66 Animation Artists Contribute to The Picture Book Project

Here’s something special I want to you to be aware of: Making its debut at next week’s CTN Expo in Burbank, The Picture Book Project Coloring Book.

This is no ordinary coloring book. This is one you will really want. Dreamworks animation artists Rachel Tiep-Daniels, Margaret Wuller and Pixar producer Karen Dufilho-Rosen have collected illustrations by sixty-six artists from the animation community (including Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi, Raymond Zibach, Christophe Lautrette and Patrick Hanenberger among many others) to create this unique coloring book to raise funds to support kids cared for by orphanages in Ghana West Africa, Tijuana, and Cambodia. Jeffrey Katzenberg wrote the forward.

The Picture Book Project Foundation is having its book launch at CTN on Sunday November 18th at 11am to 1pm. Copies of the book will be donated to the children cared for by the One by One Foundation, Ghana; The Corazon de Vida Foundation (Mexico); and the Takeo Orphanage (Cambodia). Additional info can be found here.

Here is a bit of back story about the non-profit organization (The Picture Book Project Foundation) behind this effort:

Our Story:
Animation artists, Rachel Tiep-Daniels and Margaret Wuller, were touched by their experiences volunteering at orphanages in Ghana and Mexico. They found that the children were immediately captivated with adults who could draw for them. Despite living in extreme poverty, and having limited exposure to forms of entertainment like movies, the children demanded drawings of characters like Ariel from The Little Mermaid. Rachel and Margaret realized the far-reaching impact of their industry and were touched by the idea that no matter one’s position in life, drawing brings a smile to children’s faces, inspires them, and has the ability to connect people from around the world. The Picture Book Project Coloring Book, and subsequently, the formation of the Picture Book Project Foundation was inspired by these experiences.

Mission:
The PBP Foundation gives parents, artists, and art enthusiasts a way to help and inspire children in need. Our mission is to bring continued resources and support to orphaned and disadvantaged children around the world by:
•Providing financial support and supplies to organizations helping children in need so that they may continue providing these children with their basic living necessities;
•Bringing art and animation to the hands of children for their enjoyment and to encourage creativity, motivation and education; and
•Extending the talent and good will of the artist community to communities of children in need.

Click thumbnails below to see a gallery of just some of the images included in the book. These include the cover by Timothy Lamb, and art by Bill Kaufman; Conrad Vernon; Gérald Guerlais; Kirsten Kawamura; Matt Jones; Mike Lee; Peter de Sève; Shane Prigmore; and Willie Real. A complete list of all 66 contributing artists can be found here.