Wow! My Kickstarter Is Off To A Great Start!

Illustration by Cedric Hohnstadt

I’m truly blown away. My new Kickstarter, the Pose Drawing Sparkbook, has had a tremendous first day.

In the first  24 hours it passed the $2,000 mark (I’m currently at 26% of my goal). All 50 of the early bird specials have been purchased; the project is featured on the “Popular This Week” page under Kickstarter’s “Publishing” category; and it has received over 800 “likes” on Tumblr. Big thanks and high-fives to all of my fans and backers!

This is a fantastic beginning but there’s still a long way to go. I’m told that most of the contributions to a Kickstarter project happen at the very beginning of the campaign and again at the very end. The first 48 hours can be crucial. So I’d like to humbly ask all of my blog readers to please spread the word. Let’s make this thing happen!

In addition to the Kickstarter page, you can also remind your friends that I’m giving away a free download of 100 sketchbook ideas to promote the project, no strings attached. Just point them here: https://cedricstudio.com/sparkbook/

In the mean time, I’ll be working hard to spread the word and keep buzz going as well.

Why Every Artist Needs To See “The Artist”

The Artist

A picture really is worth a thousand words.

Tonight I saw “The Artist”, a feature film getting a lot of buzz. It just won three Golden Globe including best film (musical or comedy) and some say it deserves an Oscar for Best Picture. I wouldn’t quite go that far but it is a very good film.

What’s makes “The Artist” especially remarkable is that it’s a black and white silent film. The soundtrack consists almost entirely of music and sound effects. On the rare occasion when characters do speak their dialogue is written out on old-timey title cards, just like a Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton film. I know that sounds awful but trust me, it works. In a way the absence of dialogue actually improves the film because all of the other storytelling devices have to work harder to pick up the slack. The actions have to be clearer, the acting more expressive, the editing sharper, and being forced to say everything with pictures alone makes for some very creative and compelling visuals.

As an illustrator I found “The Artist” to be a powerful reminder that a tremendous amount can be said simply and elegantly with pictures alone. The right poses, expressions, and body language can communicate great depth and feeling without saying a single word. The movie really inspired me to think more deeply about the power of my drawings to communicate, entertain, and even to move people. The next time I sit down to draw the film will still be reverberating in my mind, challenging me to think harder about how I can say more with my drawings.

If, like me, you make your living drawing pictures then you absolutely must see this film. Study it. Replay it in your mind. Especially if you work in storyboards, comics, animation, or other storytelling mediums.

Here’s the official trailer:

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Upcoming Events for Twin Cities Cartoonists

This weekend there will be a lot of neat goings-on for Minnesota comic book and cartoon fans.

 

 

For starters, the North Central Chapter of the National Cartoonists Society will be holding it’s annual get-together here in Minneapolis. As part of the event, NCS president and local illustrator Tom Richmond has put together a special event for the public on Friday, October 14. Things kick off at 6:30pm when cartoonist Stephan Pastis (Pearls Before Swine) will give a public lecture about his work. Then at 7:30pm there will be a panel discussion with Q&A featuring several professional cartoonists from around the Midwest. Both events will take place at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in Auditorium 150.

 

 

 

Then on Saturday October 15, comic book creators and fans from all over the Midwest and beyond will be gathering at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds for FallCon, Minnesota’s annual fall comic book convention. As usual I’ll have a table so stop by and say hi. The National Cartoonists Society will also have a table so you’ll have a rare opportunity to meet several professional cartoonists from around the region.

 

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Finally, while you’re at FallCon MAD Magazine’s Tom Richmond will be selling copies of his brand new book The MAD Art of Caricature, hot off the presses. My copy hasn’t arrived in the mail yet but from everything I’ve seen it looks like it will be one very thorough, very helpful book. Tom’s been leaking snippets here and there on his blog, and you can tell from the above video that it’s no lightweight volume. There’s a zillion “how to draw” books out there, thankfully it looks like this one will rise well above the norm. Tom has a reputation for not cutting corners and this looks like a top-notch effort. If you can’t make it to FallCon you can order copies of the book here.

Charity Animation Auction Tomorrow for Pres Romanillos

A few months ago a charity art auction was held to support animation artist/director Tim Hodge who’s teenage son had been hit by a train and is now in a coma. It was a tragic situation but fortunately $79,000 was raised to help with medical bills. Some terrific animation and comic book art was donated. I myself snagged an animation maquette of Kuzko from Disney’s “The Emperor’s New Groove”.

Chad Frye, who organized the “Help the Hodges” auction, has just sent out a notice about another similar charity art auction taking place tomorrow (Sunday June 20) for animator Pres Romanillos who is fighting Lukemia:

We just wanted to let all you Help the Hodges supporters know that tomorrow (June 20), there will be a live auction of some AMAZING artwork to help support fellow animator Pres Romanillos who is suffering from Leukemia. When we were collecting art for our own auction earlier this year, Pres did three drawings for us. Since then, his cancer relapsed and needs our help.

If you cannot attend the live auction, there are instructions on their website on how you can place an absentee bid. Much of the artwork will astound you. They even have at least one piece we sold (original Peter Pan art) that was generously donated by the buyer.

Pres is really a great guy, and Help the Hodges wishes him and his family all the best.

http://www.pres-aid.com/

I browsed the auction listings and there is a very impressive collection of art available for bidding. This auction is being done live instead of on ebay but if you can’t attend in person you can bid absentee.

My best wishes go out to Romanillos and his family.

This And That

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.

You Write The Caption

On Saturday a local comic book shop was promoting an event and hired actors to walk around dressed as super heroes. It was as close as I could come to attending Comic-Con this year.

During a break my friend Mike snapped this photo in the parking lot:

Here’s your assignment: Write a funny caption and post it in the “Comments” section (please be clean and tasteful). Unfortunately I don’t have a cool prize to offer, this is just for fun.