Gilda’s Club 07/10/12

The kids did an amazing job of creating their own flip flop books tonight!  They drew creatures onto three different pages, then made those pages into a book and cut the pages into three sections so that when they turned one flap the creature became an entirely new beast!  Some of their creations were: dogs with serpent tails, hydra dragons, Teddy bear cats and even a part ox/part insurance salesman!  Thank you to Elana Amity, John Jay Cabuay, Joan Chiverton, Joe Jurewicz, Oded Naaman and Elizabeth Winter for volunteering.

New Alternatives for Children 06/28/12

Thank you, NAC kids, for the most wonderful night! You are an inspiration. We drew many characters from the kids’ favorite summer reads and had lots of smiles and laughs all the while.
Thank you also to first time Ink Wellers, Steve Brodner, Peter de Sève, and Paul Harmon, joined by long time volunteers, Jeanine Henderson, Joyce Pedretti and Elizabeth Winter.

Gilda’s Club 17th Birthday Party!  06/08/12

We had a fantabulous time, drawing the kids and families at Gilda’s Club’s 17th party last night.  Thank you to Ray Alma, Bil Donovan and Ed Steckley for capturing the faces of so many happy revelers!

Ronald McDonald House, L.A. 05/17/12

Bellevue Hospital, 04/03/2012

We dished up a fantastic night with the Bellevue kids, making “face plates!”  We took cardboard plates, drew characters on them and then decorated them with healthy, delicious treats like dried fruits and veggies and of course a little something from the chocolate food group.  Thank you so much to the amazing kids and to our dear volunteers, Elana Amity, Sangjun Chon, Dayna Gonzales (first timer!), Elizabeth Winter, and the woman behind the plan, our IWF Bellevue Event Leader, Jane Archer.

Encouraging Learning

We were honored to draw with this young man named, Kevin, at our Valentine’s event for families being served by the Ronald McDonald House. He brought some of his own work and talked with us about his desire to follow a career in the arts.  Long-time Ink Well volunteer, Long Island Chairperson of the National Cartoonists Society and Society of Illustrators member, Adrian Sinnott, got to draw with Kevin and recognized his promising gift.  So Adrian contacted us and made up a “starter” kit for Kevin, consisting of an art pad, pencils, and this great book on drawing the head and hands.  Thank you, Adrian, for your generosity, and good luck to you, Kevin.  Your skill, energy and enthusiasm will take you far.

Sunrise Day Camp, 03/25/12

There was an art tornado at Sunrise Day Camp this weekend!  We had tons of fun drawing with about 100 kids who all had great ideas of their own and taught us a lot about coloring mermaids, drawing new anime characters and how to sit perfectly still for a caricature too.  It was a good day.  Thanks volunteers, Ray Alma, Roberta Fabiano, Marty Macaluso, Joyce Pedretti, Tim Savage, Joe Vissichelli, Elizabeth Winter, and a great big welcome to two extremely talented new artists who’ve just joined the group, Marvel artist, Paolo Rivera and  illustrator/designer/cartoonist, Katherine Roy!  (Pics awaiting approval.)  

St. Mary’s Hospital, 03/10/12

Thank you Ray Alma, Tim Savage, Elizabeth Winter, Joe Vissichelli, Joyce Pedretti and Adrian Sinnott, for drawing with the kids at St. Mary’s Hospital this weekend! Adrian brought loads of lovely illustrated books, donated by the National Cartoonists Society, and we and the kids made bookmarks together to go inside. 

Pen Pals Program 02/22/12

This darling boy, who is staying at the Ronald McDonald House, was not able to attend our Valentine’s Day card making party so we wanted to make him something special.  He told us his favorite character is SpongeBob and that he loves pizza so we contacted IWF volunteer and former SpongeBob artist, Monica Tomova, out in Los Angeles and told her about his story and she knew just what to do. When we delivered her drawing, this little guy peeked out from behind his mother’s leg, eyes growing wide with excitement, then he ran over to us and took the drawing with a giant smile, showed his mom and smiled some more.  Thank you, Monica, for making one brave boy’s day so much brighter.

Valentine’s Party with the Ronald McDonald House Kids 02/10/12

Our hearts were happy and full on this special night where the Ronald McDonald House kids came to the Society of Illustrators for our Valentine’s Day card making party.  There was delicious food, tons of art supplies, and we couldn’t have had a better time helping the kids make cards to give to the ones they love.  Thank you volunteers: Ray Alma, Amber Alvarez, Elana Amity, Jane Archer, Joan Chiverton, Pedro Delgado, Nina Frenkel, Abby Merrill, Anelle Miller, Oded Naaman, Franz Palomares, Joyce Pedretti, Adrian Sinnott and Elizabeth Winter.  We are grateful to the Society for hosting this event, to the Ronald McDonald House for organizing transportation and most of all to the dear kids and families of the Ronald McDonald House, thank you for showing us what love is all about.

New Alternatives for Children, 01/18/12

We had a picture perfect time with the kids at New Alternatives for Children last night! We all drew together on heavy weight pieces of paper then decorated the borders to make funky frames. Thank you to volunteers, Jane Archer, Elana Amity, Joan Chiverton, Pedro Delgado, Jeanine Henderson, Elizabeth Winter and welcome to our very talented first-timer, John Jay Cabuay!!!

Chicago Children’s Memorial Hospital, 12/6/11

We were thrilled to welcome five National Cartoonists Society artists at this first-time event in Chicago!  These artists and the kids of Children’s Memorial did a fantastic job making cartoon holiday cards together, and in making even more cards for those kids who weren’t able to make it down to the rec room.  Thank you thank you thank you to Brian Kelly (Event Leader and NCS Chicago Chapter President), Brian Diskin, Charles Boyce, Ann Farrell, and Timothy Jackson!

Mount Sinai, 12/6/11

Elana Amity, Oded Naaman and Elizabeth Winter made some fantastic, festive decorations and holiday cards with the kids at Mount Sinai!  We each took a turn on KidsZone TV then got to draw in person with more kids in the studio.  One little girl drew loads of portraits of the puppet co-host, Panina, another created a green skinned fairy princess who was friends with all the birds, and another got stacks of Rugrats drawings.  Thanks, everybody, for a great night!

Bellevue Hospital, 11/29/11
 

We had a super fantastic time making flip books with the wonderful Bellevue Hospital kids! The kids dreamed up brilliant characters like tornado boy, vanishing girl, and the fish bird and we all had a ball learning about this fundamental animation technique together. Thank you, Elana Amity, Jane Archer, Jeanine Henderson, Franz Palomares and Elizabeth Winter for volunteering your fabulous artsiness.

Gilda’s Club, 10/28/11

We had a frightening amount of fun at Gilda’s Club’s Annual Halloween Party where we did face painting, caricatures and drawings with lots and lots and lots of kids!  Thanks, Gilda’s Club, for having us and thank you to our wonderful volunteers: Ray Alma, Amber Alvarez, Elana Amity, Jane Archer, Sergei Aniskov, Joan Chiverton, Oded Naaman, Samantha Olschan, Joyce Pedretti, Erin Shigake, Ed Steckley and Elizabeth Winter.

NYMH Sickle Cell Center, 10/25/11
 

IWF’s Franz Palomares drew with kids bravely undergoing treatment for sickle cell disease at New York Methodist today.  It’s very important that these children attend their scheduled checkups so we were happy to do our best to make the kids’ time at the hospital more fun!

Mount Sinai Hospital, 10/04/11

We partied it up with the kids of Mount Sinai, drawing party animals with an animal puppet named, Panina, on the KidsZone TV show and also in the rec room with some sweet young artists.  Thank you to volunteers, Ray Alma, Elana Amity (Event Leader), Joan Chiverton, Bil Donovan, Barbara Garrison, Joyce Pedretti and Elizabeth Winter.

Bellevue Hospital, 09/20/11

Bellevue Hospital, 08/16/11

Who knew that thaumatropes were the most fun thing to make ever??  Well now Jane Archer, Jeanine Henderson, Elizabeth Winter and the awesome Bellevue kids do.  These kids were incredibly polite and talented.  One boy said, “I’m so happy I got to be a part of this” and another boy stunned all the adults by being the only one who could figure out how to make one of our thaumatropes work by changing the orientation of the strings’ holes.  Very impressive!  Thanks, everyone for a truly heartwarming and whirling good time!

Ronald McDonald House (Central Park) 08/12/11

Tonight we drew under a glorious summer sunset with the Ronald McDonald House kids in Central Park!  Thank you to RMDH volunteer, Steve Simon, for all your great coordination in getting the kids out there and thank you to the amazing artists who made this such a special night: Ray Alma, Roberta Fabiano, Oded Naaman, Samantha Olschan (first timer!), Joyce Pedretti, Tim Savage and Elizabeth Winter.

Mount Sinai Hospital, 07/12/11

Dare we say that we totally stole the show at Mount Sinai today!!!   We had a delightful time drawing our pictures for the kids over the hospital’s closed circuit TV station.  We were able to reach 80 kids in their rooms while they drew along with us and called in to the artists as they drew.  The best part was their adorable questions, like “so if Big Bird can’t fly, is he half penguin?”  Thank you Ray Alma, Joan Chiverton, Abby Merrill, Elizabeth Winter and Karrie Witkin for bringing so much star power to our first ever TV appearance  🙂

New York Methodist Hospital, 06/15/11

Thank you Nina Frenkel, Franz Palomares, and Karrie Witkin for drawing cars, trucks, rockets and many other motorized machines with the wonderful Sparks of Life kids!

St. Mary’s Hospital, 06/04/11

 Thank you so much to Ray Alma, Howard Beckerman, Joyce Pedretti, Adrian Sinnott, Tim Savage, Ed Steckley and Elizabeth Winter for a great drawing day and much fun at Jackson Hole Diner afterward.

Mount Sinai Hospital, 05/17/11

We had a fantastic time at our first event with the very talented kids of Mount Sinai!  They were all eager to learn how to draw and we were very impressed by how much they progressed in just an hour and a half.  Keep it up, kids!  Thanks to artists, Sal Amendola, Pedro Delgado, Oded Naaman and Elizabeth Winter.  We look forward to many more good times ahead here.  (Photos of the kids aren’t cleared yet, we hope to post some next time.)

IWF Pen Pals Program Begins!  05/09/11

We are very happy to announce the start of the IWF Pencil Pals Program, where we connect artists with children who are not physically able to come to our events.  We begin with a 12 year-old girl named, Sydney Becker, who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in late 2010.  Sydney is now dealing with chemotherapy and all the challenges it brings with incredible strength and grace, starting a daily blog and working with her family to raise funds for pediatric cancer research.

When Sydney told us her favorite character was SpongeBob SquarePants, our great friend and Futurama artist, Joseph Scott, got right on the case, connecting us with the very talented SpongeBob artist, Monica Tomova.  Monica made two drawings for Sydney and wrote her a letter too.  Sydney says the drawings “made my day” and that she “can’t wait to hang them up!”  Thank you Joseph and Monica for giving this program such an incredible start and and thank you to Sydney whose bravery and positive attitude is an inspiration.

March of Dimes “March for Babies” 05/01/11

We had a blast face painting and caricature drawing at the March of Dimes “March for Babies” finish line.  This event supports programs and research to fight infant illness and promote healthy pregnancies.  Thank you Ray Alma, Joyce Pedretti, Karrie Witkin, and Elizabeth Winter for volunteering.

Ronald McDonald House Hope Awards, 04/28/11

Jane Archer and Elizabeth Winter got to meet many wonderful people making a difference at the Ronald McDonald House Hope Awards while Franz Palomares was across town celebrating with the great supporters of NY Methodist Hospital.  Thank you for thanking your volunteers, RMDH and NYMH!  

New York Methodist Hospital, 04/27/11

Thank you to Franz Palomares, and Elizabeth Winter and a big giant welcome to first timer, Dan Pinto!  The kids were a little shy this time but we drew stacks of cosmically cool alien creatures that we hope they all will enjoy.

Bellevue Hospital, 04/19/11

Thank you to Sergey Aniskov, Ed Steckley, Elizabeth Winter, Ray Alma, Jane Archer, Erin Shigaki, and Tim Savage for a marvelous night of comic book character drawing. Midtown Comics graciously donated the comics that the kids drew from and got to keep (thanks, Thor!).

New York Methodist Hospital, 03/14/11

‎Rami Efal and Franz Palomares had an action packed time with the kids and parents at New York Methodist Hospital. We made lunch-bag puppets, threw them a dance party and played hide and seek!  Even the nurses wanted in!

New York Methodist Hospital, 02/23/11

We had another wonderful, imaginative day with the kids at New York Methodist Hospital!  Super Cliff saved the world in two spectacular galactic adventures and The Polka Dot Fish set new trends in ocean fashion.  Thank you very much to Rami Efal, Franz Palomares, and Erin Shigaki for volunteering.

Children’s Hospital of Minnesota, 02/19/11

This was a stellar day of doggies, cats, elephants, fire breathing dragons, and other pets the kids said they’d love to have.  We were thrilled to welcome first time Ink Wellers, Anthony Brandenburg, Nina Crittenden and Tom Schroeder along with our longtime volunteers, Valerie Reupert and Elizabeth Winter.

Ronald McDonald House, 02/08/11

The Ink Well was honored to partner with The Society of Illustrators on this wonderful night of Valentine’s Day card making with the kids at the Ronald McDonald House.  Thank you so much to Ray Alma, Elana Amity, Jane Archer, Sergey Aniskov, Joan Chiverton, Rami Efal, Barbara Garrison, Jeanine Henderson, Abby Merrill, Anelle Miller, Oded Naaman, Franz Palomares, Joyce Pedretti and Elizabeth Winter who made this one full house of love and fun!

New York Methodist Hospital, 01/18/11

Sergei Aniskov, Rami Efal, and Franz Palomares had a great time at New York Methodist Hospital with Romeo and Savannah drawing what we would like to do more in 2011: basketball, playing with dogs, and … m-o-r-e Spongebob?!

Children’s Hospital of MN, 01/15/11

Elizabeth Winter and Valerie Reupert got a whirlwind tour of Children’s Hospital during The Ink Well’s first ever event in Minnesota!  We met some incredible kids like Eli, Jacob, Joey and Katelyn and together we drew a Mermaid Man vs Barnacle Boy hockey game, lots of dogs and kitty cats, superheroes and some marine mammals too.  Thanks, everyone for a great day, we’re very happy to be up and running in Minnesota and are looking forward to many more good times together!

Sunrise Day Camp, 12/19/10

We had the best day ever with the brilliant Sunrise Day Camp kids! It was a pajama party blow out where we all decorated pillow cases, such as Joe Vissichelli‘s inspired Justin Bieber portrait for Katie, who said she couldn’t wait to wake up to Justin’s face every morning; Adrian Sinnott‘s Cat in the Hat that was as tall as the kids; Joyce Pedretti‘s Sponge Bob factory and Botticelli-like Little Mermaid, Marty Macaluso‘s portrait parade; Ray Alma‘s Iron Man and Bat Man that made one boy say, “this is the bestest day ever!”, Tim Savage‘s space ship pilot portrait of Hector, Elizabeth Winter’s doggies and ducks and flowers for Heebin, and Amber Alvarez‘s portrait of a girl who was so excited to put it up in her locker, “once I get a locker,” she said.

We kept the party going at a nearby diner before we had to go our separate ways.  It was kinda hard to say goodbye but we’ve got loads of great events on the way for 2011.  Thank you for sharing your creativity, hope and strength with these amazing children throughout all the years, dear volunteers, and a very happy new year to you!!

New York Methodist Hospital, 12/07/10

Rami Efal and Erin Shigaki warmed up this December day by drawing with the wonderful kids at NYMH!

New York Methodist Hospital, 11/09/10

Rami Efal and Erin Shigaki made some fantastic Thanksgiving crafts with The Sparks of Life kids!

Gilda’s Club- SoHo, 10/29/10

We had a frightfully good time painting faces and drawing caricatures at Gilda’s Club’s Halloween party!  Thank you to Ray Alma, Amber Alvarez, Jane Archer, Justin Bilicki, Rami Efal, Oded Naaman, Erin Shigaki, and Elizabeth Winter who also got to catch up at one of our favorite haunts, Grey Dog, afterwards.  Happy Halloween, everyone!!

New York Methodist Hospital, 10/12/10

Rami Efal and Oded Naaman got a jump on Halloween with the kids at New York Methodist.  Check out their spooky sketches and petrifying pumpkins!  Thanks, everyone!