Jeffro's Blog: SPOOKTACULAR with the PHILADELPHIA CARTOONIST SOCIETY...PART 2

The A-Team: Christine Larsen (far left), Kyle Margiotta (3rd from left) and a bunch of hard-working CHAD students

Last Saturday, we had the honor and privilege to take part in the SPOOKTACULAR in a new way this year. For the first time in five years, we were allowed to hang with the architects and the students at the Charter High School for Architecture and Design (CHAD) to actually design and build a house. A HUGE thanks to Kate Campbell for allowing us to participate in the design this year. On October 25th, all of the house fronts that are built will be braced together and set up in the gym of CcTC, making a makeshift street. This event gives the kids at the center a safe place to trick or treat every year.

Since the cartooning is often looked at as an art form not to be taken seriously, we felt it was very important to really put our best foot forward. Chris Patchell teaches at UARTs on Saturday mornings, and I had to help my girlfriend move. So Kyle Margiotta and Christine Larsen were our "A-Team". They came up with the idea to make an amazing haunted house inspired by the Nightmare Before Christmas. Christine came up with the idea to have folded fabric for the slats on the house, giving it amazing depth. Kyle let loose with the paints gave everything he touched an awesome 3-D effect. Then they let the CHAD students loose on the house, stapling and gluing, and cutting for hours.

Patch and I came late in the day, worked for about and hour, and took a bunch of pictures (and credit) for everyone else's work. It was a golden day! I do say, though, I was proud of the "Zero" ghost dog that I painted, and Patch's Oogie Boogie in the moon is pretty creepy. All in all, I would say we did well mixing it up with the architects, especially since we are just a bunch of rag-tag cartoonists.

Below are some photos. Please have a look. I am becoming a bigger fan of this event every year. It involves so many different groups (architects, students, cartoonists). It shows high school kids how great it is to give to those who are less fortunate, and ultimately, it makes deserving kids really happy. Everyone benefits.

Once again, to learn more about the Children's Crisis Treatment Center, please click here.

Patch and students from CHAD. Sadly, I didn't get a chance to get all of their names down, except Brianna (far left) and Katie (far right). They can e-mail their names at phillytoon@yahoo.com.