Announcing the David Wasting Paper 2013 Young Cartoonist Contest

Announcing the David Wasting Paper 

2013 Young Cartoonist Contest 

The David Wasting Paper Young Cartoonist Contest was created to pique the interest of junior artists who aspire to one day make their career in the captivating world that is cartooning. Although not a professional cartoonist by trade, I have always had a passion for all things creative. This contest was established in 2012 to honor the memory of my mother, Patricia Petrone, who passed away suddenly in May. My mother had a sincere appreciation for artistic talent…even the novice talents of her son…and would be very pleased that her memory lives on through this inspiring event.

The contest is open to artists between the ages of 13 and 16 who have an interest in cartooning and/or animation. The contest runs from November 1, 2012 to January 31, 2013. The Winner will be awarded an impressive cartooning starter kit which includes several great books by renowned artists, drawing supplies from leading art vendors and a Wacom Drawing Tablet! (See below for complete details). One Honorable Mention winner will also be chosen. To enter the contest, please follow the checklist below:

Entry Checklist

1) Comic essay: A two to four page comic story, starring yourself, that explains why you would like to pursue a career in cartooning or animation. Comic must be original and legible.

2) 3 additional work examples: May include character designs/studies, comic strips or single panel cartoons.

3) Brief biography: A short, one paragraph biography of the applicant.

4) Consent to participate: All applicants must have parental/guardian consent to participate. Submissions must include a note from parent/guardian 1) confirming participant’s date of birth, 2) certifying that entry is the original and unassisted artwork of the participant and 3) providing their consent for the child to participate in the contest. This note must be signed and include the parent/guardian’s address and phone number. Winner’s parent/guardian will be notified by phone and prizes will be shipped to address provided.

DEADLINE: All required materials must be received no later than 11:59 pm (EST) on January 31, 2013.

SEND ALL REQUIRED MATERIALS TO:

David Wasting Paper * C/O David Paccia * P.O. Box 579 * Raynham CTR, MA 02768

SEND ANY QUESTIONS TO: David Paccia c/o dmp1234@yahoo.com

Restrictions: This contest is restricted to US residents only, between the ages of 13 to 16. Only one submission per child will be accepted. Material submitted will not be returned, and by participating you authorize David Wasting Paper to reprint your submission for promotional purposes. Failure to include all required material will result in disqualification. All decisions are final.

PRIZES TO BE AWARDED:

A subscription to Stay Tooned! Magazine subscription generously provided by the publisher of the magazine, John Read.

The Mad Art of Caricature!: A Serious Guide to Drawing Funny Faces by Tom Richmond (Paperback) generously donated by author and president of the National Cartoonists Society, Tom Richmond.

Art supplies including pens, mechanical pencil and storage, generously donated by Jetpens.com

Sketchbooks generously donated by Karen Doherty at Exaclair Inc.  (6 Exacompta sketchbooks which contain heavyweight 100 gr. cream-colored paper made by the Schut Paper Mill in the Netherlands which was founded all the way back in 1617.

Bristol paper pads generously donated by Strathmore Artists Papers - 3 pads: WindPower Bristol Smooth, 11x14 7 pads: WindPower Bristol Smooth, 9x12 5 pads 300 Series Bristol Smooth 9x12 5 pads 300 Series Sequential Art, Bristol Vellum, 12x12 7 pads 300 Series Bristol Smooth 11x14.

Cartooning the Head and Figure by Jack Hamm (Paperback)

Big Book of Cartooning by Bruce Blitz (Paperback)

Drawing in 3-D by Mark Kistler (Paperback)

How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way by Stan Lee (Paperback)

Comics and Sequential Art: Principles and Practices from the Legendary Cartoonist (Will Eisner Instructional Books) by Will Eisner (Paperback)

Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels by Scott McCloud (Paperback)

Drawing Words and Writing Pictures: Making Comics: Manga, Graphic Novels, and Beyond by Jessica Abel (Paperback)

Cartoon Animation (The Collector's Series) by Preston Blair (Paperback)

Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes: Volume 1: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures by Walt Stanchfield (Paperback)

Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes: Volume 2: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures by Walt Stanchfield (Paperback)

The Simpsons Handbook: Secret Tips from the Pros by Matt Groening (Hardcover)

Character Mentor: Learn by Example to Use Expressions, Poses, and Staging to Bring Your Characters to Life by Tom Bancroft (Paperback)

Wacom Bamboo Splash Pen Tablet – includes Autodesk Sketchbook Express and ArtRage software.

In the event any of the books listed are no longer available, David Wasting Paper reserves the right to substitute titles. Total value of prizes to be awarded is over $600.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to the following for their generous donations:

Tom Richmond
John Read
Jetpens.com
Strathmore Artist Papers
Karen Doherty at Exaclair

I would also like to thank the following for their assistance and feedback:

Tom Gammill
Mike Rhode
Mike Lynch
Chris Gash
Stephanie Piro
John Klossner
Bill White

Finally, a huge thank you to my wife Patti who’s love and encouragement has been instrumental in getting this contest off the ground.

The Return of the Cartoonist Surveys

I've received quite a few emails wondering why there haven't been any Cartoonist Surveys posted lately and wanted to give you all an update.  On May 25th my mom passed away suddenly from a heart attack.  It was a huge shock to my family and me as we had no idea that she had any heart troubles.  What makes it even harder is that she lived down in South Carolina and I am up here in Massachusetts.  My wife and I made the trip down to SC (a 16 hour drive) with my aunt and spent a week trying to get everything in order.  To say this was overwhelming is an understatement, but with the support of my wife (who is my rock), friends and family I am doing as well as can be expected.

Later this week the Cartoonist Surveys will return.  First up is will be editorial cartoonist and caricaturist Don Landgren Jr.

A huge thank you goes out to all for your kindness and patience!

In the meantime, I would like to ask all friend's of David Wasting Paper to take a minute and help John Read of Stay Tooned! magazine to qualify for a small business grant he has applied for.  This grant will help him to keep publishing his wonderful magazine, that is a must buy for all fans of the comics.

To show your support please go to Mission: Small Business and click "Support", then login (you can use your Facebook credentials) and search for Stay Tooned! Magazine in the Madison, MS listings.  Place your vote and know that you are helping out a very deserving cause that will help keep John's labor of love in publication for many years to come.

Thank you again to everyone!

Issue #18 of Hogan's Alley magazine out now!

Yesterday, after a grueling day at work, I came home to find the latest issue (#18) of Hogan’s Alley magazine waiting for me in my mailbox. This is a great magazine, chock full of cartooning goodness that is well worth every penny of its $6.95 cover price. If you are a fan of the cartoon arts and you aren’t subscribed to Hogan’s Alley, now is the time to do it. Click here to subscribe now. There are also some really cool vintage cartooning, pop culture, and comics-related ephemera for sale here at the Hogan’s Alley Zazzle store.

In addition to Hogan’s Alley, you should also subscribe to John Read’s wonderful Stay Tooned! Magazine. Profiling professional artists from all of the major fields of cartooning, Stay Tooned! is a must read for anyone interested in cartooning.

Clairefontaine Sketchbook Review

A couple of weeks ago the very nice Karen Doherty at Exaclair Inc. sent me a sketchbook to try out. It is the 8” x 8” Clairefontaine and it has 50 sheets of 120 g acid-free paper.

Click on all of the pictures to enlarge them.

I was amazed to find out that the paper used in Clairefontaine’s fine art paper is made by a mill almost 400 years old. Learn more here.


This is the back cover. Both the front and back have a nice thick plastic cover in case you get caught out in the rain.


I really like the thickness of the back because I’m usually not sketching on a flat surface.


A blank sketchbook waiting for some ink.

Various pen lines - Lamy Safari fountain pen, Faber Castell Pitt, Staedtler Pigment Liner, Rotring Art Pen, Pigma Micron, Prismacolor, Uni-Ball Vision Elite, Mars Professional

Watercolor pencils - Derwent and Staedtler Karat

Watercolors - Koi 24 color and Winsor Newton Sketchers' Box

Copic markers - they do bleed through, but they bleed through just about anything anyways.

Quick sketches to accompany some quotes from Homer...both of them.

I really like this sketchbook and look forward to filling it up. The paper takes a nice smooth pen line even though it is medium toothed and also handles watercolors well without much buckling. The heavy back cover is definitely a plus.

Head over to the Exaclair Inc. website to see more products from Clairefontaine as well as from Rhodia, Quo Vadis, J. Herbin and more. You can purchase your own Clairefontaine 8" x 8" sketchbook from any of the online retailers here or find a store near you that carries them.

Thanks again Karen!