Big Project

First off, Amanda and I went and saw Don Jon last night. We got free passes from a site that I had signed up on last year but until now had never actually gotten and used any tickets. We got passes for a movie like 6 months ago that we didn't even really want to see and we had plans that night. But we really like Joseph Gordon-Levitt so when I got the email to get passes I was stoked. The movie was really good. Funny, relevant, and despite it being his directorial debut it was very well made. I suggest it to anyone and everyone. Basically, it's about how men and women alike have distorted views about what relationships should be like based on pop culture. It really focuses on the effect that pornography has on mens view on sex, but I think it also subtly comments on womens distorted view on marriage — the perfect man, the perfect ring, the perfect wedding, the picture perfect family — some of which is propagated by womens magazines and romantic comedies just like mens skewed view on sex is effected by porn. Go see it. It has a perspective I've never seen before in a movie and that is hard to do.

More importantly, I was recently approached by a client, a real client, to create 2 Mega Munny figures of a male and a female scientist figure. I'm basically being sourced to make these figures for a client of theirs which is a bio tech company in the genetics field and the figures will be shown and displayed at a big trade show in a few weeks. They'll be giving out Foomi figures at the booth with sticker sets so people can make their own scientists, and the 2 Megas will basically be used to draw people in and get them excited and curious about what is going on at the booth. So after several revisions these are the 2 sketches that were approved. After talking the client and I decided that we didn't want to do the stereotypical scientist. While doing research I came upon a study that showed if you ask just about anyone to draw a scientists they will give you the same thing — an older white male, with an excess of facial hair, glasses and is frowning or has some kind of wacky facial expression. Though the figures had to immediately read scientist, we wanted to try and not play too much into those archetypes.

So both will have sculpted hair, physical glasses and goggles with lenses, actual sewn lab coats and actual rubber gloves. They will both have a pipette accessory and everything else will be painted on including all the facial details and clothing other than the labcoat. 

I have 19 days to finish both of these and I am just about done with the Horseman Heads so I imagine I will be working on these up to the very last minute. 

I ordered these cool cloth bags that you sometimes get candy corn or something in on Halloween and I'm gonna screen print a little graphic on them and that is what the Horseman heads will be coming in so unlike the ones I made for comic con which came with a header, these ones will have a different and a bit more special packaging. 

Finishing up a number of other things, got a bunch of boxes to make, and as always, I got you in line. I'm just real busy, and slow. Thanks guys.

Other Things I Waste Time Doing!

One of my favorite shows started its 27th season yesterday, Survivor — and so far it's actually pretty intriguing. After 27 seasons you'd think it might be hard to bring anything new or different to the game but by bringing back 10 returning players and pairing them with a loved one has created an entirely new dynamic to the game. The returning players are all on 1 tribe and their loved ones are on the other tribe so they are playing against one another. At the onset I saw this as an interesting dynamic once the tribes merged, but something I didn't anticipate is people weighing their vote by the actions and play of their loved one during challenges. The first person voted out was done so because her uncle on the other tribe was a sore winner during the first challenge. And all the men on the newcomers tribe have formed an alliance and if they can maintain it to the merge it bodes well for their female veteran counterparts. But what to do once they merge? You cannot have a 10 person alliance. Needless to say the social game continues to be the more interesting and the hardest factor in the game to figure out.

I am also playing fantasy football for the first time in 10 years. The last time I played I drafted Anquan Boldin and Andre Johnson as rookies if that says anything. So far I am 1 and 1, and should have won week 2 if the 49ers had not run into the Seahawks...sheesh. So While I am constantly working on toys I watch alot of tv. Just about every other good or bad show on tv I watch albeit complete shit like real housewives, the bachelor, the Voice, American Idol, X-Factor or any reality show that has to do with kids, hoarding or wife swapping. Things I do like are almost anything on the Food Network, Sci-Fi, Spike, I check out most new shows on standard networks, and then I've been watching all the new and past seasons on Showtime and HBO — Dexter, Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, Girls, Homeland and The Newsroom. And then of course Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, Always Sunny, The League, Archer, and I love Workaholics and Doctor Who. So as you can see...I watch a ton of tv, and movies. It's something easy to do while working and I prefer that over music.

I got a big commission for 2 Mega Munny's that has a real right deadline so I will be starting those very soon. I'm about to finish the Mini-Munny Kit Fisto, done sculpting the Bot Rocketeer, Still painting Duny Medusa, 8" Dunny Kraken, a Jaws I've been working on for like 3 years, about to start 2 Paws, still have 3A to do and a ton of other things to do. If I did not mention you fear not, I have a long list with all of you on it. I promise.

And if you want to see updates and process pics, the best place is on Instagram — @Nikejerk.

Thanks guys.

Commissions

I'm back into the swing of things and working on commissions and a few other things.

I'm just about finished casting the Headless Horseman orders. All the crazy colors are looking very cool together and if you follow me on IG then you may have seen that I am casting bodies as well. I originally molded the body with the collar piece as one whole piece because I needed to make a few more whole figures and figured this was easier in the long run. I had measured out the amount of resin I needed to pour the 2 head molds and the body so now that I'm casting the rest of the heads I'm still just using the same measurement and casting bodies with each color even though I have no immediate plans for all of them. Right now the plan is to make 2–3 full figures with the new head but painted like the original head. Right now there are none that exist like that. They will go up in my store once finished. So just be on the look out.

I am also about to print my X-Men Wolverine shirt that I've been drawing and refining on and off for almost 2 years. I will be printing a few extra, like 1 sm, 1 m and 1 L, that will go up in my store for the original price but they'll be done and you'll be able to see them.

Also working on many commissions that have been around for a while as well as new ones so fear not, your piece will come. If you didn't already know I work full time as a graphic designer so I only get to work on toys at night and on the weekends. And much of the work I do is pretty detailed and intricate in sculpting and painting so I work quite slow. Even though I don't sleep much it still takes me a while to finish pieces so please be patient, and you can always message me if you have any questions.

And a few more pics from my Boulder trip and misc stuff from the last week.

This is Sporta Authority Stadium where the Broncos play in Denver. It's got a pretty cool shape if you ask me.

This is a bot head that fits on 1/6 bodies that an artist from Singapore sculpted and I will be casting it for orders that have already been placed. I will be getting to this in the next month.

Amanda and I went and saw The Worlds End. It was really funny and we love Simpn Pegg. This is a pretty cool view of downtown Atlanta from the theatre. We almost never go to matinee's so even though we've been to that theatre a ton of times I had never noticed the view.

We went to this little art show that featured artists that work at Cartoon Network and I really liked this illustration of Walter White.

This ink drawing was really cool too.

I'm obsessed with Lgo's now and I LOVE the new Star Wars sets that have come out and these are all the new mini-figures that are in the new sets. I have yet to get any of the new sets but every time I go to Target I drool over this display. 

Kidrobot Boulder

As you know, as 1 of maybe 20 people that read my blog, Amanda and I spent the weekend in Colorado. As you also know we were there to visit Kidrobot Boulder to see my piece in the 1 Year Anniversary show for Kidrobot Boulder, and maybe while we're there I might have a chance to speak to someone about The Headless Horseman. Everything about the trip was a success if you ask me. First of all there were no travel problems other than the huge ass Phish concert that was in Colorado this weekend too which made getting our rental car take much longer than it should have. We went directly to Kidrobot from the rental car place at the Denver airport so that I could meet up with the store manager before the party and she could not have been nicer. She introduced us to all the KR employees that were there, let us take picture of some of the toys before there were big crowds and all in all gave us a great initial welcome to Boulder. The store itself is in an open walking mall type retail plaza. It's just like a regular indoor mall would be, with stores on both sides, seating, art, and all kinds of things in between the stores, but there is no roof. It's a very cool space with stores and restaurants all mingled in with each other.

And though they are not connected, the corporate offices are essentially right above the retail space. This sweet neon light is in the window of the corporate office.

There were a ton of people at the party and I got to meet a couple other artists from the show and from the area and was very impressed with their work. You should look up

Mike Fudge.

84 Pages

And I talked to Mind of the Masons who was not in this show but has shown at all the KR stores so his work is awesome too.

Kevin Gosselins  original Dead Kozik bust is on display at the store as well. It was up high, but it is sweet!!!

It was a pretty great night, free drinks, music, talking to a bunch of different people about art and toys, what more could someone ask for. 

The next day was Sat and Amanda and I basically had the day free and we decided to do a little hiking and went to the Eldorado Canyon State Park. There wet crazy rock facings where there were a ton of people rock climbing. I use to do alot of climbing but NOTHING like this. They were so high up you could barely see them. The water was beautiful, the sun was shining, it was a great morning.

 You can see climbers in this pic.

And then we drove to the Flatirons, but we were too tired to get much closer than this. The Flatirons are those huge angled slabs.

And then one of the coolest things that we did was after hiking we went back to the Pearl St Mall, ate some deep dish pizza, drank some more beers, and after she made a few phone calls, the KR manager Ana was given permission to give us a tour of the Kidrobot corporate office while they were closed. It's like a toy nerd paradise. Toys on every single desk, great artwork from many of the artists they work with, all kinds of fun stuff and just seeing the work environment was fantastic. Amanda and I are very grateful to be given the opportunity to see all that so thank you Ana! And of course we did not take any pictures... some things are meant for the imagination.