Artist Mike Vetrone just sent us pictures of his newest creation. My jaw dropped. This depiction of Beauty and the Beast is simply stunning. I love the added touch on the wheels. Take a look and let us know what you think…
Mike Vetrone
michael.vetrone@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/customsbymikevetrone
instagram @washyourrhands
Here is my newest custom Vinylmation “OUCH!” inspired by one of the most loved films ET the Extra-Terrestrial.
“I have watch this movie over 1,000 times and every time I watch E.T. and Elliot say goodbye it brings a tears to my eyes. He also lights up! Check out this video:
ET-Come…
Eliott-Stay…
ET-Ouch.
Eliott-Ouch.
ET-I’ll… be… right… here.
Eliott-… bye.
Thank you for your time.
Nanette (NRB Relic)
https://www.facebook.com/NRBRelic
We ran into Ryan on the internet and since MC is a recovering drummer, this custom spoke to us. We asked Ryan about his custom.
Destination Vinylmation: Hi Ryan, how long have your been doing customs?
Ryan Branoff: I’ve always been interested in the custom world of Vinylmation. I have been collecting Vinylmation for the last 3 years, but have just recently in the past month been doing my own customs. I’ve been working really hard this past month, I never knew how addicting creating your own Vinylmation would be!
DV: They are addicting! So, what is your art background?
RB: Art has always been a major part of my life. I went to an arts-centric high school, where I studied Visual Arts, and this continued on to university. Since then, I have been working as a commission artist with a focus on portraiture (on the side to my day job).
DV: That sounds fun. I love this figure, what inspired it?
RB: Definitely my love of the Muppets was the inspiration behind this figure. Ever since I was little, I have been a big fan of the Muppets, especially Animal. I have a pretty expansive Muppet collection spanning from the Palisades line of action figures to every Muppet-related Vinylmation that has been released. I knew my first 9 inch custom had to be special, and the result was my Electric Mayhem Animal.
DV: What was the most difficult part of this design?
RB: The Electric Mayhem logo on the back was the most challenging. I knew I had to get it just right to execute the overall design on the back of figure and in order for the figure to have the overall feel I was going for.
DV: Don’t worry. It looks great! Just curious, which are your favorite Muppets?
RB: Animal, Gonzo, and Bean Bunny.
DV: Which of Disney’s VInylmation figures is your favorite?
RB: This one is really tough. There are a lot of figures that appeal to me, but I would have to say that it’s a toss up between Park 1 Kermit and Park 3 Rizzomouse.
DV: How can people find more of your figures?
RB: To see any of my past projects and for future releases, you just need to ‘Like’ my Facebook Artist Page: www.facebook.com/CustomVinylmationRyanBranoff or email me at ryan.branoff@facebook.com.
These will be for sale on Friday, March 29th at noon central standard time. So that would be 1pm for the east coasters and 10am for the west coasters. If you are interested in a chance to buy one, please send me a message through my custom page ON that day and no earlier. The price of each box will be $55. I will start with the first person once I receive payment then I will go to the next until all 12 are sold.
Follow Josh on his Facebook page.
We spotlight lots of custom artists on DV, but Casey Maute has put a twist on things. He creates custom accessories for your Vinylmation.
Destination Vinylmation: First off, what gave you the idea to start creating accessories for Vinylmation figures?
Casey Maute: I made my first ever painted custom for my friend and it looked pretty ridiculous… it looked like a baby so I figured it needed a baby piano! After I made that, he encouraged me to make more accessories. I’ve been working with clay for years now, making jewelry… so it was a perfect way to use my love of vinyls to continue with my clay work.
DV: Have you created any custom Vinylmation?
CM: I have! I’ve made one 3″ Winnie the Pooh for myself.. it’s not the greatest.. but I wanted to at least try to do a custom.. Then, I made the custom Sonny Eclipse with his baby “Fisher-Price” piano. I haven’t done any more painting, and stick to accessories now.
DV: You seem to create accessories for both Disney produced and custom figures.
CM: Most of the customs I make accessories for are for the artists. I’ve done a whole series of accessories for Crazy4Vinyls for his Simpsons series and I’ve done several for Jenny Grinsell’s customs.
DV: I am huge Sonny Eclipse fan. I have to visit him often to sit through a show even if I don’t eat there. You feature a lot of Sonny Eclipse, are you a fan as well?
CM: I’ve become a fan, but anything Sonny Eclipse related was for Shane Russell’s Sonny Eclipse army! He’s really let me get creative and make up all kinds of crazy things for his Sonny’s to wear.
DV: Did you create the custom Sonnys we see in the photos? If so, can you tell us about them?
CM: I did not, the credit goes all to Jenny Grinsell! She’s amazing and really has taken customs to the next level with her level of detail and creativity.
DV: Do you plan on selling your accessories? If so, do you take requests?
CM: Yes, and yes! Anyone can message me on my Facebook fan page and request a custom accessory. I’ll let you know how much it costs and if its doable. I can always recreate something, or work with you to make something totally unique.
Follow Casey on Facebook and Instagram to see more of his work and contact him with your requests.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/outsidetheblox
Instagram: @osohandmade
Beginning on April 1st, and continuing for the next twelve days, artist Annemarie will reveal a figure from her new Studio Ghibli custom Vinylmation series. It is a 12 figure series that will cover 9 different movies and will contain some wonderful surprises! Follow Annemarie at her Facebook artist page.
“My hope with this set is to reach the fans of Studio Ghibli but to also hopefully inspire many of you to check out these amazing films, some of which I believe are the greatest animated movies of all time.” – Annemarie
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Yubaba “Spirited Away” Proprietor of The Bathhouse and the main antagonist of the animated film. Wow! The use of Frollo’s hat as her hair is innovative and just flat out amazing.  |
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Howl “Howl’s Moving Castle” Mysterious, reclusive wizard. This is my favorite Studio Ghibli film. This custom is full of color and life. The inclusion of Calcifer in the ear is a perfect way to add to the story. And the detail of the castle in the other ear is stunning.  |
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Kiki “Kiki’s Delivery Service” A young witch Annemarie uses the Minnie platform and Kiki is a perfect fit. Kiki’s cat Jiji is expertly drawn on that tiny space in the ear. And the sculpted broom isn’t half bad either.  |
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Porco “Porco Rosso” WWI fighter ace and freelance bounty hunter Part of what makes this series great is the shading, wonderfully done here bringing Porco to life. Also small details in the ears, like the plane here. +Italy_2.jpg) |
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Blue Totoro “My Neighbor Totoro” Leads a Mei to find Totoro asleep. A wonderful depiction of the small blue creature from the film. Annemarie previously made a 9″ large grey Totoro.  |
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Mei “My Neighbor Totoro” Little girl who meets and befriends Totoro. Great seamless use of the top of the Minnie canvas between the ears and the bow. Her dress and shoes also fit perfectly onto the Minnie.  |
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Baby Boh “Spirited Away” Yubaba’s baby. Again, a wonderful use of shading and minimal lines in the face to really bring the character across. Nice detail in the ear and the perfect Junior companion.  |
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Baron “The Cat Returns” Young girl on the way to the Cat Kingdom. A wonderful representation capturing the face and suit really well. The large top hat and sculpted cane give this piece added character.  |
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Arrietty “The Secret World of Arrietty” A borrower who lives under the floorboards. Another custom on the Minnie. Very smart use of the bow for her hair clip. Wonderful use of layers for the clip, hair and greenery backdrop. And yes, that’s a real pin accessory.  |
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Ponyo “Ponyo” A fish-girl who floats away on the back of a jellyfish. The idea to use the buzz helmet is great and she even painted on it. Everything just fits for a very pleasing design. The jellyfish painted on the body are beautiful.  |
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No Face “Spirited Away” A spirit who attaches himself to Chihiro. A seemingly simple addition to the series actually has intricately drawn ears, both Mickey arm removed and a sculpted upside down arm attached to represent his giving of gifts.  |
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San “Princess Mononoke” A woman raised by the wolves So good, I had to post both the front and the back. How incredibly rich and detailed are both sides of this vinyl! Again, on a Minnie shaped canvas, the design perfectly takes the form head to toe. The inclusion of a junior with a few Tree Spirits painted on is a great bonus.   |
Our good friend Ryan sent us a few pictures of his latest custom Vinylmation. So here is Stitch and the Ugly Duckling.
“One of my favorite Disney movies is ‘Lilo & Stitch’ and I think at the emotional core of the movie is the scene where Stitch reads ‘The Ugly Duckling’ for the first time. I think it’s a great moment where Stitch realizes that he acts out because he is lonely. I wanted to capture this emotion in the set that I created. The way I tried to represent Stitch is a little bit different than how we’ve seen him in the past. He’s looking calm, and thoughtful. In addition to the 9″ figure, I knew to complete this set that I would need a 3″ Duckling and a picture book accessory. Both I think compliment the 9″ Stitch well and really complete the package!”
– Ryan Branoff
Amber Gonzalez is back, this time with some her Ladies of Disney set, including a few Minnie platform customs. We asked her what inspired this line.
“The new Minnie mold is what inspired me to make the Ladies of Disney set. It’s perfect for dresses and Dainty shoes 🙂 it brings out the perfect girlie touch . Picked 8 of my favorite girls to bring to life. My next project will be a set of Lady Villains :)”
These figures are $48 shipped each. These are a 1:1 limited edition.
The first one I would like to share with you is Gizmoduck. Â I did this piece for a friend of mine who is making an entire duck tales set from different custom artists. Â It has been a really awesome project to be apart of. Â I wanted to make it seem like a comic book super hero.
Then there was the issue of the wheel. Â I sketched up a bunch of options using the mickey mold feet, but decided that it would be best to just make it myself. Â I am very happy with the result. Â It is one of my favorite pieces I’ve ever made.
Next is my Magic Carpet 9 in. Â This was a commission. Â The collector wanted the magic carpet to be the main focus and then let my mind run wild. Â I am a huge Genie fan and have an army of 100 Park 11 Genies. Â I had to include him. Â One of my favorite ways he is shown in the movie is at the end in the moon.
I thought this would work perfectly. Â On the back I put the “mountain” inside the cave of wonders that the lamp is on. Â Another one of my favorite scenes in the movie. Â It was fun getting to make a vinyl for one of my absolute favorite movies.
Lastly, I made a Furry Friends Abu for the Light it Up Blue Auctions going on at Vinylmation Exchange: Bid Wars.
I love in the movie when Abu has the red gem reflecting in his eyes. Â I think its adorable haha. Â I made the gem blue to play off of the theme.
Mike Vetrone
michael.vetrone@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/customsbymikevetrone
instagram @washyourrhands
