Case in the point: Matthew Hodge.

Here’s his story:

On August 22, 2009 Matthew Hodge, the 17-year-old son of former Disney story artist and Big Idea productions director Tim Hodge, was in a serious auto accident. A train struck his car at 50mph as he was crossing the tracks. While Matt suffered neither broken bones nor any internal organ damage, he did receive severe head trauma causing him to remain in a state of coma today. Matt is a high school senior, a straight A student, and a drummer in his state championship marching band.

Being self-employed, the Hodge family has short term medical insurance that will not fully cover all of their bills. Additionally, with the care they are giving Matt, full-time work is not possible for Tim right now. This loving family is relying on their faith and the love of family and friends for their survival. This is a tragic accident that will forever affect their lives as the road to recovery for Matt may be a long one.

To help the Hodges get through this hard time, the National Cartoonists Society Foundation has taken them under their wing and organized a fundraising auction on eBay. Illustrators, Cartoonists, Concept Artists, anyone who can pick up a pencil have contributed their artwork to help raise money for the family. Interested in helping out? Bid on any one of the amazing pieces of art that are up for auction on eBay right now. Here are just a few to choose from:

To find out more about Matthew Hodge and this cause, check out the Help the Hodges site, or go straight to the NCS Foundation eBay Store.

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Helping the Hodges!

Calvin: “I’ve been thinking, Hobbes.”
Hobbes: “On a weekend?”
Calvin: “Well it wasn’t on purpose…”
- The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes, p155

I wanted to be Stupendous Man, and Spaceman Spiff, and I wanted to solve crimes as Tracer Bullet. And I can safely say that at ten years old, my large(ish) vocabulary was almost entirely due to trying to imitate Calvin’s memorable personality. He was the highlight of every Sunday.

People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don’t realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world.
- The Revenge of the Baby-Sat, p100

Dear Mr. Watterson

Since the final strip was published in 1995, the popularity of the Bill Watterson’s beloved comic has not waned. On October 26, 2006, rumors began of a documentary in the making called Dear Mr. Watterson. The following year, the still-strong Calvin and Hobbes community learned that very early pre-production had been started and that filming was now in the works. At the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con, those behind the project came forward to talk more about what they had in mind, and we met the faces behind it: Joel Schroeder, Andrew Waruszewski, Matt Mcusic, and Christopher Browne. Last year, the crew released a teaser trailer with interviews from Seth Green, Berkeley Breathed, and other cartoonists, and the project picked up momentum. On December 15, 2009, Dear Mr. Watterson put out a call for help; they wanted to raise at least $12,000 to cover the cost of production. They hoped to raise it in 90 days.

Twenty-one days later, they had surpassed their goal, thanks to the support of Calvin and Hobbes fans worldwide. As of today, they have well over $13,000 and donations are still coming in.

I can’t tell if that’s funny or really scary.
- The Days are Just Packed, p64

This project just goes to show how large of an impact Bill Watterson’s creation has had on the lives of so many people. The books that contain the most beloved of these comics are still selling strong at every bookstore, and it is rare to find anyone who has not read at least one strip and smiled. It is easy to see even a little of one’s self in Calvin. He is every child – even the best of us.

I’M SIGNIFICANT! … screamed the dust speck.
- There’s Treasure Everywhere, p30

Links to the Project

For more information about the Dear Mr. Watterson project, please visit any of the following links:

• DearMrWatterson.com
• @dearmrwatterson
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Donate to the Project!

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For the Love of Calvin

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Happy Winter from FYillo

School of Visual Arts: The Book Show

The Book Show

September 24 – October 14
Reception: Tuesday, September 29, 6 – 8pm

School of Visual Arts (SVA) presents “The Book Show,” an exhibition of 20 book projects completed by students in the MFA Illustration as Visual Essay Department. The exhibition is curated by Department Chair Marshall Arisman and faculty member Carl Nicholas Titolo.

The exhibition features Emma Augylius’ book Kylie’s Dream Recipe about a mouse that visits a girl who doesn’t have dreams; Jonathan Bartlett’s Tertium Comparison, which combines images and quotations; Wesley Benson’s Cynthia’s Robot, about a new girl in town who befriends the robot next door; Kristy Caldwell’s There’s No Picnic without a Pickle, about a who girl gets help opening a pickle jar from magical creatures; Siyu Chen’s The Treasonous Hippocampus, an illustrated memoir of the author’s life; Christopher Darling’s 111th Street, a story about a day in the life of a deer living in New York City; Anat Even-Or’s sketchbook story about the lives of five different characters; Kelley Hensing’s book about a child coming to terms with the concepts of free will, self-awareness and the loss of innocence; Brendan Leach’s Flin Flon, Manitoba, about a young man’s preoccupation with ice hockey legend Bobby Clarke; Hye Su Lee’s Shall I invite you to my childhood?, a recreation of the author’s childhood diary; JP Peer’s Brazil is With You, a story of a young professional soccer player who leaves Brazil for a career in England; Laura Peyton’s story about the separation of two friends; and Clayton Rodery’s MARTIAN, about a Martian colonist who goes missing during a routine space walk.

The exhibition also features the work of Matthew Barteluce, Nathan Bulmer, Jeffrey Dalessandro, Anne Emond, Thomas Knowler, Sarah Knotz and Andrew Roberts.

SVA Gallery / 209 East 23 Street / Free and open to the public

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MFA Illustration as Visual Essay: The Book Show

The visual language of this book is rooted in old silent movies, with moody washes and brisk linework giving energy and life to this world. In promoting this book, the author and publisher have created animated vignettes of the work which connect even further this idea of movie. Seeing the pages and drawings dissolve into one another while listening to Small’s raspy narrative gives further insight into this deep and emotional story.

Stitches: book website / animations (vimeo) / W.W. Norton

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David Small: Stitches

• Society of Illustrators
• Illustrators 52

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Society of Illustrators: Illustrators 52

Under communist control, there was a shortage of materials like paper, and there was no art market. There was, however, unlimited funds provided by the state to produce poster art, so many artists flocked to the field for a chance to do what they loved. The printing techniques were somewhat dated, forcing the artists to be creative and not use photographs. Since they had little influence from the west, their posters took on an illustrative style all their own, where an artist’s interpretation of the subject could flourish. A number of the posters used visual whit to showcase their product, and many artists found ways to rebel against the repressive regime. Most alluring during this era are the film posters, where the artist’s representation of the movie is often more poetic than literal.

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Polish Movie Poster Art from the Cold War Era

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