Last week we posted Mike Boon’s speculation on the vinyl sequel to the Toy Story Series. When he saw them, Crazy4Vinyl mentioned that he had done similar series. So, to continue the theme, here is Crazy4Vinyls’ Toy Story Series 2.
What do you think? These are some really cool characters. First he has Mr. and Mrs. Potatohead. Then Chuckles and Mr. Pricklepants. Then to round out the set of figures similar to Mike’s he has Dolly. I think the Chuckles came out magnificent. And Mr. Potatohead’s hat looks great (I think this set was done before Villains 2.
To complete the set he has Puck, Bookworm, and Stretch. Two additional awesome characters included are, Totoro (a Japanese Miyazak character who has a cameo in Toy Story 3) and the Troika nesting doll. Take a peek above at the full turn around of Troika. And then below look at the original character.
Crazy4Vinyl did a great job and found some really cool characters that would be a great addition to the Toy Story 1 series already out. Good job Crazy and let us know what you think in the comments below. Anyone else you would want to see in this set?
Destination Vinylmation: A long time ago we featured some of your work, but I honestly do not think we ever posted the finished sports players. I love the sculpted hats!
Cesilie: Thanks! They were fun to create and I have a few more hats sitting around waiting to be… drafted to a team 😉
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DV: USA Mickey is all over your Facebook page. Did you have any challenges creating the rustic look on him?
Cesilie: My mom is the mastermind behind the antiquing process. When I created my vintage Minnie she suggested we give them a lil bit of something extra. Since I’m all about the vintage feel and look I thought giving them a bit of brown would make them look sort of wooden. It’s actually a really easy thing to do.
DV: Oswald! How long did it take you after seeing Disney Easter Bunny to decide to make this?
Cesilie: Literally as soon as I saw the leaked photos of the Easter Donald vinyl I screamed “OSWALD!!!!”. I’ve been wanting to make an Oswald since I started doing my vinyls… For me he’s such an under rated and under appreciated Disney character- after all if it wasn’t for Oswald being taken away there would’ve been no Mickey!
My motto’s always been “It may be big because of the mouse but it’s because of the loss of the rabbit.”. When I was able to go to Disneyland and pick up some of the Easter Bunnies I just knew they would be perfect for an Oswald 🙂
DV: Is Facebook still the best place to contact you and see your work? Do you still do commissioned pieces?
It is! Facebook.com/MoDoodleDesigns. I still do commissioned pieces! I’m working on an Avengers set right now as well as some Phantom of the Opera figures. I’ve also opened up my art mediums to other vinyl platforms like dunnys and kidrobots.
Jorge Castilla of RedVirtue Vinylmation Arts is best known for his line of Star Ducks line of customs. Well, it was time to catch up once again with Jorge and he has updated Star Ducks with new flavors and has also just created a new design based on the Stop and Go sign above D-Street.
Destination Vinylmation: What made you think of designing this D-Street icon?
Jorge: Well I’ve been racking my brain trying to think of a great “urban” design. You and I have agreed in the past that the Urban series has been pretty wishy-washy in the delivery department. I wanted to come up with something that yelled “why haven’t you come up with this, Disney?” No disrespect to the artists they generally do a wonderful job, especially with all the other series’. But man that urban series hurts to even acknowledge sometimes. My favorite set is Urban #4. There were so many great original designs in it. Big Teeth, Blocks, Heart Broken, Tin Mouse, and Yellow Splattered remain some of my all time favorite vinylmations in my collection. But it has me scratching my head why I haven’t experienced more amazing designs in the series. Urban is a theme with so much freedom that the other series’ don’t have, but it’s seldom tapped into. So far I’ve designed “Lonesome Ghostbuster Mickey,” which juxtaposed The Lonesome Ghost cartoon with the 80’s blockbuster, Ghostbusters. I’ve also made the Star Ducks Cafe vinylmations that gave a Disney spin to a popular coffee brand. Making “character” based vinylmations kinda seems like something that if you make it Disney will eventually do it too if they haven’t already. So I’ve pretty much avoided making character-based vinyls because I want my customs to remain to have value, and if I make a character and Disney makes that character later I feel that custom may lose some of it’s appeal. So I really take joy in trying to create vinyls that will likely not be made, but still have that Disney flare to them. Like the Grape Soda Bottle custom vinylmation. It isn’t a character but it’s still Disney/Pixar. I mean we all collect Vinylmations because they are Disney themed right? Sorry for the tangent. When thinking of “what to make next” the D-Street icon seemed like one of those obvious choices to do. Just about everyone who collects Vinylmations recognize the icon.
DV: The hand on “Stop” is brilliant. Was the molded hand the idea from the start?
Jorge: Most definitely. It’s another reason why I wanted to do it. I didn’t think anyone had tried tackling it yet and I figured it would either be a long time before Disney does it themselves if at all because of that over-sized hand. I don’t think they would want to invest on making a new hand mold just to use it once. They’ve made claw-hand molds but so far it’s been used twice: Lobster and Cancer. But with the D-Street “stop” icon there really isn’t much use for that mold afterwards which may not be a lucrative investment for them.
DV: Did you have any challenges with these designs? If so, what and how did you overcome them?
Jorge: It took me a little while to figure out what to make the hand out of. My first initial test was with bake-hardening clay. But it seemed that when I painted the baked clay the paint would stay tacky when I applied it to the hand. Luckily I found a great alternative at the hardware store that is very strong and stays dry when you paint it.
DV: Is this set for sale?
Jorge: There are going to be seven sets. They will each be put up on auction on ebay one by one. Each comes with a cool over-sized artist card featuring both “Stop n Go” Mickeys. The third set is already up for auction!
DV: How many times have you ignored the Stop signal and went into D-Street anyway? (We won’t tell)
Jorge: All the time!
DV: Can you hint to any designs swimming around in your head right now?
Jorge: Definitely. There will be a “Marshmellow Mess” Lonesome Ghostbuster Mickey in the future that comes with a pretty cool accessory. I’m currently testing out a variant design for the Grape Soda Bottle vinylmation. Star Ducks is getting new flavors this month too – Strawberries & Cream, and Caramel! There’s also a Peppermint Mocha flavor already in circulation for the Holidays. On the more urban side of things I’m currently working on vinyls that are very Disney but very non-character specific. I wish I could say more this early because I’m very excited about them. But we’ll have to wait till next time.
You know Annemarie Brown from her various speculation articles on our website including Park Starz and Furry Friends, but did you know she is an exceptional custom Vinylmation artist? We recently talked with Annemarie about a couple of her creations.
Destination Vinylmation: How long have you been creating custom Vinylmation?
Annemarie: I began fairly recently, I made Roger Rabbit this summer and he was my first.
DV: In that short time, how many have you done?
AM: I’ve done about six, and I’m currently working on a new set.
DV: Why did you pick Roger Rabbit as your first custom?
AM: Roger Rabbit has been my favorite Disney character since I was a kid, I have an entire room in my house devoted to him. It’s actually rather impressive, if I do say so myself. So as soon as I picked up my first CYO Vinylmation I knew it would be Roger, there was never a doubt.
DV: How long did Roger take to create?
AM: Roger didn’t take me very long, maybe a couple hours. Once I got his design on the mold the painting went rather quickly.
DV: What was the most difficult part about making this character?
AM: Since it was my first one, I was kind of flying blind. Everything was a bit of an experiment. His hair and cotton tail were extra pieces I had to form and stick on, and I just used glue, which has been working fine so far. I considered sculpting the ears but I wanted to utilize the area of the vinyl as much as I could.
DV: Your Peter and the Wolf has an extraordinary amount of characters and detail packed into it, yet it doesn’t looked overcrowded. How much planing went into creating this custom?
AM: I’m extremely proud of Peter and the Wolf, he’s definitely been a labor of love. At first I considered doing a 3″ figure, but I quickly realized it was going to be impossible to include all the characters since I was hand-painting it, so I switched to a 9″ to get all the detail. First I plan everything out two-dimensionally so I can be sure everything will fit where I want it to. I knew I’d put Sasha the Bird in the ear, since he was the only flying character. Ivan the Cat and Sonia the Duck had a playful relationship in the film, so I wanted to be sure to incorporate that into their design and expressions.
With the Wolf, I considered just doing a 3″ figure to go along with Peter, but I realized the Wolf needed to be larger, and he wouldn’t have looked as menacing in the squat Vinylmation form, so I decided to paint him in full glory, sneaking up on Peter from behind.
DV: What is the most rewarding part about creating custom Vinylmation?
AM: For me, it’s being able to create characters and moments that may not ever be created. I knew the odds of getting a Peter and the Wolf Vinylmation figure were slim, and I wanted one, so I made it for myself!
Annemarie wanted to share this Youtube video featuring a turnaround of her Peter and the Wolf
DV: Do you have any tips to pass onto other custom artists?
AM: Everyone has their own method, but I would recommend designing/drawing everything out beforehand, it will save you time in the long run. But more importantly, create what you like, since you’re going to be looking at it for awhile while you’re making it. You don’t want to be stuck in the middle of making something you don’t care about.
DV: Thank you for all your work and for sharing these custom with our readers.
AM: Thank you for sharing it, and for all you guys do!
Annemarie is a contributor to Destination Vinylmation. You can follow her on Twitter @admiralakbrown and stay tuned for more spotlights on her work soon.
On today’s Spotlight we feature the talents of Californian artist, and appearently Dole Whip fan, Are-Jay. And I’m sure after you check out all his customs, you will soon be a fan of his.
Destination Vinylmation: Were you into creating artwork before custom vinylmation?
Are-Jay: Yes! I have been creating art for all my life. I remember going door to door selling my drawings while I was still in elementary school. Comic book art was my passion for such a long time until I began customizing various vinyl figures about 4 years ago. Prior to Vinylmations, I created custom Symbiotes, Mighty Muggs, and Minimates!
DV: I have always enjoyed your work, and i’m glad we can finaly share some with the DV readers. How long have you been creating custom Vinylmation?
Are-Jay: My first Vinylmation custom was completed on 08/19/2009 and was a Classic Batman design.
DV: How many custom Vinylmation have you done?
Are-Jay: I’ve lost count at this point but I’d say somewhere around 175-200.
DV: Wow! How about Disney’s Vinylmation. Do you collect any?
Are-Jay: I do! I used to be a completist for the 3″ figures but due to the flurry of releases each month, and the limited availability of some of them, I’ve cut down and began only collecting my favorites.
DV: Do you have favorite Disney Vinylmation figure?
Are-Jay: My absolute favorite Vinylmation is the 3-eyed Monster from Urban 1, designed by Tyler Dumas. I just love the vibrant colors and randomness of the design. I even created a 9″ tribute piece to match the 3″!
DV: You have just launched your first custom blind box series. This is exciting.
Are-Jay: For my first custom blind box series, I created 15 unique Spiderman customs- including a chaser, and 3 variant designs. They are shipped randomly, which adds to the excitement and captures some of the fun when buying an official Vinylmation blind box!
DV: Why Spiderman?
Are-Jay: Spiderman is such an great character and even though a person may not be into comic books, everyone loves him! I initially wanted to do a mixed series of various Spidey characters but he had so many amazing costumes, I couldn’t choose! I ended up creating the entire series based on his most famous looks which worked out well as everyone who purchased one would get who they wanted- Spiderman!
DV: Which Spiderman costume is your favorite?
Are-Jay: Like mentioned above, its so hard to choose! LOL My current favorite would have to be the Ultimate costume worn by the new Spiderman, Miles Morales. The costume design is incredible and I’m really enjoying reading his series. I’d definitely recommend checking out the book!
DV: Out of your personal custom portfolio, can you pick a favorite?
Are-Jay: While my Batman is a close second, I’d say I am most proud of my Twilight Saga Collection. Each custom features the cover design to each of the 6 books. The book covers are really amazing and they translated so well to the Vinylmation shape. I love that set because the customs have such a unique sophisticated look to them.
DV: You are one of the more experienced custom Vinylmation artists out there. What have you learned from creating your customs that you can pass onto other custom artists?
Are-Jay: I’d the say the most important thing for any artist is just to stay true to yourself and your style!
DV: How can people purchase some Spiderman blind boxes and see the rest of your work?
Are-Jay: You can purchase my Spiderman series by contacting me at arejaydesigns@yahoo.com, through my new facebook fan page: facebook.com/arejaydesigns, and they are also currently listed on ebay. You can view some of my past work at my blog: arejaydesigns.blogspot.com
DV: Thanks for sharing your work with our audience. Don’t be a stranger. Keep us updated on your work.
Are-Jay: Thank you for the opportunity! It’s been wonderful getting to share a little bit about myself and my art. Please feel free to stop by any of my sites and say hello!
DV: Hi and welcome to Destination Vinylmation. I meet you at the Florida Project when I saw all these people crowded around you looking at the necklace you had on. Before we get into that specifically, let’s talk about you. Who are you and what kinda of artistic background do you have?
SB: Well, my name is Shauna Blatherwick. I am originally from New Jersey. I grew coming to Disney almost every year, so when it was finally time to leave the nest, I decided the only other place on earth I would want to live would be right next to Disney World. I grew up in a dance studio, and started taking my first art lessons at age 9. I went onto the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where I studied metalsmithing, glass blowing, jewelry design, fine arts and dance. I majored with a BFA and a concentration in Jewelry design. Since college, I have started my own line of jewelry, which I try to reinvent on a regular basis.
DV: Do you collect Disney Vinylmation? If so, which is your favorite?
SB: Yes, I do collect Vinylmation! My favorite Vinylmation so far are the Bakery Series cupcakes. I have a feeling the new Alice set will soon become my new favorite.
DV: Where did you come up with the idea for this necklace?
SB: I started making my own 3 inch Vinylmations back in June, and had a blast doing it. Since my background is in jewelry design, it wasn’t too far fetched of an idea to start creating Vinylmations I could wear.
DV: Were there any particular challenges with making this? What part was the hardest?
SB: The biggest challenge came from getting the shape of the Vinyl just right. Just casting the piece proved not to work because of all the pulling and stretching the polymer clay did while trying to release it from the mold. Once I had a good shape in the polymer clay, I fired it and then made a mold of that piece which I use Over and over.
DV: Since there are no Design Your Own Jrs, you make your own?
SB: I tried making a mold directly from the Jr. itself, but it would stretch and and pull making the Vinyl shape long and skinny. I then decided to just try to mimic the shape myself by hand sculpting it. The hands and ears seem to create the biggest challenge but the basic shape is there.
DV: How long does it take?
SB: Most of the pieces take me an average of about 2-3 days to complete from beginning to end. Close to 12-15 hours per piece because they are hand molded, then sanded, then hand painted. I paint 2-4 layers of paint, then sand it down, then add another 2-4 layers of paint and re-sand. I keep doing this until I get the look I want. Once I have a good base coat, then I just start to doodle on the piece with paint until I see a design or pattern I like. Once the paint is dry, the crystals are added and the piece is sealed with a glaze.
DV: Have you do any designing with vinylmation other then the Jrs necklaces? If so, which other ones are you favorite?
SB: I have designed several 3 inch Vinylmations. All of which I use Swarovski crystals on them. I modeled them after my after line as well. I have also made 2 9 inch vinyls. My favorite so far has to be my newest 3 inch vinyl of Rapunzel. She is not fully completed but is about 95% done. My second favorite is a Scrump Doll (from Lilo and Stitch) which I made over the summer.
DV: If someone would like to know more about your pieces or get one for themselves, where can they go to find out more?
SB: I have listed some of my vinyl jewelry on my website. To get a custom piece made you can email me at Glassdezignz at aol.com. If you would like to purchase or see more of my designs that I currently have, you can visit my website at Glassdezignz.etsy.com. My information website is currently being revamped and is down for construction at this time.
DV: After a quick look at your site I know exactly why you like the Bakery Series. Lots of awesome food inspired pieces in your line. Thanks for dropping by, and good luck with Vinylmation!
We are going to finish the week off with one of the best artists. (I maybe be partial, I have one of her customs!) We’ve featured her before here on Destination Vinylmation. The first time was for her awesome Kevin from Up. She also made use this awesome Destination Vinylmation custom!
DV: WE love your stuff (of course!) How long have you been making custom vinyls?
C: I have been making custom vinyls for almost 10 months now.
DV: Can we have a sneak peak into the pieces you’ll be bringing to the show?
C: I’m still working on several pieces. But the two pieces I have ready are Mickey as Wolverine 9″ and Captain from Wall-E 9″ + Wall-E & Eve set.
DV: Those sound awesome. Why did you choose Mickey and Marvel?
C: Since Marvel is part of Disney now, I decided to show the merge on my vinyl as well. That’s why I created this Classic Mickey as Wolverine 9″ custom. He has the classic expression along with his cigar :). He took me 4 days to finish. I really like how it turned out. Really shows the combination of two classic figures.
DV: He looks great. You seem to really like Pixar movies, it sounds like you really like Wall-E. Tell us about the set you’re bringing.
The next piece I’m going to present is a set. The 9″ one is the captain of Axiom in “Wall-E”. I really like when he find out that “Auto” was the on who’s controlling everything and tried to fight back scene. That’s why I also created “Auto” in his hand. He also have a tough look when he’s fighting back (which I reflected on his face). Besides the Captian will be my version of Wall-E and Eve. I do like the official Wall-E and Eve combo set. However, I feel like Wall-E is too “clean” as he worked for over 700 years to clean the place. There’s must be some dust and rusty spots on him. That’s why I created this “original” Wall-E. I also like the scene where Wall-E takes care of Eve when she finds the plant and went into “sleep” mode. That’s why my eve is in “sleep” mode. This set took me week and half to finish. I’m also pretty happy about how it turns out. DV: Those look amazing! Thanks again for all your contribute to the world of vinyl. I can’t wait to meet you as soon as I can!
Remember all those artists from earlier this week? Well, here’s another artist from the Customations Show. Her name is Angie Annett. Let’s see what she’ll be bringing to the show in a few days. Destination Vinylmation: Welcome to Destination Vinylmation, where can the folks find your work if they are looking for more?
Angie Annett: I have a facebook page where you can see all of my designs as I add them! Here is the link.
DV: How long have you been making custom vinyls?
AA: I started making customs back in February. I was always a bit upset that their wasn’t a Dug vinyl, as he is one of my favorite characters, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I had never painted before, so I made the design on photoshop and transferred it over. Turns out, it went better than I could have ever hoped.
DV: I like the hair, so which vinyls will you have at the event? Tell us a little about them.
AA: The first is my Timon figure that I custom designed. This was the second vinyl that I ever made and the first one I ever used sculpey pieces on. This is one of my favorites in my collection because it is one of my designs that actually turned out better on the vinyl than it looked on photoshop! It took me about 8 hours to finish this piece.
The other design I like to call my Disneyland Collage. This is by far the most intricate and detailed design that I have ever created and it took me over 2 months to finish. Just sketching the design took me over a week! I tried to incorporate all of my favorite rides and aspects of Disneyland into the vinyl. This is my first ever non-character vinyl I made and I was a little nervous attempting this one. Fortunately, it turned out to be one of my favorite customs in my collection.
DV: Both pieces look great, I hope you enjoy the event this weekend! Thanks for letting us chat with you for a moment.
Leading up the Cesar’s event in Santa Clarita, CA this weekend, Destination Vinylmation will feature each of the custom artists and talk to them about some of the figures they will be bringing to the event. Today we spoke with custom artist (and first time Destination Vinylmation guest) Jesus Paez.
Destination Vinylmation: We saw some of you work and we really think it’s unique, how long have you been working on vinylmation?
Jesus Paez: I’ve been customizing vinlys since February of this year. I’m still learning as I go.
DV: Well you certainly seem to have the swing of things, which pieces will you bring to the show this weekend?
JP: Two of the vinyls that will be at “The Customation Project” show are a 9″ Gene Simmons Mickey vinyl and a 3″ Goku vinyl. The Gene Mickey was the very first vinyl I painted, its the one that started it all. Its Gene Simmons’ costume from the KISS album “Love Gun”. I tried to get as detailed as I could from his Godzilla boots to his chain on his chest. The vinyl took me about three days to complete and when I was done with that one I could not wait to start another one. Another vinyl that will be at the show is Goku from Dragon Ball Z. I have been a DBZ fan since I was kid. I remember drawing Goku and all of the other characters, so I got the idea to make a Goku vinyl. This vinyl also took me three days, I had to mold his hair and the knot on his belt out of super sculpey, then I painted it.
DV: Thanks for your time, and good luck at the show. If people want to see more of your stuff, where can they go?
JP: The best place to find my previous work would be on you tube. If you search for sk8erguy600 or custom vinyls some of my work will pop out, my you tube screen name is sk8erguy600. I recently made a Facebook page which im starting to upload some of my work there.
Leading up the Cesar’s event in Santa Clarita, CA this weekend, Destination Vinylmation will feature each of the custom artists and talk to them about some of the figures they will be bringing to the event.
Destination Vinylmation: First off, where can people find your work?
Lucas Yoshida: My work can be found at lyoshida.com.
DV: So how long have you been at this?LY: I have been making custom vinyls for about 8 months.
DV: So which of your vinyls will you be bringing to the event?
LY: One of the vinyls I’ll have at the event is called Dia De Los Mickey II. It is the second vinyl I’ve done with a Dia De Los Muertos theme to it. It took me about two weeks of constant work to complete this 9 inch vinyl. I like the little details that I put on it. These are the types of projects I have the most fun with. I really enjoy being free with creativity.
Another vinyl I am bringing is called Zombie the Uber Mouse. He is a 9 inch vinyl to go along with two other zombie themed 3 inch vinyls I’ve done. This one is what I believe Mickey Mouse would look like if he were to join the ranks of the undead. He took me a couple of days to make. I was having so much fun with it that I really flew through the process. I had a ton of fun adding little decayed details to his face. Adding rips in his skin exposing the muscles underneath was fun too. Blood spatter is always a fun detail to add.
DV: Yes, always fun! (Even if it is a bit frightening.) Thank you for your time and have fun at the show!
DV: So how long have you been at this?