Amazing Taiyo Matsumoto Art Being Auctioned

Tekkonkinkreet Screenwriter Anthony Weintraub alerted me to the amazing fact that Taiyo Matsumoto is auctioning off an original piece of Tekkon Kinkreet artwork, in support of Tsunami and Quake Relief in Japan. It’s a Japanese auction site, but Google Translate should be able to give you the jist of it:

http://page3.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/c291243779

This double page-splash of Black and White (the leads of the book) was originally drawn in 1997, and looks to be made of pastels or something? Pencil crayon? It’s just awesome. As of writing, the auction is up to 211,000 yen, or about $2423 Canadian. I cannot afford this, sadly, but maybe some of you out there can. Bidding ends on Sunday.


Incidentally, if you’ve got the Viz All-in-one edition…

Take off the dust jacket and flip it over, and you can see your very-own copy of this illustration 🙂

– Christopher

ARTISTS HELP JAPAN: TORONTO FUNDRAISER APRIL 17

Hey everyone, this is an event I’m helping to organize here in Toronto on April 17th. I would love it if you could attend, and help us spread the word!

Artists Help Japan: Toronto
Toronto’s Illustration Community Fundraiser for Quake and Tsunami Relief
At REVIVAL, 783 College Street, Toronto
…Sunday April 17th, 12 Noon to 12 Midnight
Free To Attend – All Ages

http://artistshelpjapan.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=208247572520178

FEATURING LIVE ART BY:
Kei Acedera [Alice In Wonderland]  –  Kalman Andrasofszky [X-23]  –  Jason Bradshaw [Boredom Pays]  –  Bobby Chiu [Alice In Wonderland]  –  Svetlana Chmakova [Nightschool, Dramacon]  –  Julie Faulkner [Promises Press]  –  Ray Fawkes [Possessions]  –  Agnes Garbowska [Girl Comics, Marvel Comics]  –  Scott Hepburn [Star Wars]  –  Stuart Immonen [Fear Itself]  –  Dale Keown [Pitt]  –  Eric Kim [Oni Press]  –  Ken Lashley [Black Panther]  –  Alvin Lee [Street Fighter, Marvel Vs. Capcom]  –  Jeff Lemire [Sweet Tooth]  –  Francis Manapul [The Flash]  –  Kagan Mcleod [Infinite Kung-Fu]  –  Alex Milne [Transformers]  –  Joe Ng [Street Fighter]  –  Ramon Perez [Captain America]  –  Marcio Takara [The Incredibles]  –  Marcus To [Red Robin]  –  Eric Vedder [Darkstalkers]  –  Chip Zdarsky [Prison Funnies] – Jim Zub [Skullkickers]  +  More To Be Announced!DJ SETS + MUSIC PROVIDED BY:
RIVIERA [PERFECTO,MYTH, KINETIKA NYC], LAZY RAY [NIGHTTRACKIN’], GERRENCE [NIGHTTRAKKIN’], ALVARO G [KINGS OF LATE NIGHT], ROLAND GONZALES [STUDIO+], CARLOVEGA [STUDIO+], JASON ULRICH [LAB.OUR UNION],SHINGO [HOT SAUCE], UNCLE MATTY & DUTTY MAUS [THE BEACS]

TORONTO—Toronto’s Illustration and Artistic Community comes together on April 17th in a 12 hour art-event at Revival. The unique event will raise money to aid relief efforts in Japan following the devastating recent earthquake and tsunami there. Spearheaded by a consortium of Toronto illustration studios, the Artists Help Japan: Toronto event is the local iteration of a charity movement begun by Pixar Art Director Dice Tsutsumi. The Toronto edition will feature live art shows, a silent auction, and dozens of artists and illustrators selling commissioned drawings, with all proceeds benefiting the Canadian Red Cross.

“As artists we are tremendously inspired by Japan and Japanese culture,” says Bobby Chiu, the illustrator, teacher and founder of Toronto’s Imaginism studios behind the Artists Help Japan: Toronto event. “We were all personally affected by the quake, tsunami, and resulting damage. It is important to give back for all that Japan has given us, and we can think of no better way to do so than with our art.”

Artists Help Japan: Toronto will feature more than 24 artists and illustrators from the Greater Toronto Area creating original drawings for 12 hours! This is an unprecedented opportunity for the general public to commission an original drawing from a professional artist and watch its creation in process; the artist’s fee will be donated entirely to the Canadian Red Cross.

In addition:
– Dozens more cartoonists will donate original art, books, and other rare items to be featured in a silent-auction on-site at Revival Bar.
– Live art demonstrations from Toronto Illustrators on stage, with the final pieces to be auctioned off live at the event
– $1 from the sale of every drink at Revival Bar will be donated to the Canadian Red Cross.

Admission to the ARTISTS HELP JAPAN: TORONTO event is free, and all ages are welcome. The event will run from 12 Noon to 12 Midnight.

ABOUT:

Artists Help Japan is a charity movement initiated by Dice Tsutsumi, an art director at Pixar Animation Studios, who was also behind 2008 Totoro Forest Project to help preserve Sayama Forest in Japan and Sketchtravel Project, to gather the force of communities of artists and creative minds around the world. We believe artists have special roles to contribute to the society. http://artistshelpjapan.blogspot.com/

Artists Help Japan: Toronto is spearheaded by Imaginism Studios President and illustrator Bobby Chiu, who was contacted by Dice Tsutsumi to run the Toronto event. Working with Illustrator Alvin Lee, Udon Entertainment CEO Erik Ko, writer/artist Jim Zubkavich, and Christopher Butcher of Toronto comic book store The Beguiling and the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, the team hopes to bring together Toronto’s diverse and exciting artistic community to engage the public in an unprecedented fundraising endeavour.

All proceeds from Artists Help Japan: Toronto will be donated to the Canadian Red Cross, specifically earmarked to aid in Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief.http://www.redcross.ca/

SPONSORS:

Revival Bar has been entertaining guests, visitors and fans as a premium event space since 2002. Revival has generously donated the use of their main space for the Artists Help Japan: Toronto event, and will be donating $1 from the cost of every drink to the fundraising efforts.http://www.revivalbar.com/


Japanese Film Screening for Tsunami Relief April 5th

My friend Chris Magee of J-Film Pow-Wow just sent me this note about a benefit film screening that he’s running on Tuesday, April 5th. The film looks like a lot of fun and I’m going to try and head out to it myself, and I really wanted to spread the word too!

Hello Friends,

The Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow is proud to present the Toronto Premiere of Yosuke Fujita’s comedy FINE TOTALLY FINE on TUESDAY, April 5th at THE REVUE CINEMA at 7:00PM. 100% of the proceeds from this screening will be going to Japanese earthquake/ tsunami relief. TICKETS ONLY $8.00 AT THE DOOR!

Yosuke Fujita has made a truly feel good indie comedy with his story of Teruo (YosiYosi Arakawa), a tree trimmer whose mission in life is to make the scariest haunted house experience in Japan. He enlists the help of … his best friend Hisanobu (Yoshinori Okada), a hospital administrator, in his bone-chilling plans, but Hisanobu is starting to doubt if two guys heading into their 30’s should really be spending their time trying to scare the life out of people. The lives of these two friends takes a turn when accident prone artist Akari (Yoshino Kimura) comes to work at Hisanobu’s hospital. Can wanting to terrify people, growing up and falling in love co-exist in these two slackers’ lives?

100% proceeds from this screening of FINE TOTALLY FINE will go directly to SUPPORT JAPAN – GAMBARE/ JustGiving, a relief fund created by Yuko Shiomaki, the president of PICTURES DEPT., the distributor of FINE TOTALLY FINE. Japan is facing its greatest crisis since WW2. Please come out to see a great film and to help those in need! Read more about JustGiving here: http://justgiving.jp/c/3385

Thanks to Pictures Dept. and Third Window Films for making this event possible.

SEE THE TRAILER HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gIVJxdcRuI&feature=related

READ A REVIEW HERE: http://jfilmpowwow.blogspot.com/2009/01/review-fine-totally-fine.html

Hope to see you all at the screening on the 5th!

Best,

Chris MaGee

Founder & Editor & Chief
The Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow

Happy, Smiling Faces

I forgot to note it on the “Where’s Chris?” widget there, but this week I moderated a discussion for about 20 kids aged 8-14 on comics and graphic novels, and stuff they might like. Joining me were Willow Dawson (left) and Evan Munday (right), who spent the day running through awesome comics creation workshops with the kids.

I was just emailed this picture and thought I’d share, because it was a fun time and because Willow and Evan are great, and you should check out their stuff:

Willow Dawson, artist of the book No Girls Allowed and creator of the how-to-make-comics-guide Lila and Ecco’s DIY Comics Clubhttp://willowdawson.com/

Evan Munday, Marketing dude for Coach House Books and creator of the graphic novel series Quarter-Life Crisishttp://www.idontlikemundays.com/

– Chris

Help Japan

I’m having a tough time with what’s going on in Japan right now. I never visited Sendai but we did travel through/nearby in 2009, on our way from Nikko to Aomori. It’s further south than I had thought, about half way between the northern tip of Japan’s main island and Tokyo. Travelling by train I saw a lot of the countryside; the news reports from the area matched my memories of travelling which has made the disaster more personal. I still can’t imagine what it’s like for the people who are there though, and my sympathies and condolences go out to everyone affected.

I’ve donated a few dollars and watched the news constantly, and at this point there’s not much else to do. I did want to put up a brief post saying that I hope things get better, and if you’ve ever enjoyed my travelogues or photos of Japan I hope you’ll consider donating a few dollars to the various organizations trying to aid folks in distress.

I recommend: http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/, who are the first organization to send people and aid into the hardest-hit areas.

Also the Red Cross is setting up a relief fund. If you text REDCROSS to number 30333 in Canada, or 90999 in the U.S., you can donate $5 or $10 really easily and every little bit helps.

Thanks for anything you can do,

– Chris

Toronto Tonight: Skullkickers Launch

If you’re in or around Toronto tonight, we’re throwing a launch party for my buddy Jim’s new graphic novel SKULLKICKERS. It’s from 5-7pm, and we’ll probably go for a drink after and Jim will tell stories about comic books.

Feel free to drop by!

– Chris

PR: Small Press Symposium in Chicago March 24th

Small Press and Comics Symposium of Chicago
Hosted by The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Thursday, March 24, 4:30–8:00 p.m.
SAIC Ballroom, 112 S. Michigan Ave.

Free and open to the public

The stubborn work ethic of Chicago’s independent publishers and comic makers will be explored in the second annual Small Press and Comics Symposium of Chicago, hosted by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) on March 24, 2011. Through panel discussions with ten Chicago presses and comic artists, SAIC’s Small Press and Comics Symposium will investigate the who, what, why, and how of comics and independent publishing—exploring the means and modes of self and small-run publications.

The SP&CSC will be composed of two separate panel discussions featuring comic artists Chris Ware, Onsmith, Corrine Mucha and Aaron Renier, as well as representatives from small-press publishers Front 40 Press, Featherproof Press, Green Lantern Press and the Poetry Magazine. The discussions will be moderated by two of Chicago’s most prominent publishing and comics scholars: Sally Alatalo and Hillary Chute. The questions posed to the panelists will address many issues including: the art of self-publication, the changing cultural status of comics, and the efficacy of collaborative working situations.

For more information: www.saic.edu/spandcsc
Email: comicsymposiumofchicago@gmail.com
Poster Design by Lilli Carre
About the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
A nationally accredited leader in educating artists, designers, and scholars since 1866, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) offers undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate programs to nearly 3,200 students from around the globe. Located in the heart of Chicago, SAIC has an educational philosophy built upon an interdisciplinary approach to art and design, giving students unparalleled opportunities to develop their creative and critical abilities, while working with renowned faculty who include many of the leading practitioners in their fields. SAIC’s resources include the Art Institute of Chicago and its new Modern Wing; numerous special collections and programming venues provide students with exceptional exhibitions, screenings, lectures, and performances. For more information, please visit www.saic.edu