This Artist Illustrated 20 Of The Most Positive News From 2022
Martin Smatana, an illustrator based in Prague, Czech Republic, creates wonderful illustrations to portray the positive and uplifting news stories from the newspaper. On Bored Panda, Martin revealed, “Since I love recycling and upcycling, every illustration is made from old secondhand clothes and discarded textiles.”
The artist further elaborated, “My book “A Year of Good News” shows 52 illustrated good news stories which happened in the world during the last year. I hope these positive stories will help to reinforce people’s belief that even in the worst of times, people make many good things happen and that even the tiniest, most inconspicuous gestures can make our world a better place.”
Check out some of his most wholesome illustrations in the gallery below.
More info: Instagram | smatana.com | Facebook
#1
Image source: Martin Smatana
“When the 11-day war between Israel and Palestine ended, an Israeli kindergarten teacher donated a kidney to a three-year-old boy from Palestine.”
#2
Image source: Martin Smatana
“When students in Bristol learned that their school’s caretaker hadn’t visited his relatives in his native Jamaica for four years, they collected money for his air ticket.”
#3
Image source: Martin Smatana
“A garbage collector in Bogotá, Colombia, has collected over 25,000 books people had thrown out and this year he opened a public library for poor children on the ground floor of his house.”
#4
Image source: Martin Smatana
“A father who wanted to spend Christmas with his daughter bought tickets for all six flights she worked as a flight attendant so they could be together on the 24th and 25th of December while flying around the country.”
#5
Image source: Martin Smatana
“The director of a zoo in New South Wales, Australia, brought home several red pandas, saving them from a blazing bushfire.”
#6
Image source: Martin Smatana
“After war broke out in Ukraine, José Andrés, a famous Spanish chef, traveled to the Polish-Ukrainian border. With his team, he prepared thousands of meals a day for refugees, supported by local chefs, restaurants, food producers and suppliers.”
#7
Image source: Martin Smatana
“Brazilian skydiver Luigi Cani released 100 million seeds from 28 native trees while leaping from a plane over a deforested area of the Amazon rainforest.”
#8
Image source: Martin Smatana
“A dog named Patron helped Ukrainian emergency services find 200 unexploded bombs. President Zelenskyy awarded Patron the Order of Courage.”
#9
Image source: Martin Smatana
“After a year of remote learning and socially distanced classrooms, one school in Spain decided to adapt to a new way of teaching and moved lessons to the beach. The children were socially distanced in the fresh air and the teachers could give object lessons in biology and geography near the sea islands.”
#10
Image source: Martin Smatana
“Female Afghan scientists who were forced to leave Kabul showed their robotic inventions at the World Forum in Doha. They have been taking part in science competitions around the world to help young Afghan women develop their engineering, science and technology skills.”
#11
Image source: Martin Smatana
“A Japanese grandma, Masako Wakamiya, couldn’t find a game app for elderly people on her smartphone. At the age of 81, she took up a course in programming. After three years of studying, she designed a mobile game app, “Hinadan,” inspired by traditional puppet theatre. The game has since been downloaded by tens of thousands of users around the world. Today, at the age of 85, she is one of the oldest app developers in the world. She encourages other seniors to use digital technology to enrich their lives.”
#12
Image source: Martin Smatana
“A hiker who was injured while climbing in Croatia’s mountains was saved from freezing to death by his dog. An Alaskan Malamute dog named North lay on top of him, keeping him warm for 13 hours until they were reached by rescuers.”
#13
Image source: Martin Smatana
“The Slovak ultramarathon runner Lenka Vacvalová went to Peru where she ran 850 km along one of the most ancient trails in the world, raising money to buy unique equipment for the children’s oncology clinic in Bratislava.”
#14
Image source: Martin Smatana
“After more than thirty years, women cyclists have returned to the Tour de France.”
#15
Image source: Martin Smatana
“A French florist left bright bunches of flowers on cars parked outside a hospital to thank healthcare workers.”
#16
Image source: Martin Smatana
“Many families adopted dogs during the lockdown, leaving dog shelters almost empty. Lonely people appreciated animal companionship which helped them overcome their fear of the pandemic and made them feel safer.”
#17
Image source: Martin Smatana
“Children around the world who were stuck at home for months during the pandemic drew pictures of rainbows and put them up in their windows to cheer up their neighbors and spread hope by showing that after every rain the sun always comes again.”
#18
Image source: Martin Smatana
“A Finnish woman has been cleaning the grimy homes of strangers for free. Auri Kananen (aka Queen of Cleaning) has focused on people who are unable to look after their own homes because they have found themselves in difficult situations or suffer from mental health problems.”
#19
Image source: Martin Smatana
“Valentina and Leonid Stoyanov, a veterinarian couple from Odesa, turned their house into a shelter for abandoned animals from Ukrainian towns affected by war.”
#20
Image source: Martin Smatana
“Australian firefighters dropped tons of fruit and vegetables from helicopters to feed starving animals whose habitats have been burned in the bushfires. Australian rescue centers have helped kangaroos, camels, horses, and alpacas to survive.”
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