Malik Adamson

This poignant card comes from Malik Adamson, one of the featured children in the documentary BROWNSTONES TO RED DIRT. A Bed-Stuy artist, Malik has an affinity for anime and hopes to use his talents to either be a professional artist, a photographer or a game designer, he has as he says, "backup plans." A self-described "kook," and now in 8th grade, Malik's art reflects his personality: effervescent and sweet, it shows a young man who seeks to escape a mundane (and sometimes harsh) reality through exploring worlds only found in his imagination.

Dan Barker

Inspired by the masks of African art, Dan Barker submits this lively drawing. Born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, as a child Dan always imagined that the masks he grew up with could talk and have conversations. A self-taught artist he learned animation on his own through Animationmentor.com. In South Africa he managed local artists for BMG Records, and also worked for a number of post-production facilities as a generalist. He then emigrated to the United States and worked as an In-Game Cinematic Animator on Uncharted Drakes Fortune for Naughty Dog. Following that he landed at his current location, Blue Sky Studios, where he has done both animation and rigging on Horton Hears a Who! and on the upcoming animated film Rio.