Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artist Shannyn

WDWNT on February 9, 2012

Shannyn sent us in some more customs. This time she focuses on the Disney ducks.

First, a great looking Donald and Daisy painted on the front of this colorful canvas. It even has hearts stuck onto the head and ear.

The back shows a love letter from Donald to his sweetheart.

Then she made a 3″ set of nephews. Each one individualized with their colors, different facial expression and varying ear designs.

I have always struggled with my duck tails and all three of my customs have a different style. I really like the way Shannyn approached the tail and might give it a shot myself. Great work Shannyn!

Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artist Nathan

WDWNT on February 9, 2012

Custom artist Nathan resides in FT Worth, Texas is the subject of our spotlight today. Classic Disney characters old and new were the subjects of his latest creations.

Destination Vinylmation: Were you into creating artwork before custom Vinylmation?
Nathan: Why yes. I’m a professional Graphic Designer and have been into different styles and medium of art from an early age.

DV: You decided to paint Roger Rabbit smaller and onto the front instead of stretching him and wrapping him around. Was that always the plan? Why did you decided to paint him that way?
Nathan: I decided to not make him fat! Most artists use the whole VM and stretch out the character so I wanted to try something a little different. I really like the way he turned out, though his mouth gave me a huge struggle being on Mickey’s nose and still doesn’t look quite right. I know a lot of people think I should have used all the space, but I chose a different path and experimented! That is the great thing about being an artist, having your own vision and going with it. With him being my first custom and painting on a 3D canvas I gained a new appreciation for all the custom and Disney Artists.

DV: Agent P looks great. Was it difficult to capture this character onto the mold?
Nathan: Agent P was my second custom and was not as hard as Roger was for me. I used a lot more of the vinyl, but not all of it. I wanted to capture his legs and feet from the front and back. I also enjoyed making the hat instead of just painting it on. I made Agent P for my 4 year old son who love Phineas and Ferb. I admit I do too, shhh don’t tell anyone it will be our little secret!!!

DV: Can you give some tips on molding a hat to fit onto a Vinylmation around the ears?
Nathan: The hat was a fun little aspect of the process. I used an air dry sculpting clay for it. I made the rim of the hat first and cut slots for the ears and test fitted til it was a nice snug fit all around the ears. Then I molded the main part of the hat, attached and molded it to the rim. The hat is actually attached to his head as I molded it right on there. Once it was completely dry I painted it to complete Agent P.

DV: Do you sell your work?
Nathan: I just started with customs so I really haven’t thought about selling them but you never can tell what will happen in the future.

DV: Where can people go to see more of your work and contact you?
Nathan: I don’t have any of my customs or regular art online, but I do have my freelance Graphic Design website up and it is: http://mysite.verizon.net/res14m94x/index.html

DV: Thank you for sharing your work with our audience.
Nathan: I appreciate you taking the to look at my customs! This hobby has been a lot of fun collecting and now doing customs just adds a whole new dimension to it!! And as Nick an M.C. say “Keep on collecting!”

Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artists Nick and Rachel

WDWNT on February 9, 2012

I just finished my third Vinylmation custom figure and the second in my Donald Duck Cast Member series. It’s great to see more and more of you out there picking up a paint brush and giving it a go at your own creations. It is daunting at first, and I had the fortune of having a friend who had all the paints and brushes I needed, but it can be a lot of fun and you never know what you can really do until you do it. I’m not saying I have any real skill yet, but I hope I am showing some improvement along the way.

The Donald I chose to create this time is a Splash Mountain Cast Member. Splash is one of my all-time favorite rides and has a unique and identifiable costume. I started with a light blue base all around the body.

I then layered over that with the white bib on the front and the cross hatching of white to create the checkered effect. I found this very difficult for my skill level to get even in anyway. So I found the best effect I can do would be a more “sketchy” type line. When I tried to draw a more perfect line, it came out too messy. I also make this work in my head by telling myself it’s fabric and it bends and folds and isn’t perfect anyway.

As you can see, I also used a clear eared vinyl. This is because I will be painting the outline of Splash Mountain in one ear with a sky behind it and water splashes in the other ear. I decided clear ears would give this an added effect.

As you know, Donald’s signature is that he gets angry. So Splash Mountain is perfect because, well you get wet. So Donald is angry here because he is being splashed.

For the “splash” I used a few clear, “puffed out” rain drop stickers. I painted the backs with a peal blue and they sprayed an adhesive on after they dried. Note: be careful with spray adhesive. We had a slight production delay when I sprayed my fingers together.

Here is a look at the finished effect of the splash in one ear, with one drop landing on his nose, and the mountain in the other ear. Honestly, the drop on the nose and even how to go about the water effect, came after the figure was almost done. The ear and head splashes were going to be paint. Then possibly hot glue gun drops painted. But these stickers provided the most polished effect for me.

My favorite part of this figure has to be the tiny Splash Mountain in the right ear. I modeled it after the classic attraction poster that is drawn like a cartoon instead of a picture of the real attraction. I am proud of how I fit the top two levels on and the tree with the little bit of detail work in it. And my effect worked as planned. By painting the mountain on the front of the clear ear and the blue sky behind it, it gives a little depth of field. The sky was not planed to have the cloud effect, but when I applied the paint and saw it, I was impressed. Some things just happen by accident and work out for the best.

The complete finished figure from the front.

And the back. Now of course, I’m not the only one painting a series of figures. Let’s check in on Rachel’s progress with her Fantasia set.

Here next figure is a very ambitious one, Yensid. As you can see, she began with a Toy Story Rex figure and molded a robe out of clay.

She applied blue paint to the body and arms and white to the head.

Then, with paint, she carefully drew the frame of Yensid’s face.

Steadily, and with much attention to detail from the film, she applied his facial features.

Yensid’s face was nearly complete, but his ears and head still needed some final touches.

She sculpted a hat to place upon his head and painted in the colorful butterfly Yensid conjures up in the film.

The finished Yensid has magnificent detail in his face. The robe has a beautiful flow to it. And the hat and robe were finished off with a slight sparkle in the paint.

Yensid now joins his fellow Fantasia creations.

It’s a Wrap: Annemarie’s Wuzzles

WDWNT on February 9, 2012


Even though this is Annemarie’s column we decided to interview her about her latest creation, Wuzzles custom vinylmation.

DV: The Wuzzles only had a 13 episode run, but apparently had a big impact on you. Tell us why you choose these characters as the subject of your latest customs.

Annemarie: I barely remember the actual show, but I do remember the characters. I always thought they were so colorful and fun and the idea was so creative. I basically decided to do Vinylmation of them because I thought they’d be fun to do.
Hoppopotamus DV: I had a Bumblelion when I was a kid. Out of your 6 Wuzzles customs, which one is your favorite?

AM: I think Hoppopotamus came out the best. I tried to capture her expression as best I could, and I think it worked. Moosel is probably my second favorite, just because I love his colors. I tried to get them to all to work well together as a set by giving them all the rainbow image in the ears, which is my favorite aspect of the set.
DV: Which figure and what features on that figure proved to be the most difficult?

AM: Rhinokey was probably the most difficult to do, he has a smaller head and I tried to indicate that on his figure. He also has the rhino horn, which I painted on sort of like Eleroo’s trunk. I tried to draw from examples like the Pink Elephant from Animation 2 to get that three-dimensional look as best I could.


 Rhinokey

Eleroo
Bumblelion
Moosel
DV: Are you working on any other obscure Disney cartoon based customs?

AM: Not at the moment, but maybe sometime in the future I will!
Butterbear

-Annemarie

Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artist Rust This World

WDWNT on February 9, 2012

Destination Vinylmation: So far you have created a 9 inch Hades, Ursula and Maleficent for what you are calling your “Epic Villains” series. Is it possible to pick a favorite out of this trio?
Rust This World: I like different things about each one, but it’s hard to top Ursula’s giant tentacles. I tried to do something special with the sculpting for each figure in this series so that they really transform the Mickey shape.

DV: Which one was the hardest design to execute?
RTW: They have all been challenging. The sculpting of Hades’ feet was pretty tricky, as were Ursula’s tentacles. There’s a really high level of detail in the painting as well. These figures are just all around more complex than anything else I’ve done.

DV: I like the cohesive look. Did you have this in mind the whole time or did it spring from the Ursula design?
RTW: I made Ursula back in August when I found the tentacles in a store. She became probably the most popular design I’ve ever done. When it was announced that the big annual trade event in WDW would be villains-themed in 2013, I decided to make an entire set using a similar style. The whole style is based around big, detailed, and heavily sculpted figures.

DV: What event did you create these figures for?
RTW: I’m planning on attending the Reflections of Evil event next summer and want to have a big villains-themed showing.

DV: Do you have more planned for this series? 
RTW: Since I have until September, I’ll definitely try and get several more made.

RustThisWorld.com
Facebook is http://www.facebook.com/rustthisworld
and Twitter is @rustthisworld

Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artist Chelsey

WDWNT on January 18, 2012

Chelsea, a custom Vinylmation artist from Los Angeles, California has created some very detailed 3” Carl and Russell figures from the Pixar movie Up. We had the chance to ask her a few questions about her and her designs.
Destination Vinylmation: How long have you been designing custom Vinylmation?
Chelsea: I’ve been designing Custom Vinylmation for a little over 3 months now. I’ve created around 15 figures
DV: Do you collect Disney’s Vinylmation too?
Chelsea: Yes, I do collect Vinylmation. My favorite figures are Balloon and Pongo Chaser
Pongo: Park 2 Chaser
DV: Let’s start with Russell. He looks to be a very detailed figure. How long did he take?
Chelsea: He took me 3 days, about 26 hours total.
DV: How much planing goes into a figure like this before you begin to create the 3D figure?
Chelsea: Took me about 1 day to research and plan how I’m going to create this 3D figure
DV: You decided to use mixed media for this piece, what are the different elements of this figure made out of?
Chelsea: It’s made of blank vinylmation, clay, and small metal key chain connector
DV: Let’s talk about the use of the ears as a Vinylmation artist. I love the references to the balloons and the Wilderness badges on Russell. Is it challenging or a welcome part of the canvas to show off your creativity?
Chelsea: Ears are the most difficult part for me to create. However, I do love challenges. I often use the ears to show off accessories which are related to the character (like toy story Sid, I used his hear to show his toy)
Russell
Sid
DV: What was the most challenging part of the Russell figure?
Chelsea: To make all the accessories.
DV: You designed Carl with some great accessories as well, tell us about his glasses and walking stick.
Chelsea: His walking stick was made of clay with a wire inside to support the stick. His glasses are made of hard plastic paper. It was really hard to cut out the shape.
DV: You decided to build up the hair on these two figures instead of just painting it on… are these the first figures you did that on?
Chelsea: Yes, these are the first figures I did that. That’s not the normal process I use on my creations.

DV: What was the most challenging part of the Carl figure?
Chelsea: The most challenging part of Carl was to make his suit. I had to cut out the pattern of this suit and also pay attention to the arm part. Ineeds to leave space for the suit under his arm.

DV: Will we see a Kevin and Doug?
Chelsea: That’s on my future design list 🙂
DV: Where can people go to see more of your work or to purchase your customs?
Chelsea: I’m setting up a blog will send you the list soon. To purchase my customs, or to request a custom order, people can send me an email to: zhchelsea0513@gmail.com
DV: Chelsea, thank you for talking with us today and keep up the great customs!
Chelsea: Thank you for the interest in my customs. I really appreciate the time and effort you guys put into the DV site. It’s really awesome! I’m a constant viewer. Thank you again 🙂

Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artist Celeste

WDWNT on January 18, 2012

Destination Vinylmation: You recently created a Vinylmation for a contest at Vinylmation Kingdom that was designed by a reader to their website. Can you tell us about it?
Celeste: The winning design was Percy, the dog from Pocahontas, designed by Abraham Mendoza. I had a great time creating him and added an accessory bell to give it personal touch.

DV: What was the hardest part about creating him?
Celeste: The most difficult process is always finding a way to fit a 2-D design or an idea onto a 3-D canvas or vinyl.

DV: How long did it take to make Percy.
Celeste: It took the better part of a week to complete due to work and the past thanksgiving holiday and shopping lol.

DV: Looking at your website, you create a ton of customs, what is the appeal for you?
Celeste: I always have fun creating each one and every single vinyl is a new and challenging process.Knowing that one of my custom pieces found a new home is something that I am truly grateful for.

DV: So what are you working on right now?
Celeste: I just finished a heroes and villains series, it features some of my favorite characters that I thought deserved their own vinyls.The set consists of Li Shang from Mulan, Clayton from Tarzan, Flynn Ryder from Tangled w/Jr Pascal, Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, John Smith w/Jr Meeko from Pocahontas and Hercules w/ Jr.Pegasus.

I’m also making a few canvas works with Jrs included on them as a request.here are some past canvas meets vinyl work.

DV: Please remind people where to find your work or contact you.
Celeste: You can find more past works on my website at http://celestecustomvinylmations.blogspot.com/
or my facebook page at Celeste Custom Vinylmations.

DV: As always, it’s great seeing your work.
Celeste: Thanks so much for the opportunity to be featured on Destination Vinylmation. It is always a pleasure.

Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artist Chelsey

WDWNT on January 18, 2012

Destination Vinylmation: Chelsey, this Lion King vinyl is one of the most gorgeous 3″ customs I have ever seen.
Chelsey: Thanks for your compliment!

DV: When you sent us the pictues, my jaw dropped. There is so much detail here. And then when you told us how you did it, it made this piece all the more amazing. Please share your technique with our audience.
Chelsey: As an artist, I always like to do something Unique. I did the Grizzly River Bear on the 9″ last year which was my best piece. And now, I want to do something different on the 3″. I always think about what I should create on the outside of the 3″ figure because the 3″ figure is solid inside.

But I remember my father told me, “whenever there is a dream, there is a way!” So I want to challenge myself and try to make it possible. I first picked a figure with a clear head. I tried many tools to make the hole in the head bigger. However, the result is either not smooth enough to paint, or too thick so I can’t really see it from the outside of the head. After many tries, I finally found a way to make it smooth and thin enough so the painting can be seen from outside of the figure. However, my first painting experience is not successful because I am not really familiar with reverse painting technique.

In addition, the scene is really detailed and tiny. The paint sometimes can’t stay on the smooth surface. This was another tough challenge. It’s really hard to find the balance to figure out how to make the inner surface rough enough to hold the paint and still clear enough to be able to see the picture from outside. Again, lots of practice finally pays off. Finally, I did reverse paint on the inside of the head and normal paint on the body of the figure to create the whole Lion King Scene. This figure become my first Special Edition Inner Reverse painting “Lion King” Custom Vinylmation 3″.

DV: Is this for sale or for the personal collection?
chelsey: My creation is always for sale. But I haven’t though about price for this one yet. Anyone who is interest in my custom Vinylmation can reach me through email: zhchelsea0513@gmail.com or leave me a message on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chelsey-Custom-Vinylmation/181170415290217

DV: Don’t forget to like Chelsey’s FB page to get updates on her latest work.

Spotlight On: The Millennium Middle School 7th & 8th Grade Art Classes

WDWNT on January 18, 2012

I have always said that the best part about running this website and collecting Vinylmation is the community. It’s meeting people with similar interests and interesting stories. Today, I want to introduce you to a different group of custom artists than you are used to. In fact, I don’t believe they ever applied paint to an actual vinyl Mickey, but I think you will enjoy this all the same.

Melissa French and Brandon Specht are art teaches to 7th and 8th grade advanced art students at Millennium Middle School in Sanford, FL. They are also Vinylmation collectors and recently gave an interesting assignment to their students.

Destination Vinylmation: Tell us about this very different assignment.
Melissa and Brandon: Originally, this unit started out with one 2-D and one 3-D project, however the student’s excitement fueled us to expand the unit. We started with a two day presentation of designer toys, Vinylmations, and an endless stream of pictures.

The class response was so great that I went out and bought a blind box so we could open it together and they could better understand the concept. They were pretty much hooked from then on. We may have gone overboard because in the end our class did a total of SEVEN Vinylmation projects.

2-D Design Collage- Students created 2-D Vinylmations and collaged them onto a magazine background. This project was inspired by the pictures collectors take of their Vinylmations around the parks.

3-D Plush- Students designed, cut, and painted the front and back of a Vinylmation drawn on canvas before sewing and stuffing the canvas together to create a plush.

Plaster Vinylmation Jr.- We filled our Vinylmation ice cube trays with plaster to create small figures in which the students designed and painted in the minimalist style of the original Juniors series.

3-D Two- Faced Paper Stand-up- This project came from our students becoming so involved that they really had a hard time choosing just one character or idea for their Vinlymations. For this project, they could have created as many as four Vinylmations and many happily took the challenge. Each Vinylmation is double sided and presents a different view from each angle.

Trading Cards- We planned this before Disney did away with the trading cards, so we included it for this year. Each student made 4 trading cards of the favorite of their Vinylmations: one card to keep, one to trade, and one for each of the teachers.

Vinylmation Box- The boxes were created to display all of their projects for the unit in a unique way. The students had to create six Vinylmation related sides for the box, in any manner they chose. Some students chose to represent their projects on the side of the box, while others were still so full of Vinylmation ideas that they created entirely new images.

Vinylmation Class Set- For our last project, every student in class created a 3” drawn and colored version of themselves in Vinylmation form. They are currently displayed with 9” versions of myself and Brandon as a kind of “class portrait”.

DV: Wow, that is an expansive project all revolving around Vinylmation. Do you find that using a subject like Disney increases the excitement about the assignments inside the classroom?
M & B: The excitement in our classroom on a daily basis was amazing. They discussed ideas and congratulated each other and really worked as a class to raise the standards and present the best collective group of work they possibly could.

 As their teachers, Brandon and I fed off of their excitement everyday, creating new projects next year and really taking a serious interest in our own Vinylmation collections and sharing with the class after a weekend of trading.

DV: Do you think you have any future Imagineers on your hands?
M & B: I happily say there is a distinct possibility. Brandon and I tried to create projects in which our students would really get a feel for what a job as an artist would be like. Based on the reception, I do believe many of them are keeping creative jobs in mind for the future.

DV: Have either of you personally ever tried your hand at a 3D custom on a Mickey mold?
Melissa: I have not, but it is on my to-do list for 2012. I did receive the Vinylmation sketchbook for Christmas and am excited to fill the pages!

Brandon: It is now on my to-do list as well. Student’s aside, Melissa and I have had far too much fun developing these projects. If she is planning on doing one, there is no way that I will miss out on the fun!

Jrs
Stuffed
Stand ups
2D
2D
2D