Results from the 9th annual Inkwell Awards will be presented at the inking advocacy group’s 6th live awards ceremony this June 17-19 at Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC. Eisner Hall of Fame award-winning creator Jim Steranko will be making a special appearance at the event.
“Graphic artist, comic book writer/artist, historian, magician, editor, publisher and film production illustrator….Jim is a modern Renaissance Man, globally recognized and respected in the sequential art medium for his epics and innovations in the field” said Bob Almond, the non-profit organization’s founder and director. “Having a legendary icon like him speaking on behalf of ink artists and the art form of inking is an immense honor.”
The Inkwells have five categories: Favorite Inker, the “Props” award for under-recognized professionals, the S.P.A.M.I., for Small Press And Mainstream-Independent work, Most-Adaptable Inker and the “All-in-One” for the artist who inks his/her own pencil art. Thousands of voters visited and voted from April 15-30 at the group’s website to show their support.
The awards ceremony is scheduled for Friday (not Saturday as in the past), June 17, 5:00 PM at the Charlotte Convention Center in room 209-210. In addition to Steranko, other speakers include host and presenter Almond, hostess Holly Black as spokesmodel Ms. Inkwell, legendary creator Mike Grell and award-winning author (and Inkwell special ambassador), J. David Spurlock. Announced with the award-winners will be the two recipients of the annual Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award and the second recipient of the Special Recognition Award.
Other attendees include Inkwell ambassadors Laura Martin and Mike McKone, plus contributor Enrica Jang. 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.
Almond added, “Last year, with the change of day and the door prizes offered, we had our record-best attendance ever. We plan to repeat that winning combination, especially with Steranko’s appearance.”
The Inkwells will be set up in Artists Alley at table AA-521, offering for donations their new, fifth annual Joe Sinnott Inking Challenge book and plenty of other Inkwells merchandise to help raise much-needed funds. “We’re immensely grateful to promoter 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 (www.inkwellawards.com) 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 the best ink artists and their work. Now in its ninth 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
