Artists Wanted at CNJComics

Hey everyone, while we can’t have a Christmas Party this year, we won’t let the pandemic stop our yearly efforts to assist the Cleveland Food Bank, which likely needs help now more than ever. Help us to turn your artwork into food for the needy by submitting a cover for our Holiday Art Show! 

Each year we round up our community and ask local artists to stop by and pick up a blank comic book cover to turn into a work of art to be displayed during the art show. 

Covers are won through a basket raffle system with all money collected going to the Cleveland Food Bank. (Who have the uncanny ability to turn one dollar into four full meals for those in need!) Last year, with your help, we were able to assist them in creating 14,276 meals, bringing our all time total to 77,644 meals! 

While in the past the art show has been a one day event ending with a party, we will now stretch the it over the course of five days, from Wednesday December 16th to Sunday December 20th. This will help reduce the amount of traffic at any one time while also providing even more exposure for the artwork. On the evening of the 20th we will pull the winners on a Facebook Live feed. (So it’s sort of like we’re all there together again.)

Last year we had a record amount of submissions at 118, and this year we’re shooting for even more. 

This year’s theme is… you guessed it, “The Pandemic”. Simply use your suffering this year as a muse and combine it with any comic book character for your submission! It can be about sheltering at home, wearing a mask, the virus itself or just spending to much time at home with your cat. (which can never really happen.) 

Here’s some previous submissions to give you an idea what we’re talking about:

At by Craig Worrell @notsquid

Art by Jeff Ritchie @fredpaints23

Art by Kelsey Cretcher @kcretcherillustration

Here’s how you participate! Stop by the shop and pick up a blank cover from us. They are free of charge and you can do two if you like. Please complete the cover with any medium you choose. (This includes digital! A lot of people now print their art out on cardstock and glue it to the cover of the book.) Artwork needs to be turned in by Sunday December 14th at 5pm. Please keep artwork to the front of the cover only, we only have the ability to display them this way. When you stop by to pick up a cover please connect with an employee so they can take down your contact information. We also use this info to promote you after the event though a Facebook Gallery of all the artwork! Dig around on our Facebook Page for previous years work. We also ask that you put your info on the inside front cover so we have a back up. (If you’ve submitted a cover in the past we likely have your info on file and we can double check it for you.)

Over the five days of the art show people can purchase tickets for a dollar that can go towards the artwork of your choice. No food will be collected this year due to the CoVid. Winners will be pulled starting at 6pm on Sunday the 20th on Facebook Live, you do not have to be watching to win. (We will likely be drinking, and we hope you will be too.) ALL of the money collected will go directly to the food bank. Last year they even sent out representatives!

We know that everyone likes to do something to help others during the holiday season, well this can be your thing, becoming a part of the bigger picture that connects our community together. Now more than every we need a big win to show 2020 that we’re just not going to take it anymore! Please share this info with any artists you think may be into it, and make a plan to stop by and see the artwork. We hate that this year stole our events from us, but we are not going to let it interfere with the most important part, bringing people together for a common good. Thank you so much for the help this year everyone! Let’s set a new record! Creepy Santa Rick is always watching…