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.

I'm Mad for "The Mad Art of CARICATURE"!

I just received Tom Richmond's "The Mad Art of CARICATURE" book in the mail. All I can say is WOW! This book is THE book on caricaturing. I highly recommend that if you are interested in any type of drawing, cartooning or illustration that you immediately head over to his Deadline Demon Publishing and get your own copy!



Learn more about Tom and see many more examples of his fantastic artwork at his website and blog. You can also still read his answers to the Cartoonist Survey.

The Mad Art of CARICATURE

If you are interested in caricaturing, comics or drawing at all, here is one book you must buy!

If you don't know who Tom Richmond is; first feel shame, then give yourself 30 lashes and finally head over to his The MAD Blog and spend a few hours looking around. Trust me you will not be disappointed.

He is offering four options for ordering the book,

(1) Signed.

(2) Signed with an Alfred E. Neuman Sketch.

(3) Signed with an Original Sketch from the book.

(4) Signed with an Alfred E. Neuman Sketch & an Original Sketch from the book.

He is taking pre-orders now and the books will ship in September.

Tom, who was recently selected to be the 34th President of the National Cartoonists Society, was nice enough to participate in my Cartoonist Survey (#89) way back in March of 2010.

Go here to read it. Then go buy the book!

2010 National Cartoonist Society Award Winners

I would like to congratulate all of the winners and nominees of this year's National Cartoonist Society Awards!

...and the winners are,

REUBEN AWARD for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year
Dan Piraro (Cartoonist Survey #28)

TELEVISION ANIMATION
Seth McFarlane - “Family Guy”

FEATURE ANIMATION
Ronnie del Carmen - Storyboard Artist - “Up”

NEWSPAPER ILLUSTRATION
Tom Richmond (Cartoonist Survey #89)

GAG CARTOONS
Glenn McCoy

GREETING CARDS
Debbie Tomassi

NEWSPAPER COMIC STRIPS
Jerry Scott & Jim Borgman - “Zits”

NEWSPAPER PANEL CARTOONS
Hilary Price - “Rhymes with Orange”

MAGAZINE FEATURE/MAGAZINE ILLUSTRATION
Ray Alma (Cartoonist Survey #124)

BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Dave Whamond - “My Think-A-Ma-Jink” (Cartoonist Survey #107)

EDITORIAL CARTOONS
John Sherffius

ADVERTISING ILLUSTRATION
Steve Brodner

COMIC BOOKS
Paul Pope - “Strange Adventures”

GRAPHIC NOVELS
David Mazzucchelli - “Asterios Polyp”

Tom Richmond - Cartoonist Survey #89

Illustrator, cartoonist and caricaturist extraordinaire, Tom Richmond was born in 1966. He graduated from The College of Visual Arts in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1989. While at college he worked a summer job drawing caricatures at Six Flags. He was soon married and he moved to Atlanta with his wife for a little while. In Atlanta he managed a caricature operation for Fasen Arts at Six Flags, soon opening his own caricature concession in downtown Atlanta. At the same time he was drawing comic books for NOW comics and Marvel comics. Tom moved to Minnesota with his wife and their baby daughter and in 1991 he opened another caricature concession, this time at Valleyfair theme park. He also expanded his freelance business, by doing work for cd-rom games, publishers, magazines and advertising clients. While working towards his goal of drawing for MAD magazine he did some work for Cracked, the Minnesota Twins and National Geographics for Kids. In 2000 Tom started working for MAD and he has been ever since. His movie and TV parodies appear in just about every issue. He is a member of the National Caricaturist Network and the National Cartoonist Society, winning awards from both organizations including three NCS divisional Reuben Awards for “Advertising Illustration”. He has opened many more caricature concessions including one here at Six Flags, New England. He presently lives in Minnesota with his wife and children working out of a studio in his home. Tom runs the wonderful MAD blog where he shares his knowledge through tutorials, weekly sketches and his Sunday Mailbag feature. Do yourself a favor and be sure to visit his website and his blog. Oh yeah, he’s a bodybuilder too, so don’t give him any lip.

What is your favorite pen to use?
If you mean what do I ink with, then that would be the Gillott 303 pen nib, the Hunt 102 crow quill and a #2 sable brush. If you mean to write out checks that would be the Uniball Vision Micro (black ink).

Do you draw in pencil first and if so do you use a standard pencil or a mechanical one?
Yes, I usually do rough sketches with a Mirado Black Warrior 2 HB pencil (that's the old fashioned kind with the rubber eraser on the end and needs a pencil sharpener), and for final pencil work I use a clutch-type lead holder with a 2mm lead, usually with an H or HB Staedtler Mars graphite.

Do you do your coloring by hand or on the computer?
Almost all on the computer these days... PhotoShop.

If you do your coloring by hand, what do you use?
On the rare occasions I do traditional color I use either watercolors for line and color work or acrylics for more painted stuff.

What type of paper do you use?
For sketching and roughs, I use a 67# Vellum bristol. For final work a Strathmore 500 or 400 series bristol with a kid finish.

What thing(s) do you hate to draw?
I don't hate drawing anything but I get annoyed drawing a lot of things. I was annoyed at drawing bicycles today, because I just had to draw a bunch of them and they are a pain to draw. Tomorrow I will be annoyed with drawing something else. (Editor's note: The sample picture above is what Tom is referring to when talking about drawing bicycles.)

Do you buy your supplies from big chain art store catalogues/websites or a local one that you physically go to?
Sadly all the close local art stores closed up around my hometown, and the closest ones are a fair drive away. Usually I order my supplies from a local art supply warehouse over the phone or I will drive all the way there if I am in a pinch... I try to support local art supply sellers.

Are there any rituals that you do before starting to draw?
I used to bang my head against the foundation wall in my basement for good luck, but my doctor made me stop that. Now I just put on clean underwear.

Do you listen to music while you draw and if so what genre?
I listen to music when I am doing the conceptual work on a given job (sketching, layout, drawing, etc) and it's usually classic rock like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin or similar. When I'm inking and coloring I listen to audiobooks.

Did you read comics as a kid and if so what was your favorite?
As a young kid Batman was always my favorite, and Captain marvel. Later it was Star Wars.

What is or was your favorite comic strip?
My favorite was Bloom County back in it's heyday... today I'd have to say Pearls Before Swine.

What was your favorite book as a child and do you still own a copy of it?
My favorite book was and still is The Lord of the Rings, and I have a copy of it now but not the same as I had then... I wore it out reading it.

Did you have any formal art training and if so where did you receive it?
I went to what was then the School of Associated Arts in St. Paul, MN (now the College of Visual Arts) where I learned nothing about cartooning except that all the teachers at the school thought cartooning was what artists with no talent tried to do when they failed as real artists.

Do you feel that the Internet is a blessing or a curse?
It's a curse in that it is destroying the traditional model of publishing and has the industry in a turmoil, but it's a blessing in that it will eventually define the next evolution of publishing and will be the vehicle through which artists and writers share their work and (hopefully) also make a living.

Did either of your parents draw?
My parents were excellent at drawing baths, cards and occasionally flies if they hadn't draw baths in some time. They could not draw with a pen and paper to save their lives.

Who in your life is/was the most supportive of your art?
My wife, The Lovely Anna. She is both my most honest critic and my most supportive fan.

Do you keep a sketchbook?
Yes but I seldom get to draw in it. I do at least a sketch a week, but that is nothing.

Have you ever taught cartooning/drawing and if so did you enjoy the experience?
I've been teaching young artists how to draw live caricatures for over 20 years via my theme park caricature operations. It can be frustrating but when you work with someone who is genuinely enthusiastic and really puts for effort it is always gratifying to see them grow.

Do you feel that talent or passion is more important in drawing?
Passion, because talent is nothing if it's not challenged or paired with the desire to excel. I know many artists with lesser talent than some who are far more successful as artists because they have passion and with it perseverance.

Do you collect anything and if so what?
I used to collect head injuries until I stopped that pre-drawing ritual I mentioned before. Today I collect old Batman toys and generally cool stuff.

If you were an animated cartoon character who do you think you would be?
Stephen Pastis.

Are you a righty or lefty?
Righty.

If you weren't an artist what would you want to do for work?
I'd be a bartender. I make a mean chocolate martini.

In one or two sentences describe your drawing area.
A room in my basement, full of every imaginable distraction on earth... and a drawing table.

Do you play any musical instruments?
I can play a few songs on the guitar, but not well.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone who wants to pursue drawing as a career what would it be?
Be happy with your skill level today, but don't be happy if you have the same skill level tomorrow. Never stop working to improve and aim high in your work.

Who is your favorite artist?
ONE FAVORITE?!? If I was forced to choose one I'd have to say Mortjackwally Druckerdaviswood.

Thank you very much Tom, especially for all the information you post on your blog.

Former president of the National Cartoonist Society and creator of the strip Soup to Nutz, Rick Stromoski is next.