Pinocchio

Sorry about the lack of posts to the blog these past weeks. I've been very busy during my free time, getting the house ready for a new baby and all (more about that later). So here's what I've been working on. The title should have been a clue, but if you haven't guessed it its a Pinocchio toy.

The canvas I went with was the blank Vinylmation. To be more specific, the red blank. Once again this wasn't by choice, it was because the kids had one to spare. You come to realize, that in the designer toy industry, the vinylmation canvas isn't really accepted. It is too corporate and defeats the purpose of designer toys with its insane amount of production runs. In the designer game, the less of a toy there is the more the toy is sought after. So you see runs of 10, 20, 250 etc... In some cases you get the 1,000 piece limited run which give more people an opportunity to purchase it and still have the exclusive effect.

So I decided to do a Pinocchio figure. I chose Pinocchio because he is by far my favorite Disney character and I thought he would translate nicely on the vinylmation canvas. But I needed to make him standout as a vinylmation, so I decided to take my x-acto knife to it.

I have to warn you, if you ever use an x-acto knife, always make sure you have sharp blades. You will not believe how many people I've seen slice their fingers open because they were using dull blades. So, I took the figure and put it into boiling water. Boiling the toy makes the plastic very soft allowing it to be cut easily. And as you might guess boiling the toy makes it very hot as well, so be careful when pulling it out and handling it.

I cut the vinylmation where I would be extending it or where I would not need a certain part (the ears). From there I drilled holes where the wires would go, for example in the hands, feet, head, and body. I put screws into areas that I would be adding clay to (thank you Kevin Gosselin). The screw helps the clay stay attached to the piece it's screwed into. I use foil to build out certain areas I don't want to waste extra clay on, like Pinocchio's hat.

For the areas that I needed to add clay but couldn't put screws in (the feet), I sanded the area a bit so that it would have an abrasive surface. I used plumbers putty for the torso and shorts area. Plumbers putty is a two part epoxy putty that hardens in about 3 minutes, so you must work with it fairly quickly.

After attaching the the body together with plumbers putty, I wrap a layer of super sculpey around it and start sculpting. The wires that attach the feet and hands get wrapped with sculpey as well as the tail and ears.

The picture above is not the final pose of the figure, I just put it together like this to give you guys an idea of how he will look. His hands will be angled up a bit more and his head will be turned sideways like the image of Pinocchio at the top of this post. I also was thinking of making him more of a grown up toy but the wife did not think I should do that to Pinocchio. Comment if you want to know what my idea was, but until then to be continued...

************************ARTISTS YOU SHOULD KNOW***********************

 
    So I decided to start posting about certain artists that are... well... AWESOME! These are artists that have been an inspiration to me and whose craft can only enhance the world of designer toy art. The first artist that I would like to feature is Kevin Gosselin. Who's Kevin Gosselin, you say? Well, if you have to ask that you haven't been reading some of the well known blogs. Here are some background cliff notes. Influenced by sci-fi and fantasy art, comic books, anime, the masters and a barrage of contemporary artists, Kevin hails from Northwood, New Hampshire but now calls Seattle, Washington his home. He has his bachelors in Fine Art and Illustration and will run circles around you, literally. He has completed 10 marathons, three 50k's and one 50 mile ultramarathon. Personally, hearing the words ultra and marathon combined just sounds crazy. But the only thing crazy about Kevin is his sculpting skills. To find out a bit more about Kevin, he was kind enough to answer a few question.

Joseph:    First off, thank you Kevin for taking the time to answer a few questions. So I actually caught wind of you late last year when John Stokes did a post of your Coarse Jaws "Samurai Pain" custom. Your attention to detail and design floored me. I was an instant fan. Do you remember your first sculpture and can you describe that experience?

Kevin:    My first sculpt. I believe it was at a cub scout den meeting and someone gave me a knife and a bar of white soap. I whittled it away to nothing and ever since then I've retained my dissatisfaction with everything I work on. I remember being fascinated by the idea that I could reveal some new shape within a square block.

Joseph:    You have customized a variety of designer toys, from Kidrobot Munny and Dunny, Coarse Jaws and Paws, Sketchbot to Mad*L. Is there one that's your favorite to work on and is there a designer toy you haven't worked on which you are wanting to try?

Kevin:    I think the Munny is by far my favorite because it's simply a platform and doesn't carry much baggage to it. KidRobot really knew what they were doing when they created the Munny. It's like a cute vinyl mannequin waiting to be given character. Other toys in the designer scene bring their own personality to the table and that narrows the possibilities of creativity. I still enjoy working on other toys, as they present more of a challenge. Also, the only time I get to handle high end toys is when someone sends one to me for customization. If I had the choice of customizing anything it might be a Teddy Trooper. I've never done one and missed a chance to buy one cheap a while back. I regret that.

Joseph:    Working on other peoples designer toys is fun, but do you ever want to make your own figure to produce to the masses for them to customize?

Kevin:    Absolutely. When I first got into this scene I knew I had to establish myself a reputation. Collectors within the vinyl scene like to collect within their paradigm. Meaning of course, they want a cool looking Munny, Dunny etc to work within their existing collection. They collect the line more than they collect the artist. As an artist you don't have to be a name but just make a cool custom. It's an amazing scene for a young artist to get their feet wet and build a reputation. And I feel like I'm nearly there, where I can maybe start making my own stuff and maybe people will buy it cause it's me. maybe, we'll see soon I suppose. I have a BIG project coming up that's taken a lot of my time and I've got big hopes for it. But make no mistake about it, I love doing commissions. I like the interaction between my clients. The only limitations is that a commission isn't as profitable which is why I have begun to work deals out with my clients to make casts off their originals.

Joseph:    You have talked about your stance on helping other artists and even created a sculpting tutorial on your blog to help people out. Let me just say THANK YOU for that. Were there any artists that lent you a helping hand as you were developing your craft?

Kevin:    You're very welcome. And I just want to note that it's an old tutorial now, and I've learned much more. I've been meaning to make another. As for the question, Emphatically, Yes. I went to art school so for sure I had my instructors there. But that was for illustration. And I've worked in a props shop where I had my mentor Ivan. But most of what I do now is all "self taught." I talk shop with other artists but aside from a few tidbits here and there (fplus, ArgonautResins), I've just had to do a lot of googling. But what's self taught? I mean really? Without the generosity of thousands of other artists willing to post their techniques online I'd know nothing. I mean anyone who thinks that they are completely self taught is lying to themselves and others unless they can prove to me that they grew up with wolves. That's why when people ask me how I did something I tell them. I've spent countless hours searching and searching for techniques and materials. For instance. After years and years of trying to figure out the right varnish to use on a figure and never having a solid solution, just last week I discovered that what I really should be using is a water based polyurethane. I've never seen this mentioned in regards to working on statues of any kind, and trust me, I've spent lots of time looking. But all of a sudden I typed in the right key words into google and there it was. Really? So I bought some and have yet to used, but I'm excited to finally have a solution. J.W. etc.'s water based Polyurethane Varnish, I'll let you know how it works out. But I digress to make a point. That I'm still learning, and sometimes it's really frustrating as an artist to struggle without any help. So why be that jackass who stands in some one's way. I have this silly notion that when someone asks me for help, I give it to them, it's just how I was raised. Maybe it's naive, but I don't care. In fact, I love it so much, this summer I'll be teaching a 2 week course at the University of Washington to high school kids on what it is I do. I'm excited and terrified all at the same time. So if you know anyone in the Seattle area, let them know.

Joseph:    When it comes to designer toys, one of the current top dogs is Huck Gee. He has mentioned you as one of the current artists that he's keeping tabs on. How does that make you feel as a toy designer, that someone like Huck digs your designs? Are there any artists that you keep tabs on?

Kevin:    How does it make me feel? Makes me feel super grateful that he would be so generous. I don't think there's any debate out there that Huck is the most successful toy customizer out there. Look at his KidRobot series. Sold out super fast. Who but Huck could do that? And look at his toys. They're amazing. Huck will continue to be an inspiration to me and my goal is to reach that level. I've a long ways to go. So the idea that he digs my designs, or at the very least says he does, it's very generous. It helps build that reputation I told you I'm seeking. As for me keeping tabs on other artists, well, I like a few for sure. My two favorite artists in this scene, for their personality and their work are Fplus and Chauskoski. They're tops in my books. But there are a lot of others I admire. Artmymind, Ardabus, Rubber, Nervis Wrek, the list could go on forever. Really I think I admire anyone who pursues their passion, and I think there's room for everyone.

Joseph:    This past week you're "Amun-ny Ra" custom Munnys were teased, and they look fantastic! When and where can people go to purchase them and what else can we expect from you this year?

Kevin:    Thanks, and thanks again for asking. I'll be dropping them Saturday 14th at 10 am PST at my online shop http://kgosselinart.bigcartel.com/

Joseph:    Well Kevin, before I let you go, can you tell us where people can see/purchase/learn about your stuff? Twitter, Facebook, blogs etc...

Kevin:    Sure thing. Everything can be found at kgosselinart.com you can find all the links including facebook, twitter, flickr, my soul etc.

Joseph:    Any final thoughts or last words for our readers?

Kevin:    To those who have purchased my work and those who want to, THANK YOU. I can not fully express the feeling of joy I get that even though I think my work is sub par, for some intangible reason you appreciate it. You make it possible for me to continue justifying this crazy notion of being an artist.

And to those of you who wish to be an artist, here are some words I gave to a young artist a few days ago:

"Keep working and never allow yourself to get discouraged. The single biggest thing you need in this business is the determination to press forward and continue to learn. Contrary to popular belief, art is not a talent but an acquired skill. It takes lots of practice, but the more you do it, the better you will become. It is very much like exercise. So practice, practice, practice and if you want it, you'll succeed. Oh, and have fun ;-)"

Joseph:    Wise words from someone who will surely be a major player in this designer toy game. So check out his blog for everything Kevin Gosselin. Thank you Kevin once again for your time. 

Update on Previous Post

Here is the current state of the Urban Forestry Dunny. I want to finish it by Friday but with other things going on I might not. I need to finish his tongue, his hoodie, and his jeans. The canopy's aren't glued down either. I want to add a little something that I just thought about this week, but I'll keep that a secret until I unveil the final product.

Urban Forestry Dunny

So, where did I get the idea for this custom you say? Well, studying Landscape Architecture leads to learning about plants and trees. And it's a requirement to get an internship, anywhere as long as it's related to landscape architecture, before you graduate. So I applied and got a job for the City of Riverside in the Urban Forestry and Landscape department. To be honest, that was the first time I had heard the term Urban Forestry. I immediately thought of a tree in a hoodie and jeans. Then when I saw the Dunny figure I thought, "those ears could be branches..." And so the sketching began. I chose to use the Raintree as the tree for the figure. If you have seen Disney's the Lion King, you have seen a raintree.

  So I used Super Sculpey to make the jeans, hoodie and base/roots of the tree. I use Super Sculpey a lot only because I have a pound of it to go through. I used copper wire for the arm/branches, and I built out the canopy's with tin foil before I coated them with sculpey. Now when I say "built out" that means I formed the shape and size I wanted, then I put a thin layer of sculpey over it. This does two things. One, it makes the canopy lighter. And two, it uses way less clay. With the copper wires being the frame for the arms, I layered sculpey on them as well. I debated just painting the design of a tree on the head of the dunny, but opted to add clay to it to give it the texture of bark instead.

 Oh and when I say clay, I still mean sculpey. I decided to give the Dunny a base, thinking that the canopy's would throw it off balance. But while I was painting it, I dropped it and the base shattered. The only images I have of the dunny are pre shattered base. But I am days, actually hours away from finishing it so hopefully I can update this post with some finished images soon. but until then these are going to have to do. Sorry ladies and gentlemen. These images are all before primer and paint, so believe me when I say it looks way better than these pics. Oh, and I went with blue jeans, a white hoodie, green canopy's and of course a brown bark for the tree.

On To The Next One...

So i'm not sure if you guys have checked out my WIP tab, but I posted a pic of my current work in progress which is from the dunny figures. Dunny's are figures that resemble a bunny from a company called Kidrobot. They are by far the most popular figure to customize. Since i could not find a diy dunny, I had to buy a designer dunny and strip the paint. I purchased a dunny that was designed by Klor, sorry Klor. Will post more on this project soon. But for now, here is how it all starts.

Stripped 3" Dunny

Mickey Mouse Batman?

DIY Vinylmation

Batman Head

After the positive feedback from the ICS Android I decided to try another custom but this time doing more than just painting the figure. Due to the lack of money I couldn't go out and just purchase a blank of my choice, so I turned to a Vinylmation I had bought my son. Vinylmations are Disney vinyl figures based off of the Mickey Mouse character. Created to cash in on the popularity of Designer Urban Vinyl, disney has over saturated this line of toy with hundreds of different designs. Being a fan of Batman, I decided to make a vinylmation interpretation of him. The idea again was to keep it simple but have enough features to where anyone would recognize that it was supposed to be Batman. I chose to go with one of my favorite Batmans ever, the Dark Knight. After washing the figure with warm soap water, to take off any residue left from production, I heated the figures ears with a blow dryer. This makes the vinyl very soft and easy to cut. With an exacto knife I cut the ears into the shape of Batman's ears and filled in any imperfections with super sculpey. I then added the brow definition on the mask. The body only needed the Batman logo on the chest which was real easy to cut out and adhere to the body. The spikes on the arms were a little challenging but they ended up looking pretty cool.

Ready for Primer

Sketch of Logo & Belt

After all the sculpey was in its proper place, I boiled everything to harden the sculpey. I sanded the sculpey to smooth it out a bit and primered the figure with a black sandable primer. After giving it a nice sanding, I was able to start painting the belt and eyes. Once all the painting was done, I did a matte gloss finish on the entire figure to seal in the paint. I used cel vinyl paint on the entire figure by the way. The cape was cut out of a piece of clothe. I was kind of lazy on it but will most likely have someone sew a proper cape for Vinylmation Batman.

Dark Knight Vinylmation

Primed and Ready

Yummy!

The idea behind my design was simple, take the os name and make it look like that. The newest Android operating system was given the name Ice Cream Sandwich. My job was made a little easier when Google unveiled the statue for the os. So I tried to stay true to the design of the statue when creating the mini Android.

 I started by taping off the lines which was fairly simple. Once taped off I painted several coats of brown. I used cel vinyl paint diluted with water at a 1 to 1 ratio. The paint dried fairly quick so I was able to get about seven coats done pretty quick. The figure itself disassembles into four pieces, the head, the body and both arms. I focused on the body first. When I was done painting the body, I lined up the head and marked off where the lines would continue on the head.

                  

After taping of all four parts and painting the brown on the Android. I went back with white cel vinyl paint (not diluted) and put the ice cream dots and filled the eyes in. Once it was all dry, I spray painted the entire figure with a matte gloss sealer. This made the brown become richer looking and sealed the paint so it won't fade or scratch. Then I just put it back together and I had me my first Custom Android Mini. It was featured on toysrevil.blogspot.com, which was cool.