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Rich Buckler Made Inkwell Awards Ambassador, Plus Roster Changes

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Rich BucklerLegendary “Bronze-Age” comic-book artist Rich Buckler (Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Thor, creator of Deathlok, et al.) has agreed to support the artform of inking by joining the ranks of professional ambassadors for the Inkwell Awards inking advocacy.

Ambassadors have been recruited since the formation of the organization in 2008, starting with artist Adam Hughes and editor Mike Marts. The most recent recruits were author Clifford Meth, writer-artist Jim Starlin and color artist Laura Martin. Members are drawn from various community skills and professions in a display of support and solidarity for the promotion of the art form of comic-book inking.

Season 8 began last summer with a “Help Wanted” announcement to replace departed volunteers from the previous season.

Inkwell Awards director Bob Almond said in a release:

We were able to reorganize and fill some vacant roles and train them on the job over the fall,” said . “We can always use more capable, dedicated people to help build and strengthen our organization, especially with matters related to fundraising. But there were also some advancements in the ranks from those members who’ve been paying their dues.

Among those is the promotion of artist-writer Mike Pascale to assistant director. Pascale, a committee member since 2013, fills a position left by outgoing assistant director Michael W. Kellar. Besides administrative matters, Pascale handles copy and graphics, proofreading, and assists with fundraising. Joining the committee as contributors are two new members recruited from last fall’s membership drive: Rhys G. Evans, who handles website maintenance and has been acting as auctioneer (along with Pascale), and inker John T. Dixon, a disabled veteran who’s taken on the duties of Inker Resources & Database updates, advertising, and Nomination Committee Assistant.

In addition, Holly Black, who portrays the company spokesmodel Ms. Inkwell, is now a senior contributor after attending and fundraising at shows in that role for nearly a year. Daniel Best, a founding committee member, also returns to the organization as a senior contributor after a several month absence.

The Inkwell Awards is an official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to educate the public and promote the art form of comic-book inking, as well as annually recognize and award the best ink artists and their work. Now in its 8th year, the Inkwells are overseen by a committee of industry professionals and assisted by various professional ambassadors and numerous contributors. The organization sponsors the Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship Fund for the Kubert School and hosts the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award.

Guest of Honor Klaus Janson to speak at the 2015 Inkwell Awards Ceremony during Heroes Con

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jansonResults from the 8th annual Inkwell Awards will be presented at the inking advocacy group’s 5th live awards ceremony this June 19-21 at Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC. Legendary ink artist Klaus Janson will be one of the speakers.

Rather than just “Favorite Inker,” the Inkwells have five categories, including the “Props” award for under-recognized professionals, and the S.P.A.M.I., for favorite Small Press And Mainstream-Independent work. Thousands of voters visited and voted during May at the group’s web site to show their support.

The awards ceremony is scheduled this year for Friday (not Saturday as in the past), June 19 at 5:00 PM in room 209-210. In addition to past Hall of Fame award-winner and guest of honor Klaus Janson, other speakers include host Almond, presenters Mike McKone (Inkwell special ambassador) and Mark McKenna (2012 Sinnott Hall of Fame winner), plus Steve Hampton, Craig Yoe and Orion Zangara. Announced with the award-winners will be the two recipients of the annual Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award and the first recipient of the Special Recognition Award.

Other attendees include Inkwell ambassadors Mark Brooks, Cully Hamner, Laura Martin and Mike McKone, contributors Randy Green, Enrica Jang and Dan Panosian, and more. Also appearing will be the Ms. Inkwell spokesperson character, portrayed this time by Massachusetts model, Holly Black.

As an added bonus, the first 20 non-member attendees will receive a raffle ticket for an automatic door prize. After the event, every ticket holder will win a prize as explained at the ceremony.

The Inkwells will be set up in Artists Alley at table 307, offering for donations their new, 4th annual Joe Sinnott Inking Challenge book and plenty of other Inkwells merchandise to help raise much-needed funds. “We’re immensely grateful to Shelton Drum and the Heroes Con staff for supporting the community and giving fans an opportunity to learn more about and appreciate this often overlooked industry craft.”

The Inkwell Awards is an official 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to educate the public and promote the art form of comic-book inking, as well as annually recognize and award the best ink artists and their work. Now in its 8th year, the organization is overseen by a committee of industry professionals and assisted by various professional ambassadors and numerous contributors. They sponsor the Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship Fund for the Kubert School and host the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award.

The Inkwell Awards Showcases its 2015 Joe Sinnott Inking Challenge Art And Fundraiser

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The Inkwell Awards, a non-profit organization devoted to the art of inking, will be revealing the unique results of its fifth annual Joe Sinnott Inking Challenge in a series of fund-raising online auctions beginning Saturday, April 11. This is the ‘main event’ to the recently announced Sinnott Spring Celebration of auctions running from March through May containing Joe Sinnott donations.

To best exhibit what inkers do, industry legend Joe Sinnott pencilled a drawing of Marvel’s Amazing Spider-Man, as well as a “breakdown”, or rough sketch, of its most popular X-Man, Wolverine. His art was scanned and sent in blue-line form to various inkers around the globe. The ink artists were invited to embellish the Silver Age great, whether staying faithful to his original lines or reinterpreting them. All resulted in unique pieces of comic art.. Most also sport a classic, hand-lettered logo to resemble a cover.

The list of ink artists contributing their skills is the longest ever and includes: Andy Smith, Dan Parsons, Mark Pennington, Jack Purcell, John Dell, Keith Williams, Mark McKenna, Neil Vokes, Bob Wiacek and many other professionals as well as eager and skilled amateurs. (The list changes each year.)

All submitted art, from last year’s to the current pieces, can be viewed at The Inkwell’s ComicArtFans gallery. All pieces for this challenge are personally signed by the generous Mr. Sinnott and include a certificate of authenticity. The first wave of inked blue-line original art from this Challenge will be on the auction block beginning Saturday, April 11 at the Inkwells’ eBay store. Subsequent waves will begin each week thereafter. The art will later be collected into book form.

The Inkwell Awards also offers Sinnott Inking Challenge book collections of previous art with various editions available for donations to the organization. Prices and availability of these and other merchandise can be found at the Inkwells’ Web Store.

The Inkwell Awards is an official 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to educate and promote the art form of comic-book inking, as well as annually recognize and award the best ink artists and their work. Now in its seventh year, the organization is overseen by a committee of industry professionals and assisted by various professional ambassadors and numerous contributors. They sponsor the Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship Fund for the Kubert School and host the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award.

Inkwell Awards Announces 8th Season Convention Tour

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inkwell bannerThe non-profit Inkwell Awards has scheduled their upcoming convention appearances for the first half of their eighth season tour to support the group’s mission of promoting, educating and recognizing the art form of inking and ink artists in the comic book industry.

granite state comiconThe first stop the Granite State Comicon in Manchester, NH this September 13-14. The advocacy is making its first appearance there since 2010, with Inkwell founder/director Bob Almond and Anna White as their spokesmodel Ms. Inkwell. Along with assorted merchandise available at their booth, they will hold raffles for original art featuring Batman, Poison Ivy and Thor by industry and fan favorites.

Rhode Island Comic ConNext is the Rhode Island Comic Con in Providence on November 1-2. Joining Almond and Ms. Inkwell will be several committee members and special Inkwell ambassadors J. David Spurlock and the legendary Joe Sinnott, the namesake of the charity’s Hall of Fame Award and its annual Inking Challenge event and book collection.

Later show stops will take place towards the end of the season in May and June of 2015 with the Hartford and Heroes Cons, to be announced later.

The Inkwell Awards is an official 501(c)3 non-profit organization and the world’s sole registered advocacy for the promotion of the comic-book inking art form. In addition to its stated mission, “The Inkwells” annually recognize and award the best ink artists and their work. The organization is overseen by a committee of industry professionals and assisted by various professional ambassadors and contributors. They sponsor the Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship Fund for the Kubert School and host the annual Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award.

Inkwell Awards Launches 8th Season with Starlin, Meth and Martin as Ambassadors

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ms.inkwellThe non-profit advocacy group, the Inkwell Awards, began its eighth season this summer by electing Jim Starlin, Clifford Meth and Laura Martin as its three new creator ambassadors to represent the group’s mission of promoting, educating and recognizing the art form of inking and inker artists in the comic book industry.

Jim Starlin is an iconic, fan-favorite creator whose career has earned a resurgence due to characters he created (Thanos, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora) appearing in Marvel Studios’ recent worldwide blockbuster, Guardians of the Galaxy, with more on the way. Starlin began at Marvel Comics in 1972 and has been working on and off in comics at various publishing houses ever since, as both a writer and artist. He has created and worked on a plethora of major and minor titles and characters, many of which have become synonymous with his name in the minds of many fans, often due as much to his unique pencilling and inking styles as his writing.

Clifford Meth is a writer, editor and comics historian. A founder of Aardwolf Publishing, Meth’s work has also been published by Marvel Entertainment, IDW, the L.A. Times Entertainment Newswire, and dozens of leading publications. He is also widely known for his advocacy for comics’ professionals, including Dave Cockrum, Gene Colan and Bill Messner-Loebs.

Laura Martin is an Eisner, Harvey, and Eagle Award-winning colorist. She has been coloring comics since joining Wildstorm Studios in 1995. Her fan-favorite work has since been published in major titles by Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Valiant and others. Her current work includes Walter Simonson’s Ragnarok (IDW) and the 2014 Axis crossover event from Marvel.

Since the organization was formed in 2008, the roster of Inkwell Ambassadors has included Adam Hughes, Mike Marts, Ethan Van Sciver, Mark Brooks, Trevor Von Eeden, Sal Velluto, Cully Hamner, Joe Kubert, Eric Basuldua, Phil Jimenez, Jim Shooter and Brian Pulido. The more-involved Special Ambassadors include Joe Sinnott, J. David Spurlock and Mike McKone.

The Inkwell Awards is an official 501(c)3 non-profit organization and the world’s sole, registered advocacy for the artform of comic book inking. In addition to its stated mission, “The Inkwells” annually recognize and award the best ink artists and their work. The organization is overseen by a committee of industry professionals and assisted by various professional ambassadors and numerous contributors. They sponsor the Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship Fund for the Kubert School and host the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award.

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Voting Is Open For The Inkwell Awards From April 15-30

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The Inkwell Awards, a non-profit organization devoted to educating and promoting the art of inking, invites the public to vote for the industry’s best of the past year. The official public ballot will be available on the Inkwell Awards’ homepage from April 15 through April 30. Voting is open to everyone, whether fans or professional peers. The winners will be announced at the live awards ceremony at Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC June 20-22 on Saturday the 21st at 12:30pm.

As with last year, the ballot will still list the nominees for the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame lifetime achievement award, which were chosen by the internal and separate Hall of Fame Nomination Committee (made up of the core committee, former committee members, ambassadors, contributors and existing Hall of Fame award recipients). To avoid a “popularity contest” where recent names have more influence than past masters, the two winners have been chosen by the HoF Nomination Committee rather than the public and will be announced at the ceremony. Current nominees are listed as a courtesy. Past Hall of Fame award recipients include Joe Sinnott, Terry Austin & Dick Giordano, Klaus Janson & Al Williamson, Wallace Wood & Kevin Nowlan, Mark McKenna & Scott Williams, and last year, Dick Ayers & Murphy Anderson.

Bob Almond, founder and director of The Inkwell Awards (AKA “The Inkwells”) said in a release:

We’re so excited for this event, where everyone’s hard work will pay off and the best of the best ink artists and their work will be recognized. Inkers have their own fans and followers, and often go unsung or glossed over in traditional awards events. Ours caters specifically to ink artists and allows several to be recognized and appreciated in various categories.

Ballots and instructions can be viewed at The Inkwells’ web site beginning on tax day, April 15. A direct link will additionally be posted on their Facebook group page, where people may also ask any questions.

The Inkwell Awards is an official 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to educate and promote the art form of comic-book inking, as well as annually recognize and award the best ink artists and their work. Now in its seventh year, the organization is overseen by a committee of industry professionals and assisted by various professional ambassadors and numerous contributors. They sponsor the Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship Fund for the Kubert School and host the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award.

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2012 Inkwell Awards Tour, Ms. Inkwell And Voting Details!

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2012 INKWELL AWARDS TOUR, MS. INKWELL AND VOTING DETAILS!
 The Inkwell Awards wants to announce that the fifth season is in full swing this spring after a strong opening. “The Joe Sinnott Inking Challenge event went exceptionally well and the book collection of our first Challenge has sold more copies than I can keep up with, especially the Joe Sinnott signed and numbered editions!” says Inkwell Awards director Bob Almond. “Thanks to our loyal supporters, our ongoing fundraising auctions on eBay enabled us to fully fund our annual Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship Fund for the JoeKubert School of Cartooning & Design.”  The only noticeable difference between 2012 and 2011 will be the number of convention stops on our Inkwell tour.  “Last year consisted of a heavy show schedule,” continues Bob, “but this year my dad was sick for several months and passed away in February with my mom moving in with me, leaving me barely able to keep up with operations and assignments let alone convention hopping.  But thankfully my team has been all I could hope for in their dedication and execution of duties in a timely fashion.  They inspired me when things were really rough.”
The non-profit organization have made two stops familiar in their annual travels and this year is no exception. Bob continues, “Next week we will be revisiting our ‘family’ and attending Pittsburgh Comicon on April 20-22.   We have a new Ms. Inkwell model to portray our popular spokesmodel, Melissa Dloughy Bender, a local resident who’s been a cosplay staple at this show for some time now.  We’ll also have Creator Editions of our Joe Sinnott Inking Challenge book, signed & numbered to only five with autographs from Joe himself, intro writer and Hall of Fame award-winning inker Terry Austin, and book producers Daniel Best, Jim Tournas, and myself.”  The other stop will be at the Inkwell Awards ‘homebase’ of Charlotte, NC for Heroes Con on June 22-24 where they present their annual live ceremony.  “Most of our organization, past and present, will be attending the event and our new down south Ms. Inkwell model will be played by Ciara Michelle, a longtime convention assistant of our model liaison contributor (and exceptional artist) Louis Small, Jr.” says Bob. “She’s also a local resident and we had that development in the works for some time but we simply had to wait until the time was right for her to step up.  We will also debut the annual Inkwell Awards Donation Drive book that weekend with a awesome cover by superstar artist Mike McKone, one of our ambassadors.”
Now that the Nomination Committee ballots have been tallied, voting this year will take place May 1- May 15 when the official public ballot will be accessible traditionally on the Inkwell Awards website homepage. The voting is open to all public participants, whether they be fans or fellow creators and peers. The award winners will be brought to the Heroes Con and announced at the Inkwell Awards ceremony. Bob closes with “We’ll have more Heroes/ceremony details as we get closer to June but we’re already so excited for this event where everyone’s hard work will pay off and the best of the best ink artists and their work will be recognized”.
The Inkwell Awards is an official 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to promote and educate about the art form of comic book inking and to annually recognize and award the best ink artists and their work. Now in their fifth year, the organization is overseen by a number of industry professionals such as founder & director Bob Almond, Jimmy Tournas, Michael W. Kellar, Stacey Aragon and Sarah L. Covert who make up the IA core committee and Adam Hughes, Mike Marts, Ethan Van Sciver, Mark Brooks, Sal Velluto, Mike McKone, Trevor Von Eeden, J. David Spurlock, Cully Hamner, Phil Jimenez, Eric Basaldua, Joe Kubert and Jim Shooter who make up their IA ambassadors, and numerous contributors such as Dan Panosian, Louis Small, Jr. and Randy Green among others. They sponsor the Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship Fund for the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon & Graphic Art and host the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award.
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