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