The Phillies are inviting professional artists to become involved in a new Paint the Phillie Phanatic Public Art Project, a city-wide art program created to excite Phillies fans, increase community pride and raise money for local charities. A select number of professional artists and/or a team of professional artists will have the opportunity to paint a five-foot, fiberglass replica of the Philadelphia Phillies mascot, the Phillie Phanatic. The completed statues will be displayed throughout the Philadelphia area in March and April of 2009. At the completion of the project, statues will be auctioned off with net proceeds being directed to Phillies Charities.
Artists selected to participate in the Paint the Phillie Phanatic Public Art Project will receive a $500 commission. To be considered for the project, artists, or the team of artists, must submit the following:

1. Brief letter of interest, to include artist's name, address, telephone number and email address.

2. Resume and sample of previous work.

3. Concept sketch of the Phillie Phanatic. Download images of Phanatic to sketch here:
   

Artist applications should be sent to:
Deadline for artist application: Friday, December 5, 2008.
All selected artists will be notified by Friday, November 14, 2008. The Phillies have final approval on all submitted artwork.
If approved, completed painted statue would need to be completed by Monday, March 2, 2009.
If selected, artists should follow the below tips in order to properly prepare the Phanatic sculpture for paint and protect it after the paint is applied:

1. Prep for Paint
• Lightly sand surface with 80 to 120 grit sandpaper. Do not over sand.

• If primer is flaking, wipe with denatured alcohol or a painters tack cloth.

• Re priming is not necessary unless your paint of choice recommends it. In that case follow paint manufacturer instructions.

2. Painting
• We highly recommend acrylic paints: Most brands will work fine. If you have specific questions, please e-mail paintthephanatic@phillies.com.

• We recommend staying away from oil paints if you do not have a lot of experience with them.

3. Finishing
• After your paint is done, you want to apply an automotive grade polyurethane base clear coat. These coatings are now available in easy to use spray cans at automotive supply stores. We recommend U-Pol #1 clear and Dupont brand. If you have trouble finding this product, it is available through Icon Poly.

• Apply in several thin coats letting the prior coat tack up for several minutes before recoating. Three to four coats is sufficient, but you can apply more for a thicker clear coating effect.

E-mail  paintthephanatic@phillies.com.