Drawing for a Smile

Chappy

2009-10-02T13:45:00.001-04:00

Narin from the UK received the old chap!

Puppy prince

2009-10-01T21:57:00.000-04:00

This fluffy prince brightened up Jessica from Canada's day!

Close-up!

2009-09-30T20:32:00.001-04:00

Pia from Malta got hers! The drawing is an homage to something dear.

Just "V" that my mouth

2009-09-29T19:50:00.003-04:00

Alli from FL got her surprise! It's going on her bulletin board!

Une Romantique

2009-09-25T20:15:00.002-04:00

Qing from Singapore is a romantic and so, I drew something reminiscent of the theme.

Cheez!

2009-09-23T19:31:00.001-04:00

Martin from MA's true secret identity!

Rainbow socks

2009-09-23T19:28:00.002-04:00

Angelo from MD loves rainbows! I've actually seen someone with these on before.

Cherp!

2009-09-23T09:24:00.002-04:00

Kate from IL loves birds!

Squeal!

2009-09-22T20:06:00.001-04:00

Sara from AZ squealed with girlish delight when she received her drawing. I squealed with little girl delight when I received her smile.

Cat Harp!

2009-09-21T15:21:00.002-04:00

Daniela from CT is SO happy about her Cat Harp. Strange gal, isn't she? Almost as strange as me drawing a cat harp...

Vampeer

2009-09-19T21:37:00.001-04:00

Coincidentally, Alice from NY is a fan of vampires!

Chirllo!

2009-09-19T03:30:00.003-04:00

Emily from AL loves her new bird!

UK says hello!

2009-09-17T21:08:00.002-04:00

Melanie from the UK says hello!

Kitty Kat

2009-09-16T19:44:00.002-04:00

I think Molly from Scotland and the kitty goes together very well!

No worries

2009-09-16T00:08:00.001-04:00

Jasmine from CA was down in the dumps, but I hope my drawing did enough to look into the future just a bit more smilier.

Bwushy Eskimo

2009-09-15T21:08:00.002-04:00

This eskimo made Nadia from NC feel all warm and fuzzy!

Daisy po panda

2009-09-15T19:44:00.001-04:00

Madi from WN liked pandas and daisies. What better way to surprise than to put the two together? Surprise!

Prins

2009-09-14T22:47:00.002-04:00

Who doesn't like stubborn looking but cute princes? I know Kat from CA does!

Face!

2009-09-14T22:42:00.001-04:00

This is a great photo of Sara from CA! Who knew the two woulda fit so well?

Minor update

2009-09-12T01:46:00.009-04:00

Since the audience has grown, I feel that I should update more often on what's been going on behind the scenes.

The number of requests has currently reached 300 and with a few new requests coming in everyday. This is just fantastical news for you, me, and the balance of the world. I now vow to send out at least 5 drawings everyday. I don't doubt that there will be days where I don't have much choice on the matter, but I'll try my best!

I also need everyone to try their best to send in their pictures! Without your wonderful smiling photos with the drawings, this project would never be what it is today. The community is what holds the project together and make newcomers smile.

We have also broke the 100 mark for drawings sent! Cawngwats on that, folks.

Remember, questions are still accepted for the Curious Curiosity section, so don't hesitate to try to pry me open!

Giganormous thanks to those who donated!

Surprise attack! (The good kind)

2009-09-08T19:52:00.011-04:00

Hello, boys and girls, ladies and gents.
When I came home today, took a nice shower and ate some food, I flipped open my laptop and went straight to my inbox like usual. Lo to my surprise, I was greeted with 145 new e-mails! All of the e-mails were requests for a drawing to help them smile and get them through the days ahead. I haven't gone through all of them yet because I am currently reading through them, with more requests coming in as I progress!

This is just great news and at first, I was overwhelmed, but then my heart was a-flutter. Even so, I am dedicated to this project and will go through with my promise. Just a few disclaimers though!

Please allow time for me to go through each request, as each drawing does take time. As always, I will continue with the earliest requests first and make my way up to the more recent ones. I can't say when I will finish each one or when you will get yours since this has never happened before. Also, take into consideration that I have other responsibilities to attend to besides this project (like other projects!). So please, I ask of everyone to be patient and don't worry about not getting a drawing. :)

One last thing. I'd rather not ask of you guys to do this, but I'm not exactly a completely successful guy that relaxes in his giant underground pool behind my ginormous shack. If you can donate any amount of money, I would be ever so grateful. It doesn't cost much to send out letters, but with so many requests all of a sudden, the amount really adds up. A small amount can actually help me send out a couple of letters already!

Anyway, thanks everyone, and I really appreciate the comments and words of encouragement in your e-mails. :)

Special thanks goes out to Hamid who has been great help and supported me from the beginning!

Kitsune

2009-08-30T22:51:00.002-04:00

A nice little fox for Kanya from HI!

Mushroom, mushroom

2009-07-30T15:41:00.002-04:00

This little mushroom traveled all the way to Mark in Germany!

Elves!

2009-07-26T19:45:00.001-04:00

Who doesn't want a little elf sitting on top of they're head? I know Tommy from OH does!

Arabian nights

2009-07-23T03:41:00.002-04:00

This is Hamid from CA's second drawing. I deeply appreciate all of his support and kind words, so cheers to you, pal!

Morning bird?

2009-07-21T21:50:00.002-04:00

Vanessa from NY loves birds! So what better thing to draw than the animal she loves the most?

Drawing for a Sonrisa

2009-07-21T16:18:00.003-04:00

This was maybe the 4th or 5th time that I forgot to scan the drawing before sending it. But Nathalie from NY--who is a personal friend of mine--was more than willing to scan it for me! I also liked both of her smiles so I took the liberty of posting both of them.

Familiar?

2009-07-18T17:50:00.002-04:00

Emilea from NY recognizes this little lady from somewhere...Oh, where has she seen her before?

Smiiiiiile!

2009-07-13T20:19:00.003-04:00

Marcus from Sweden is a good pal! I will visit him one day in person to return the smile.

Hello again world

2009-07-05T20:18:00.006-04:00

How has everyone been? I don't know how many of you have kept up with this project long after it has ended or if others have stumbled upon it, but I have news!

After some consideration and pondering, I have decided to start the project up again. Once again, I am not sure how long I will go far, but I vow to at least use up all the envelopes that I have stocked! After I have depleted my resources, who knows what will happen next? I realized that I loved doing the project, not because people were willing to keep my drawings or for any self gratification. I loved it because I got to meet many new people and that I've actually accomplished what I was set out to do. So I thank those that have taken part, sent me letters, looked to me for a tiny bit of help, and befriended me because of this project.

I'm going to see how I can expand this project even further and bring more much needed smiles in this world. I am open to suggestions, contributers, and help from all of you. You know how to contact me.

Without further ado, let this project be revived and commence once again!

Smile onwards,
Otto

Slippery penguin

2009-06-01T22:56:00.005-04:00

That penguin is in for a treat because it's with Rachel from CA; miles away from the frigid cold.

Night Zs

2009-05-16T22:19:00.001-04:00

Debbie from MA got her second drawing. An even bigger smiler than before.

Future self?

2009-05-13T01:58:00.002-04:00

Jordan from MO's future self? If it is, then he's one hip old man! Check out those hot pink frames.

Under the sea

2009-05-11T16:25:00.002-04:00

Tom from IL wanted something from under the sea, but do not be fooled by the smiley claws! Spike here can not be easily deceived.

71st smile

2009-04-28T20:22:00.003-04:00

Pedro Alberto from Brazil received the last drawing done for this project. Therefore, he is the 71st smile. He was very happy about getting a drawing and from of all places, the States!

Cloud riding

2009-04-18T03:46:00.000-04:00

Peter from MN loves those clouds. Looks like a lot of fun.

Hissss

2009-04-15T01:41:00.004-04:00

Garrett and Kaida from MO are inseperable.

Moving

2009-04-14T21:06:00.001-04:00

William from WV's second drawing. Glad to make anyone smile more than once.

Pigster

2009-04-08T23:12:00.003-04:00

Recognize that smile? It's Terri from Canada! She requested a second drawing and I happily accepted.

Brr! (grr)

2009-04-06T17:30:00.003-04:00

There are still snowstorms over in Canada where Sergey is from...in April!

Soaked

2009-04-04T15:57:00.001-04:00

Seth from VA loved it!

Fuzzy friends

2009-04-04T02:09:00.002-04:00

Some fuzzy smiles for a fuzzy Canadian named, Dylan.

Matching

2009-04-02T15:42:00.002-04:00

Chris from Canada and I were amazed at how he and the drawing matched so well. Smiles do wonderful things.

Birth

2009-03-31T02:07:00.002-04:00

Birthday smiles and wishes go to Tim from IL.

Jazzy

2009-03-29T14:51:00.004-04:00

Jascha from the Netherlands is all jazzy-like. Keep on playing that invisible saxophone.

Tender

2009-03-24T21:30:00.003-04:00

Patrick from IL strutting that smile.

Super flying

2009-03-23T20:53:00.001-04:00

May Trey from MD fly high and spread his smile all over the universe.

Mauw

2009-03-20T20:02:00.001-04:00

Tom's kitty from the UK purr'd (equivalent of a smile) at the sight of the drawing.

Strawberry Eskimo

2009-03-04T21:20:00.003-05:00

Michelle from NY gets a strawberry shortcake eskimo in the mail. That would make anyone smile.

Peas smile!

2009-02-28T17:42:00.002-05:00

Renee from IL wished for smiling peas. Her wish was granted.

D'oh!

2009-02-27T02:59:00.005-05:00

Hamid from CA enjoyed reading his letter and receiving his drawing, but, I got a kick out of my own mistake which is clearly shown in the picture. I guess I had a brainfart between the words "practically" and "my". How embarrassing!

2 for 1!

2009-02-24T23:14:00.004-05:00

This drawing in particular presented difficulties to both me and the participant. Blue lead on white paper is NOT a good idea, but we both somehow made it work. I commend James from Canada in trying to make the drawing show up in the picture! Not only did he make an effort and not only did he smile, but...sent two smiles in one picture! Can you spot the second one?

Bunny (ies)!

2009-02-16T01:08:00.005-05:00

Noel from OH was so kind enough to scan the drawing for me because, me, being the forgetful old man, forgot to scan it in myself. She seems very busy currently, but that doesn't stop her from keeping a smile on.

Three little magic fellas

2009-02-15T17:44:00.002-05:00

And one fabulous girl from CA named, Sophie.

Floats

2009-01-30T02:28:00.003-05:00

I told Sherry, who is a good friend of mine, about Drawing for a Smile. She loved the idea and told me that she wanted to participate. So here she is giving us a lovely (and silly) smile.

Colorful spots

2009-01-30T02:22:00.002-05:00

Hassan from PA is seeing spots!

Groar

2009-01-30T02:14:00.002-05:00

To quote William from WV, "I swear, the drawing is speaking to me!"

Pharmaceutical smile

2009-01-15T04:54:00.002-05:00

Debbie from MA, ran out into the brisky cold to get the mail!

Into the morning

2009-01-15T04:45:00.004-05:00

Phu from TX giving us a late night, well..early morning smile.

Sisters

2009-01-13T17:22:00.012-05:00

Cristina and Diana are sisters from CA. Cristina (the one on top) asked if I could send her sister a drawing. I didn't hesitate one bit. I asked if she wanted one to, but she declined. Little did she know, I surprised her with one too. I wrote here a brief letter that read "Everyone deserves a smile, even you. No excuses!" After they received the drawings, Cristina sent me a very heartwarming thank you letter:
"Thank youu otto! my sister LOVED her drawing.. and thank you for surprising me with one too. The note was very sweet of you and it came at a good time. I hope the effort is good enough for you, I really tried! Thank you again (from the deepest depths of my heart), you made one of the most important people in my life smile..it was so nice to see my sister so happy to receive it in the mail."
Her letter lifted my spirits up. So I would like to thank them and for them and everyone else to keep those chins up and smiles lifted!

A bit sweet

2009-01-03T00:37:00.003-05:00

To quote Emma from TN, "CATTAN CANDY!!"

Pull up those legs!

2009-01-02T20:06:00.004-05:00

This made Justin from IL and his whole family laugh with delight.

O Canada

2009-01-02T16:48:00.005-05:00

Terri--who is also a lovely artist--smiles from Canada.

International

2008-12-26T12:02:00.002-05:00

Christian smiles all the way from Norway!

Wishes from

2008-12-26T03:17:00.007-05:00

Joe from IA spreading some cheers.

Must be chilly

2008-12-23T15:13:00.005-05:00

Just look at how surprised Drew from AZ was!

Fuzzy bear

2008-12-22T14:38:00.003-05:00

Sean from CA felt warm and fuzzy when he received Mr. Bear.

Keffiyeh

2008-12-19T22:40:00.006-05:00

Catherine from NY.

Received around the time of her busy final week of the semester.
It succeeded in cheering her up.

First smile!

2008-12-18T17:17:00.010-05:00

Say hello to the first smile of Drawing for a Smile,

Elias from NJ!

More are on the way!

Curious Curiosity

2008-12-15T17:04:00.028-05:00

This is where we ask questions about the man behind the project.

Questions are to be sent by e-mail and I will answer each and every question. If the question is too inappropriate, I'll still answer it as honestly as I can, but it'll probably not end up here.

I will start this off with a question of my own (?):

What inspired you to start this project?

I used to work at this independent children's bookstore. Whenever I was behind the register, I doodled on scrap pieces of paper when the day was slow. When a customer came up, I would put the drawings aside. So one day, this customer--a mother--spotted my drawings and her face lit up. She immediately called over her daughter (who was around 4, maybe?) to look at the drawings. The mother seemed so excited over them and it made me happy to see them both smile because of my doodles. I regret not offering the drawings to her. I didn't think about it when she was looking at them, but thought about it after she left. Way to go.

In addition to that, this all really started when I started giving people hand-made cards for the Holidays. As I was drawing, I thought to myself, "Why stop at holidays? Keep on giving, you silly." So here I am. It came with problems though. Who will I send it to? I only have a certain number of friends and family members. After them, who do I contact?

So..voila! Hopefully, it will all work out and spread to people who need a bit of cheering up.

After all, you can't put a price on a smile.

How many can we get?

You can ask for as many as you want! There is no limit; but I for one, think having one drawing rather than a bunch will seem like it's more valuable and magical. Yep. Magical; but go for it! There's one thing though. Priority goes to the people who haven't received a drawing yet. Until the queue is cleared, then I will go on to you greedy piggies. Kidding (about the greedy piggies)!
That is a great question, Mr. X.

I used to work at this independent children's bookstore. Whenever I was behind the register, I doodled on scrap pieces of paper when the day was slow. When a customer came up, I would put the drawings aside. So one day, this customer--a mother--spotted my drawings and her face lit up. She immediately called over her daughter (who was around 4, maybe?) to look at the drawings. The mother seemed so excited over them and it made me happy to see them both smile because of my doodles. I regret not offering the drawings to her. I didn't think about it when she was looking at them, but thought about it after she left. Way to go.

In addition to that, this all really started when I started giving people hand-made cards for the Holidays. As I was drawing, I thought to myself, "Why stop at holidays? Keep on giving, you silly." So here I am. It came with problems though. Who will I send it to? I only have a certain number of friends and family members. After them, who do I contact?

So..voila! Hopefully, it will all work out and spread to people who need a bit of cheering up. Plus, I'm not that great at writing, as you can tell.

Can we continue to bother you for more if we're brats and refuse to smile in the first couple of pictures we send to you?
Oh, you are getting sneaky. I never said that you HAD to smile. Preferably it's better because that's what I'm set out to do and this entire site is based off of...well, smiles. If the drawing did not make you smile, than I have failed you and a part of my soul floats away. The rest can be answered by the previous question.

What is your favourite flavour of jelly bean?
My favorite flavor of jelly bean would have to be the red (Cherry) and pink (Strawberry) ones. Though I have to eat other flavors so as not to overkill the cherry berry experience. I don't like the black (Licorice) or the white (Vanilla) ones, but I could eat them if I had no choice!

Smile!

2008-12-15T16:02:00.037-05:00

Drawing for a Smile is an ongoing project that involves mailing art to people.

The main idea behind the project is to make people smile with something simple. What is that simple thing, you ask? Why, I create little drawings just for you!

"Wait a minute. There's a catch. There's got to be a catch! You want compensation, don't you? My puppy?! No way!!"

Nope. There is no catch. I don't want any compensation, but your puppy does sound tempting. I'm just kidding! All of this is free of charge. If you want to return the favor, a smile will suffice. Maybe a picture of your puppy smiling, too..

Actually, that smile is a big part of the project, but it is completely optional. Although, the project thrives on the participation between the recipient and I. After receiving the drawing in the mail, I want you to take a picture with the drawing, smiling all the while would be preferable. I really appreciate it when you send me back a picture. I will then post it here, creating a smiling explosion! Yeah, that's right! Explosion!

Now that has been covered, I feel that some guidelines should be presented:
To receive a drawing, all you have to do is e-mail your mailing address to me. You might be skeptical on the idea of sending your mailing address to me and I don't blame you. But I assure you that it is completely safe and that after I have sent out your drawing, I will discard your address in a safe and secure manner. Also, if you can, please include your name so I know who to address it to.
I can not take requests. You can, however, give me a vague theme or interest that I can work with. Otherwise, the drawing will be completely random. You are also allowed to request a drawing for a friend or family member as a surprise gift!
You may decorate your picture however you wish before sending it to me. You can even draw or write over my drawing if you wish to do so.
I understand that some of you are camera shy and that's completely fine. You can just substitute yourself with a stuffed animal, robot, or even your cat!
Donations from half a cent to a gazillion dollars are accepted. I can promise you that I do not use the donations to treat myself to dinner or a movie. All donations go towards the project and future projects to come. If you do decide to donate, then just click on The Smile Jar!
Well, that about wraps it up. I am working on future projects too, so watch out for those! I also mail to anywhere in the world.

Please direct all mailing addresses, pictures, questions and/or comments to:
gelotto@gmail.com