Recently coming to our attention through his collaboration with Dissention Records for the ‘Scope: Art in the Mind’ exhibition at London’s Brick Lane Gallery, British born illustrator and animator, Liam Brazier, has built a strong reputation as one of the country’s hottest up-and-coming pop artists.
Focusing on characters and scenes from popular ‘geek’ culture, including Darth Vader, Superman and Batman, Brazier blends a sharp cubist approach with contemporary colours and techniques to produce his fun and unique approach to digital art.
Unfortunately, the Scope show finished last month, but anyone wishing to purchase a copy of Brazier’s 12″ x 18″ be a 12″x18″ gallery-quality giclée print on 100% cotton rag archival paper, can do so by e-mailing the artist through his site. The prints are retailing at £50 each, with a limited run of only 50 available.
Check out Brazier’s web page here for an extensive collection of his work.
With Halloween just around the corner, up and coming toy designer / customer Mikie Graham of Zombiemonkie has recently unveiled his latest creation, The Zombie Art Project, set to run throughout October. Graham has painstakingly customised 65 different Playmobil figures to brain eating perfection, featuring “outbreak survivors, celebrity zombies, one playset, and enough humourus gore to make even the most jaded Horror fan smile “.
The figures will be released in pairs throughout the month on the Zombiemonkie shop, with prices ranging from $30-$60 depending on the level of craftsmanship and figures used. Each creation has been hand painted, with extra sculpted sections featuring in most of the designs. The pairs of Z.A.P figures will each be presented in their own 6″ wooden coffin, hand stained and painted with the bloody Z.A.P logo by Graham.
“The Zombie Art Project has been in the works for a very long time now. I started working on custom Playmobil zombies over 3 years ago after buying a friend’s toy collection I found myself with a bag of extra Playmobil people. They were so cute and family friendly that I just had to turn them into something horrific!
After zombiefying my first pair I realized how fun and cathartic they were to make and I began to produce these mini horrors for fun as a distraction while working on larger more detailed toys.
As the years past my army grew…. until this year when I found that I had about 20 complete. I realized that with a little extra work I could have enough for every day of Halloween and Z.A.P. was born.”
– Mikie Graham speaking to ToyzREvil
Check art toy site ToyREvil everyday throughout October for a detailed preview of the project’s latest releases.
(Above) Zombiemonkie’s Krang Custom for Blamo’s Nimbus Show 2011
Fresh off of the heels of his world encompassing Mini Tea Tour, and this month’s release of the latest series of ‘in a cup of tea’ figures (see below) the ever busy artist, Lunartik, is set to drop his new range of lovingly created cups, designed for holding the nation’s (and Lunartik’s!) favourite hot beverage.
Coming in White, Ice Tea, Rosie Lee, Green & Earl Grey “flavours”, each mug has been lovingly designed by the prestigious illustrator. Available through Lunartik’s online shop, the “Classic Cup Collection” (series 1) can be purchased for £34, with individual designs at £7.50 plus p&p.
All cups are produced in the UK and are made from bone china.
Ice Tea Design
Lunartik “in a cup of tea”- Series 2 + Special Brew Edition Launch
Following last year’s incredibly successful ‘in a cup of tea’ toy range, Lunartik has recently released another 4 colorways in the form of Series 2. Featuring Orange, Lemon, Mint and Berry tea designs, the beautifully cast figures, which stand at around 6.5″, are now available through Lunartik’s online store at £35 each. Just announced yesterday, Lunartik has also planned a ‘Special Brew’ edition of the toy, which will be available from October 10th with a price tag of £45. The colour of this edition is being kept secret until launch.
Each of the 6.5” vinyl figures come complete with cup & saucer, tea stirrer & sugar cubes. Editions have been limited to 150 for the Orange, Mint and Berry variants, whilst Lemon and Special Brew have been capped at 100.
Special Brew Edition
Plastik Surgery – Lunartik’s Resin Casting Guide Booklet
Last, but by no means least, is the arrival of Lunartik’s highly anticipated guide to resin casting. The most economically viable medium for budding toy designers / creators, resin plastic has risen in popularity amongst art toy aficionados in recent years, bringing artists such as Lunartik out of the garage studios and into the limelight. A three page downloadable booklet, Lunartik’s guide offers tool making and casting hints, alongside supply notes and various essential tips-of-the-trade, in his mesmerising cartoon style. The PDF is available to download through Lunartik’s site for £3.
(Below) Lunartik’s Plastik Surgery Resin Cast Nipples, created in conjunction with the Resin Casting Guide Booklet, for Pictoplasma 2011. The figures, an edition of 35, are signed and numbered by the artist, with a limited number available through the store at £25.92 a pair.
Fusing the talents of contemporary tattoo and illustration, the Hope Gallery’s latest project, entitled Quick and Painful, features a host of today’s most elite low brow artists presenting their own take on the art of tattoo flash. Used widely throughout the last century, and made famous by the likes of Sailor Jerry and Doc Forbes, ‘flash’ is the name given to a set of tattoo designs printed or drawn on 11″ x 14″ paper.
Curated by Hope’s Nicole East, the exhibition features the talents of Alex Pardee, Amanda Visell, David Horvath, Frank Kozik, Craola, Joe Ledbetter and Ron English amongst others, with all of the participating artists work available to purchase as traditional 11″ x 14″ prints.
“After years of working in the low brow and pop art scene, I started to see how many fans were getting tattoos of my favorite artists. It seemed a natural urge to make sure it was done right…”
-Nicole East
Alongside the amazing artwork, the four part tour has also become home to some of the tattoo industry’s biggest artists, including Joe Capobianco, Eric Merrill, Julio Rodriguez and the recently confirmed Jesse Smith (featured in TTFiles here), who have been recreating the flash designs as real tattoos for a mind-blowingly cheap $40 a time.
With the first two legs of the tour opening to great success over the past month at Crewest (Los Angeles) and Hope (New Haven), famed art toy gallery Rotofugi (Chicago) is poised to host the third instalment at the beginning of next month, with appearances from illustrator Huck Gee and legendary tattooist, Christian Perez. The project will finish off at the Art Basel (Miami), with Tru:Teknology Files favourite, Jesse Smith, making a guest appearance at the three day event in December.
Here’s a quick preview of some of the shows entries-
Huck Gee
Ron English
Tokidoki
Craola
Joe Ledbetter
TADO
“Our piece for the show is a tribute to the awesome and infamous Name Neko Cats of 80′s Japan, created by Satoru Tsuda.
Herman the Cat has got in with these fearsome biker-cats and started running riot. To combat this we’ve created a rival Panda knife-gang to sort them out…. “
-WeAreTADO blog
Junko Mizuno
(Above)One of the many beautifully realised flash pieces from the legendary British artist / designer, Pete Fowler.
Prints of the flash art, along with limited edition t-shirts, are available to purchase at the show for a special price of around $25 each, with a general release through the Hope Gallery’s online shop from Sunday, October 9th at $5 more a-piece.
Quick and Painful part3@ Rotofugi Gallery and Shop, Chicago,IL
Saturday, October 8th from 7-11pm
Quick and Painful part4@ Art Basel, Miami, FL
Thursday, December 1st – 4th
Opening reception- Saturday, December 3rd
Previewed way back in June (TTFiles 15/06), Kidrobot’s highly anticipated collaboration with watch manufacturer Swatch has finally come to fruition. Featuring designs from 8 of the world’s most highly sought after illustrators, including Tru:Teknology Files favourites Frank Kozik, Joe Ledbetter and Gary Baseman, the watches (plus their Dunny counterparts) are available through Swatch at around £45 each. Originally only available in a limited edition collectors set, the individual designs have been launched worldwide over the past month through a total of 13 events in some of Swatch’s most prominent locations. The final show, hosted by Joe Ledbetter, is set to drop at Singapore’s Swatch Lee Garden Road shop on October 1st, featuring signings, exclusives, and some one-off sketches by the artist.
In celebration of their work, Kidrobot have created a collection of animated promos for the project; two lengthy adverts designed for t.v, plus eight mini-features showing off each of the artist’s designs. Check them out below-
Kidrobot x Swatch Promo 1
Kidrobot x Swatch Promo 2
Tara McPherson
TILT
Joe Ledbetter
MAD
Jeremyville
SSUR
Gary Baseman
Frank Kozik
For the real enthusiasts, Kidrobot have also released the Frank Kozik Tennis Pro set. Featuring a yellow version of the moustachioed 8″ Dunny first seen in the original collectors box, and a white variation of Kozik’s Ski Instructor watch design, the limited edition set is still available through Swatch at around £75 plus p&p.
Not content on resting on the laurels of his hugely successful Toy Karma 3 exhibition which opened it’s doors last week (full update featured below), Max Nagata of Max Toys has just revealed his entry for the highly anticipated Heteromorphism show, set to drop this weekend (September 24th).
In-line with his offering for Toy Karma, Max has once again turned his customising talents to the jaw-dropping Eyezon kaiju figure, creating a new cutaway version replete with beautifully gruesome innards. The one-off toy, standing at around 12″ tall, has been hand sculpted and painted, but rumour has it that Max is planning a limited production run through his prestigious company (keeping our fingers crossed on that one!). Check the photos below for both work-in-progress and final production shots.
Heteromorphism, curated by Dream Rocket’s Junichi Yajima, is set to feature kaijus and art toys / customs from a huge selection of American and Japanese artists including the mighty Touma, Cocomahee, Black Rabbit, and Matt Walker. Housed at the respected Double Punch gallery, San Francisco, the exhibition runs until October 13th. Check the Tru:Teknology Files in the coming weeks for a full lowdown on the show’s exhibits.
Heteromorphism press release-
“Heteromorphism – Definition: Having different forms at different periods of the life cycle, as in stages of insect metamorphosis. This exhibition curated by Junichi is to express creatures, monsters, kaiju or anything Heteromorphic that lives in the imagination of the participants.”
Toy Karma @ Rotofugi Gallery: Update
Featuring a host of the kaiju scene’s most prominent artists, including Rumble Monsters, Paul Kaiju, Spluurt and Bob Conge, Rotofugi proudly opened their doors for the third Toy Karma exhibition last week (September 10th).
Featuring the most extensive range of up-and-coming kaiju yet seen, collectors and enthusiasts can now view and purchase all of the shows exhibits through Rotofugi’s web store. Unfortunately, due to unprecedented demand, most of the pieces have already been bought up by attendees of the show, but there’s still a few gems waiting for anyone who can cough up the cash (prices for remaining pieces range between $50 and $1,600!).
Originally hailing from Falun, Stockholm based artist Andreas Englund recently came to our attention through his latest series of paintings; featuring a fragile, ageing Punisher. Depicting the decreped superhero in a variety of seemingly mundane situations, Andreas’ new work questions the fragility of life, our attitudes towards older generations, and the vulnerability of even the most outwardly strong people.
Andreas as yet has no plans to exhibit the pieces, but the full collection is now available to view in his extensive portfolio here.
Andreas explains the motives behind his work-
“Humour can be the carrier of messages that are otherwise hard to convey. For me, it liberates my thoughts and ideas from pretentiousness, while at the same time it opens doors to new routes and angles.”
Founded in 2008 by ThreeZero’s Kim Fung Wong and artist Ashley Wood, threeA have gone from strength to strength to become one of the world’s leading art toy manufacturers.
Focusing on anime inspired 1/6th scale figures and post-apocalyptic robots, threeA’s attention to detail surpasses anything seen in the mass production toy industry thus far; from the perfectly scaled clothing of the Adventure Kartel line, to the photorealistic battle scars of the World War Robots, each piece has been lovingly designed by Wood, making threeA’s creations some of the most desirable in the scene.
Always pushing forward, the company is involved in a huge amount of projects, including new lines, collaborations, clothing and exhibitions. Here’s a quick run down of their latest / forthcoming work:
threeA x Linkin Park: A Thousand Horizons
In a collaboration with Linkin Park, threeA are producing a limited edition WWRp Bramble robot, celebrating the band’s 2010 album “A Thousand Suns”, and the recent launch of A Thousand Horizons, a charity art show / initiative benefiting the victims of the March 11th earthquake and tsunami disaster. The figures are available to preorder through threeA’s web store until September 28th (production finish / mail out set for January 2012). Unlike most of Ashley Wood’s lines, the Linkin Park WWRp Bramble’s edition number will be set at the amount that are ordered by that date, so any collectors wishing to purchase should act fast!
threeA x Bandai: Zaku
Featured in the latest issue of 3AVOX, threeA’s newly established magazine, is one of the companies biggest collaborations to date. Taking on the mighty Bandai, Ashley Wood has created an astonishingly intricate re-interpretation of Gundam’s most feared nemesis; Zaku. Pre-orders for the beautifully weathered robot will be available some time in November, with a Zaku VOX special planned for the new year.
threeA ‘Real Steel’ Collaboration
Also featuring in last month’s edition of 3AVOX is threeA’s latest project with Dreamworks. Working on a range of limited toys for the studio’s upcoming robot boxing film “Real Steel” starring Hugh Jackman, threeA have released several sample shots to whet our appetites. A final reveal, plus release date, should be available through their site soon.
threeA’s Adventure Kartel: The Finger Gang
Already a huge success, threeA’s prestigious Adventure Kartel line will be spawning yet another series in the form of the Finger Gang. Presented in 11 different colourways (similar to the Ankou-Ex figure pictured), the toys will come ‘blind boxed’, with a Faux Retailer Carton Set also available containing all 11 figures.
threeA gives us a little backstory on the new design-
“TheFinger Gang blow into town, their boss King Thumb wants some attention from Cherry Shadow, the alter ego of Little Shadow. Apart from Little Shadow being kinda pissed that some lowlife bot wants some, king EMO himself, Tommy Mission (part time boyfriend and nutbag to Shadow) doesn’t take it too well either. Rev up the TEARS !”
threeA’s ReVenture HK 2012
HK Venture, threeA’s annual event, has been confirmed for April 27th – May 4th 2012. Entitled “ReVenture HK”, the show is set to feature a select few artists with various threeA customs, Ashley Wood’s latest toy lines, plus the chance to score some of the company’s most exclusive products. Check the Tru:Teknology Files in coming months for artist, venue and product confirmations, which will be posted as soon as we get them.
(photos taken from last year’s event)
For more information on threeA and their forthcoming products, check out their website here.
Often heralded as the centre for UK street art, Bristol has been home to some of the UK’s leading graffiti artists including Inkie, 3D, and Banksy. With the art form’s legitimacy in the media ever increasing, local crew Team Love organised the ‘See No Evil’ block party, one of the world’s largest scale urban art festivals, right in the middle of the city.
The three day art and music exhibition featured a long list of artists including New York based muralists, the Tats Cru, whose aerosol based work is said to have ‘changed the perception of graffiti as art’, and LA artist El Mac, whose photo realistic work is prolific across every continent. As well as the US contingent, artists from France, Holland, Spain and Brazil, alongside a raft of homegrown artists including Inkie, Zeus and Nick Walker, also brought their own unique styles to the city.
Unable to make the event last month, we decided to take a short trip to Bristol to have a close-up look at the art that still saturates the city’s creative hub, Nelson street. Here’s a quick run down of a few of the event’s main artists/pieces that we found;
Meulman aka Shoe
Born in Amsterdam in 1967, Niels Meulman is an internationally known artist, designer, and art director. Meulman began tagging in 1979 and became a graffiti legend by the time he was 18.
Known as ‘Shoe’ within the graffiti community, his work evolved into a business for lettering, furthering his technique by apprenticing under the Dutch graphic design master, Anthon Beeke.
Widely acclaimed, Meulman’s designs and artwork are in the permanent collections of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Amongst his essential works are a signature shoe design for the British sports brand, Umbro; the re-styling of the Dutch television channel TMF; calligraphy for Bols Genever; the Christel Palace logo that was awarded by the Art Directors Club New York; a line of luxury silk scarves for his label Unruly and of course the glossy Calligraffiti pieces.
His piece for See No Evil (pictured below), is a perfect example of the ‘calligraffiti’ style, harnessing intricate patterns and beautifully organic script to devastating effect.
Not all of the street art featured in the festival was paint based; this piece, from an unknown artist, originally featured two giant eyes nestled in it’s branches, turning this sweater wearing tree into a ‘Jim Henson’ inspired monster.
El Mac
Born in Los Angeles in 1980 to an engineer and an artist, Mac has been creating and studying art independently since childhood. His primary focus has been the lifelike rendering of human faces and figures.
Mac focus’ primarily on creating public art, painting photo realistic canvases, and evolving his delicate brushwork style. His intent is to uplift and inspire through careful, perfectionist renderings of both the sublime and the humble. His entry for See No Evil, an epic mural of a mother and child (pictured below), was one of the festivals largest pieces at over four stories high. Check the YouTube video for a time-lapse of the piece being created.
Bio and the Tats Cru
Wilfredo “Bio” Feliciano born April 20th, 1966 in New York started his artistic career in the early eighties at the height of the New York City subway graffiti movement.Thirty years later he is considered to be one of the top stylists and letter masters throughout the movement worldwide. Known for his many letter styles, complex and intricate wild styles, as well as his explosive use of colors, Bio is a true master of ‘New York’ style painting.
Wilfredo “Bio” Feliciano is also a founding member of the world famous art collective known as Tats Cru “The Mural Kings”, originally known as TAT Cru founded by Brim, Mack and Bio in the eighties. The Tats Cru continue to be a major force in the advancement of graffiti art both commercially and artistically. Tats Cru’s current active members are Hector “Nicer” Nazario, Sotero “Bg183” Ortiz, Raoul “How” Perre, Davide “Nosm” Perre and Totem2.
Creating one of See No Evil’s standout pieces (pictured below), Tats Cru’s blend of eye popping colours, wild style lettering, and old school character design really does have to be seen to be believed. Measuring at around 40 feet wide, this was one of the biggest crew collaborations at the event. More photos of the piece can be found at our Flickr page.
Check our YouTube slideshow featuring the best art from the See No Evil festival here.
Street Art in Stokes Croft
Walking 5 minutes out of the city centre takes you to Stokes Croft, home to yet another massive collection of Bristol’s world renowned street art. Back in our very first post in May we covered a mural the legendary artist Buff Monster had created in the area, so we took the opportunity to go and see the work in person. The bright pink landscape (pictured below) looked beautiful against the surrounding white-washed houses- if only everywhere had the same tolerance to graffiti and street art, the world would be a much more colourful and interesting place to live!
Inspired by Katsushika Hokusai’s Japanese wave paintings, this piece, painted on a house by an unknown artist, sits across from Buff Monster’s mural. Stokes Croft’s open-mindedness towards graffiti is truly astonishing; this has to be the first time we’ve ever witnessed so many permanent pieces in one residential area!
Check out the YouTube slideshow of the various pieces we found in Stokes Croft.
With Gallery 1988’s latest exhibition at it’s Venice location drawing ever closer, we’ve decided to give a quick preview of some of the Old School Video Game Art Show’s entered pieces. Opening next Friday (September 16th), the show is set to feature pixelated 8-bit tributes from over 100 artists including Luke Ryan, Kim Herbst, DeadlySweetPlushes, Jasinski, Danconia and Joebot, all of whom are included below.
The 25th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda this year has given many artists a chance to express their nostalgia for Hyrule’s enchanting digital kingdom. In fact, all but one of the pieces revealed thus far (including Alison Sommers’ A Boy and his Dodongo, featured TTF August 24th) have been influenced by Nintendo’s creations in one way or another- their iconic IP’s still gaining the same love and respect some quarter of a decade on from initial release.
Kim Herbst- Fairy Eater
San Francisco based artist Kim Herbst’s fantasy inspired art has graced several Facebook and smart phone games in recent years. Zelda’s design has played a massive part in shaping her style, so it was only fitting that the main character, Link, would feature in her work.
Here, Kim explains the idea behind her piece;
“The first few Legend of Zelda games didn’t have the whole spiritual ‘fairy flies around Link, sparkle sparkle’ animations. I used to wonder what the heck he did with those fairies to restore his health since he’d touch them and they’d just… disappear…this is what my innocent-child-mind thought…”
Joebot- The Legends of Hyrule
Recently garnering attention for his retro-themed children’s record art for Firefly and Dr Horrible, contemporary illustrator and designer, Joebot, has taken his winning formula one step further for his entry in the show. Another massive fan of the Zelda series, Joebot has created sleeve art for an album from the games’ two main characters.
Joebot gives us a little backstory;
“Link and Zelda have taken a break from their adventures. The Princess is tired of constantly being kidnapped by Ganon and Link needed to relax and fill up his heart containers. During some downtime, the two came together and decided to put pen to paper and out of that came The Legends of Hyrule’s new album Songs of Time”
Along with a limited set of prints of both the front and back of the design, Joebot has created a one-off sleeve featuring a mounted gold record (similar to the games’ limited gold cartridges) which will we present at the show.
Luke Ryan- Zelda Untitled Works
Not much information has been given about Luke Ryan’s entries at present, but the initial Zelda inspired illustrations hold all the qualities we’ve come to expect from the up and coming illustrator; blending media and techniques, the combination of pixels and droll comic strip style give the game and it’s characters an interesting new slant.
Jasinski- Turbo All The Way
Seattle based painter Aaron Jasonki has exhibited across the United States and Europe, also working on a string of children’s books, album covers, and music tracks. His entry was inspired by his favourite NES game, Excite Bike, depicting the racer’s main protagonist holding down firmly on turbo- a classic staple of playing the much loved game.
D’Aconia- Nintendo Nagaremono: Mario-Sama
Canadian artist Sean D’Aconia’s engaging blend of cult cinema, animation and seductive pop art has built him a dedicated following across Florence, Vancouver, LA and Hong Kong, with his entry to the upcoming show no exception. Mario’s retro manga re-styling is a perfect antidote to the plethora of 3D visuals we encounter today, making us realise why we fell in love with the games in the first place.
D’Aconia elaborates;
“For my contribution to the show, I redesigned Mario with some elements and features that harken back to 1960′s manga stylization (with a little nod to Saruta from Tezuka’s Hi No Tori epic) with an updated style going in a very different direction from the present 3D version. In fact, I still believe that 2D art gives the audience a closer, more personal feel/understanding of an animated characters than 3D. Its the simplicity of great 2D art that made Mario such a success.The piece integrates both the Nintendo Handheld’s of the 80′s (my fav being Donkey Kong) with Hanafuda memorabilia, and little arcade touches as well. Mario’s arm is adorned with Donkey Kong and JR irezumi tattoos along with an Orochi and other elements of Japanese Ukiyo-E mythology.”
-Daconia blog
DeadlySweetPlushes- Megaman Plush
Finally, an entry NOT inspired by the great Nintendo!
DeadlySweetPlushes’ Michelle Legendre hand stitched this cute take on the Capcom favourite, Megaman, using felt, faux fur and fleece.
Michelle adds;
“I jumped to the chance of making Megaman as it was the first game I played on a console (NES) when I was 5 – the game is still solid 20+ years later and better than most new games on the market.”
Launching at the beginning of last month, NASA’s Jupiter space probe, the Atlas V rocket, was secretly carrying a few unique stowaways. In a collaboration with Lego, three mini-figures were especially created and attached to the space craft for it’s five year journey to the fifth planet from the Sun.
The toys, based on the god Jupiter, his wife Juno and Italian astronomer Galilleo, were designed alongside NASA’s scientists, ensuring minimum interference with the spacecrafts sensitive instruments. Milled from titanium, each of the individually customised 2.5 inch figures has cost Lego around $5,000 a piece. Used to launch the “Bricks in Space” project, a series of events organised by Lego to help raise awareness about space, the mini-figures can be tracked at any time through the program’s “Lego Space” web page. Upon their arrival in July 2016, the figures will be the farthest travelled toys in history; How long this will last is anyone’s guess, but with numerous state space agencies interested since the success of the project, the record could be broken sooner than we think…
“In Greek and Roman mythology, Jupiter drew a veil of clouds around himself to hide his mischief. From Mount Olympus, Juno was able to peer through the clouds and reveal Jupiter’s true nature. Juno holds a magnifying glass to signify her search for the truth, while her husband holds a lightning bolt. The third LEGO crew member is Galileo Galilei, who made several important discoveries about Jupiter, including the four largest satellites of Jupiter (named the Galilean moons in his honor). Of course, the miniature Galileo has his telescope with him on the journey.”
Previewed last week here at the Tru:Teknology Files, Gallery 1988 have finally opened their doors for the highly anticipated Garbage Pail Kids exhibition. Featuring interpretations of the brand’s infamous first series, from the likes of Buff Monster and Rhys Cooper (both pictured), the exhibition has now been revealed on-line through the gallery’s web page, with prints and originals now available for purchase here.
The show will be running until the end of September at the Gallery 1988 Melrose location, as part of the “Childhood Items We Miss The Most” month.
Whilst writing our recent feature on Peter Goral’s “Killer Bootlegs” and the newly emerging bootleg toy scene, we stumbled upon the amazing works of American modeller, Sillof. Although not a bootlegger in the same vein as Goral or the Sucklord, Sillof’s customs of well known iconic action figures (primarily from Kenner’s vintage Star Wars line) take the art to a whole new level.
Opening his studio (originally called the Wookie’s Workshop) way back in 1999, Sillof has worked on several custom toy projects, exhibiting at the likes of the Star Wars Celebrations events, Toyfare and SW Insider. Primarily focused on reinterpretations of classic figures , he has also worked on numerous props, costumes and sets for a string of independent films and conventions.
Each of Sillof’s one-off toy lines feature a particular theme; Whether it be Steam Wars’ steam punk aesthetic, Serial Wars’ Buck Rogers/Flash Gordon influence, or Gaslight Justice League’s 19th century design, each and every creation has been made with a level of detail and considered research that blows the competition out of the water. Unfortunately the custom toy designer has no plans to sell his work at the moment, but anyone interested in checking out further images (including designs for Adult Swim’s Venture Boys, and reinterpretations of both Dune and Hellboy) should click here.
Featuring the main cast from Star Wars, the Samurai Wars line borrows heavily from the aesthetic of Akira Kurosawa’s famous samurai films from the middle of the last century. Sillof’s Chewbacca (renamed Chikushou and re-imagined as a frightening Oni demon) and Boba Fett (renamed Fetababe, a cunning ninja) are two of the series’ most successful figures, perfectly transferring the characteristics and personalities of the original characters.
Influenced by the sci-fi serials of the 1940’s including Buck Rogers and Lost in Space, Serial Wars takes their bold, futuristic lines and applies them to the Star Wars universe. Over exaggerated muscles, chiseled jaw lines, laser guns and fish tank helmets combine to form one of Sillof’s most technically accomplished series to date.
Sillof has often featured WW2 themes throughout his work, but it’s the beautifully created World Wars series that has gained most notoriety. Working alongside fellow custom designer Glorbes, the line took 2 years on and off to finish, with their Battle Droid Mk C3 (C3P0) and Mk D2 (R2D2) being finished to a particularly high standard.
Not all of Sillof’s creations feature Star Wars characters, his Gaslight Justice League line features all of the original JL comic’s heroes and villains, faithfully recreated in the style of the graphic novel “Gotham by Gaslight”. Adhering to the story’s Victorian setting, this was Sillof’s first attempt at re-imagining the 1800’s aesthetic in his work.
Collaborating with various artists and illustrators, Sillof has created numerous paintings based on his custom work, including the promotional posters for both Samurai Wars (Otis Frampton) and Steam Wars (Rodolforever) seen here. Check Sillof’s site for an extensive collection of their art.
Created by Taipei based duo, Chay Lin Su and Rika Lin, the JumpFromPaper project was set up to showcase the designers’ latest playful and innovative line of handbags. As the name suggests, the bags have one major visual hook- they look like they’ve been taken directly from the pair’s sketchbooks.
One day, Chay and Rika set upon drawing their dream designer handbag, when a surprising idea entered their heads- “How amazing it would be if a two-dimensional hand drawn illustration could come to life as a real bag!”. Exploring every avenue possible, the designers developed their first range of bags; using exaggerated perspective, bold cartoon-like lines, bright colours and hard-wearing polyester to create their unique, off-the-wall 2D look. Despite their slim appearance, each bag is spacious enough to accommodate personal belongings, with most being roomy enough to fit the average laptop.
The pair’s first line, which went on sale last year, was influenced by iconic bag designs from the last century, adding a contemporary twist to the likes of Mulberry, Louis Vuiton and Channel amongst others. Their most recent 2011 range, entitled Bonjour, takes this homage to design classics even further, paying tribute to Paris’ most loved creations. Not to be outdone, Chay and Rika have also produced several bags for men as well, including beautifully outrageous interpretations of the satchel and sports bag in a variety of striking colours.
For more information on the JumpFromPaper project and the Afternoon Tea, Tank, Play Hooky, Bonjour and iPad ranges, click here.
French graphic design house, Zim and Zou, have recently finished their highly anticipated Back to Basics project, a beautiful study of vintage technologies in paper-craft form. Featuring iconic designs from the 80’s era, the likes of the Polaroid camera, Gameboy, floppy disk, Walkman and NES controller have been faithfully re-created in the era’s bold and brash colours.
The duo decided to work solely in paper for the project as a reaction to the fast evolution of technology in recent years. Paper in communication has become less relevant since the dawn of the digital age, but Zim and Zou’s creations use it to highlight the level of craftsmanship that is usually taken for granted in these beautiful designs. By bringing these long forgotten objects back to life, the designers also raise questions about modern technology; Will we regard it with the same nostalgia? How will it influence future technologies? Is the lack of tactile quality dampening our experiences with modern devices?
The whole project took the pair around a year to complete between commercial clients. A typical piece, such as the Polaroid camera, would be mocked-up in around 2 days, with the fine detailing taking another 2 weeks minimum. Although adding heavily in time to the project, Zim and Zou consciously kept their use of computers to a minimum, mimicking the original process’ used in the design of these familiar objects. Whilst the lack of digital technology has meant that none of the designs can be reproduced, the beautiful contrast between industrial objects and unique handmade craft makes them all the more special.
The designers have vowed to update the collection regularly, so check their web page in the coming months for the latest editions.
Now in it’s third run, Toy Karma, in association with Max Nagata’s Max Toy Company, will be finally opening it’s doors at the Rotofugi gallery on September 10th. Celebrating the weird and wonderful world of Japanese Kaiju toys (made famous by the likes of Godzilla, Mothra and Ultraman in the 70’s), the exhibition has been host to well over 200 world renowned artists over the past 6 years including Itokin Park, Marmit, Bob Conge, Paul Kaiju and Tru:Teknology Files favourite, the legendary Buff Monster. Confirmed way back in March last year, Toy Karma 3 promises to be THE show for the discerning Kaiju collector.
Curated by Nagata and close friend Yo Miyamoto, the exhibition will be featuring a number of highly anticipated original pieces (2009’s Toy Karma 2 debuted the exquisite Jumping Brain Kaiju by Emilio Garcia, covered in the T:T Files earlier this month) alongside an extensive collection of custom toy creations, including Nagata’s own mighty Winged Kaiju Eyezon (pictured in various stages of build below).
Whilst not to every toy enthusiasts taste, Kaiju (roughly translated as strange beast or monster) has seen a huge resurgence in recent years through the growing popularity of art toys, with industry leading illustrators including Frank Kozik, Tim Biskup, Joe Ledbetter and even David Horvath (of Ugly Doll fame) creating pieces in this very unique style. With highly desirable companies such as Bounty Hunter and Secret Base only producing limited runs of their various toy lines (usually only in their 10s or 100s), the popularity and (unfortunately!) price of these figures has sky-risen in recent years- a few examples in our own personal collection have been valued at well over $300 a piece!
Toy Karma 3 will be running throughout September at Rotofugi’s Chicargo based gallery, with a selection of the artworks on display available to purchase through their website upon close. A dedicated blog has been created for the event, featuring previews, videos from the two previous shows, and step by step builds of some of the exhibitions greatest customs for Kaiju fans to whet their appetite before the grand opening.
Footage from 2009’s Toy Karma 2, courtesy of Toy Bot Studios.
The bootleg toy industry has always been an area frowned upon by most collectors, with the results usually considered as cheap, shoddy knock-offs of our favourite figures created to fool us into parting with our hard earned cash. With the rise in popularity of the art toy scene, this stigma is slowly starting to change, with the likes of the Suck Lord (previously featured in the Tru:Teknology Files back in June) rising to fame with his successful Star Wars bootlegs including the now iconic pink ‘Gay Empire’ stormtrooper figurines.
Unlike the synical bootlegging that we still see today on the likes of eBay, this new wave of artists are using original toy sculpts to create something new and innovative. Whilst the results are often crudely finished, the mix-match of colour and designs bring an interesting twist to the toys we love. One such emerging artist, Peter Goral from Killer Bootlegs, has piqued our interest for quite some time, distorting the likes of Boba Fett, He-man and even Disney’s Cinderella into beautiful, culturally relevant art works.
Since moving from a garage space into a proper studio back in June, Killer Bootlegs have been going from strength to strength, and whilst most of their output is still only available locally (largely due to legal reasons), the company is set for big things in the coming year. Their recent Budha Fett cast, an amalgamation of the happy Budha and Star Wars’ infamous bounty hunter is definitely one of our most loved designs; available in a wide selection of colour tints, we’re currently trying to twist Goral’s arm to send one over the pond!
Entitled ‘Dead Disney: Army of the Dead’, these translucent casts have been taken from a miniature Cinderella toy. All of the figures have been cast slightly differently, adding to their already immense charm.
Not all of Killer Bootlegs casts are taken from just one toy, some of their most successful creations, including the pictured Wookiewok and the ‘kit-bashed’ Bobba Fett/Anakin/Bo Jackson/He-man cross make use of numerous toy sculpts to wild effect.
As with most art toy bootleggers, Killer Bootlegs still use primitive casting techniques to create their suitably lo-fi feel. Lego bricks have been used here to create a negative mold of the iconic carbon Han Solo, with one striking difference- Fett’s head!
With a still yet unconfirmed date, Killer Bootlegs are gearing up for their latest installment of the Molded Heroes Saga, entitled ‘The Villains Strike Back’, an exhibition featuring their latest Star Wars creations, to be held at the Kryptonite Lounge, Rockford, IL.
For more information on Killer Bootlegs and their various toy lines, check their WordPress and Facebook sites here.
To celebrate their “Childhhood Items We Miss The Most” month this September, Gallery 1988’s Melrose and Venice locations will both be holding special exhibitions that any kid from the 80’s should hold close to their heart.
Garbage Pail Kids Trading Card Art Show First off, 1988’s Melrose gallery will be launching the Garbage Pail Kids trading card show next Friday (September 2nd), featuring re-interpretations of the original 47 card set from over 100 artists including Dan Goodsell, Munk One, Rhys Cooper and The Bungaloo. A cult phenomenon throughout 80’s America, the Garbage Pail Kids trading cards offered grotesque, vulgar and rude alternatives to the sickly sweet dolls (the Cabbage Patch Kids) that swept the nation over two decades ago.
Produced in association with the cards creators, Topps and The Hundreds, the most popular designs from the show will eventually be made into a collectable series of their own. Gallery 1988 are planning on going all out with this one, readying a host of activities alongside the event, including a special screening of the 1987 Garbage Pail Kids feature film in association with Cinefamily (The Silent Movie Theatre).
The Old School Videogame Art Show
Moving on towards the middle of the month, 1988’s Venice gallery will be holding the Old School Videogame Art Show (September 16th), an exhibition we’ve been looking forward to with bated breath for the last couple of weeks here at the Tru:Teknology Files. Calling on a host of our favourite painters and illustrators including Kevin Tong, Alison Sommers (pictured) and Le Merde, the nostalgia-tinged exhibition is set to feature over 90 lovingly re-imagined pixelated masterpieces.
Alison’s entry, entitled ‘A Boy and His Dodongo’ (above), is sure to get any fan of Zelda’s Ocarina of Time salivating, the perfect teaser to what could be one of Gallery 1988’s most memorable exhibitions yet!
More information / photos from the two events will be posted as soon as we get them. Check Gallery 1988’s web page here for a look at their current shows, Same Gang and Dan McCarthy & Jay Ryan (new works).
The Garbage Pail Kids Show, Gallery 1988 Melrose, CA, Friday September 2nd
The Old School Videogame Art Show, Gallery 1988 Venice, CA, Friday September 16th
Way back at the beginning of the month, the Tru:Teknology files staff were lucky enough to get the chance to visit one of the world’s largest tattoo conventions, Skin Deep’s Tattoo Jam 2011. Held at Doncaster’s prestigious racecourse, the 2 day show featured in-excess of 300 artists from around the world, giving the uninitiated the perfect opportunity to experience the true diversity that’s now available in the modern tattoo scene.
Moving away from the usual stereotypes of flash and tribal tattooing, Tattoo Jam’s huge selection of artists offered something for everyone; wether it be Henrik Gallon’s unique ‘wood block ‘ style, the modern take on Punk typography adopted by the likes of Xoil, or the awe inspiring photo-realistic work of Dave Corden. We couldn’t resist getting work done ourselves, with the wonderfully talented Italian artist, Capex Style, inking the beautiful 50’s inspired robot that’s currently healing on my left arm!
Jesse Smith
Whilst it was an honour to be be inked by one of Italy’s finest, the artist that left the biggest impression on the team had to be the truly amazing Jesse Smith. Currently based in Richmond, Virginia, at his own Loose Screw studio, Jesse really is in a league of his own when it comes to both character design and use of colour- out stripping all competition with a unique ‘grafitti’ approach to tattooing.
Originally working with spray paints, Jesse started creating tattoo designs for his friend Carlos, eventually making a ‘ghetto gun’ to etch his first design onto skin. Moving professionally into the industry in 1999, Jesse was quickly propelled to the forefront of the tattooing scene, developing a style that still seems ‘breakthrough’ even by today’s standards.
Alongside his beautiful tattoos, Jesse has also built a strong reputation in the emerging urban art scene, with artworks and custom toy designs featuring at the esteemed Munnyworld (pictured) and Drawing Blood exhibitions amongst others. His art has also adorned t-shirt designs for the likes of Bleeding Star, Methods NYC and Politrics.
Jesse @Tattoo Jam
Seeing photos of Jesse’s work, it’s hard not to be impressed by the level of detail and vividness of colour, but it isn’t until you see it in the flesh that you realise just how show-stopping his talent is! We visited the convention on the Sunday, and were able to have a brief chat with Rianne Rowlands, an illustrator who had spent 12 hours the day before being ‘worked on’ by the mighty Jesse. Her Jackelope and Guinea Pig design (pictured) appeared to almost leap off the skin, leaving me to beg Jesse to come back to the country to work on me as soon as possible- here’s hoping he makes Tattoo Jam 2012, or I’m going to be taking a long trip to Richmond next year!
For more information on Jesse and his work, check out his web page here.
Celebrating the recent release of the iconic ‘Jumping Brain’ in toy form, artist Emilio Garcia has collaborated with Toy Art Gallery to produce his first custom show, entitled Brain Evolution. Using the Toy2r produced Jumping Brain as a platform, over 40 top artists including Buff Monster, Bwana Spoons, Jason Freeny (featured below) and Boris Hopek are set to feature in the highly anticipated show.
Jason Freeny’s Jumping Brain Custom Revealed
Jason Freeny, an artist featured numerous times here at the Tru:Teknology Files, has recently revealed photos of his entry for the custom Jumping Brain show. Taking a military slant, Freeny has sculpted wheels, tracks and mounted guns, using Garcia’s Jumping Brain as the cockpit for his clever THINK TANK design.
Check Freeny’s Facebook page here for an in-depth photo diary of his progress on the project from start to finish.
Brain Evolution: Custom Jumping Brain Show will be opening September 16th at the Toy Art Gallery, Hollywood, running until October 10th.
Jason Freeny’s 36″ Tongue Tied Qee Bear
As always, Freeny has been hard at work on several toy related projects over the last few months. Photos of his latest original sculpts ‘Egg Head’ and ‘Cone Head’ and the recent reveal of his Jumping Brain entry have been massive highlights, but the reveal of the 36″ Tongue Tied Qee Bear will surely be the topic on his numerous fans’ lips at the moment. Weighing in at a staggering $2800, the production run for the piece has been limited to 36, with orders now being taken through Toy2r’s wholesaler, Apex Trading.
Following on the heals of Kidrobot’s over-sized Dunny toys, the Tongue Tied bear is the first in a series of 36″ Qee sculpts that Toy2r are aiming squarely at the contemporary art market, a first for the Japanese art toy manufacturer. More information on artists and forthcoming designs can be found at Toy2r’s page.
Freeny’s Tongue Tied design was chosen by fans through his Facebook page, check here to see the various designs that didn’t make the cut!
The recently revealed Egg and Cone Head sculpts, fingers crossed for a production run of these beautiful designs!
Caveman, Liam Brazier 2011
Man Up
Hangman
Unfortunately, the Scope show finished last month, but anyone wishing to purchase a copy of Brazier’s 12″ x 18″ be a 12″x18″ gallery-quality giclée print on 100% cotton rag archival paper, can do so by e-mailing the artist through his site. The prints are retailing at £50 each, with a limited run of only 50 available.
Dark Lord
Bounty Hunter
Storm Trooper
shingangu.com 
