Gorilla Mouth

We Are Not Toys

2012-01-04T07:02:00.000-08:00

The amazing Task One has put together an awesome exhibit of photoshop skills and custom toys for a new project called We Are Not Toys.

We are not toys started after I photoshopped one of my own custom designer toys into a video game background. Someplace I thought it might live or might be it's natural habitat. Being a great admirer of all the artists around me and in my field, I wondered what some of their creations might look like with the same treatment. What started out as fun, turned into a bit of OCD and before I knew it I had a hundred of these images. I figured what better
to do with them then share them with all of you.

The name comes from the struggle that the custom designer toy artist goes through in this newer genre of contemporary art. Each piece may have started with a vinyl toy skelaton, But with the help of the artists hands has become a one of kind original piece of art. The materials needed at times being way higher in price and time spent painting all angles of a figure sometimes far exceed that of a canvas. With your final piece still referred to or considered a toy, It's a challenge to make a living or charge even minimum wage for your skill or talent as you would with finished paintings.

100% of the prophet after the cost of printing each print goes go to the artist. So, please help support these great artists, snatch one up and give it a good home. The calanders are slightly above costs which pay for site promotion and
shipping materials. The Book is being sold at the cost it took to make each one upon order to help spread the artist's work around and to stay affordable to you. So wearenottoys.net is not making any money off the artists or backgrounds.
which bring us to our disclaimer.

DISCLAIMER: We here at wearenottoys.net are in the long and tideious process of contacting and obtaining permission for some of the photos used in the backgrounds of these images. Some photos may be up for a limited time and subject to change.

Hope you enjoy...

Task One

Head over to the site and grab a print, calendar, or book!! This is one fantastic idea I'm happy to see come to life.

GARAMANIACAL

2011-12-14T06:44:00.000-08:00

February 10-March 4. Opening reception Friday, February 10 6-9pm.

GARAMANIACAL, an homage to the clunky, crusty, fish-lipped, oil-belching, high-rise-wrecking meteorite monster Garamon and his "recycled" alter ego, the friendly and excitable Pygmon.

I'm happy to announce that I'll be taking part in the GARAMANIACAL show at FOE in February. Mike at Garamania has put together a killer lineup for this show. I was thrilled to be asked to do this show, Garamon is one of my all time favorite kaiju monsters.

Bio-Buildman Pre-Order Starts NOW!

2011-12-12T21:24:00.000-08:00

SURPRISE!

If you're up late this evening and you've been waiting for me to announce more details about the Bio-Buildman, you're in luck! I went ahead and took pics of the individual pieces for the shop for those who wold like to order bits instead of the complete figure.

Head to the SHOP now to snag yours before the pre-order ends.

Hailing from the murky marshes of Sesar IV, the Bio-Buildman are an organically reptilian race of hunters. Upon hatching, they're left to tend to themselves. While young, the Bio-Buildman live on instinct that turns to cunning shrewdness as they age. Each Bio-Buildman's carapace armor and weaponry grows specifically to the survival needs of each individual.

The planet of Sesar IV is full of ever-changing alliances of Bio-Buildman. But one thing remains clear to all who've tried to lay their claim to Sesar IV, the Bio-Buildman will unite and crush any foe that encroaches on their territory.

Bio-Buildman

2011-12-09T11:15:00.000-08:00

Besides the secret kaiju sculpt and a commission I've been working, I was able to knock out this long overdue glyos custom finally.

The name stems from the fact that a few people were calling it "Bio-Buildman" and it just kinda fit. I plan on cleaning it up with some sanding, then potentially casting it. I also plan on writing up a background and doing more customs of this nature.

DCon Geodes and Miscreants in the Gorilla Mouth Shop

2011-11-07T06:30:00.001-08:00

If you didn't make it to DCon don't worry, there's still MunnyWorld Geodes and Miscreants to be had in the Gorilla Mouth shop. Head on over and give them a good home.

New Miscreants Series for Designer Con 2011

2011-11-02T15:11:00.001-07:00

As promised, here's the new Miscreants series. Since you've seen the teasers already, I'll just get to the pics and bios.

Strain: Anphibateamis
Symptoms: Large scaly patches form in the lungs. Tongue elongates from mouth and thick white mucus appears. Tips of phalanges excrete a clear sticky substance. Eyes protrude from sockets and become glazed and sensitive to light.

Strain: Aquasantosis
Classified: Communicable
Symptoms: Bloating progressing to extreme swelling of skin due to water retention. Skin turns a deep bluish green. Bones begin to soften eventually turning into a liquid like substance that can no longer support the patient’s body weight.

Strain: Carbatitis
Symptoms: Found in extremely active patients. Metabolic system becomes highly overactive. Patient experiences accelerated caloric burning resulting in the body using organs for energy. Contracted through sweat gland secretions.

Strain: Hematcysis
Symptoms: Violent and erratic loss of muscle control causing patient to inflict wounds upon themselves. Large contusions appear as massive amounts of blood pools in the soft tissue. Results in extreme discoloration and permanent disfigurement.

Strain: Pilaboilpus
Symptoms: Bumps appear in large clusters in the creases of the skin causing redness, swelling and extreme discomfort. Clusters begin to merge as one pus filled boil eventually spreading over the entire body.

Strain: Retromin Hybrid 80
Symptoms: Hair follicles secrete a hardening substance that increases size. Patient feels the urge to wear brightly colored clothing and engage in mindless babble. Bodily gyration coupled with constant sniffing result of daily memory loss and repetitious behaviors.

Each plaque has the Miscreants bio on the back for easy filing.

All of the Miscreants will be available at the Toypinionated booth #412. The small (Retromin Hybrid 80, Hematcysis, Carbatitis, and Aquasantosis) Miscreants are $25 a piece and the two larger (Pilaboilpus & Anphibateamis) Miscreants are $35 a piece.

MunnyWorld Geode Series for Designer Con 2011

2011-11-02T07:02:00.000-07:00

Since I only showed one WIP pic of this series, I figured I'd start off by revealing them first. Here's my MunnyWorld Geode Series for Designer Con this weekend. These will be available at the ToyPinionated booth, which is booth number 412. You can choose between a Munny, Rooz, Kracka, or Foomi Geode. These will be priced at $65 each.

This is only the first post of two I'll be doing today. I'll be revealing the new Miscreant series later today!

"The Guardian" Full Reveal & Review

2011-09-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

I know it's been awhile since I've been able to share anything, but the time has come to finally show the full reveal of "The Guardian".

The village of Mikomi sits about one hundred yards from the twin trunked behemoth known to locals as ‘The Guardian’. The mighty tree once stood with both trunks intact and it was nothing more than a favorite lounging spot for the people of the village. That was until the night a massive storm fell upon the forests surrounding Mikomi.

Wind gusts picked away at houses while torrential rain soaked through thatched roofs. Villagers huddled next to one another as the clouds bellowed out earth shaking thunder. Flashes of lightning illuminated the terrified faces of the children before plunging them back into darkness. Village elders tried to remain calm, but even their hearts quivered with fear as the storm’s anger grew.

Suddenly a large white flash and an even bigger crack deafened the terrified villagers. Moaning and creaking were followed by the sounds of leaves and branches falling to the ground. As soon as the sound ended, the rain began to let up, but the villagers stayed in place. Deciding that there was nothing they could do in the darkness of night, they would wait until morning to assess the damages.

As soon as the warm rays of light began to fill the village, the people of Mikomi started to surface from their hiding spots. Mikomi’s shaman Opler was the first to discover what the large crash was that marked the end of the storm. The large tree the village had always taken for granted, had been struck with lightning severing one of it’s mighty trunks. Opler took this as a sign, that this tree had sacrificed it’s brother in order to protect the villagers. The base of the tree had become a cavern of charred remains and growth feeding the remaining living trunk.

Opler named the tree ‘The Guardian’ and began the tradition of paying homage to this protector. To this day the villagers of Mikomi pin sheets of gratitude and prayer within the cavernous trunk.

These are but a few pics that the person who commissioned me took. They also were kind enough to write up a review. All of which can be found on their blog Neath Grim. Stop over there to see the rest of the pics and the full write up!

Vinyl Prep Work 101

2011-09-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

I had someone ask me recently what I do to my vinyl to get it ready for paints. They were having a problem with the paint not sticking and cracking off. I wrote up this mini 'prep work' tutorial for them and decided to share it with all of you.

1. Wash the vinyl off with either soap and water, 90% alcohol, or acetone (not the kind for nails but the kind for cars). Although only use acetone on western vinyl, if you ever paint a Kaiju toy it'll eat the vinyl. I prefer to use either alcohol or acetone for this step. What you're essentially doing is stripping away any residue oils from the vinyl that may be left from the casting process.

2. Lightly sand the vinyl with 1000 or higher grit sandpaper. Most of the time this kind of sandpaper is used for automotive stuff, it's a wet/dry kind. You don't always have to do this step though, since most of the time I have success after wiping it down with one of the aforementioned chemicals. What this process does it makes the surface slightly porous to help the paints adhere better to the vinyl.

3. If you want it to last, I would invest in a little higher grade of paint. You don't have to go all out, but I know cheap paints from Michael's, Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby, etc... tend to chip and crack more. Although I know people use this stuff all the time, I don't know how much of a headache they deal with during the painting process. I have had success with using the cheaper paints as basecoats for larger pieces. I'll describe how to get the best results in the next step. I tend to use Citadel paints and I also like Golden paints a lot. Both can be costly but you can cut them down to make them go further and last longer.

4. Paint in thin layers and build the paints up. This is especially important for the basecoat, since this will be the what every other color builds off of. By doing it in thin layers you'll be able to let those layers dry and have a much better surface for the next layer to adhere to. As I mentioned above, you can cut your acrylic paints with either water or alcohol ( I tend to use 50% or 70% alcohol to cut paints with). This will help extend the life of your paints and make it easier to apply the thin layers I'm addressing.

5. After you do these easy steps the rest of your paints will have a solid base to build on. When you're finished painting, it's important to seal it with either a matte coat or gloss coat depending on what you're trying to achieve. Again, use small layers with 10-15 minute drying sessions when applying your sealant. This allows adequate time for the coats to set but not completely dry which will help avoid buildup and cloudiness.

If you have any questions, leave them in the comment area and I'll get back to you.

Operation Move Is Complete!

2011-08-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

It seems since the trip out West my life has been in fast-forward, but I'm happy to announce that Megan and I are now in our new place and loving it. Thanks to our kickass friends and family we were able to get the place up and going faster. Yesterday we were able to focus on getting the studio room setup, which we'll be splitting down the middle. Although you can see the differences between our sides now, it'll look like night and day once we're done decorating it haha.

Now that life has gotten back to normal somewhat, I'll be getting back to work in a big way! First up on the to-do list are the commissions that my very patient fans have been waiting on. Putting the secret Kaiju project into motion. Plus getting ready for DCon which I can't wait to start on. I've got some new ideas for DCon and it'll be a mixture of my usual style in new ways plus Kaiju customs! I won't give away too much right now but I'm planning on some cool stuff for the Con. I'm sure there is a lot more on that list, but these are the top 3 priorities at the moment.

Lots more to come!

SDCC, Portland, and the Horizon

2011-08-03T09:57:00.000-07:00

After a week and half of vacation I'm now on day three of reality. Megan and I ended up taking close to 500 pics on the trip, the slideshows are posted below. We had a blast on this trip and like most vacations it went WAY too quick. It was awesome to finally meet the Toyfam! After SDCC we jumped a plane to Portland to visit a friend up there and to unplug for awhile. After staying there a week I can say that city is fantastic! Who wouldn't like walking out there door and spotting Mt Hood in the distance? Overall the trip couldn't have went better, which made it harder to come back home.

SDCC

Portland

On another note, you'll have another chance to glimpse my custom mini tea "Sencha" at Forbidden Planet in London starting August 5th.

I'm still debating if I'll be going to DCon or not this year, but I'm leaning toward making it out there. Although I'll need somewhere to crash or someone to split room costs with. If you're interested let me know, leave a comment or shoot me an email troystith@hotmail.com

Besides planning and executing for DCon, I'm currently working on some commissions and working on the early stages of a secret kaiju project. More details about all of this will be revealed in the future.

"The Guardian" WIP Update

2011-06-21T07:17:00.000-07:00

As some of you saw before I'm working on a commissioned original sculpt that's tentatively called "The Guardian". Since I haven't shared anything for a while, I figured I'd share the WIP pics that I have so far. Once it's complete I'll share the full story and details behind this piece, until then stay tuned for more WIP pics along the way.

Designer Con 2011

2011-06-07T06:30:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to announce that I was invited by Matt Hisey of ToyPinionated to share a booth with the talented Yosiell Lorenzo at Designer Con 2011!

I know SDCC is right around the corner, but I was so stoked about this that I had to share it with all of you. I'll be planning for this among the commissions and other misc stuff I have going on right now. While I'm not sure if I'll be able to actually make it out there for the con (since I'll be at SDCC this year), I do promise that this booth will be awesome. With a booth partner like Yosiell your eyes certainly won't be disappointed. I'll be doing updates on here as we get closer and I know Matt and Yosiell will be too on their sites, so make sure you've bookmarked all of our pages for future announcements.

A huge thanks to Matt for putting this together and making me apart of it.

My Saturday Night

2011-06-06T07:06:00.000-07:00

Saturday night I was among many other talented artists at Rivet Gallery's 4th Anniversary celebration. I never remember to snap pics and of course this event was another one of those times. Thankfully Brian Szabelski from Tomopop was in attendance and he snapped some great pics and wrote up and article here about the event.

Overall it was a great time. I brought a commission piece to work on while chatting with attendees. I shared a table with the talented Jason Tharp who is also a Columbus based artist. We've chatted on Twitter quite a bit so it was great to finally meet him in person. Jason is a doodling machine who does some awesome work! Head over to his site.

This was my first time doing a live event like this and I would definitely do it again. A big thanks to Laura from Rivet for putting this together and inviting me to join the fun.

Armored Brush

2011-05-31T10:21:00.001-07:00

Armored Brush is a new endeavor I'm starting with my Canadian pal Jason Sao Bento (@Jay21Art). As many of you may or may not know, my style is heavily influenced by my geeky background in wargaming. While vinyl eats up most of my time these days, I've been pushing hard to get back to my roots. Armored Brush is the first step in that direction.

As you can see, Jason has already been busy building our site and doing a couple tutorial videos. Expect more of this from both of us soon. We'll also be doing product reviews, releasing our own base kits, dioramas, and a ton of other cool features. While we're still in our infancy, we already have a plethora of ideas stored up for all of you.

We'll be focusing not only on wargaming, but also on models, kaiju, and any other related hobbies we've dabbled in over the years. Between the two of us, we've learned a lot of helpful hints and tips through trial and error. Now it's time to share those tips.

While I may do a post or two here about Armored Brush, make sure you're following the blog for the most up to date news.

Final Total for #KaijuForJapan

2011-05-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

Things have finally settled down a bit here at the Gorilla Mouth camp. I'm happy to say all of the orders for the Kaiju for Japan sale have shipped this week and everyone should start to see packages from me arriving soon.

Even though this idea was born in a spontaneous tweet, the outcome couldn't have been better. Artists from around the globe came together for this cause and really produced some great work to help raise money for this donation. Not only did the artists turnout, the fans did as well. I know everyone is probably tired of hearing me say it, but I have to give another HUGE thanks to all that contributed and who bought something from the sale.

We ended up raising $5985 to donate to Direct Relief International. I chose this organization because all of the money donated will stay in the Japan relief money they collect. They don't spread around the money to different causes and or within the organization. Just like we donated 100% of the money, they keep 100% of the money donated in the cause that it was donated to. This is further explained here.

This sale went even better than I could have hoped and it's all because of the great people involved in our scene. Thanks again for coming together to make this happen!!

"The Wanderer" for Vinyl Roots at Dragatomi

2011-05-11T09:18:00.000-07:00

It's time to finally reveal my pieces for the Vinyl Roots show at Dragatomi this Saturday, May 14th.

16/37/1458

This marks the third day of my journey to the Caverns of Yandor. The strange trees of the Daven Forest never cease to amaze my eyes with their twists and turns. Each one seems to be watching you walk through their land. Although I doubted the tales I heard of the forest at the beginning of the trail, after two restless nights of peering eyes I've changed my outlook. In theory, the route I have laid out will put me at the Screaming Twins in a few more days, but this forest has proven anything but predictable. Thorny vines and troublesome mud seem to grow thicker and sloppier as I continue forward, I can only hope this stint of prickly luck will end soon.

16/40/1458

Finally reaching the end of the Daven Forests, I came across the Screaming Twins. The Twins were cut down for the great totems of Yandor. To the horror of the men, the trees began to wail while they sawed through them. Deafening the men closest and scarring everyone involved, the job was carried out and the site quickly abandoned. The Twins have since silenced, yet their wretched faces remain entombed forever.

17/03/1458

After a monotonous trek through the Rufian Plains, I arrived at the totems of Yandor. Although the totems stand a mile away, they serve as the entrance to the caverns. Standing as a warning of the woes and wonderment of what lie ahead. While historians argue about who the six faces represent, my personal belief is that each represents a former shaman of the land that fought for control in Tu'R'Land. Good and evil of the land have been at odds since the beginning of time, and the Caverns of Yandor stood as a sacred ground to both the dark and light worshippers of the land. While we still find ourselves at odds with the menacing shadows of the land, our conquest of the caverns has just begun.

17/04/1458

Even though I was so close to the caverns, I stayed the night at the totems. Not only preparing for my descent into the caverns, but to prepare myself mentally for the horrors I may encounter in the depths of the caverns. The sheer size of the tree that has taken root on top of the cavern speaks of the power of this land. The cave or something that resides within the cave appears to be sucking the life from the large tree. All I know is that if I'm to fully document the wonders of Tu'R'Land, then my journey must continue. For the Caverns of Yandor is the only passage to the great lands of Maroneen.

Full color pics of all the pieces are over in my flickr.

Vinyl Roots Teaser

2011-05-03T07:37:00.001-07:00

Here's a first look at a couple of the pieces that will be in the Vinyl Roots show at Dragatomi May 14th. Obviously I don't want to give away much about where I'm heading for this show, but I figured all of you might like an early glimpse ;) The vortex in the center is another piece I'm working on, but you'll have to wait for finished pics of that one. A lot more to come!

#KaijuForJapan Sale Update

2011-04-25T07:50:00.000-07:00

Last Friday's launch of the Kaiju for Japan sale couldn't have went any better! Sales were coming in so fast that I thought my inbox was going to explode!! I want to thank all of the contributors and buyers for making this sale a complete success. We have a nice chunk to donate so far, but I'll give an exact number once the sale is over.

The sale will stay up until Friday, May 6th so if you're eying something make sure you nab it soon. Head to the shop to see what's left.

Chaosman ULTRA for #KaijuForJapan

2011-04-21T22:48:00.000-07:00

It's been another long night but my custom Chaosman is finally done and ready for Kaiju for Japan. This custom took a lot longer than I had anticipated, but it was a lot of fun to sculpt and paint. I wanted to keep the paints in the realistic realm creating natural looking fades that go with his organic styling.

Kaiju for Japan sale this FRIDAY!

2011-04-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's already been over a month since I started this sale and man did you guys and gals come through. We've got a large lineup of talent from across the globe contributing to this sale. I know I probably sound like a broken record but I don't care, I want to give another huge THANKS to all of you who dedicated your time and skills to make this sale come together. I also want to thank everyone who has helped spread the word across the interwebs. Please feel free to use the flyer above to keep spreading the word. Here are the details:

Sale goes live Friday, April 22nd at 4:00pm EST
You'll be heading to the Gorilla Mouth shop for the sale, specifically here: http://gorillamouth.bigcartel.com/category/kaiju-for-japan

I'm sure you're tired of me blabbering and want to see more stuff, well here it is:

1 of 2 contributions from BLObPUS:

2 of 5 contributions from Valley Dweller:

Jeff Lamm came through with this hand-painted proto Stee-Gar:

Of course Greasebat had to join the party thanks to Monster Worship:

"A Boatload O' Galtans" from Benoît Robitaille aka Zapatoloco:

Shane Haddy / Hints and Spices:

Leecifer:

Vinyl Roots Show

2011-04-14T06:26:00.000-07:00

I've had to hold this one back for a little while now, but it's time to finally announce the Vinyl Roots show. I'm joining forces with Kevin Gosselin and J★RYU for this great show at Dragatomi on May 14th. As we approach the show date, I'll start releasing teasers of my pieces. This show is based around transformation so you're all in store for some great work new work from the three of us.

Kaiju for Japan Update 3

2011-04-11T11:36:00.000-07:00

Time to share more of the great contributions that have come in. I'll be showing all of the contributions through here as we lead up to the sale, so make sure you keep checking in. Another huge thanks to everyone who has given their time to this cause.

Matthew Kirscht -

Ben Mininberg/Prometheum5 -

MeanMisterT -

Ash Shiota -

Jan Calleja -

Nebulon5 -

Bert S. Gatchalian -

T.J. -

Matt JOnes (1 of 3 contributions) -

Brian Ralph, Scott Wilkowski, Intercontinental Champions -

Brian Colin -

More pics to come!

"Sencha" Reveal #MINITEATOUR

2011-04-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

It's finally time to reveal my custom Mini-Tea for Lunartik's Mini-Tea Tour, meet "Sencha".

The great King Alzamar enjoyed his daily spot of tea in the forests surrounding his kingdom. His advisers always protested this decision, but who were they to defy the King. Upon one of these daily trips, the King spotted a small mushroom he had never seen before. Rising from his down stuffed throne, Alzamar, tea in hand, strolled toward the red mushroom. It's rosy glow drew him in and before he knew what he was doing, he plucked it from the ground.

To Alzamar's surprise, he wasn't holding a mushroom in between his fingers. Instead he was holding the nose of a small troll-like creature, covered in dirt and moss from it's subterranean slumber. The troll suddenly awoke and let out a deafening scream, prompting Alzamar to drop the troll and reel back in horror.

"Wha-What are you?" Alzamar gasped.

"Gumfer!" The troll shouted.

Before Alzamar could respond, Gumfer snatched a small stick from it's pocket and pointed it at Alzamar. A small plume of smoke came from the end of the stick, drifting toward the King. Thinking that all was well and the small creature was just as terrified as Alzamar, the King began to kneel before the creature. At first by choice, but soon his dainty tea cup began to expand and grow.

Peering over the side of the cup, Alzamar watched as Gumfer ran into the brush and his guards looked on in horror. Raising a hand in protest, Alzamar realized not only was something wrong with his cup but he had begun to change as well. Rough brown scales began to develop all over his skin, stiffening joints enlarging and reaching towards the tiny drops of moisture in the bottom of the cup which had turned to stone.

Alzamar felt his legs split and grow in all directions, cresting the top of the cup in the search for more moisture. Never enough moisture, the great thirst began to consume the King's mind. By this time his guards had run off in shock to warn the King's advisers of his demise. None of which were surprised about the turn of events, for they had warned the King for many years of the dangers residing in the forest.

To this day, Alzamar stands inside his giant tea cup. Slowly reaching out to his lost kingdom.

Chaosman WIP for Kaiju for Japan

2011-03-31T07:10:00.000-07:00

As some of you have already seen, this is the Chaosman custom I'm doing for Kaiju for Japan. Although the first pics I shared I didn't show the details I had started on the back. Since he'll look a lot different the next time I share pics, I figured I'd go ahead and share those details. I carried the insect/reptile/organic look from the glyos custom I'm doing, but I'll be implementing design details from his head into the body as well. I had to go back to the dentist yesterday which took me out of commission for the day, I'll be getting back to work tonight.

Stay tuned for more WIP pics of this custom, plus more information and contributions for the Kaiju for Japan sale happening April 22nd.

Kaiju for Japan Update #2

2011-03-24T10:11:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to announce that there are now 80 contributors for the sale! 81 if you count me and I'm sure a few more will pop up before the sale goes live April 22nd. I've decided to stick with my original idea and make this a fixed price sale instead of an auction. Certain aspects of an auction deterred me away from that route.

The Gorilla Mouth store will become Kaiju for Japan central for the sale. I've taken my store down for the time being so I can start to build the KfJ shop. The contributions have started to show up and man are they looking great!

Although I named the Red Cross in my initial post, I've been doing a lot of research as to which relief fund we'll be donating all of the money too. One of the latest organizations that was passed along to me is Second Harvest if you'd like to check it out as well. As mentioned in the last post Direct Relief International is another organization I've really been looking into.

Here's a few more peeks of some of the contributions that have come in:

Mikie Graham -

Mark Nagata -

1 of 2 Contributions from Plaseebo -

More previews to come. Thanks again to all of you who have contributed your time and skills to this cause. Another big thanks to all of you who have helped spread the word about Kaiju for Japan. This sale is larger than I had expected and it's been great to see all of you coming together!!

-Troy

"Nesuto" Custom Foomi for MUNNYWORLD

2011-03-24T06:34:00.000-07:00

Despite the late arrival of my Foomi for MUNNYWORLD and my unexpected dental emergency this week, I was able to get my latest custom "Nesuto" done last night. Thankfully as soon as I saw the Foomi platform, I knew the direction that I wanted to head with this Munnsai. Knowing the direction I wanted to go, made the long nights of work go by smoothly.

Since I was playing catch up yesterday at my day job and I had to finish this custom last night, I didn't get to do the Kaiju for Japan update that I wanted to. I'll be building that post today so I can publish it later today or tomorrow morning. I can say that I've received even more contributions and that this sale is going to be great! Stay tuned for more details and a huge thanks to all that have contacted me about the fundraiser.

"Sencha" Teaser

2011-03-17T07:43:00.000-07:00

Here's another teaser of my custom mini Tea "Sencha" for the Mini Tea Tour. I'll do a full reveal soon.

"Kaiju for Japan" Update

2011-03-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

(Graphic created by Maiya Kinoshita)

Since I launched my original post last Friday, the response I've received from artists all over the world has been amazing!! Right now we're sitting at about 60 contributors and the emails keep coming in it seems. I want to give a huge thanks to all of you great people for contributing your time and skills to this cause. I'd also like to thank all of the bloggers and other people who have helped spread the word about the fundraiser.

Below is a list of links to make donations right now. Look at this sale as a Phase 2 initiative in helping our friends in Japan. A lot of these organizations need financial help now and will continue to need help while Japan rebuilds.

Japanese Red Cross
American Red Cross
Direct Relief International
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Shelter Box
Doctors Without Borders
Mercy Corps

(If you know of any other organizations, please pass along their information.)

I'm still working out the details about where this sale will live, but I'll have all of that nailed down soon enough. Friday, April 22nd will be the sale launch date.

For any of you that are still interested in contributing something, please email me at troystith@hotmail.com that way I can start to include you in the updates I've been sending out. The deadline for contributions is Thursday, April 14th .

As I mentioned above, the response to this cause has been phenomenal! I wanted to share a few of the contributions that have come in so far. I'll be sharing more pics as we approach the sale, so keep an eye out for more updates soon.

Mike Nordstrom from Garamania is donating this awesome custom Ultraman Max Pygmon:

Paul Kaiju has come through in a big way with a wave of mini "Chibi" Alien Welts:

J.E. Moore has given two of his hand cast Bat Winged Gompers:

Before ending this post, I'd like to mention another great auction going on for Japan being put on by Rotofugi. Make sure you stop over there to check out the awesome one of a kind Big Muscamoots on sale.

That should wrap things up for now, but I'll definitely keep all of you up to date as we approach the sale.

Thanks again everyone!!

Kaiju for Japan

2011-03-11T09:59:00.000-08:00

**I received the link for the Japanese Red Cross so that you can donate money there directly.**

By now I'm sure all of you have heard of the terrible destruction that has rocked Japan. I also know that some of you have probably already donated to the Red Cross Earthquake/Tsunami relief fund, but I thought we toy makers could help out as well. Seeing that many of our favorite characters and toys come from and or have been inspired by Japanese influences.

This is where all of the Kaiju customizers and other toy customziers come into play. Since the homeland of our passion has been struck with disaster, it's time for us to stand up and raise money for the country with our creations. I'd like to get as many customs as possible from creators around the world to sell off for a large donation to the relief fund. One piece from an artist is enough, but if you feel like you'd like to contribute more feel free. It doesn't have to be a new piece either, anything you'd like to contribute is fine.

Once I get a handle on the amount of toys we'll have for sale, I'll put together an online shop for people to buy them. All of the proceeds will go directly to the relief fund.

If you're interested please leave a comment below or email me at troystith@hotmail.com

Also if anyone knows of a better organization to donate the money to other than the Red Cross, please let me know and we'll look into donating to that fund instead. I know that the Red Cross can be slow to distribute the money, so I want to make sure our donations end up in the right hands.

Thanks to Maiya Kinoshita I now have this post translated into Japanese. I heard there was some confusion when the post was translated.

３月１１日　金曜日

みんなはもう日本を揺るがした恐ろしい災害についてもう知っているだろう。すでに赤十字社の地震・津波被害の義援のため募金をした人もいるかもしれない。僕たちの大好きなキャラクターやフィギュアの多くは、日本のものからインスパイアされているのはまちがいない。そこで僕は、僕たちがトイメーカーとして援助できる方法があるはずだと思い始めた。

今こそ、すべてのカイジュウ・カスタマイザーとトイ・カスタマイザーが動き出すときだ。大好きなソフビの祖国が困難に対面した今こそ、僕たちの作品で義援金を集めるために立ち上がる時だ。

この計画は、集められるだけの作品を世界中のクリエイターから集め、それらを販売した売り上げを災害救助の義援金に寄せるというものだ。一人のアーティストから一つの作品で十分だが、それ以上寄付してくれても大丈夫だ。新しい作品でなくても、どのような形でもかまわない、貢献さえしてくれれば。

品揃えが決まったところで、オンラインショップを開き、一般の人が購入できることになる。売り上げはすべて義援金へ向けられる。

興味のある方はブログにコメントを残すかメールを送ってください

Troystith@hotmail.com

赤十字社より良い寄付先があれば、送り先をそちらに変更するから、ぜひ教えてほしい。赤十字社は寄付金を配給するのが遅いことは知っているから、できるだけ信頼できる所に寄付金を送り届けたい。

Troy Stith のブログ、Gorilla Mouthより。

Tea Time #MINITEATOUR

2011-03-11T08:05:00.000-08:00

Well it's been tough to keep this under wraps, but it's finally time to reveal the Mini Tea Tour! Lots of great artists from around the world are contributing to this massive show. Matt has done a great job with the site, so make sure to check out all the goodies over there.

Here's a WIP teaser of my tea for the show. Full reveal coming soon ;)

"Aplastar" Smash Commission

2011-03-02T20:31:00.000-08:00

Well it took a little while to knock out with everything else going on but thankfully @mhisey26 was patient with me and I finished up his custom Smash "Aplastar".

Aplastar Pass is the gateway to the great kingdom of Veroma. A kingdom renowned for it's grandeur and open hospitality. Yet it's shiny facade soon disappears under the threat of danger. The great monolith 'Aplastar' that guards the waterway, is said to wake and protect the pass. Turning enemy ships into kindling, while at the same time stomping and smashing foes on land. While no survivors have lived to tell the tale of Aplastar, it's legend lives on in the hearts of dastardly sea dogs across the land. The kingdom of Veroma has stood the test of time and will continue to flourish under the watchful fists of Aplastar.

AntArgus

2011-02-19T16:23:00.000-08:00

I know this was a long drawn out process, but it's finally time to reveal my Alien Argus custom "AntArgus" for the Toy Art Gallery show. My winter hiking adventure definitely contributed to my inspiration for this custom. There were a lot of natural fades going on in the ice that I wanted to translate into this piece.

Attention Epoxy Sculptors

2011-02-15T10:09:00.000-08:00

Anymore I grab my Apoxie sculpt when doing a custom, I still use Super Sculpey on original sculpts and or things that I need more time with. The fact that Apoxie Sculpt air dries and is more durable than SS makes it all the better for toy customizing. Yet, I've noticed that Apoxie Sculpt warns that you should wear gloves and although Magic Sculpt doesn't state that I believe it probably would be the same. Although they state the glove warning I'm sure many of you out there (like myself) overlooked it and kept on sculpting barehanded. If you haven't tried to sculpt with gloves on give it a go, it's like trying to feel your way through a cave with no light. You can't get a feel for the sculpt at all. I've tried to take the safer route, but if I wanted to get anything done I had to ditch the gloves.

At the same time though, I didn't want to meet an early end because I was too bullheaded to wear gloves. I kept searching for an alternative to gloves to protect against the chemicals soaking into my skin. I finally stumbled upon a product called Invisible Glove by Blue Magic.

You apply this lotion like stuff on your hands prior to working with paints, grease, epoxies, etc... and it helps to clog your pours against chemical absorption. One application lasts about 4 hours and when you're done sculpting, you wash it off with soap and water. You will need to reapply to areas that you get wet, but I've gotten my hands wet while sculpting and it still seemed to be present. I did reapply to the areas that I knew would probably wear thin due to water. I wish they made it slightly tinted so you could see if any areas had worn away, but I'll leave that to the scientist haha.

Now when I finish sculpting with Apoxie Sculpt, I wash the Invisible Glove off and my hands don't have that tacky feel or epoxy build up that I was used to before using it. That build up, was also another reason I searched out a solution. I love what I do, but I want to keep doing it as long as possible without putting myself at risk. I know we deal with a lot of harsh chemicals, so I figured we should try to be as safe as possible along the way.

Alien Argus Show at TAG & Another WIP Pic

2011-02-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

If you live around the Toy Art Gallery area, make sure you stop in February 26th to check out the Alien Argus Group show!

Check out the coverage over at the Toybot Studios blog to see some of the early previews that have popped up.

I figured since there are already previews being passed around the interwebs, I'd go ahead and share another WIP pic with all of you. Especially since there's a lot of brushwork to go and he'll look a lot different in the end.

And The Winner Is...

2011-02-13T09:47:00.000-08:00

Lucky number 4, Mycle! Congratulations!!! Please email your color choices and symptoms to me at troystith@hotmail.com

A BIG thanks to everyone who participated and for spreading the word around the interwebs. Really means a lot to me! I'll definitely be doing more giveaways soon and I'm always open for commissions, so if you didn't win and still want a Miscreant of your own, please use the email address above and we'll make that happen.

Have a great Sunday everyone.

First Alien Argus WIP Pics

2011-02-11T07:07:00.000-08:00

Although I won't be doing too many of these pics, I figured I'd go ahead and share the initial stages of my Argus custom. Like I said in the newsletter the other day; I really like the Argus toy and I wanted to keep the integrity and feel of it so I'm opting to bring it to life with colors only. Still A LOT of painting to go, but man has this been fun so far!

More Build on the Buildman

2011-02-10T09:37:00.000-08:00

Finally got a chance to get back to work on the Buildman last night after I hit a stopping point with the Smash commission (I'll be sending out a WIP pic soon through the GM newsletter). I can't wait to wrap up the lower half of this one, so I can put some new ideas into action for the next one.

20,000 Tweets - Create A Miscreant Giveaway

2011-02-08T08:35:00.000-08:00

WOW! I can't believe my blathering has extended into the 20,000 realm on Twitter. With that being said, let me thank all of you for sticking around through all of the madness. The continued support is greatly appreciated and I want to do another giveaway to show my appreciation.

I didn't want to do another "here's something that's already done giveaway", I wanted this one to have more meaning for the winner. What I've decided to do is let you create your own Miscreant. Yes those grimy bastards are back and have been waiting in the shadows to show their diseased faces again.

Here's what you win:

*1 Small Miscreant. Plaque size is in 3"-5" realm.
*Choose up to 3 colors that you would like to see on your diseased friend.
*Tell me the symptoms and I'll write the rest plus design the sculpt around those symptoms.

What do you have to do to win you ask. That's the easy part, all you have to do is leave a comment below and that will be your entry number. Just like the last giveaway I did, the winner will be selected randomly. Once the winner is selected, that person will then submit their color choices and symptoms to me.

The contest will end this Saturday (2/12) and I'll choose the winner randomly on Sunday (2/13).

Thanks again for making 2010 great and here's to a fantastic 2011!

More Buildman Progress

2011-01-27T06:32:00.001-08:00

After finishing up sculpting the face on the Smash last night, I put the extra apoxie to use and got the arms started on the buildman. I'll be working on this tonight after I get the Smash base coated and ready to paint.

Snow Cone Milton

2011-01-26T07:13:00.000-08:00

I put the gloss coat on this little guy last night. Just like the title of the blog says, snow cones were the inspiration for him. Thankfully I had picked him up to paint, because I got a late invite to the Super 7 "One-Offs" show this weekend.

Back to work on the Smash commission tonight. I didn't get the chance to send out more WIP pics through the newsletter yesterday, so I'll get to that today. I also need to start work on my Argus custom as well tonight. Lots to do, but getting closer and closer to my own creations ;)

The Last Bit Of My Night....

2011-01-25T08:16:00.000-08:00

Was spent starting the chest sculpt on the buildman. I also got more work done on the Smash commission (I'll be sending out WIP pics via the newsletter again later today), as well as the gloss coat on the Milton. I'll take some better pics of Milton before I send it off to share with all of you.

I know some of you are waiting for me to get back in the original sculpt arena and I just want to say I really appreciate the enthusiasm. I can't wait to get started again too and after a few more customs my schedule will be a lot more free to do so. 2011 will have a lot of different stuff going on compared to last year. While I'll continue to do customs, I'll definitely be shifting gears more towards creating my own stuff.

Ohhhh... That's What Relaxation Is!

2011-01-24T07:05:00.000-08:00

This weekend was spent totally unplugged from the real world and the digital world. Megan and I headed to Southeastern Ohio for a wintery cabin stay. Thankfully we got a fresh coat of snow last Thursday so that set the scene perfectly. The roads were just fine getting down there, but the last 15-20 feet of snowy/icy hill stopped us in our tracks within eyesight of our cabin. Thankfully, with a joint effort we were able to get the car up the hill and parked for the weekend.

Interior shots of the cabin:

The loft bedroom served as the sleeping den, while the 2nd bedroom served as the changing room. Neither of us wanted to lug that stuff up the steep ladder ;D

Total relaxation and a great view from the loft bed:

And what would a winter retreat be without beer and a hot tub!

Once we got into the cabin, we both decided that we weren't leaving again until Sunday. All of the food and the comforting amenities around us, made that decision all that much easier to do.

Saturday was the only day we really had to look at the clock, but at least it was for a great reason. Megan had gotten us massages as a birthday gift for me (the cabin was her Christmas present from me). This was my first massage and you better believe I'll be doing this more often in the future!

Since we stayed in the cabin all weekend, we decided to do the hiking portion of the trip yesterday morning/afternoon after checkout. Our first stop was Ash Cave:

After resting all weekend, this little log was no problem to move ;)

Yup, that's a GIANT ice stalagmite down there!

Inspirational texture everywhere you look!

After Ash Cave it was off to Cedar Falls, which was only a couple miles down there road.

After this weekend, I fully understand the need to relax every once in a while. It's been a long time since I've felt so rejuvenated. We already started planning our next cabin trip while we were there haha.

Now that I'm back the real world has already interupted the weekend tranquility, but thankfully the memories and pictures take me right back to that comfort zone. Well not as much as I would like though. Back to work on all of the stuff I put on hold this weekend tonight.

Apoxie Time - Glyos Version 1 WIP

2011-01-20T07:07:00.000-08:00

I was able to start in on this buildman last night after working on the Smash commission and the Milton custom. My eyes finally started giving out about 2am, so I stopped down for the night since the ever looming workday was only a few hours away. Can't wait to get started on this one again. Lots to do, but everything is moving along nicely. I'm normally not a person to jump back and forth on projects, but the stuff currently on my to-do list allows me to do so. It's a nice change up from my norm so I'm going to keep rolling with it ;)

Later today I'll be sending out WIP pics of the Smash commissions through the Gorilla Mouth newsletter. Make sure you're signed up if you're interested in seeing how it's coming along so far. I'll only be sharing those pics with newsletter subscribers ;)

Snow Cones, Glyos, Smash, and Wintery Trails

2011-01-17T07:55:00.000-08:00

Like most weekends this one buzzed right by with custom work, relaxation, and a cold hike to wrap it all up. Lets break this weekend down into pics ;)

WIP Milton that I'll be finishing in the next couple of days.

Next up we have an alternate sculpt on the other side of the Buildman I've been messing with. I now know the direction I want to go with this unit and I'll be starting final sculpts this week.

The Smash commission has also been in the lineup getting it's deteriorated look started. I'm close to starting the sculpting side of things with this one.

And lastly, here's a shot of the trail from yesterday.

All in all this was a productive/relaxing weekend. Never long enough, but I've learned that doesn't mean you can't get a lot done in that short amount of time. A lot more WIP pics coming this week, so stay tuned.

Also, I know the person who is commissioning the Smash has given me permission to share WIP pics but I think I might only distribute them through my newsletter. I don't want to ruin the final piece for the person, but I know a lot of you enjoy seeing the WIP stages of my customs. If you're interested in seeing that custom along the way, make sure you're signed up for the newsletter ;)

2nd Glyos Loose Sculpt

2011-01-14T06:37:00.000-08:00

After working on the Smash commission for a while last night, I switched gears and did another test sculpt on the Glyos. I'm liking this direction a lot, so I'll exploring it more with sculpey then move onto to Apoxie Sculpt for the final versions.

I've definitely got the Glyos bug now! I can't wait to get the style finalized and starting on the final versions. If you don't have any of these great toys, then you need to head over to the Onell shop and pick some up!

Jinja #2 and Glyos

2011-01-12T06:54:00.000-08:00

I got the base colors laid down for the most part on the second Jinja last night. This custom will be a combo between airbrush and standard brush work. The phone pic doesn't really do the metallic paint treatment justice, but you get the gist of how this one looks. I'll take better pics once it's complete.

While I was letting the base coat dry on the Jinja, I decided to watch Ninja Assassin (ok movie, great action)and mess around with my first Glyos. Although I don't plan on finishing this one out (I want to use Apoxy Sculpt for the final versions to avoid heat curing with Sculpey), I can tell these are going to be a lot of fun. I also don't plan on finishing this one because without realizing it, I grabbed the red GID version. Either way, plan on seeing more of these guys soon!

I'll be setting both of these aside tonight to get back to a commission I have to knock out, plus I need to put my Alien Argus idea into action this week.

Jinja #1

2011-01-06T06:55:00.001-08:00

Consider this run #1 with Jinja. I'll be doing another one while this one is fresh on my mind. I learned a few things with this one, that I want to apply to the next. This one went down a little more conformed path than I originally intended when I started, so I want the next one to be a bit more wild. I'll probably play with the pink again, but use it in a little different way the next go around. Either way, lots of fun to paint and always good to learn.

Mini Hedo #2 Finished & Jinja-R Start

2011-01-04T07:59:00.000-08:00

Since I didn't get the chance to finish the second mini Hedo the other day, it was my top priority when I sat down at my desk last night. I added the silver in the eyes, then a pearlescent and gloss coat to finish it off. Sorry for the bad pics right now, just taking snapshots with my phone.

After I finished up with the Hedo, I couldn't resist getting a start on my next one. I've had an idea for this Jinja for a while, so I decided to put it into action last night. The pink is brighter in person and it'll be a little brighter once I get back in there and give it another healthy coat. It didn't turn out as transparent as I had hoped, but I've got an idea to work around that little problem. Definitely still in the trial and error stage with this new tool, but every time I sit down at the desk I feel a little more confident than before.

I'm also looking to pick up extra Kaiju, so if you're interested in trading customs for toys let me know!!

Birthday, NYE, DIY Spraybooth, Kaiju, and 2011

2011-01-03T06:52:00.000-08:00

Like the title of this post shows, this was one busy weekend!! I was off work from my day job since last Thursday and boy did it feel great to be away from the office. Although my phone never ceases to stop bothering me with work stuff ;) Either way, that was only a small part of what I did while I was off.

Last Thursday was my birthday and I spent most of the afternoon piecing together a 'spraybooth' for my desk. All in all I was able to put this simple thing together for about $40 at Home Depot. Probably could have gone a little less or a little more, but it works just fine catching all the dust. I'm only using non-toxic paints right now, so fumes weren't something I had to deal with. The rest of my birthday night was spent with my awesome girlfriend and friends. She had planned a surprise party for me and the night was filled with plenty of drinks, laughs, and dancing.

Next up it was NYE which consisted of a lot of daytime recovery from my birthday night, then a small get together with close friends to ring in the New Year. Again, I left my friends place with a sore jaw and stomach from all the laughs. I'll have some pics up on my facebook page soon ;)

Thankfully I wasn't hungover from NYE and I was able to mess around with some kaiju on New Years day. I jumped back on the 2nd Hedo I started a few days prior, originally I basecoated it black and went for an inky bluish color. That proved to be too dark and the colors were becoming muddled, so I re-basecoated it white and went a brighter more traditional route with things. Still practicing color blending and mixing as much as possible. I'll finish this new colorway tonight and then get started on the next custom finally.

Not only is it fun using my new tool, I'm really pushing to learn it as quickly as I can to utilize it for a great show I'm apart of in February. Mark Nagata of Max Toy Co was kind enough to invite me to participate in the The Alien Argus group show at TAG is going to be a lot of fun and I can't wait to put my idea into action for this custom. This is one of the few shows I'll be participating this year.

Besides all of that, I have a custom JLed Smash commission that I'll be starting in on very soon. I also have a 3 man show in 2011 that's going to blow your eyes out of the sockets and some awesome collabs that have yet to be announced.

Lastly, I want to thank everyone for the continued support through 2010. It was a crazy year for me as a lot of you know, but it was still a great year! I look forward to 2011 and everything it has to bring.

Xmas Play Time

2010-12-27T08:12:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great Holiday weekend!! As most of my twitter followers know, my awesome gf got me an airbrush for Christmas. Needless to say I hibernated most of the weekend and played around with it. I'm still a traditional brush lover, but damn is this thing a lot of FUN! I can already tell how it's going to alter my game plans for 2011. Of course some of my fx will always be done with brushes, but having this tool for Kaiju is going to be awesome!

Here's the mini Hedo I was toying around with over the weekend. I didn't put clear coat on it yet, because I figure I'll keep messing with it. I was mostly playing with color blending and getting a feel for the brush. I also plan on picking up some Monster Kolors soon to really start in on some Kaiju customs.

I hope all of you have a great New Years!!

"primaL" - MadL Commission

2010-12-14T06:56:00.000-08:00

I just put the finishing touches on this custom MadL commission last night. It's name is "primaL". Platform integrity was of high importance to the commissioner, so I went down a different path for the texturing this time.

Here's primaL's backstory:

Although no one is certain how long the statue of primaL has stood, it's story has been passed down from generation to generation. Legends say that primaL was once the ""Great Provider" of the land, meeting and conversing with shamans on a transcendental plane. Telling them the ways of the land and how to manipulate it for the gain of their people. As with all knowledge, too much can poison even the clearest of minds. Soon the tribes of the shamans wanted exclusive access to the words of primaL, warring with one another until all was plundered and razed. Leaving the tribespeople without homes and or food, this became known as the "Great Punishment". The spirit of primaL was no longer accessible to the shamans, condemning the men to death unless they learned to work with one another again. Mending their broken relationships, the tribes began anew and as one. While primaL has never returned to help, the people of the land still make the journey to the monolithic statue to pay reverence of it's teachings.

Turtlenecks and Dunnys

2010-12-13T08:58:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I sported this fabulous snowman turtleneck to a friend's Christmas party, my neck hasn't felt that secure in years!

Due to a snowy day yesterday, I was able to knock out a MadL commission I had on the to-do list. I should have some pics up of the finished piece soon. Now that I have a little break between commissions I'm going to try my best to get a Holiday Dunny series out there. Stay tuned for more info about this series.

On another Dunny related note, "Wangetsu" and all of the other customs for The Almighty Dunny Show are now available on the Genuine Artikle site.

"Oumono" and "Kisaki" Dunnsais

2010-12-09T07:23:00.000-08:00

I just finished these Dunnsai commissions last night, I give you "Oumono" and "Kisaki". The commissioner wanted a mixture of styles I had done in the past. This time around though, I opted not to moss the trunks, mostly due to everything going on on top, but I think the exposed trunk came out nicely in the end.

I'm currently taking commissions, so if you'd like a Dunnsai of your own or another creation you can email me at troystith@hotmail.com

Resin Heads

2010-12-08T12:09:00.000-08:00

Jeremy Brautman posted this article on twitter earlier today, for the most part I can agree and see where they're coming from with everything. Although, this line perturbed me a bit "But the days of small run productions are over."

Obviously the person who wrote this article, has never heard of the resin toy makers out there. I think the cost of producing vinyl, coupled with the ease of setting up your own resin operation go hand in hand. By taking out the big companies and all the back and forth with a vinyl factory in China, resin toy makers take on all aspects of what they produce. Also by doing so, the artist/creators stand to gain more $$ from a popular piece.

I say let the big guys keep doing what they're doing, but the rise of resin will keep coming and coming as time goes on. Anyone with the time and space can create their own designer toy these days. Same goes for vinyl, but with a hell of a lot more overhead and product on their hands. If it doesn't sell, I'd much rather be stuck with 10-15 resin pieces than 100-200 vinyl pieces.

While I'm very very thankful for what customizing vinyl has done for me, this article definitely makes me want to strive to get back to my roots and start producing my own toys again. Waiting around for your big break accomplishes nothing, get out there and do the work yourself. The 'Toy Karma' (Thanks for the new term Mark Nagata) will come back around, it just takes the time and dedication for it to do so.

I was just talking to someone yesterday who said they wish more product would come out and less customs would happen. While I enjoy both sides, I totally agree with what they're saying. The bigger companies we expect to turn out what they do, but the fresh breath of the scene is coming from those who are giving us new toys that haven't been done and putting their heart and sweat into each piece.

Ok rant over, take it for what you will. I'd love to hear what all of you think.

A Lazy But Productive Weekend

2010-12-06T07:13:00.000-08:00

I say 'lazy' because I had the chance to just stay around my place most of the weekend. Last weekend with the holiday and all, I was running around like crazy, plus trying to get the final touches done on "Bodhi". Now that I'm through the show gauntlet for a stint, I have the opportunity to get to backlogged things like this.

I had planned on giving Eyzor a revamp, but he was purchased from my shop before I had the chance to do so. I gave the buyer the option to take him 'as is' or to let me do the revamp I had in mind for it. Thankfully they wanted to see the revamped version and I think it plays to it's character much better. Now it looks as if it's been waiting outside of Professor Lindmir's workshop for a long while. Hoping to get the chance to blast trespassers with a lethal dose of steam.

I only took desk pics of this custom because I know the buyer will be snapping better ones. I'll post those once they've been taken :)

Besides revamping Eyzor, I got started on Dunnsai commissions. Since I'm not apart of any shows until next year at this point, I'd really like to start filling in that time with commissions. If you're interested, shoot me an email (troystith@hotmail.com).

I have plans of launching another Dunnsai series that will have a more sculpted look like Wangetsu. Plus I really want to get back to my roots with resin and start producing my own creations once again. Although 2010 was pretty much a show year for me, especially the 2nd half. 2011 will be a lot more productive personally for me. I'm really looking forward to pursuing the things I had to put off this year.

"Wangetsu" Dunnsai for The Almighty Dunny Show

2010-12-02T06:32:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, it sure was strange customizing a 3" dunny from what I have been customizing lately. I didn't mind the smaller scale since it meant a WAY faster turnaround.

This is my latest Dunnsai "Wangetsu", it's for "The Almighty Dunny Show" being held at Halcyon on December 11th. Then being moved over to Genuine Artikle after the weekend. I'll be doing more Dunnsais like this soon, combining what I used to do with them plus the additional sculpts that I've been doing lately. Keep an eye out for an upcoming series, or if you need yours ASAP I'm always open for commissions.

Qee to the City Preview Page & Venue Change

2010-11-30T07:22:00.000-08:00

The preview page is up for the "Qee to the City" show if any of you are interested in buying the massive 20" custom Qees. So far only my custom "Bodhi" and Kevin Gosselin's custom "Scotty the Bearbarian" are up, but the other 6 customs will be added once their pics have been submitted.

"Bodhi"

Kevin Gosselin's "Scotty the Bearbarian"

Also, for any of you attending Art Basel, the Qee to the City show has changed venues. It will now be held at:

Miami’s Independent Thinkers | ART BASEL 2010
Location: Casa Wynwood (2135 NW 1st Court)
Time: 4:00PM Thursday, December 2nd

For more details, head over to the Wizard Sleeve Toys blog.

Bodhi (20" Qee Custom)

2010-11-25T17:18:00.000-08:00

Well I worked for another 12.5 hours or so again yesterday, but the good news is that I got the 20" qee done!! I know I missed a lot of WIP in there at the end, but I'll load up the rest of what I have later. I figured you'd all rather see this mammoth of a custom finished instead ;) This thing was a lot of fun and a hell of a challenge, I gladly present to you "Bodhi"

I also did a short video of it as well.

The Temple of Bodhi is revered as one of the most sacred sites in Tu'R'Land. Only the strongest in mind and body can make the trip to the top. It's said that most that make it to the top, are never seen again. Those who do return, spread the word of knowledge and social progress. Hoping to help change the minds of those who have given in to Mafic's tirade.

Mafic knew that the Temple of Bodhi stood in his way of conquering Tu'R'Land, so he sent his dark minion Bedlam to do his dirty work. Striking a blow that reverberated across the land. Mafic's henchman not only desecrated holy ground, he awakened the slumbering temple giant Bodhi. Upon Bodhi's awakening, Bedlam fled to tell his master of the giant's awakening. Taking the ear of Bodhi with him to prove that he had not failed Mafic.

Bodhi now searches the land for those responsible for destroying his temple and awakening him from years of deep meditation. Adding another member of light to battle against Mafic and his dark quest.

20" WIP Update - Final Sculpts & Basecoat

2010-11-23T06:28:00.000-08:00

I know I've been drawing out these WIP pics, but I just wanted to share all of the work that goes into a giant custom like this. Finally in this batch you get to see it all pull together with the basecoat. I did do more sculpting work on the beak, but I forgot to take a pic before I sprayed it. Although this piece is now fully painted and I've moved onto final details, this will probably be one of the last previews I share publicly until it's complete. If you're following the newsletter though, I'll be doing another batch of pics through there with a little more insight about the theme and everything going on with this piece. So if you'd to see more, make sure you're signed up for the newsletter ;)

20" Qee Gets A Beak

2010-11-22T07:17:00.000-08:00

"A beaked bear?!?" You might be asking yourself, yup that's right. Don't worry though, it all goes with the theme and story of this one ;) More to come. I worked for another 11 or so hours yesterday on this one and it's starting to really come together. I'm hoping to have it finished in the next few days.

Further Details on the 20" Qee

2010-11-19T06:43:00.000-08:00

If you're subscirbed to the newsletter, then you've already seen these pics. A big thanks to all of those loyal fans for their continued support :)

While these pics look similar to the last batch that I shared, I've added more body details, caverns, overhangs, and the start of it's eye. When putting together the idea for this piece, I pulled a lot of inspiration from Angkor Wat and Mayan temples. Once I had the general direction, I started evolving it into my own creation to fit the giant world I've created. While I won't go into theme quite yet, I will say that this piece will have the most symbolism and largest back story of any of my other customs this far.

Last night I pretty much finished up the sculpting on this piece and I should be painting it by this weekend. I can't wait to bring this all together with a solid base coat.

More Details on the 20" Qee

2010-11-16T07:52:00.000-08:00

Since I was late on sharing WIP pics over the weekend, I thought I'd share more recent pics so all of you can see where I'm heading. Although these pics aren't current, this is a lot closer to how it looks right now. More detailing and sculpting to go, but getting closer and closer to painting.

20" Qee Madness

2010-11-15T06:52:00.000-08:00

I meant to get these up last Friday, but my day went a little crazy and before I knew it it was the weekend and I was back at it working away on this monster. These pics are definitely way behind on what this thing actually looks like now, but I'll share those pics this week. Can't wait to get this thing base coated to bring it all together. I have more detail work to do before that happens though.

Today's 20" Update

2010-11-12T07:44:00.000-08:00

Since this is such a large show piece, I've decided to show as many WIP updates along the way like I did with BaoBomb. Of course I'll probably taper off toward completion, but I'd like to share as much as possible in the starting phases. Doesn't look too much different in these pics, but the next batch I'll be sharing has a lot more going on. Can't give it all away at once :)

More 20" Qee WIP Pics

2010-11-11T07:49:00.000-08:00

In my usual WIP sharing fashion, here's what the Qee was looking like a few days ago. I'm further ahead now, but you'll have to wait for those teasers ;) This thing is massive and a TON of fun to work on. A lot more sculpting and detailing to go before any paint hits vinyl. Can't wait to see this behemoth come together in the end.

All the King's Horses and All the King's Men...

2010-11-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

Couldn't put this Qee back together again. Never fear though, he's going to be ok and better than before once I'm done. At least that's the plan ;D Lots of work to go, so stay tuned for more WIP pics.

Multiversal Group Show - Art Basel Miami Beach 2010

2010-11-04T12:19:00.001-07:00

As some of you just saw on Twitter, this mamma jamma just came in from Hong Kong:

I figure it's time I make the official announcement on here. I'll be apart of the Multiversal Group Show at Art Basel Miami this year alongside 7 other fantastic toy customizers for the 'Qee to the City' custom show.

Multiversal isn't all vinyl though, here's a glimpse at what it's all about straight from the homepage:

Multiversal 2010 will feature both established and emerging names from around the world. Their media spans the fine arts including: live art, sculpture, animation, photography, body painting, custom toys and more. Around all of this will swirl a vortex of aerialists, burlesque and belly dancers, exhibitionists, extemporaneous theater, all to the rhythm of live and recorded music – truly a Multiversal human experience that will be open to the public from December 2-5 at Art Basel Miami 2010.

Make sure you click the link above to check out all the great pics from last year and a full lineup of artists and events this year. You can also swing by the facebook page to ensure that everyone will know that you'll be there.

This is my first biggie to customize, so I'm really looking forward to getting started. I have some loose plans but we'll see how they play out once I get started. Stay tuned for WIP shots popping up on here, twitter, flickr, and facebook.

Denim and Monsters

2010-11-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

My weekend was filled with lots of denim, booze, candy, and ghoulish revelers here in Columbus. If you haven't already guessed by the picture, Megan and I are sporting the finest 'Canadian Tuxedos' this side of the border. Complete with a denim boutonniere that Megan whipped up for me. Overall the weekend was a blast and fun was had by all. I'd love to see all of your costumes, so please leave links and or pics below for me to see what you were up to over the weekend. We've already started planning our costumes for next year and picked up a few things last night at the Halloween blowout sales they have every year on November 1st.

Next up I've tracked down a shot of my Boy Karma custom at the Little Monsters show lit up by a black light. Something I wanted to do, but cutting it so close to the deadline prohibited me from doing so. A big thanks to Jeremy Brautman for taking some great pics of the show. Check out his flickr for more Little Monsters show pics.

All of the pieces from the Little Monsters show are now available through Task One's webshop. My Mini Mutant Chaos, Mini Bakobas, and GID Boy Karma are all priced at $50 a piece. Please give all of these monsters a good home.

Hope to see some great Halloween pics from all of you.

Halloween Hedoro Series

2010-10-26T06:47:00.000-07:00

I just finished up this series last night for the Little Monsters show this weekend. The Halloween Hedoro Series is all hand painted and includes a Mini Mutant Chaos, GITD Boy Karma, and a Mini Bakobas. Each will be $50 and will be on the Little Monsters online shop soon (I'll add the link here later as well as on twitter.) Or if you're in the San Fran area, make sure to stop by Million Fishes Gallery this Sunday to check out all the great monster art. Head over to my Flickr page to see more detailed pictures of the customs.

Our Friend Andy & A WIP Twofer

2010-10-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

I'd like to start this entry with a quick announcement. Our dear toy friend Andy at ToysREvil is in the hospital and recovering from a partial stroke. While none of us know his exact status in the hospital right now, please keep sending positive thoughts his way. As a person who has suffered an out of nowhere heart attack, I know how scary these things can be and I only hope the best for Andy and his family. In the mean time, Cris Rose has started to put together a tentative list of artists and collectors alike who would be willing to donate ($$$ or art) to Andy if need be. Hit Cris up if you'd like to be included on that list.

Since we know Andy is one of the supreme toy prophets in our community, I know he would want all of us moving forward. That being said, here's a twofer teaser of customs for the Little Monsters show, which is approaching quickly. Once these two are wrapped up, I'll have pics of the trio in this series. Can't wait to share with all of you!

Another Little Monsters WIP Teaser

2010-10-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

If you're subscribed to the newsletter then you've already seen this, if not, here's a shot of my desk a few days ago. Make sure you're signed up for the newsletter for more advanced leaks and info that won't be seen here or anywhere else :)

WIP Mini Mutant Chaos Teaser

2010-10-12T11:05:00.001-07:00

Here's a sneak peek of a custom I'm doing for the Little Monsters show. Make sure you're signed up for the Gorilla Mouth newsletter, I'll be sending out full reveal teasers through there soon ;)

What Would You Like To See In The Custom World?

2010-10-07T12:08:00.000-07:00

re·dun·dant
/rɪˈdʌndənt/ [ri-duhn-duhnt]–adjective
1.characterized by verbosity or unnecessary repetition in expressing ideas; prolix: a redundant style.
2.being in excess; exceeding what is usual or natural: a redundant part.
3.having some unusual or extra part or feature.
4.characterized by superabundance or superfluity: lush, redundant vegetation.

I've started off this entry with the word 'redundant' because it seems to be a buzz word I keep hearing in the vinyl scene. Mostly when it comes to the amount of custom shows going on these days. You're probably wondering why a customizer who is involved in a lot of these shows is bothering writing a blog entry like this. To answer that question simply, I would say that I agree with what people are saying. Not that these customs are of any lesser quality, but they're getting to a point where people are missing great work being done because of the rush of the next show.

I've also heard some artists say they'd never do another custom again, unless it's something of their own creation on their own time scale. While 'never' is a strong word, I can understand where they're coming from. A lot of the custom artists out there (myself included) work day jobs and do all of this as an escape from that day to day grind. Yet when you have deadlines piling on top of one another it starts to become work. Which then puts the creator into a bind, try new fresh things, or keep with a stylistic approach they're known for and try to add some new flair here and there. While people have a style, they can usually turn heads still because we don't get to see it often. But with the onslaught of shows going on, we see those names and styles more and more often which begins to desensitize people and they all start to become 'redundant'.

I know there's a ton of effort and time put into these customs and for them to be clumped together in such a simplistic description doesn't serve them justice. These customs aren't made with the hopes of $$$ falling from the sky, but they're done out of the love for what we do. Yet, I feel like these frequent 'platform du jour' shows are taking away from that joy and excitement of the next big custom from so and so. So much so that I think I might take my hat out of the custom show arena for a stint. Of course I'll follow through with the obligations I've already agreed to, but other than that I think I'll be going back to my roots. Delving further into my own creations with the customs peppered throughout that.

If you've made it this far through my rant, I thank you for that. I'll stop this here since I can't talk to any of you instantly through here, but I'd love to hear what all of you are thinking. Please leave comments and voice what you love and dislike about the custom vinyl scene these days. Hell make that the whole vinyl scene.

Thanks for listening and reading.

-Troy

Dolomite

2010-10-06T17:06:00.000-07:00

Here's my custom Qee "Dolomite" for the 15th Anniversary show at Dragatomi.

Dolomite dwells deep in the Fangor Caves of Tu'R'Land. No one is exactly sure what he does down there, and there isn't a bravest enough soul to dare to find out. All that is certain is that he's neither good nor evil, but more of a presence. What part he plays in the great war of giants can't be said. Although, it has been rumored that Dolomite has been surfacing lately to investigate the mass destruction being caused by the devilish Mafic who's running amok topside.

This Is Going To Be Fun!

2010-10-04T07:04:00.000-07:00

And the shows keep coming...

If you live in or around the San Fran area, then you're definitely in for a treat! The Little Monsters show is happening at the Million Fishes Gallery on October 31st!

Shows, Shows, and More Shows

2010-09-27T07:58:00.000-07:00

As most of my twitter followers know, this fall is the season of custom shows. Here's a list of the few shows I can talk about for now. All of these shows have great lineups and I can't wait to see what everyone else is doing. I know the Jouwe show at TAG is going to be phenomenal since I've seen most of those customs.

First up there's the custom Jouwe show at Toy Art Gallery taking place October 2nd - November 2nd.

Then we have the Toy2R 15th Anniversary Qee show at Dragatomi October 9th - November 6th.

Make sure to click on the links I've provided above to check out the great previews coming in, plus the stellar lineups for each show. Also, these are only a few of the shows I'm in this fall so stay tuned for more updates coming soon.

Mafic

2010-09-23T06:51:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my Jouwe custom for the show at Toy Art Gallery (10/2-11/2) last night. Without further adieu I present Mafic to all of you.

Although there are many destructive giants roaming the fields and forests of Tu'R'Land, Mafic reigns as the king of annihilation. With an unlimited source of growth underfoot, Mafic can double and triple in proportion at will. Stomping and absorbing villages with delight, he leaves mighty kingdoms as little more than glassy memories in his trail of terror.

Since the untimely disappearance of his greatest nemesis BaoBomb, Mafic has had free reign over the land of Tu'R'Land. Many hold on to the hope that the 'Great Defender' will return to defeat Mafic once and for all. Until that time, Mafic will continue his molten mayhem across Tu'R'Land.

Deadlline Crunch

2010-09-20T06:58:00.001-07:00

Spent the majority of my weekend working on these 3 show customs. After these are knocked out, I have another wave to attend to. This has become a super busy fall. Keep an eye out for more show announcements and I'm also working on getting a Gorilla Mouth newsletter together.

Custom Jouwe Show @ TAG

2010-09-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

Happy to announce I'm apart of a great lineup for the custom Jouwe show at Toy Art Gallery October 10th - November 10th.

Winter Commissions

2010-08-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

Since a lot of the shows I'm apart of this fall take place at the same time, it's made it hard to fit in commissions. Although once these next couple of months pass, my schedule will open up a lot more and I'd like to take on some commissions for anyone who's interested. Beside my usual styling, I'll be accepting Kaiju commissions as well.

Thanks for all the support this year everyone, I really appreciate it.

If you're interested please email me at troystith@hotmail.com

Waru Bone Custom

2010-08-19T20:45:00.000-07:00

Just finished up my 2nd Kaiju custom.

Gorilla Mouthed Thunder Lagoon

2010-08-17T07:48:00.001-07:00

Kaiju slayer OsirisOrion sent me these Gorilla Mouthed pics of my Thunder Lagoon mini yesterday. Loved them so much I wanted to share them with all of you.

Head over to OsirisOrion's blog to check out all his monstrous creations.

Miscreants On Sale Today @ 12pm (EST)

2010-08-16T07:28:00.000-07:00

Don't miss your chance to add one of the Miscreants to your wall at home. They'll be available today in the Gorilla Mouth shop.

Typhlozar

2010-08-15T18:07:00.000-07:00

And lastly, Typhlozar

Found in the medical waste bins of plastic surgery hospitals across the land, Typhlozar argues with itself as it waits for it's next unfortunate victim. All of the nasty unwanted bits that people get trimmed, sucked, and ripped from themselves make up this brooding beast. The unlucky soul this creature casts it's blind eye on will never be the same. Typhlozar strikes quickly and relentlessly. Causing the host's limbs to grow in proportion and sprout hideous pus filled bumps. The trademark sign of infection is that one of the host's eyes pops out of it's socket without warning. Turning beauties to beasts in mere hours. With Typhlozar on the loose, it might be a good idea to stay how you are.

Thunder Lagoon Mini Custom

2010-08-14T19:24:00.000-07:00

I've have this Thunder Lagoon mini laying around for a while. Decided to finally paint my first kaiju today for fun. I definitely want to pick up more kaiju to do this more often.

Loafler

2010-08-13T07:20:00.000-07:00

Up next we have Loafler

Loafler makes it's home in kitchens everywhere. Mostly clinging to bread, which is where it's name is derived from. Loafler symptoms start with extreme sluggishness and a never-ending appetite. Most hosts have been found dead with food still in their mouth, consuming until their stomach bursts. Another effect causes the host's skin to cling and meld with items that they stay in contact with for too long. The objects become apart of the host, leaving them mutilated or trapped in place. Be careful next time you decide to make yourself a midnight snack.

Ferndred

2010-08-13T06:41:00.000-07:00

Time to meet the next Miscreant "Ferndred"

Deep in the heart of the Maggler Jungle, Ferndred spends it's time clinging to mossy trees waiting for a new home to pass by. That lucky host not only gets to enjoy the jungle Ferndred lives in, they'll get to take it home with them as well. The most common symptom is moss like rashes that tend to spread quickly and actually attract bugs and wildlife to the host. The moss produces a honey like sap turning the host into a buffet for an assortment of critters. Other effects of Ferndred are: leaf development in the nasal cavities that results in endless sneezing fits, fingernails and toenails turning into bark, and the ever dreadful "rooting" that can occur while the host makes a bowel movement. Tread lightly in the Maggler Jungle.

Kronstosis

2010-08-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

First there was Loopalitus, now meet Kronstosis the first Miscreant of the upcoming plaque series.

Born in the runoff puddles of the Makanari Ink plant, Kronstosis finally escaped on the wheel of a delivery truck heading out on it's daily runs. Kronstosis causes it's hosts to change colors randomly and in extreme cases, some have reported vomiting rainbows. There's nothing cute about this technicolor nightmare.

Almost Done

2010-08-10T06:47:00.001-07:00

Here's the 3rd Miscreant teaser. The first series is almost complete. Details coming soon :)

Congrats and Welcome

2010-08-09T06:50:00.000-07:00

I wanted to congratulate Simon (@VinylDestZA)for winning the "Loopalitus" giveaway. I also wanted to thank everyone for signing up and also spreading the word about the contest. Plus a big WELCOME to all of my new followers. There will definitely be more giveaways in the near future.

Don't fret if you didn't win the first Miscreant plaque, the upcoming series will be out soon. Here's a new teaser of one of the grubby bastards.

For the Sleepers

2010-08-06T07:21:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it last night, here's a teaser of the first plaque for the Miscreant series I'll be releasing soon. Name and details will be released when the series is dropped.

"Loopalitus" Twitter Contest

2010-08-06T06:21:00.000-07:00

I'll be giving away the first Miscreant plaque "Loopalitus" once I hit 1000 followers (17 away right now) on Twitter. If you'd like a chance to win, just leave a comment with your twitter name and you'll be entered into the drawing.

Bringing Vinyl To Life

2010-08-06T06:14:00.000-07:00

Task One has been busy bringing customs to life in the real world lately. I love these pics and I can't wait to see more, stop by his facebook page and check out more.

Desk Teaser

2010-08-05T11:32:00.001-07:00

Here's a shot from last night while I was working on the first Miscreant plaque for the upcoming series.

Finished!

2010-08-02T06:42:00.000-07:00

Stayed up last night to get the first Miscreant plaque done.

Introducing "Loopalitus"

Who are these creepy creatures?

The Miscreants are the grubby, evil, and sometimes mindless invisible mutants lurking on everything and everyone we see or touch. Although we can't see them, it doesn't make them any less real. They're in the food we eat, on our pets, passed along with a handshake, or involuntarily sent along with a sneeze. Some have called them germs, and while that may be true for some, others are far worse than any disease could ever hope to be, while others can barely get their eyes open in the morning. No two Miscreants are alike and each one has it's own 'charm' to share with the world. Whether you want them to share with you is another story.

CTU Variant #2

2010-07-30T11:52:00.001-07:00

Got permission to post my variants up for this series. Make sure you head over to the CTU shop and pick up a blind box or two for you chance to nap one of these variants.

http://www.customtoyunion.bigcartel.com/product/thkhgfk

CTU Variant #1

2010-07-30T11:50:00.001-07:00