracy concerns its not available for download or to buy on DVD).

Pricing and Contracts Tutorials – If you are new to freelancing, illustrator/designer Mark Monlux has created two short slideshow presentations you should check out. One explains how to price your work, the other walks you through the basics of a good freelance contract.

Call For Entries – The National Cartoonists Society is now accepting submissions for their annual division awards. You don’t need to be a member to apply. Deadline is Feb. 6.

Who’s Who of Animation Studios – All animated films do not come from Disney. Here’s a quick run down on the top animation studios.

Free Graphic Novel – My friend Sherwin Schwartzrock is an amazing designer/illustrator. A few years ago he illustrated a graphic novel called ArmorQuest. He’s now giving them away for free.

“Help The Hodges” Art Auction – The first third of the “Help The Hodges” cartooning and animation art auction is in full swing over on ebay. If the auction is too rich for your blood but you want to help out, you can donate through Paypal at HelpTheHodges.com.

“Help The Hodges” Art Auction Starts Today

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Today at 10:00am Pacific time is the start of the “Help The Hodges” art auction (ebay link). It’s not only a chance to bid on some *fantastic* cartoon and animation art but you’ll also be helping a good cause.

The drummer pictured above is Matt Hodge, teenage son of animation writer/producer Tim Hodge (Mulan, VeggieTales). Back in August Matt was in a car that was struck by a train. He survived but remains in a coma. When it was time for the Hodge’s health insurance to be renewed the insurance company decided they would no longer cover Matt since he now had a “pre-existing condition”. So the Hodge’s are on their own to cover all future medical bills.

I once went to the emergency room after gashing my finger with a knife. They sent me home with a band-aid and charged me $300. I can’t imagine what it costs to care for someone who is 100% dependent on others day in and day out.

I don’t know Tim well but I did some character design work on the 3-2-1 Penguins! TV series for which he was the producer. I’ve heard nothing but great things about him. It’s so sad to watch this black storm cloud continue to hover over his family. Fortunately Tim seems to be holding up well and facing everything with grace and even a little humor.

To help out, animation artist Chad Frye, with the help of the National Cartoonists Society Foundation, has been working hard to put together the coolest ebay auction ever. Artists from all corners of the animation and cartooning industries have donated original artwork to help raise money for the Hodge’s. Approximately 150 items have been donated including work by some top-drawer artists, as well as maquettes, posters, and signed DVDs. There’s so much cool stuff I don’t even know where to begin!

You could own an original sketch from “Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends” creator Craig McCracken…

…or an original Mickey Mouse animation drawing by Frank Thomas from “The Brave Little Tailor”….

…or an original drawing by “Kung Fu Panda” character designer Nicolas Marlet!

The auction is so large that it will be spread out over three weeks. To browse the entire collection visit HelpTheHodges.com. You can also get the latest on the auction on Facebook. [EDIT: The auction is being split into three groups of 50 items. The first group (listed here) goes up for sale throughout the day today, approximately one every seven minutes. Then next 50 items will go live on January 28 and the final 50 or so items will go live on Feb. 4.  CLICK HERE to view all the items that are currently available on ebay.]

If you aren’t the bidding type, or if the auction gets too rich for your blood, you can always give a tax-deductable donation by clicking on the “Paypal” link at the “Help the Hodges” website.

Finally, for the latest on Matt’s condition you can also follow Tim’s journal on the family’s CaringBridge page.

Most of all, please remember the Hodge’s in your prayers.

Mort Drucker Clip From “The Master Series”

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Artist Stephen Silver has put together an amazing new video that cartoonists are going to love. “The Masters Series, Vol. 1” includes lengthy interviews with three living legends: Mort Drucker (MAD Magazine), Stan Goldberg (Archie Comics), and John Reiner (The Lockhorns). Over the course of 2 hours and 15 minutes we get to see each artist hard at work in their studio and listen as Silver interviews them on their process, technique, inspirations, and a host of other topics. An extended preview of the Drucker segment is shown above.

This video is the first volume in what will hopefully be a long line of videos. You can watch “The Masters Series” on Schoolism.com starting January 20, 2010. The cost is $39.95. Pay once and you’ll be able to watch the video online over and over again to your heart’s content. Unfortunately you won’t be able to download a copy due to pirating concerns. That’s disappointing but I can’t blame Silver for his decision. In art and animation circles inspirational nuggets like this often get traded and shared like candy, regardless of copyright concerns, so I don’t blame him for being overly protective. He put a lot of hard work into the video and deserves to earn a bit of coin for his efforts.

See you at Schoolism.com on the 20th!

My Blog Is Now On The Amazon Kindle

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Earlier today I submitted my blog for publishing on the Amazon Kindle. The blog should be reviewed and approved by Amazon.com within 48-72 hours. has been approved! Kindle users can now subscribe to my blog and read it on the go.

I’m not a Kindle user (yet) but my understanding is that Amazon.com charges a small fee for users to view/read blogs on the device. There is a free 14-day trial for each blog, after which the price varies but is usually around $0.99-$1.99 per month. (EDIT: Looks like they have priced my blog at $1.99/month.) Unfortunately as the blog owner I have no control over the pricing, it is set entirely by Amazon. I’d offer my blog for free if I could. Frankly I’m not sure if this is going to be a good strategy for Amazon since readers can follow blogs for free on just about any other device (iPhone, Blackberry, laptop, etc.). But as of now its the only option available.

(Full disclosure: Blog owners, including me, receive 30% of the subscription price for each blog. However, I’d rather offer it for free if I could and gain more readers that way. It’s not like I’m gonna get rich off of the Kindle.)

Still, the first 14 days are free so if you are an avid Kindle user and like to follow blogs you may want to give it a try. The Kindle is only black-and-white and the resolution is not great so I’m guessing its far from the ideal way to read an art blog. But if you follow a lot of blogs the Kindle is one more way to stay on top of it all.

Feel free to leave a comment below and let me know how it goes.

Even if you’re not a Kindle user, I’d be grateful if you could take a brief minute to review/rate my blog on Amazon.