Recently I had the pleasure of being able to pick the brain of another design industry giant, whose company goes by the name of UNKL Brand. Their most recent and very successful contest was the Unipo-By-You, which I regrettably did not send my ideas for.. Of the founders Jason Bacon and Derek Welch, I was only able to track down Derek as his partner was busy at the time, but I am sure after all of these years they are probably pretty much on the same page for the most part with their company. I hope you will enjoy reading this interview as much as I did creating it

I’d like to start off by thanking you for taking the time out of what is probably a very busy schedule to answer these questions.

Can you tell me a little about yourselves and how you started in the design field?

Derek: Yes, things are busy, but I’m happy to take the time to share some of what we do. Thanks for the opportunity to do so. Now, how I got started…I went to college in Texas to be a “commercial artist”. At the time I didn’t really know what it meant. I just knew I wanted to create art and get a paycheck at the same time. I focused on illustration until I took a design class and the rest fell into place. After graduating I worked in Austin and Dallas for 3 years before moving to Oregon to work for Nike. I was there almost 6 years until JB and I started Big-Giant. I’ve been hooked on design for over 15 years now.

Do you have a long history of working together or was UNKL the first thing that you collaborated on?

Derek: Jason and I met while working for Nike in the Brand Design department. We used to kick projects back and forth between us just to see what the other would come up with. We also would write stories with characters and illustrate them for fun. The collaborations allowed us to expand our creative reach by leveraging each others talent. We’re a great team, because we have different approaches. We push each others ideas beyond what each of us would create individually.

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Erick Scarecrow is definitely a man to keep your eye on in today’s vinyl toy market. Without taking a breath from his recent profoundly successful release of his new Liberty vinyl toy at SDCC, in the past week he has not only announced the release of another plush toy series slated for June including a DIY version and a DIY artists’ show to kick it all off! I’ve just finished up an interview with the man himself and I hope you’ll enjoy getting to know him as I did.

Bio ———————————————————————————————–

My first question to you is, can you tell me a little about yourself?

ES: I am the founder of ESC-TOY LTD. I draw, write, and supervise my own and outside projects. I’m also in talks with several networks and a software developer/ publisher for another property called “Mash-Out!” I generally need 8 hours of sleep.

8 hours of sleep, as if that’s possible. LOL.

Okay besides the 8 hours of sleep, describe your typical day.

ES: My day starts with me thanking God! Then my assistant Tadone gets breakfast. We talk about TV shows, music, videogames, movies and toys then it goes down to business. Check my planner, confirm scheduled appointments, check emails and voicemails, review random post-its that are around my studio, go over designs and client projects, make sure shipments are on route or have been delivered, take time out to chat with fans in the forums, chill with my family, listen to some music, check out the vinyl and entertainment sites, check emails and voicemails, send Tadone to get lunch, make room for creative time, and then take some periodic time outs to breathe because I can’t believe I’m running Esc-Toy Ltd. LOL!

What does your office and/or studio look like? Obviously not full of cubes like I’m used to, LOL.

ES: My studio at times will look like a mad scientist’s lab. I’m constantly reviewing new merchandise, projects and big boxes are always coming in.

How did you end up in the designer toy scene?

ES: I ended up on the designer toy scene full time when I lost my job back in 2003 to an undisclosed toy company.

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Tell me a little about yourself and what you do.

My name is Eric Nocella (Diaz). I’m a toy proto-typer, sculptor and sometimes even an artist. I started my art career in television animation actually doing a lot of ink work over at Curious Pictures. I always loved toys and was always trying to make cool things so I would eventually sculpt up stuff with my kneaded eraser when I should have been drawing. Sculpting I learned late in life was more comfortable to me than drawing so I stuck with it. I currently fabricate prototypes for vinyl toys, statues, busts, Maquettes and action figures.

How long have you been sculpting and how did you get started?

I’ve been sculpting for close to twelve years now - the first two years was fooling around and making terrible sculpts for friends here and there trying to find good materials to use and people I could learn from. An old high school friend of mine, Mshindo took me over to meet Digger over at the Art Asylum when he found out I was sculpting back in the mid 90’s. Digger was crazy enough to give a newbie like me a shot and you best believe I took him up on it. Working close to him advanced me pretty quick in the ways of action figure toymaking. He had some of the top dogs in the business coming and going through his shop and I was lucky enough to watch those guys work and bug them with my never ending questions…there were no forums back then…everything was live, LOL.

I know from looking at your work, you’ve done a variety of characters and styles. What type of character is the most fun
to work on?

That’s a tough question…I’d have to say human type forms…anything with human anatomy I probably enjoy the most. Or some semblance of human form since anatomy studies was my favorite class in high school. As I get older though I prefer things that haven’t been sculpted up already…odd designs, stylized and sometimes offbeat. My online portfolio is starting to fill up with some zany sculpts and I don’t mind it one bit…somebody always finds at least one thing there they like… except one time - some guy emailed me upset that I had a Mr. Hankey toy sculpt (from South Park fame) in my website portfolio and wanted me to remove it because it was just not working for him, it being in there with my other sculpts…yup…I kid you not…

You’ve done work for Marvel, DC and as already mentioned, Todd McFarlane Toys. What characters have you worked on?

I’ve sculpted up half of both the Beatles Yellow Submarine toy line for McFarlane Toys, worked on the first few waves of the Spiderman and Friends line for Marvel, and worked on a Batman Begins movie maquette for DC.

As a sculptor, which character is your favorite?

Right now my favorite sculpt is the Canti robot vinyl toy based off the Japanese animated television series Fooly Cooly/FLCL (It looks like a rather simple design - but it’s not, trust me). I love robots, always have since I was a kid and to get a project like this was a real treat. I did that prototype for KaChing Brands a few months back.

What other companies have you done work for?

Carnival Cartoons, Neptune studios, Xmoor Studios, Kid Robot, The Level 5 Group, Hasbro, Cartoon network - I have a few more listed in the clients section on my GoldMane Entertainment website.

Many Vinyl Toy enthusiasts and designers frequently visit URL. Along with me, I’m sure many are dying to ask, how does one get started doing what you do professionally?

I’d have to say - get your skill level up to point where people will trust you enough to hire you for their projects. Like everything else, hard work and professionalism go a long way. I got into vinyl toys by sculpting up the Spike TV Video Game award for Kid Robot. Vinyl guru Paul Budnitz over there was gracious enough to have me work on a few other vinyl related projects after that. I never planned to get into the vinyl scene it just happened…I was hoodwinked. Vinyl toys are very addictive.

Do you have any other tips for the beginning sculptor?

The best tips I can offer are to study everything you see and get a camera and take pictures of your work as you do it. The camera is like a unbiased third eye and will help you see what’s wrong with your sculptures as you work on them. Try all ways of doing things - experiment as much as you can, especially with different materials.

What are the mediums that you work with the most, and what are your favorites for sculpting?

My favorite sculpting material of choice is a hard toy wax called Azbro and I use some Super Sculpey from time to time. I taught a toy prototyping/wax working class a few years back at the toy makers’ symposium at Toy Fair. It was a hands-on type affair where the attendees got to learn how to work in wax first hand. Anyone can get their hands on some Azbro with all those other materials and tools of the trade at the Compleat Sculptor Marc Fields and his staff can answer any sculpting material and supply question you can think of. I buy all my sculpting supplies there.

Besides creating the amazing work that you have on the Galtow Warrior bust, what else do you have your skilled hands in over at Xmoor Studios?

Haha…sneaky question that is, LOL…I partnered up with Robert Garrett who’s one heck of a writer, over there at Xmoor Studios to produce a few collectables based on his Galtow series…we’re planning another bust at the moment. I’m also serving as editor and art director on all of the new books coming out. We have a few other things planned that will get revealed later on this year if everything stays on course.

Are there any other artists or sculpters whos work you enjoy or who you admire?

Artists I like right now would be guys like Travis Charest, Marc Silvestri, Dale Keown, Lesean Thomas, Mshindo I Kuumba, Grey, Dave Flora, and there’s probably a ton more that wouldn’t fit in this interview. As for sculptors - Michelangelo, Bernini, Fredrick Remington, Thomas Blackshear, Takeya, Dave Cortes, and Clayborn.

If there was one famous character (cartoon, comic, video game, etc) you wish you designed who would it be and why?

Great question! I’d have to say Gatchaman/Battle of the Planets… especially the latest 2D animated film trilogy it spawned later on, hands down. That series was so ahead of it’s time when I watched it as a kid on television and even now with the updated version. I was so inspired to draw up characters like the ones in the cartoon when I was a kid…that animated series got me going. Yup - no doubt about it.

In closing, I’d like to thank Eric for taking time out from what is very obviously a pretty full schedule to answer all of these questions. I am hoping that this will bring him new fans and customers.

Interview by Sandman

Gavin Strange is a 24 year old professional graphic and web designer, street artist and toy customizer based in Bristol, United Kingdom. You may know Gavin Strange through his personal studio Jam Factory. Sandman got in touch with Gavin to ask a few questions…enjoy.

You’re a pretty young guy, at least in comparison to me, and it looks like you’re doing pretty good for yourself. Would you agree?

In the most modest way possible, year I’d have to agree. I still actually can’t believe I’ve done the stuff I’ve done, I’m a very very lucky boy indeed.

What is your ultimate goal in your career?

Oh man, that’s a tough one. I don’t have an ultimate goal at the moment, I think I’d just like to be able to continue doing this until I can’t use a computer or pick up a pen no more! I’d like to carry on and design / create / be a part of everything I’ve always wanted too!

How did you get started in the design field?

I was lucky, real lucky in fact. I did 2 years Graphic Design at college in my hometown of Leicester (Holla!) but I didn’t really have any interest in going to Uni, I just wanted to get out there and get involved. I was lucky enough to be offered a place working for a local Design Agency, which I gladly took. Not long after joining the firm I was offered the chance to be a Junior Web Designer as opposed to a Junior Graphic Designer. Having tinkered with the web a little bit in my own time, I said yes and that started it all!

In my spare time I doodled, drew, designed and just carried on the graphics side with the technical web side being learnt at the agency. 4 years later I plucked up the courage to go it alone and started JamFactory as my own company, being my own boss. 3 years later, I’m still here!

I love your bright, bold and many times, cute designs. I’ve been inspired by your work. Can you tell me what or who has influenced your style up to now?

Thanks man, very kind of you to say! Oh wow, influences… there’s so many! It ranges from people who I take a direct link of their style and people who I just think are incredible… My Bristol homeslices Mr Jago, Richt, Sums & Paris, Mister Cartoon, Estevan Oriol, TADO, Juice Foozle, Dist, Deseo One, David Lanham, Jeremy Fish, David Ellis, Will Barras, iso50, Jeff Soto, Mark Ryden, Miss Van, Pete Fowler, Rikcat, Tokidoki, WASTE, Christopher Lee, Chris Cunningham, David Fincher, Michel Gondry & Spike Jonze to my inspiration list!

There’s so many I’m forgetting. I just love it when I see anything awesome, I get so excited and feel proud that I’m ‘part’ of something, you know? It feels like there’s this whole subculture of artists, I love that, that’s inspirational itself!

You seem to have covered so many different “canvases” including skateboards and brick walls. What is your favorite surface to paint on?

Hmmm, another good one! I’m loving walls at the moment! Toys are awesome but they’s so fiddly and easy to mess up! Big flat smooth walls are really nice, Posca’s go on there so nice. I’m also a bit obsessed with doodling on windows, ever since the Rebelo show in Newcastle; I keep trying to convince different people to let me loose on their windows!

I’m all really new to this really though, it’s only within the last few years that I’ve had the opportunity to really do hands-on art stuff, as it’s previously been graphics and web stuff. I just kept my doodles as doodles, I only did my first canvas’s 3 or 4 years ago. I’m actually crap at proper painting. You give me a paint brush and tell me to paint you a ‘traditional’ painting and it’ll look pap, I leave that stuff to my brother - he’s the man with the proper skills!

Do you like doing stuff smaller, larger or does it matter?

It depends really, I don’t really have a preference! I love doing graphics stuff which gets printed big, thats always exciting! I did some graphics for Realmac Software a few months ago, 2 x 2 metres tall graphics for their booth at MacWorld and then a huge graphic for their new offices which spanned over 12 panes of glass, which is great feeling to have your stuff out there so big!

In terms of arty stuff I’m happy any size really although I reckon im more comfortable with a medium sized canvas or something 60 x 40cm or something like that! Saying that, give me anything any size and I’ll give it a go!

What is your favorite medium to work with?

The medium of dance, that’s always a good one.

ha-ha, not really. Ermmm I’d say I’m most comfortable on the computer, in Illustrator. I can work so much faster and smoother in that than anything else. But like I say, I’m so lucky to be doing different things, it feels ace to learn them all.

Pill Boy is such a cool character! I see from his flickr gallery that he’s very popular too. (added link for later in the post) What can you tell us about Pill Boy? How did you come up with him? What is his story?

Thanks! Yeah, I’m so so stoked with li’l PillBoy! He’s quite a trooper, he started out as a little idea I had in my sketchbook AGES ago, like years ago. I was flicking through it one day and thought ‘oh, i quite liked that idea’ and then started doodling again on that theme. I was at Duncan’s (Jago) flat at the time, just having a doodle session, and i remember being so inspired just being there, feeling creative with a hero of mine. I was really into it and thought I’d like to turn him into a vector creation.

That night I worked away and I’d not long fell in love with transparencies in Illy so that was my first real character which used shadows, which I was proud of. I’m not sure where or why I had the idea to open him up for download, I think I was just dead eager to be involved in the design community someway, so i thought I’d give it a go!

Well, 140+ customizations later, he’s still going strong! As far as I’m aware, there’s also a 2 foot vinyl sticker PillBoy on the wall of the I.D.E.A. Gallery in Los Angeles, courtesy of Pop Cling & Beautiful Decay! I’d also like to thank EVERYONE who’s ever took the time to create their own PillBoy, I heart you.

Who knows what’s next for him… I’d love to see him come to live in vinyl toy form… who knows!?

Well it looks like you’ve got a full plate right now, what can we look forward to in the next few weeks, months…. from you?

I have indeed got a full plate, which I love and am real grateful for. Expect websites, graphics, skateboards, clothing, shows and a couple more things i’ve got to keep under my hat but are very exciting too..

In closing, I want to thank you for taking time out of your seriously, umm how do you put it, “MAD busy”(?) schedule… to answer all of these questions. I am sure your fans will appreciate it and we definitely do at Urban Retro Lifestyle!

No, thank YOU for taking the time to ask me these questions, it’s been fun! Fans? Do I have fans? Surely not, im just a big kid that loves monsters and will scribble anything given half the chance, I’m more like an artistic parasite of sorts (a nice fluffy manga-looking parasite you understand).

Anyways, a massive thanks to you Matt, Urban Retro Lifestyle and everyone who’s took the time to read this shizzle, I love you all like a rap kid loves breaks.

Peas.

You can view more of Gavin Strange’s work at Jam Factory.

Interview by Sandman

Buy the Ben The Illustrator Art Print and Badge set here

Ben The Illustrator is a London based designer and Illustrator. Ben’s work stands out because his great use of colour and wondeful designs. Ben is the first artist to use a mouse in the new UrbanRetro ‘The Mouse vs. The Brush’ Project and goes head to head with Lou Pimentel.

Hi Ben, tell us a bit about yourself and how you got involved in illustration?

Drawing is pretty much all I’ve ever done, since I was a kid. There was one day, aged 7, and I drew a picture of some pirates, and it was ace, really it was, and everyone liked it, and I think I might have decided then “this is what I’ll do, I’ll draw”. So I do. I actually studied animation, then worked in animation for a few years, directing and animating music videos for labels like Skint and Sony, then I diversified and worked with varied clients in animation, web design and illustration, but it was always the illustration jobs that were exciting me, so I decided to make a clean break from the animation and simplify everything, just be Ben the Illustrator.

What inspires the art that you create?

Principally there are two things, music and travel. Seeing incredible natural landscapes and amazing cities always inspires me. And I’ve always been obsessed with music, when it comes to my work like Speakerdog, its inspired by bands like The Polyphonic Spree, putting so much love and enjoyment into their music and their live shows, it inspires me to do the same with my work. To create illustrations that make people feel good.

Are there any artists that inspire your work?

I am such a geek for pictures, I take inspiration from a huge variety of traditional artists, contemporary artists, illustrators and graffiti artists, Takeshi Murakami, Keith Haring, Basquiat, Warhol, Matt Sewell, Airside, there are too many to list!

If things were different career wise and you were not Ben theIllustrator what would you being instead?

Hmmmm, what a terrible thought! I love my job, I don’t really know if I even see it as a job to be honest, anyway, if I wasn’t an illustrator? I think I’d like to go outside and work with trees. When I was a teenager I worked with forest rangers preserving woodlands. Maybe I could go back to that.

What annoys you the most when you are working at your desk?

There’s not much, I shut myself off a bit, music on my headphones and all. The only things that can annoy me are actually tiny little things, like someone in the room sniffing!

Do you ever get a creative block and what to do at that point to get creative again?

I’m generally ok with that, it doesn’t really happen to be honest. I enjoy what I do, and it makes me feel good, so if somethings not right, it’s doing something creative that puts me back on a high.

What has been the most fun project or client you have worked for?

Good question, I’m not sure if there is just one! I do illustrations for Smart Cars and Vice Magazine, for Smart’s alternative ad campaign in Europe (which only appears in Vice and a few lifestyle trade shows). They are great fun, they don’t restrict me much with briefs at all, every time they have an idea of a type of landscape that they want a Smart Car to be driving through, and they just let me run with it, so far we’ve done a desert, snowy mountains and a city, I look forward to part 4! Another fun project was a recent collaboration with Sjors Trimbach, for his Badgers, which are little paper ‘cut out and keep’ characters, each with a pin badge for a face. Sjors has done a set of four previously, each character with a design by a different artist, and is currently putting together a new set, with six new artists, I am very happy to be one of those.

Tell us a bit about the art print ‘Shouting Love From The Rooftops’ you have created for UrbanRetro?

It’s my buddy Speakerdog, he’s quite a popular little chap, mostly for just spreading love and good times wherever he goes. I’ve been playing about with Speakerdog for a year or two, he’s got a t-shirt, and numerous canvasses and some dollar bill stickers floating around, mobile wallpapers, he’s appeared in a few magazines and posters, keep your eyes peeled for Speakerdog! This particular piece is most probably the most special Speakerdog piece yet, I was very pleased with the city, and the graphic icons are totally in line with Speakerdog and his personality. I produced the piece starting, as always, with pencil and paper, then scan it and take it into Adobe Illustrator, where I simply trace it and colour it. Illustrator is an incredible program, so much depth and scope. I’m a real geek for colours, I like to spend a long time picking and choosing perfect colours for a piece, and this was no exception!

Are there any plans on turning Speakerdog into a vinyl toy or similar in the future?

I’d love to, I really would, I think it kind of HAS to be done. I’ve never worked on a vinyl toy before, so it is a new area for me, but I am hoping to start work on a vinyl toy very soon. I am in the process of putting together some paper Speakerdogs at the moment, cut out and keep, your very own Speakerdog! They’ll be out soon! I’ve never modeled with paper before, so it’s mostly a trial and error process, at first it was more of an error process, but I think we’re getting somewhere now!

If you could be another artist for one day who would that artist be and what would you do?

Excellent! Wow, there are a lot. I think perhaps Takeshi Murakami? He works with a really great team that put his visions into reality, he gets to spend time working in New York and Tokyo (perhaps my two favourite international cities) and he gets to do some massive art pieces. If I was Takeshi Murakami for a day I think I’d try and create a massive piece, maybe an installation, in the English countryside somewhere? Sounds daft, but it would be really super.

Finally a question we ask all artists. If there was one famous character (cartoon, comic, video game, etc) you wish you designed who would it be and why?

That would have to be Speakerdog. hehe, sorry, just kidding. I think it would have to be Charlie Brown, it’s not all that interesting, but I have always loved the simplicity in how Charles Schulz drew him, his innocence, his big smile, just so simple and amiable. He also had that killer stylish yellow tee with the black zig zag. All those Peanuts kids, and Snoopy and Woodstock all have this wonderful style to them, not just in the line quality, but the actual figures, their priceless facial expressions, cute hairstyles and fine, fine clothing! Good honest kids.

Thanks for taking part in this interview and also in the new UrbanRetro project. You can buy Ben The illustrators art print and badges from the following link:

The Mouse vs. The Brush

Ben the Illustrator website

Buy the Lou Pimentel Art Print and Badge set here

Lou Pimentel is an up and coming artist from New York who’s art work is stuck between various styles. However being stuck is a great thing for Lou as his art is very fresh, bold and colourful. Lou is the first artist to use a brush in the new UrbanRetro ‘The Mouse vs. The Brush’ Project and goes head to head with Ben the Illustrator.

Hello Lou Pimentel, Thanks for taking time out to take part in this interview. To begin take us back to your childhood and how you got involved in art?

I started drawing at the age of four. My father sat me down one Saturday morning and taught me how to draw a fish. That was all it took to get me interested in the arts. I began drawing fish on every surface I could find. I guess some would have called me a lil Graffiti artist. At the age of seven I won a school drawing contest with a picture of Dr. Martin Luther King; they displayed my drawing at a local Mc Donalds. It was a very proud moment for me. When I was nine I moved to NYC. I lived right on Flatbush Avenue. Man did I love New York back then. Graffiti was EVERYWHERE, nice bold letters, and bright colours. That had a huge impact on me. I would look out of my window and imitated all the letters and names I could see. I slowly started developing my own style which has changed through out the years.

When did you decided that you enjoy art and would like to pursue with it further?

I have been drawing for the most part of my life, but I was always busy with school, and work. I didn’t have enough time in the day to paint. But I did have time to sketch and draw on the Subway, on the way to work, and on the way home. What really pushed me to pursue a career as an artist was getting laid off from my cooperate job this past December. I suddenly had all the free time I needed to focus on my art.
I have been painting non stop for the last 6 months, and because of this my style has gotten much stronger. I’m really enjoying the way my work has evolved.

What are your main influences for your style of art? What is the best way to describe your style?

I think everyday life influences me. I mean I could be walking down the street and see a dog do something funny, or over hear someone say something and instantly I would get a visual for a painting. What’s the best way to describe my style? Well lets say that one crazy night Pop Art, Graffiti, and Saturday morning Cartoons had a freaky orgy, and 9 months later my style was born.

Do you have a favourite artist whose work inspires you or has influenced your art in any way?

All artists inspire me, but the two that really have influenced me are Sam Flores, and Jeff Soto. Their work is amazing. When I first came across there work I was blown away, but I did see elements that reminded me of my work.

Give us a little insight to your art piece ‘After the storm’

This piece was a pleasure to work on.
I’m a big fan or the Asian Culture and their art, and this piece combines a lot of my favorite elements. I love to go for walks after a big rainstorm. The rain wipes the streets clean, tree branches hang low, and its usually nice and quiet. In this painting I want the viewer to be taken to one of my fav. happy places. Trees, rainbows, flowers, nature.

Tell us more about the red apple character that appears in quite a few of your pieces?

Hahahah I get this a lot. Is it an apple, or is it a cherry? It’s a cherry. It’s really funny the way I stumbled into this character. One day I was eating a cup cake and thought “man cupcakes are the best, twinkies cannot even compete.” That thought inspired me to paint a samurai cupcake shooting a ninja start into a twinkie. I then started painting cupcakes, I found them really fun to paint, but the more I painted the cupcakes the more I started to like the cherries I was putting on top. Eventually I decided to take the cherry off the cupcakes head and give it the respect it deserved, and vioa, my cherry character was born.

You seem to have done pretty well so far considering your current solo show. Tell us more about your solo show Milk and Cookies and how it came about?

Well I was surfing the web one day and came across a “call for artist” ad. This bakery was looking to display food inspired art on their walls and I felt my style would make a perfect fit. I then contacted the bakery and they loved my work, and they asked if I would be interested in a solo show… of course I said yes. And that’s how that gig came about.

What has been the most fun show you have been involved in?

The most fun show I did was on April Fools day, it was called “the ball of fools.”
What I loved most about the show was that it was done on a old ship that was rescued from the bottom of the Hudson River. The entire boat was covered in rust, but that’s what gave it character, all the textures really made it so beautiful. At the bottom of the ship they had a DJ blasting trance/techno music, and we had a HUGE turn out of people. Good times…

You have some cool toys, how did you design and make them? Is this something we will be seeing more of from you in the future?

Thank you. Well I enjoy making funky characters, and it’s nice to bring them to life. Some of have sculpted, and others I have sewed out of felt.
I’m really enjoying sculpting at the moment, and have been thinking about making some of my sculptures available to the public. Give me some time, lets see what happens.

Will you be getting involved in the custom vinyl toy scene as well as I have only seen the 1 custom robo munny so far?

I love vinyl toys, and enjoy customizing them even more. I have done one munny, working on two new ones, and have customized a few dunnys.
I would love to have some of my stuff mass produced, but I’ve been thinking of making some of my own toys by hand. Something is coming soon… Keep your eyes peeled.

As an artist do you ever have an uncreative moment? If so what do you do to get that spark back?

Well it happens from time to time, but all you need to do is take a nice walk around a gallery and I’m sure the sparks will fly.
Another thing I do is carry a very small sketch book with me at ALL TIMES. When something comes to mind I do a quick sketch so that I don’t lose that thought, and when ever I need an idea I flip through my sketch book and select whatever feels right at the moment.

If you were not creating art what else would you be doing now?

That is one question I can not answer really. I need to create, it could be sewing, sculpting, making bird houses, anything crafty.
Wait… I wouldn’t mind getting paid to fish. Yeah, I said fishing, lol.

What can we expect to see from you in the future and any plans on doing a show out side of the USA?

You can expect many more paintings, a few toys, and who knows what else I’ll be into in a few years.
I would love to do a show in China, or Japan. I really love the Asian culture, they have so many great characters, and the food rocks.

If there is one memorable moment in your career that you are waiting for so you can say that you are fully satisfied with how everything has gone, what is that moment?

I had that moment the first time someone spent their hard earned money on one of my paintings. It feels great knowing that people like your stuff enough to buy it.

Finally our regular question for all artists, if there was one famous character (cartoon, comic, video game, etc) you wish you designed who would it be and why?

I wish I designed Calvin and Hobbs. Man they’re awesome, they have some of the greatest adventures, and they look pretty damn cool.

Thanks for taking part Lou and good luck with all your future projects. You can buy Lou Pimentel’s art print and badges from the following link:

The Mouse vs. The Brush

Lou Pimentel website

Hi Ed Zepln, Thanks for being the latest artist to be interrogated by me.

You started with Graff but your style is not quite Graff now, when and why did your art style change?

I would have to say its started after I got into trains and just pushed my self to different material,

What is your favourite piece of art you have created, something that you look at and say “Damn that’s awesome”?

My first custom skumbo, he was ill ..

Who are your 3 favourite artists, not including you buddy Bil? Why do you like them?

Deph he’s just the man, Fafi shes the one that inspired me to evolve to characters, and Lola she has a great style.

So how did you get into the whole vinyl toy customising scene?

This is Bil Betsovics fault he showed me the vinyl scene and I was very excited to dive right in to that scene .. thanx bil..

Who do you think is the hottest vinyl toy customiser at the moment?

Mmm hard question .. Doktor A, he is always slammin new things and creating great eye boggling work yeah doctor a ..

You must collect vinyl toys as well, what is your favourite production piece toy?

Dephs dunny, Frank Koziks work, aniabaloons are cool, a lot of productions really

If there was one Retro toy you could customise, what toy would it be?

Some vintage Hannah Barbara wind ups ..

What kind of food do you eat before you work because I find it hard to concentrate on a empty stomach?

I have a sweet tooth when I paint.

What pushes you forward when you are creating something new?

I would have to say Bil Betsovic because we have an on going battle between us to keep each other on our toes

Tell us a bit more about The Quaalude?

Well thequaalude.com is Bil Betsovic and my web site dedicated to our art, ect. We felt the Quaalude is a great way to extend our selves to the world and give people a chance to buy or trade with us. We are big collectors and adore it when people have our work as well .. basically we are mad scientist that are addicted to vinyl .. the Quaalude is gone for ever but everyone remembers it just like us .. lol

What was the last show you were involved in and how did it go?

Malicious vinyl. It was in Las Vegas at the arts factory (cool place) the show was great good turn out and props to whole artist line up .. Lou Pimental, Kochis, Sheesh, Shan Micheal Evans, Jonny white trash, Spencer Davis, Ceasers, Iceberg Slick , Mike Biggs, to name a few

If you were stuck in a giant jar with someone, who would that person be and why?

Kathie Olivas I think it would be nice to have a girl artist to paint me naked, lmao, in a jar ..

Finally if there was one famous character (cartoon, comic, video game, etc) you wish you designed who would it be and why?

The munny, because those little guys are the next level in the art world and kid robot peeps are genius for this idea. Thanks kid robot.

You may have missed this because I made toy shooters into a new section but have now decided to just include everything here instead. So here you have the first ever Toy Shooters interview and challenge with Felix Poortman aka. Meffi. If you want to be the next toy shooter just drop me an email.

Hey Felix, Thanks for taking part in the first ever Toy Shooters interview and challenge. Lets get down to business and start with something simple.

Tell us a bit more about yourself and where you are from?

The pleasure is entirely mine! My name is Felix Poortman, but Flickr people will know me as Meffi. I’m a 23 year old student of Asian Archaeology in Leiden, The Netherlands, where I live as well.

What is your earliest memory of taking a photo?

Hmm I can’t really remember when it was, sometimes when I was little my dad let me take a picture with his camera. I’ve started taking more pictures when I was around 10 years old I think, when I got this cheap panorama-camera. Since then I always took my camera on trips or vacations. However, since I kinda sucked at it (half my pictures would turn out useless), I didn’t take a lot of photo’s after the first few times. Of course now that I have my digital camera useless pictures are a thing of the past,

So what got you into taking photos of toys?

I was actually inspired by some other Flickr toy shooters. I got into designer toys not so long ago and when I saw what people like Doc18 and Ophelia87 were doing I just got inspired to do the same.

If your camera could double up as a weapon or gadget, what weapon or gadget would it become? And how would it work?

Oow tricky… Let’s see, it would have to be something wacky, like a cup heater or something. Ow I got it, a microwave! You never know when you might need one… First you’d have to shrink your food with the built-in shrinkray, then you’d have to put the mini food into the battery compartment, set the timer and wait. After that you reverse the shrinking process, and bon appetite!

As a child what toy did you always want but never got?

Difficult to remember one specific toy, I guess I either had everything I wanted or there was too much that I wanted but never got. I do remember one thing: a castle!
I’ve always wanted a Playmobile castle… Ow and those old Lego castles were the bomb as well.

You recently lost some of your toys, how did that happen and how did you feel?

Ah yes, the lost toys… Well, I’ve got a room here in Leiden, but during the weekends I go home to my family, who live 3 hours away. About a month ago I decided to take some of my toys with me, to take photo’s of them in our garden. The trip home went well, the trip back was a disaster though… I was about halfway home when I had to change trains. I was already sitting in my train and it was about to leave, when the conductor said the train was only going halfway. Cause it was almost leaving I got out as fast as I could, and in doing so I left my bag in the train. After that incident I felt really bad for about 3 weeks, among the things lost was my little plush giraffe which I’d had since I was born and I was pretty emotional about that.
Fortunately I got my bag back about 2 weeks ago, they found it after all. Although my t-shirts and my toys were missing, my giraffe has been returned to me.

What is your favourite toy and what toy is best in front of your camera?

My favourite toy tends to change a lot. At the moment I really like the Titus and Odysseus toys I got from Insurgents Wilderness Gruppo, but the toy I will be most upset about if I lost it again would still be my little giraffe.
In front of the camera I also like the aforementioned Titus and Odysseus, but I also really like a little Link gashapon figure I got some time ago. He was among the stolen toys as well, but he was the only one that I actually got back, although he does miss one of his little hands now…

If a celebrity was a toy, and you were a part of the paparazzi, what toy / celebrity would you love to take pictures of and why?

Hmm I’d like to take pictures of someone like Jeffrey Rudom or Matthew McGrory, who sadly died last year. They probably won’t be counted as celebs, cause I doubt that many people will know them, but they are both actors with very striking looks. Jeff Rudom is just an utter bear of a man, and most of you will know Matthew from his role as Karl the Giant in Tim Burton’s Big Fish. The most extraordinary people give always give interesting pictures. I have to add that this is only because I don’t think of myself as a really good photographer, it’s more of a challenge to get really interesting pictures from ordinary people (although in their own way, everyone is extraordinary), and I really admire the people who can do that, maybe I’ll be able to as well if I keep practicing.

Now for your challenge – Your theme is… STEALTH

Stealth # 1
Odysseus decides to take the stealthy approach and sneak up on the refrigerator guard…

Stealth # 2
Operation codename: All your base are belong to us
Location: Monsterism Island
Mission: infiltration…

Stealth # 3
It’s a pity Zoltan doesn’t have eyes in the back of his head…

Stealth # 4
Assassination: eastern style

So what do you think of the 4 photos? I give Felix 2 thumbs up especially for photo 1.

Technorati Tags: Vinyl Toys, Toy, Photography, Interview

Lou Pimentel is an up and coming artist from New York who’s art work is stuck between various styles. However being stuck is a great thing for Lou as his art is very fresh, bold and colourful. Lou very kindly agreed to take part in this months Artist interview to tell us a bit more about himself and show us some of his new work, so enjoy.

Hello Lou Pimentel, Thanks for taking time out to take part in this interview. To begin take us back to your childhood and how you got involved in art?

I started drawing at the age of four. My father sat me down one Saturday morning and taught me how to draw a fish. That was all it took to get me interested in the arts. I began drawing fish on every surface I could find. I guess some would have called me a lil Graffiti artist. At the age of seven I won a school drawing contest with a picture of Dr. Martin Luther King; they displayed my drawing at a local Mc Donalds. It was a very proud moment for me. When I was nine I moved to NYC. I lived right on Flatbush Avenue. Man did I love New York back then. Graffiti was EVERYWHERE, nice bold letters, and bright colours. That had a huge impact on me. I would look out of my window and imitated all the letters and names I could see. I slowly started developing my own style which has changed through out the years.

When did you decided that you enjoy art and would like to pursue with it further?

I have been drawing for the most part of my life, but I was always busy with school, and work. I didn’t have enough time in the day to paint. But I did have time to sketch and draw on the Subway, on the way to work, and on the way home. What really pushed me to pursue a career as an artist was getting laid off from my cooperate job this past December. I suddenly had all the free time I needed to focus on my art.
I have been painting non stop for the last 6 months, and because of this my style has gotten much stronger. I’m really enjoying the way my work has evolved.

What are your main influences for your style of art? What is the best way to describe your style?

I think everyday life influences me. I mean I could be walking down the street and see a dog do something funny, or over hear someone say something and instantly I would get a visual for a painting. What’s the best way to describe my style? Well lets say that one crazy night Pop Art, Graffiti, and Saturday morning Cartoons had a freaky orgy, and 9 months later my style was born.

Do you have a favourite artist whose work inspires you or has influenced your art in any way?

All artists inspire me, but the two that really have influenced me are Sam Flores, and Jeff Soto. Their work is amazing. When I first came across there work I was blown away, but I did see elements that reminded me of my work.

Tell us more about the red apple character that appears in quite a few of your pieces?

Hahahah I get this a lot. Is it an apple, or is it a cherry? It’s a cherry. It’s really funny the way I stumbled into this character. One day I was eating a cup cake and thought “man cupcakes are the best, twinkies cannot even compete.” That thought inspired me to paint a samurai cupcake shooting a ninja start into a twinkie. I then started painting cupcakes, I found them really fun to paint, but the more I painted the cupcakes the more I started to like the cherries I was putting on top. Eventually I decided to take the cherry off the cupcakes head and give it the respect it deserved, and vioa, my cherry character was born.

You seem to have done pretty well so far considering your current solo show. Tell us more about your solo show Milk and Cookies and how it came about?

Well I was surfing the web one day and came across a “call for artist” ad. This bakery was looking to display food inspired art on their walls and I felt my style would make a perfect fit. I then contacted the bakery and they loved my work, and they asked if I would be interested in a solo show… of course I said yes. And that’s how that gig came about.

What has been the most fun show you have been involved in?

The most fun show I did was on April Fools day, it was called “the ball of fools.”
What I loved most about the show was that it was done on a old ship that was rescued from the bottom of the Hudson River. The entire boat was covered in rust, but that’s what gave it character, all the textures really made it so beautiful. At the bottom of the ship they had a DJ blasting trance/techno music, and we had a HUGE turn out of people. Good times…

You have some cool toys, how did you design and make them? Is this something we will be seeing more of from you in the future?

Thank you. Well I enjoy making funky characters, and it’s nice to bring them to life. Some of have sculpted, and others I have sewed out of felt.
I’m really enjoying sculpting at the moment, and have been thinking about making some of my sculptures available to the public. Give me some time, lets see what happens.

Will you be getting involved in the custom vinyl toy scene as well as I have only seen the 1 custom robo munny so far?

I love vinyl toys, and enjoy customizing them even more. I have done one munny, working on two new ones, and have customized a few dunnys.
I would love to have some of my stuff mass produced, but I’ve been thinking of making some of my own toys by hand. Something is coming soon… Keep your eyes peeled.

As an artist do you ever have an uncreative moment? If so what do you do to get that spark back?

Well it happens from time to time, but all you need to do is take a nice walk around a gallery and I’m sure the sparks will fly.
Another thing I do is carry a very small sketch book with me at ALL TIMES. When something comes to mind I do a quick sketch so that I don’t lose that thought, and when ever I need an idea I flip through my sketch book and select whatever feels right at the moment.

If you were not creating art what else would you be doing now?

That is one question I can not answer really. I need to create, it could be sewing, sculpting, making bird houses, anything crafty.
Wait… I wouldn’t mind getting paid to fish. Yeah, I said fishing, lol.

What can we expect to see from you in the future and any plans on doing a show out side of the USA?

You can expect many more paintings, a few toys, and who knows what else I’ll be into in a few years.
I would love to do a show in China, or Japan. I really love the Asian culture, they have so many great characters, and the food rocks.

If there is one memorable moment in your career that you are waiting for so you can say that you are fully satisfied with how everything has gone, what is that moment?

I had that moment the first time someone spent their hard earned money on one of my paintings. It feels great knowing that people like your stuff enough to buy it.

Finally our regular question for all artists, if there was one famous character (cartoon, comic, video game, etc) you wish you designed who would it be and why?

I wish I designed Calvin and Hobbs. Man they’re awesome, they have some of the greatest adventures, and they look pretty damn cool.

Thanks for taking part Lou and good luck with all your future projects. To see more of Lou’s work visit the Lou Pimentel website.

Its not often you see a great portfolio full of retro art work, urban art work and custom vinyl toys. Jason Kochis started off designing t-shirts for an apparel company and has now moved on to become a freelance designer and artist. I luckily managed to get an interview with Jason Kochis to learn more about him and his great art work.

Hi, Jason. Thank you for taking part in our second interview of great artists. Let’s start from the beginning. How did you get involved in the apparel design industry?

I called a company I had interviewed with once before and let the Art Director know I was moving back to Atlanta. The company was expanding so I was hired soon after.

When and why did you change from an artist in the apparel industry into an urban and vinyl toy artist and freelance designer?

While working my full time job during the day, I was moonlighting as a freelance artist and doing gig posters for bands like Superdrag and Daniel Miller. After the birth of my son I started freelancing fulltime. I actually still design quite a few t-shirts, but now I also get to do other stuff like paintings and custom toys. I began making custom toys after I read a post by Frank Kozik. I emailed him and he pointed me to Near Point Toys. From there, I helped round up gig poster artists for a custom SwearBear show at CBGB’s in New York City. A trip to Toy Fair and I was hooked.

When did you do your first ever custom toy and what inspired you to do it?

I did my first toy about a year ago. It was a custom Munny figure based on the BigJaw character I created.

From your website I have noticed you have some great retro style art pieces. Tell us a bit more about them and what style you prefer to work with?

What can I say… Retro is so hot! At least that’s what I’m told. It’s been that way for 6 years now. The style is easy for me, because I like retro art and tattoos. I like to create both urban and retro art. It keeps me from getting bored.

What goes through your head when you are about to start a new design?

I like to think about the audience. Who will view the piece? What do they want to see? I’ll do a few initial sketches. Then I look for references on the internet or in my own collection of materials.

I noticed that you designed the latest cover of Roctober magazine, how did that come about?

I actually did a few illustrations for the magazine a few years ago and the owner asked me to design the next cover. I sent him a few concepts and he liked two of them. So, I designed the back and front covers, including the fonts. [visit Roctober to buy the latest issue]

What is your favourite art piece you have created so far and why is it your favourite?

That’s a tough question. I would say it’s a tie between my BigJaw Munny and a portrait I painted of my son on a Munny. I like the BigJaw Munny, because, he was the first one I did and he’s what I would ultimately want mass produced. I like the other Munny, because I really feel I captured the look and excitement my son brings to my life.

If there is one artist you could do a collaboration art piece with such as on a vinyl toy or any other medium, who would it be and why?

Where do I start? I would love to work with Joe Ledbetter, Frank Kozik, or KidRobot. Joe’s stuff is so clean, cartoony, and brilliant. Frank, for obvious reasons and KidRobot, because I really love their Dunny and Munny figures.

What will we be seeing from you in the future? Are there any secrets you can slip out?

I will be in a number of up coming shows and I hope to someday release a figure of my own.

What do you want to see more of from other artists in your field? Where do you see the whole urban art and vinyl toy scene in the next 5 years?

Over the next five years, I would like to see artists like Blinky, Bil BetsOvic, Moodude, Squink, and Daniel Damocles Wall become as popular as say Joe Ledbetter, MadL, or Sket One. It would be awesome to see each of them h