Rosy cheeks

Another great show!

The CBC Toronto 2013 Sounds of the Season event has wrapped up, and the linocuts are almost all in the mail. Click HERE for details

I did a "live full-day doodle" this year, incorporating suggestions from everyone who stopped by. That's why Spiderman has a coffee, there's a huge cat crushing a car... chaos. And a blast. I'm posting pics in a sort of WIP format. The pics with me in them are thanks to CBC / Tanja Tiziana.

Blank canvas (about 4 feet x 6 feet)

 I started with a street, then added a dragon and huge cat

More details get added, as I drink more coffee.

10 hours later, the finished work.

Chris Hadfield was there playing guitar, so I threw him into the pic. (He even tweeted a version of the the image that I gave him on a card).

Rob Ford climbing the CN Tower, with a disapproving Santa.

And Spidey with a coffee.

And me trying to explain to Gill Deacon what the heck I was thinking about when I volunteered for this. Actually, I'd do it again next year, no question!

WHNIC?

I got some nice feedback to a little tweet I put out last night.

"So, why doesn't CBC show women's pro hockey on Saturday nights starting in 2014?"

Twitter isn't the best outlet for a full discussion on this, so here's a little mini-essay/ rant on the idea.

I'm not kidding. Here are some of my reasons.

1. The CBC is going to need programming, 300+ hours of it. CBC rightfully prides itself on the quality of it's broadcasts. Hockey DOES belong on the CBC, as does any activity that is near and dear to the hearts of Canadians. (Take that culture snobs) So why not take the internal expertise and use it to cover the sport properly?

Will it be free? No. But the rights won't cost 5-billion. And compared to the cost of 300+ hours of drama or comedy... just saying the budget will be a bargain compared to the alternatives. (Yes, the CBC should also fund drama and comedy... this is my idea for a replacement for HNIC, not a rethink of the core mandate.)

2. There's an appetite for the women's game. There are lots of Canadians and hockey fans who are getting fed up with the violence of the men's pro game. If I have to watch one more fight replay during the opening sequence... argh! (Even during the "Nessun Dorma" opening this past week, the CBC showed George Parros fighting Colton Orr. Hmmm. how did that fight turn out again? Oh yeah, with Parros nearly dead. Nice.)

Anyway, people who love hockey are hungry for an alternative. Will they match HNIC in Canada numbers? No. But I remember a few years back when Sportsnet decided to tape-delay a women's World Cup Qualifying soccer game (because who would want to watch it live?) and then had to scramble to change the schedule when Edmonton fans bought 80,000 tickets and the national public demanded the game be shown live.

And, oh yeah, it's an Olympic sport too.

3. The women's game needs a home to grow. Women's hockey has a league with no exposure, a trophy donated by a Governor General (Clarkson, not Stanley) and great athletes. But who knows when the games are? Where the games are? If the CBC made WHNIC a destination program (Sat night? Sunday night?) then the audience can grow as the interest increases. TSN made a commitment to the CFL on friday nights, and it has become must-watch for CFL fans.

Anyway, I throw that into the mix. (I feel like I'm back at my old sports job!)

The printing has started!

In my last post I previewed the design for this year's CBC Sounds of the Season linoleum block print. The prints help raise money for food banks here in Ontario.

This year's print is the Old Toronto City Hall clock tower (feeling nostalgic for the old city I guess - I also love bells and clocks.)

This year, I cut the actual printing block alongside some amazing artists at ArtHeart Community Art Center.

I was asked to come and give a "how-to" presentation. We all sat together for about three hours, making designs on paper, transferring that to a block and then cutting into our blocks.

It was amazing to see some of the designs. There were faces, skulls, snowy landscapes and winged superheroes. Most of us even reached the point where we could pull prints off the blocks.

If you haven't done a lino-cut since high school - give it a try.

The amazing things about block prints (for me) is that the finished product always has a cool arty look - even if you are not the greatest "artist" in the world. 

2013 Lino Cut

Each year the great folks at CBC Toronto put on a big all-day holiday show - Sounds of the Season. December 6th is the date.

The doors of the CBC Broadcast Centre are thrown wide-open and there's music, great stories, and a chance to meet your fave CBC celebs.

All proceeds go to help Ontario Food Banks such as the amazing Daily Bread.

I do a lino-cut each year, as a kind of 'thanks' gift for people who donate $100+. There are usually about 300 takers or so.

Here's the rough sketch for this year's print. (I guess Toronto City Hall is on my mind these days... hmmmm....)

I'm extra excited this year because I'll be cutting the actual plate (using a knife to gouge into a piece of linoleum) with the crew at ArtHeart - an amazing community group in Toronto that offers art supplies and lessons to people who might not get the chance otherwise.

Yay!

Some writerly advice

I did a great tour through the schools and libraries in Innisfil, Ontario last year.

They were running a writer's contest and they asked me for some of my advice.

Still valid (I think) for anyone who is taking part in NaNoWriMo.