Through the Ripple Blog, Illustrators Are Raising Money for Animals in the Gulf

After seeing video of animals affected by the oil leak in the Gulf, illustrator Kelly Light just had to do something to help. "I was watching the footage of the oil spill and the animals and it undid me. I still get choked up," she says. "As artists (especially for kids) we draw so much inspiration from animals--and I couldn't take it. So I did what I do, I started drawing."

Soon, she says, her kidlit friends started chiming in, saying they would love to help. So about a week and half ago, Kelly started the Ripple blog. "I emailed, tweeted, and Facebooked about it, and the artists showed up--in force. It's been amazing."

Artist have donated cards for the blog, which are for sale for a $10 donation to your choice of two non-profits, The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies and The International Bird Rescue Research Center.

"For the most part, artists do not make a lot of money. I have had so many say that they can't donate financially--so they painted this, or drew that--and it's wonderful," Kelly says. "It's based on the idea that anyone can do something if it is a small act. As individuals maybe we can't make grand gestures--but together our small gestures can be grand!"

As of June 12th, they've raised more than $2000. You can buy a card simply by donating directly to one the of the non-profit organizations and sending Kelly the confirmation email. See the Ripple blog for details and to browse the art.