The success and demand for my minifigure, "Pipsqueak", who debuted at DesignerCon 2013 made me really want to try my hand at another character. I say that Pipsqueak is "successful", not just in that lots of folks are buying him, but because I am extremely proud of him. I love Pipsqueak. To me, he truly embodies the emotion and "feel" of my characters, and to be honest, I was having trouble getting started on a new character, because I was afraid that I would never even come close to making a character that I felt was as successful as Pipsqueak. In fact, that crippled me from starting, for a long time.
Pipsqueaks, in the "Winter Sky" color.
I toyed around with a few ideas before really cementing this one in my head. I didn't want to make another bunny character, because it would be difficult to make one in the exact same size of Pipsqueak, and not have them compete with each other. In the end, I drew a little doodle of a bat with large ears and folded wings, and was really happy with the idea.
Belfry in early stages of sculpting.
I showed the idea to Chris, and he helped me get started with a very rough sculpt. From his rough shape that defined the height, ear-to-body ratio, and basic shape of the wings, it was up to me to do all of the finishing sculpting. This takes a while, as my technique for this is nearly all reductive; shaving material away using tiny rakes and wire loop tools, and smoothing with a little metal spatula. I finally decided he was "done" when the shape and facial expression matched what I'd visualized in my mind. I always like to leave imperfections in the sculpt, even when making toys that will not be painted. I like to see the marks made by the tools, small nicks and pits, and just a general slight lumpiness that lets everyone see that it was handmade in the beginning stages. I've had toys produced of my characters that, by either digital sculpting or painstaking smoothing before the mold is made, are extremely smooth and perfect. While that's absolutely fine, I prefer the resin figures that I produce to carry some of the same slightly naive, homespun, primitive look that my originals have.
I wanted Belfry to be sort of an extension of the Pipsqueak "family", so I kept his face fairly similar. I brought his wings down around his sides for two reasons. The first is that I wanted to keep the "stretched gumdrop" shape of my characters intact, and the other was logistical. When doing these minifigures, it's important that they are not too difficult to cast. This is what keeps the price down for everybody; many can be pulled from the same mold, and the bottoms sanded to finish them off.
Belfry prototypes in resin, still attached to the mold bases.
Resin Belfry prototype, with eyes. The base will be sanded off.
After I get a good finished sculpt, a mold is made out of silicone, so I can get at least one good positive cast from. I will make a bunch of resin casts, and fix them up as much as they need (sanding off the mold base, filling bubbles, sanding or fixing spots that were difficult to fix in the clay, etc.) and coating them with primer spray. Then I'll make a mold that will yield a number of figures in one pour. I'm almost at that stage now - more information as I get closer to the final mold, and eventually, release of Belfry into the world!
Here's a little video showing some sculpting and how I use a base to sculpt tiny things on so that I don't accidentally squeeze or melt the clay while I'm working on it.
This April, Chris Ryniak and I have another two-person show at Stranger Factory. Because we both have a background in design and art direction, we tend to go a little crazy with theming, but I wouldn't have it any other way, honestly. I tend to be extremely thematically-inclined with my own bodies of work, and it's very comfortable to work with another artist who feels the same way.
The first part of the theme that we come up with is the "story" of it - what will the body of work be about? For this show, we chose the title "Safe Harbor". As you can probably guess, it is nautical in nature. Not even just the sea, but ideas, objects, and history that surrounds it. You can expect to see a lot of marine motifs in my work - shells, crab claws, coral, scales, as well as more dockside elements such as fishhooks, anchors, baitfish, and flags. We're wanting to more or less be able to represent two worlds of the sea; the world underneath the waterline, and the world that sits right on top, relying on the bounty of the ocean for sustenance.
After we've got our story down, we immediately go into picky designer mode and come up with a color palette that will govern the entire show. If I'm making more than 3 pieces at any given time, I pretty much always choose a palette for the work. I feel so much more comfortable working within color parameters; even if a piece does not specifically fit into the story of the rest of the work, it will visually harmonize if it fits within the color scheme. This is important when we need to fill an entire gallery.
The palette we came up with is a wash of salt-bleached neutrals bolstered with bright pops of saturated color. Sand, pebbles, driftwood, and worn canvas sails. Peeling yellow paint on a time-tested fishing boat. The brilliant aqua of equatorial seas and the faded blue of storm-greyed skies. Rusty-red coral, nacreous abalone, and patinated copper and brass.
Now that we've defined these things, it's time to get to work! There are patterns to be cut, faces to be sculpted, and mermaids to design. More sneak peeks to come, as there is so much more left to do!
Sewing is something I do at least a few times a week now, but it's far from being something that comes to me naturally. Well, let me take that back - sewing by hand, using a needle and thread, comes very naturally to me. It's when you get machines and pattern-drafting into the mix that my head starts to spin a little bit.
But, since my artwork is 50% fabric, sewing becomes a necessary skill. I've never taken any classes (though I still think I will at some point, as I know I have a lot to learn), so any abilities I have in this arena have been entirely self-taught through trial and much error. It's honestly not a skill I ever thought I would learn, despite being very interested in costuming and fashion in my younger years...I'm still far from the point where I can make clothes for myself, but I can whip up ruffly petticoats and collars for Dust Bunnies, no problem!
Keep reading below for a quick tour of my sewing tools...this is more of an overview than anything specific - if I were to get into the nitty gritty of all my sewing tools and techniques, it could cover many blog posts!
My Vesta VS III, made in Germany by the L.O. Dietrich company, most likely in the 1920's.
I'm going to periodically post an "Inspiring Objects" series. Just things in my everyday life that I love and/or find interesting. Hope you enjoy.
1) Peleda wind-up owl by Nathan Jurevicius, 2) Rose quartz, 3) vintage hand-tatted French lace, 4) printed fabric from Okadaya, Tokyo, 5) Cherry flavored mochi, 6) Boots' hand cream, 7) Sakura jam from Takayama
