Next Interview: Jon-Paul Kaiser

I discovered Jon-Paul Kaiser’s work and was simply blown away. His  style was very unique, nothing like I’d seen before on a vinyl toy. Sure I’d seen black and white designs, but nothing with this dynamism. Back in July, I contacted Jon about creating some customs for me. There was quite a wait list (as you would imagine). But finally there they were: The Honey Hunters.

Tribal Warrior

I also asked Jon if he could tell a little bit into the process and such. He was gracious enough to give me a few words.

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PROCESS

How do you usually start? That is to say, do you come up with character ideas first before choosing your model? (i.e. Dunny or Munny), or do you let your canvas speak to you? How do your ideas come about?

It depends on the platform really, things I’ve done often, like Dunnys, Munnys, Qees etc, I’ll make whatever idea I have fit, as they’re pretty humanoid in shape and are relatively straightforward to paint. Others, like a Coarse PAW, or Rose Vampire need more attention once I’ve got the toy in hand. I’ll often just leave it on the desk whilst I’m working on others whilst ideas and shapes come to me.

Do you sketch your design first (either on paper and/or on the toy) or do you just go at it with no preparation?

I sketch and doodle ideas down first, but to be honest, many of my designs are adaptations of drawings, painting and ideas I’ve had knocking around for a while. I never use a template shape of the toy as it’s never quite the same anyway.

Outlaw

How do you prepare your canvas? i.e. Do you strip or prime or sand etc.? What materials/products do you use?

I strip it if it’s got a previous paint-job on it, mainly sanding it smooth, so there are no raised edges, or if they’re ‘sticky’ Dunny arms, it’s the paint that makes them awkward, so I scrape it of and sand the arm before spray-painting several coats of Skull White primer, which leaves a nice clean paper-ish finish.

How do you apply your design? Do use markers, brushes, frisket, painters tape, acrylics, etc.? What products and how do you use them?

Well, after priming, I’ll draw the design onto the surface with a cheap ball-point pen. Anything else I’ve tried seems to either bleed into the paint or smudge. I only just realised the other day the way I draw is quite odd for painting as I draw double lines for everything, no mater how small the detail, so I have vert strict guides to paint to. I then paint the design with black acrylic, (I used to add some Chaos Black ink from Games Workshop, but they changed the formula, and the finish is terrible now. I’ve still not figured out [a replacement]…)

I use a very fine (0000 or 000) brush to fill in the lines, and a super-fine brush (00000) for the smallest details. The brushes I use are good Red Sable ones from Rekab.

How do you finish a piece? Signature and clear coat? Do you have any rituals?

I don’t clear coat as I’ve had a couple of disasters in the past with it, so once it’s painted, it’s photographed, wrapped in soft fleece and boxed up.

The Bee Monster

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ABOUT THE ARTIST

What is your background? Where do you work and play?

I live in the UK, in a little town surrounded by woods and fields on all sides. I’m from a design background, and my day-job is head of the menswear design team (a grandiose term for myself and Danny!) designing t-shirts and underwear for the high-street. This also allows me access to a great Mac, printers, scanners and cameras which I use for my toy work.

How did you get started customizing toys?

When I started out, it was with Paul from Porlzilla, I’d been aware of designer toys for a few years, but he introduced me to it properly, and we decided to have a go at making our own resin toys. Paul drew a character called an Ozzel, I sculpted it, we cast some up and released several runs of 10 in different colourways.

Is toy customizing a hobby or is it full-time job? Do you have another job? What (else) pays the bills for you?

It’s a hobby and part-time job at the moment. Things are really picking up at the moment, so in the future I may take it full-time, though I’d want to be comfortably set-up, financially first so that I’m not churning out work just to pay the bills. I want to keep it as enjoyable as it is now.

Do you have any plans to create your own toy designs? (I saw some sculpts on your portfolio, not sure the details)

Oh yes! I’ve got quite a ‘stock’ of toy designs I’ve been working on, and lots of ideas which I’ve had and are just rough sketches for now. I’ve been looking for producers for a couple, and once I’m well-known and established enough my plan is hopefully to set-up a small production company to make the toys into a reality, and hopefully the toys of artists that I’m a fan of as well.

What are you working on now?

Right now I’m just finishing off a 3″ Fatcap, a pair of Squbes and a couple of Coarse toys for people. I work on several customs at once, and at the moment I have quite a back-log of work to get through. Recently I’ve been working on a few packaging items for a big toy company… [Ohh, sounds very intriguing!]

Who or what inspires your art? How has your work changed since you started designing toys?

I’m inspired by all kinds of things, by Japanese wood-block prints, comics, films, walks in the woods. Many of my ideas come from discussions with my wife, she’s such a great source of inspiration. Since starting designing toys, I don’t think my work has changed massively. I’m more aware of the production of toys so when designing I consider the limitations of technology.

Do you collect toys as well as customize them?

Oh yes! I have quite a massive collection of toys, I’ve spent way too much money on them!

My favourite toy is the Nike x Stussy x AMOS Leon figure. It’s just the most perfect toy! From the tattoos and clothing to the grumpy face and the fact that it’s based on a real person, it’s great!

I have to admit though that Jeremy Fish’s Turtle Camper, Muttpop’s El Panda, Sam Flores’s Fatima, Huck Gee’s Akuma Bomb and TokiDoki’s Astrodemonio are all vying for that top spot in my heart!

Your trademark style is black and white (sometimes with a hint of red). How did this come to be? Did you experiment with other colors, treatments or styles – monochromatic or full color with tonality, etc.?

Well, when I first started out with customising I was working with Porlzilla, whose style is very cute and bright, and we’d both work to the same theme. A munny show came up and we were both invited to participate and I decided to work on my own style, except I didn’t think I had one. I experimented for ages trying to find soemthing. I the end I gave up and just drew characters the way I’ve always drawn them with the bold shadows and strong contrasts, from then on I’ve never looked back. I have no plans to ‘go into colour’. I love Black & White.

BONUS QUESTION: What’s your favorite ice cream?

Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food.

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Thank you Jon-Paul for your time and to everyone who’s reading.

You can see more Jon-Paul Kaiser: JPK Blog | Portfolio | @jonpaulkaiser

I’ve always loved toys. When LEGO became acceptable in geek land and Kidrobot became the hipster chic craze, I realized I no longer had to hide my guilty pleasure. Finally, toys were seen as something “cool,” as art. I started collecting toys from about 2004. Recently I started to customize my own bits of vinyl. It was then I became even more curious about the process. It’s one thing for a machine in a factory to apply paint to a piece of plastic, all calculated and perfect, but there is something special about the affect of a human hand. Curiouser and curiouser…

And so began my quest to ask some of the industry’s most talented artists about their process. This is the first in a series of interviews. (I’ve got six other artists lined up so be ready for it.) Each interview with the same set of questions – keeping it to the basics. I hope you find it as enlightening as I have.

. . .

The first artist I’d like to introduce you to is Kevin Gosselin. I call him “The Warrior Sculptor,” after all, that’s what he does best. He is a great guy and gave a fantastic interview, so let’s have it…

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PROCESS

How do you usually start? That is to say, do you come up with character ideas first before choosing your model? (i.e. Dunny or Munny), or do you let your canvas speak to you? How do your ideas come about?

My ideas, generally speaking, always come from looking at the platform in front of me and letting it speak to me. As you ask this question I stare at a Jouwe due next Tuesday and wonder what am I going to do with this? Lot’s of ideas pop in my head including, and most often pop culture references. But I try to ignore those. I am such a pop culture fan but to be honest, I’m a heavy critic of pop culture art. I’ve had long conversations with my brother about the topic and have come to an understanding with it. Essentially it breaks down to this… I used to hate pop art, cause I felt that it took no creativity to copy someone else’s contemporary ideas and spin art off them. BUT, here’s the thing, I have realized that although I generally don’t do pop art, I still spin all my art off of existing ideas. My art just from a different genre. Fantasy, sci-fi. So I have now accepted that it is very rare to find new ideas in art, to appreciate that all things have an influence somewhere in the annals of history and to stop being such a art snob. Cause I am SOOO an art snob. But where was I? I believe I derailed from your question. Where does it come from? I’m a big folklore, fairly-tale, D&D, sci-fi fantasy kinda nut. That’s where it comes from. So when I look at a platform, I try to let it tell me it’s story, so that I can imply that story in three dimensions and hope to send a viewer into a world of day-dreaming.

OK, the truth is I sometimes show my wife the platform and say “What do you think I should do?” I can’t wait until my daughter is old enough to rob her of all her fresh ideas!

[Ent Munny]

[Sam Spade Mini Munny]

Do you sketch your design first (either on paper and/or on the toy) or do you just go at it with no preparation?

Not usually. It’s funny that when I was young, I was the guy known for drawing doodles over everything I owned. My closet back in my mother’s home where I grew up may still have a spaceship dashboard drawn on the wall. I used to love drawing so much, but these days I find it’s not as fun any more. I want to skip over that step and create a tangible thing. But sometimes, I will do a real rough thumbnail sketch on paper to plan things out. I also like doing sculpt sketches especially since I’ve started using Magic Sculpt. Magic Sculpt air dries and has a good working life of maybe one hour so I really need to plan out my concepts before jumping in. But if I had my way, no sketches would be necessary. I hate planning things out. It takes the fun out of it. For me, there’s nothing more enjoyable than the first exploratory pushes of the clay. I really like to let the clay find itself and show me who the character is. I work very intuitively, never really knowing what I’ll get until I’m just about done. For instance, Bacon was a character that derived from me simply saying, I want to do another dunny eater piece but this guy will have TUSKS!! As the character develops I get to know them and I say, what’s their story? What do they need to flesh them out. Bacon needed a shied and a halberd. I will say though that reference is always an important step for me. When I start, I like to Google search images of everything related to what is is I’ve got in my mind. First I want to see if someone has done what I’ve done. And how they did it to be sure I don’t end up doing something too similar. I like to find textures that I can mimic, be it stone or wood. I like to find color schemes. I gather a folder of images to stare at while I work to be sure that I’m adhering to some sort of realism.

[Bacon Munny]

How do you prepare your canvas? i.e. Do you strip or prime or sand etc.? What materials/products do you usually use?

It all depends on the piece really. But for a vinyl toy, I generally like to rough up the vinyl with sand paper first to make sure the clay I’m using will adhere properly. Right now I’m still exploring materials but of lately I’ve been using Magic-Sculpt to sculpt my designs. It’s so adhesive on it’s own so I don’t feel the need to rough up the vinyl unless it’s super slick.  I also like to anchor the clay in places that have lots of build up with screws. I’m overly paranoid about the durability and longevity of my pieces. People are paying good money for my work and I want to be sure I’m made a piece that won’t fall apart in years to come. I’m experimenting every day to be sure of this. I’d love to say that I know all the tricks to making the perfect piece but I’m still learning. For clays, I like Super Sculpey and Super Sculpey Firm over all other clays so far. I use this for pieces I plan on moulding and casting. I can get the best results with it but don’t need to worry about it breaking after I make the mould. For one offs that won’t have a cast made I like to use Magic Sculpt because it’s so durable and has a pretty awesome workability about it.

How do you apply your design? Do use markers, brushes, frisket, painters tape, acrylics, polymer clay, plumbers putty, etc.? What products and how do you use them – mold, bake, spray, etc.?

As I said before, I try to be sure my clay adheres to the platform by either roughing it up or screws. Sometimes I’ll do a very basic pencil sketch on the vinyl to be sure of placement. Then I place the clay on using one of the aforementioned clays and work it until my finished sculpt is done. With Sculpey products I like to use a heat gun to lock things in place and then periodically bake it in my oven. I keep the temp down low, 225 F for 20 minutes and then put the oven to warm and do another 30 minutes. To help I might use an armature made of various wires, plumbers putty, tin foil and floral wrap. The floral wrap is great for keeping tin foil in place. Once done I generally prime the sculpt with Dulpi-Color Sandable Primer. This is an auto primer that can be found at auto parts or department stores. Then I use acrylic paints that I hand brush. I’ve always thought having a air brush would be so cool but I’m now leaning toward sticking with the brush. I think I just like to push both clay and paint around. I think an airbrush would just be too slick for me. For now at least.

[Sketching, Screwing and Sculpting]

How do you finish a piece? Signature and clear coat? Do you have any rituals?

I make a homemade pizza. Yes. I’m a pizza nut too. I think every guy in the states has completely killed a woman’s taste for pizza because we would seriously eat it every night if we could. So I try to limit how often I have pizza and it’s my reward for finishing a piece. OH! Finishing? Oh, OK, I use Golden Acrylics Gloss and Matte polymer varnish. I put a layer of gloss on everything and then re-coat with matte on everything except areas that I want to look wet, like eyes. As for my signature, I seriously have to remind myself to add it. It’s not something I’m in the habit of putting. I don’t think that highly of myself to want to splash my name across everything like I’m some kinda brand. Don’t get me wrong, I WANT to be a brand, I just don’t want it to look like I want it. Actually, in almost all my pieces, I put small personal hidden details. The one that has essentially become my signature, is a scar next to the right eye of my character. I add this to essentially make the character me. When I was 14 I got a serious cut along my face from where my GIGANTIC bottle thick glasses shattered and dug straight into my skull. You can see on the stone golem I really made a huge scar and even gave it the marks created by the 12 stitches.

[Stone Golem for Milk Money Exhibition]

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ABOUT THE ARTIST

What is your background? Where do you work and play?

I grew up in a tiny New Hampshire town and basically did nothing but fish and hike until I left at 18 for art school. It was pretty wholesome. Art school was in Florida. Ringling School of Art and Design. I majored in Illustration. After school I eventually moved out west to CA and then ended up in Seattle. I like it here but there a very good chance of me becoming a Canadian some day soon as my wife is from Toronto and hopes to move back. I work from home and have done so for the last six years. It awesome on so many levels and horrible on just as many.  My work day is as such. Get up and care for our baby Alexandria until 4pm and then work until I can’t stand it anymore, which is around 2-4 am. My wife also works from home and we share a very cluttered home office. It’s very much family nowadays. As for play, it’s with the baby, making silly sounds and holding toys trying desperately to provoke a giggle.

How did you get started customizing toys?

By now most people who have heard of me know that I kinda just appeared out of nowhere when I entered and won the Kidrobot Munnyworld contest one year ago. Yup, been a year. It just so happened that I had decided one week prior to quit my job as a web/graphic designer to pursue fine art. I had no direction what-so-ever I just knew that if I applied myself for a couple years I would be able to find myself and develop into something in which I could earn a living. My wife and I had decided to have a baby and when the news that we were successful had arrived it really hit home who I wanted to be in life. And it was not a graphic designer. So I was told about the contest, won and it gave me a direction. But the truth is, and not too many people know this, that the direction was there all the time. About 13 years ago, my best friend has introduced me to Sculpey and I became hooked. I had always enjoyed sculpting and now I had a way to do it without a ton of mess. I would occasionally create a piece here and there for girlfriends and just for recreation. Then I got my job with a props shop and eventually worked in the sculpting dept. Wow. It was such an awesome job and I learned from the most brilliant man I think I have ever met, Ivan Saxby. You won’t find any info about him anywhere except a Sci-Fi novel he wrote, but this guy is amazing. When I left that job after a couple years to make money doing design, I always manage to squeeze in a sculpt here and there as a hobby. Below are a couple pictures of a cast and REALLY poorly painted sculpt I did for my nephew Zinn of Max from “Where the Wild Things Are”. Falling into making toys seems like a complete obvious choice for me now, but it really just happened by accident.

[Max from Where the Wild Things Are]

Is toy customizing a hobby or is it full-time job? Do you have another job? What (else) pays the bills for you?

It’s a full time job although since my baby was born it seems more like a part-time gig now. For now I’m working as hard as I can to figure out exactly what kind of art I want to do and build a solid portfolio at the same time. One year has passed and I think I’ve done as good as a job as I could have ever hoped for when I set out on this experiment. I’ve got one more year in me to make it work financially. If it doesn’t work out then I’ll go get a job, but I’ll be proud of what I accomplished and know that at least I tried. But I do know, regardless of the outcome, I’ve found what I truly enjoy and I’ll always do toys whether I have a day job or not. So don’t expect me to go anywhere.

Do you have any plans to create your own toy designs? (Custom mold/shape, etc.)

YES. I have plans to make everything imaginable. It’s just a matter of time. But realistically, lots of them won’t happen. I’m starting to lighten my load to free up time now in anticipation for next year. I have a couple small group shows where I’d like very much to have my own small run resin pieces. I do prefer customs though. Ideally I’d like to make very small limited runs much like the big guy Huck Gee. Yeah. YEAH. And sell them for big $$ like Huck.

What are you working on now?

Oh Jeesh. I’m very happy to say that I’m out of my mind busy. Got a lot of stuff happening but for the most part it’s shows and commissions. The Jouwe for the TAG show in LA is due real soon, then it’s a qee for another show, then I have a lot of very patient clients who I owe commissioned customs.

[Jouwe preparation]

Who or what inspires your art? How has your work changed since you started designing toys?

Everything inspires me. There is not enough time in the day to look at the infinite amount of awesome artwork out there. My fellow customizers inspire me. I believe I may have mentioned in the past that I really don’t get inspiration from other artists other than to drive me to be better. But I’ve come to realize that’s just not true. Recently the artist known as JRYU came out with a piece that blew my mind. It so clearly told a story and made me feel like a kid again. It had that “Where the Wild Things Are” quality about it and I can honestly say that my reaction to that piece has been a defining moment in my career that I’m sure to remember when I’m older. What I learned from that piece is that the single most important thing an artist must do is to tell a story. Get the viewer daydreaming. I thought I was doing that before by making lots of accessories for my characters but realize now I was missing the mark. That’s why my latest piece I did for the Milk Munny Exhibition has so much more going on with it than any other pieces I’ve done. As for my work changing since I started designing toys, can’t say that it has until this last piece, other than skill level. I’ve learned a lot and things have got better and more ambitious I think. What I have really learned though is what direction I’d like to take. Expect for things to really change up over the next year. What I’ve discovered is that I want to do much less customizing of others platforms and more original work. Don’t get me wrong, I love customizing, but I have so many ideas and they can’t be told on a someone else’s platform.

Do you collect toys as well as customize them? If yes, do you have a favorite and why?

No. Here’s the thang. I can either make em or buy em. Ifen I make em, then chances ar Imma gonna be too po to collect em. And if I collect em, Imma gonna need a real job that pays.

But seriously, when I make money again, oh, I have a huge list of artists I’ve become friends with and admire that I’ll be wanting to collect.

As far as my favorite toy, Gai King FTW.

[Gai King]

Though you have done other designs, your trademark style is sculpture and a theme of “The Warrior.” How did this come to be? What treatments/techniques have you experimented with, etc.?

I guess it is isn’t it? I guess I just have some inner rage that needs to be expressed in a way on cute vinyl can do. I think it’s just a coincidence, but probably not, I’ve read too many comic books, played too much role playing for it not to be.

BONUS QUESTION: What’s your favorite ice cream?

Cookies and Cream

[Atlas Dunny]

. . .

Thank you Kevin. This has been an amazing interview. Cheers.

For more of Kevin Gosselin’s work, check out his Blog | Flickr | Shop

Once of my nieces is obsessed with Dunnys… and she just turned 2 years old yesterday. Yea, sounds crazy doesn’t it? Once she saw my insane collection a while back (commonly referred to as “The Dunny Museum”) she was completely floored. Her jaw dropped and she screamed “Dunny” over and over. I figured it was only a natural progression to give her a custom Munny for her birthday… even if she is only 2.

When Kidrobot introduced their new do-it-yourself MUNNYWORLD shapes, I saw Bub and instantly pictured him with a beard. I haven’t had time until now to actually create the custom, but finally I’ve nearly completed this guy.

Got a little inspiration from Samurai Jack and (one of my favorite toy designers) Huck Gee. I still think he needs an accessory of sorts. We’ll see what I can come up with.

Behind The Scenes:

For the past few months I’ve been taking pictures for my buddy, Matt. He customizes tons of vinyl toys and needs pictures for his store. As a “thank you” for all the pictures I’ve taken, he made me this little “Honey Dunny.” It looks awesome. Thanks Matt!

Another year, another Dunny Series. That reminds me – I need to update my vinyl collection list. I have… so many… it’s… obscene. I love Dunnys the most. Whenever a new series comes around, it’s like Christmas. Opening all those tiny boxes, not knowing what’s inside, fun little toys with great designs. It’s really exhilarating. And the toys always look different in person. Always. So this afternoon around 12:45PM at Kidrobot NY, I grabbed a case of the new Fatale Series. With the purchase of a case, they were giving away a free limited edition colorway of the KLOR Dunny.

Obviously I assumed it to be sold out by the time I got there, and sure enough when I asked about it, they were. Then just as I was finishing up my transaction, another associate comes from the back room and gives me the toy. She said “Someone reserved this but they don’t need it anymore.” Well, hallelujah for that. Great altruist toy sellers.

I get back to the office and a buddy of mine was dying to open up a few. So I let him open up a couple. Eventually he convinced me to open up the whole case right then and there. Now, he customizes toys and appreciates them, but he’s not into the whole “collecting” aspect. Though he had to admit, it was pretty great opening up all those Dunny boxes. He says I’ll always have to buy them at the store so we can open them up together. HA!

Well, I got nearly the whole set, grabbed one I was missing on the bay, and a the rest from a retailer I know well. Peter, you’re a great guy.

So besides the Baroness Chase, I’ve got the whole set now. But…I always get the whole set… watch out Baroness Dunny…

Commissioned Mini Munny for Southside Slim. I was experimenting with the larger Sharpie Paint Markers I have. They definitely feel nicer than the Extra Fine Tip. The paint flow is much more even and there is less clogging/drying – but it’s frustrating that I can’t achieve fine detail. I still have a few more brands of paint marker to try though, so we’ll see. (SIDENOTE: I despise DECO COLOR paint markers even more than before. After clear coating my R50 Munny, the marker seemed to be “sealed” – no longer sticky. Well, several weeks later, the paint has seeped through and is stick once more. I gave it two more coats of clear coat tonight, almost ruining the toy when handling. Gross.)

I’ve also got a Green “Letters” Mini Munny in the works for him as well. I’m trying to get some more foam letters though, so it might be a week or two. Stay Tuned.

When I made my first Munny a bunch of people asked if he was for sale. He may not have been but this little guy is. If you’re interested check him out at the store! And hey, if you miss out, I may be able to make you one of your own. Just ask. Check him out at the Honey Design Store – i’m a design whore.

Now that I’m on the “custom vinyl toy creation” bandwagon, I really wanted to test out some paint markers, so I made this little guy. And… I really hate paint markers. I tried two different types:

Sharpie Oil-Based Paint Markers: I feel like even with an Extra Fine Point, the tip is still too large. The paint flow was alright, a bit bumpy on the Munny’s surface though. I didn’t have the precession I would have wanted.  It’s just really frustrating when I can’t achieve the kind of precision and detail I would like. Also a bit annoying was the fact the tip dried out pretty quickly, and I had to start the flow again on a test sheet. The paint dried well on the toy and it didn’t run, thankfully. After spraying with some Krylon Satin Finish clear coat, the colors did not run and felt a little more stable. I mean, they are pretty decent markers. I’d use them again if I had to but for small detailed areas I feel I can do better with a brush. (We’ll see. Perhaps I’ll get used to them…)  I’m definitely going to try the larger tips for different kids of designs.

Decocolor Paint Markers: Sharpie did not have the color selection I wanted in their Extra Fine Tips, so I went with another brand. These markers are horrible. First, I had problems achieving an even flow of paint. The marker was shaken well, as per instructions, but the paint would not flow evenly. It took forever for me to get a consistent bead of paint. Also, the tip came right out of the marker. Paint was leaking everywhere. It was a mess. After battling for several minutes and despite my frustration, I decided to still try the marker on the Munny. It was a hot mess. The paint was all blotchy and sticky and the tip was getting all gunked up. I had a rough time… but that’s not even the worst part. After about 7 hours the paint did not “dry.” It was very tacky and would smudge easily. Thankfully I had a plastic eraser that removed the smudges. And even better, the clear coat sealed in paint and allowed the toy to be handled. I definitely would not recommend these markers for this project. I don’t think I will ever be using the again.

Even though the process was horendous, and, I still think the Munny looks pretty good. I like the design, so I may even try it again using different techniques.

I prefer Silver to Gold and Dunnys to Diamonds. My favorite Christmas gift this year is this doughnut link necklace in silver from Tiffany & Co. with a silver Dunny charm from Kidrobot. That is all. Thanks my.