LIKE TOYS, LOVE CLUTTER
CLUTTERMAGAZINE.COM
ISSUE 25
APRIL 2015
LIKE TOYS, LOVE CLUTTER
CLUTTERMAGAZINE.COM
ISSUE 25
APRIL 2015
25
FREE
DABS MYLA 26 It’s A Great Life, If You Don’t Weaken Article by Nick Curtis
Cover Illustration by Dabs Myla
MUTANTOLOGY
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Chubbeez by Albino Taco Toys Article by Rich Montanari
ARTMYMIND Art on My Mind Article by Miranda O’Brien
KELLY DENATO
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Hair, Knots And Hustle Article by Marc DeAngelis
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LEECIFER The Coming of the Picklebabys Article by Nick Curtis
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VINYL IDOLZ
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A Large Evil Corporation x Funko Article by Nick Curtis
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TEAM Miranda O’Brien Editor-in-Chief
Nick Carroll Art Director
Marc DeAngelis Contributing Writer
miranda@cluttermagazine.com
nick@cluttermagazine.com
marc.deangelis@gmail.com
Josh Kimberg Managing Editor
Jason Ryule Technical Coordinator
Rich Montanari Contributing Writer
josh@cluttermagazine.com
jason@tradeincool.com
mutantvinylhardcore.com
Nick Curtis Associate Editor
Mike Torrisi Advertising Sales
nickcurtis@cluttermagazine.com
mike@cluttermagazine.com
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LEGAL The publishers would like to thank everyone who has furnished information and materials for this issue. The contents of CLUTTER MAGAZINE reflect the opinions of respective contributor or interview subject, and not necessarily are those of the publisher. Unless otherwise noted, artists and writers included within CLUTTER MAGAZINE retain all copyrights to their work, with the publisher assuming no ownership. Every effort has been made to reach copyright owners or their representatives. The publisher will be pleased to correct any mistakes or omissions in the online version of this issue. Printed in the U.S.A.
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Mutantology mu·tan·tol·o·gy noun \ˈmyü-tən-ˈtä-lə-jē\ : the study of indie toys as selected by Rich Montanari of Mutant Vinyl Hardcore. www·mutantvinylhardcore·com
Subject:
Chubbeez by Albino Taco Toys Pictured is Albino Taco Toys’ first resin toy, the Chubbeez, cast in the mixed matte & gloss black El Número One edition.
I don’t remember exactly how I came across the Chubbeez toy, but I recall how it grabbed me. Upon first sight: I was an instant fan. The head, or cap, of this toy oozes to form a skull, beautifully accomplishing this without going overboard. Super distorted, chunky, and clean lined, a Western design that doesn’t feel like it’s necessarily Western. I could easily see this design used in either anime or graffiti, and it wouldn’t feel out of place in either world. The toy itself is resin, and heavy at that, but you would never know it from just how clean and sleek it is. I initially thought it was cast in vinyl, a testament to its quality. The design of the toy uses the body as a holder for the head cap to sit on, which in turn creates the color for both the nose and eye sockets without the use of any added paint or paint masks. Long term this means that as you collect these, you can create your own versions by mix-and-matching your favorite colors, or even interchanging them as you see fit just for the day. It definitely has
a cute charm to it, and this is one toy that moves around my home — from my son’s room, to my living room, to my studio — and it remains something that I love to look at and enjoy on a daily basis.
instagram (@albinotactotoys). They all influence me on a daily basis, and I am constantly discovering new artists every day.
Tell us about yourself.
Oh man, there are too many to list. Ferg, MVH [Mutant Vinyl Hardcore], Paul Kaiju, Guumon, Takahiro Komuro, Kevin Herdeman, Nate Mitchell, Spluurt, Kagemaru, Jeffrey Lamm, Shigeo Endo, 2bitHACK, and the list goes on and on…
My name is Chase Odom, and I am tattoo artist and toy designer currently based in San Diego, California.
How long have have you been making toys, regardless of medium? Only for about a year now, with my first drop being in June of last year.
Who and what are the major influences on your art? There are so many great artists in so many different mediums that influence me. Just to name a few: Alex Garcia, Johnny Crap, Sofles, Smug One, Dski One, Aaron Horkey, Travis Louie, Ron English, Tim Lee, KMNDZ, Germs, Bob Dob, Joe Scarano, and pretty much everyone that I follow on
Who are your favorite current toy makers?
What’s next from you? Up next for me is Little Chubz, a three-inch version of my Chubbeez. I have some big plans this year for DCon [DesignerCon], including a new sculpt variant of the Chubbeez. I also hope to complete some sculpts for a sofubi line that I have been working [on]. Sometime soon I would like to bring my character Speck to life in vinyl [too]… For more information on Albino Taco Toys, please visit:
albinotacoshop.bigcartel.com Clutter 25 | 13
hree years ago, an acquaintance took me out to lunch and, while talking about art, I brought up one of Banksy’s many quotes, “The thing I hate the most about advertising is that it attracts all the bright, creative, and ambitious young people, leaving us mainly with the slow and selfobsessed to become our artists.” My friend - a teacher - refuted this claim, saying that people who really want to achieve something will make time for their art, no matter what. My first thought upon hearing his response was, “That sounds like Kelly Denato.” There’s that old cliché about the inverse proportionality of quality and quantity, but I don’t think Denato’s ever heard it. Having a day job as an illustrator and an animator as well as holding a teaching position at a respected college would put most people out of commission, yet Denato finds the time to create an immense collection of personal work. Her frequent output of stunning paintings, illustrations, and custom toys is truly astonishing and inspiring, from her ethereal and intricate works that evoke sympathy to those that kindle tenderhearted nostalgia for simpler times. 16 | Clutter 25
Clutter Magazine talks to Kelly Denato about her impressive career in art, her penchant for dioramas, and the challenges she’s set for herself as an artist.
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Previously, you’ve mentioned drawing with friends from a young age. What were you all drawing as kids? Well, since all we did was draw, we pretty much covered everything and anything. I definitely used to copy from comic books, cartoons, animated movies, and picture books. I also remember reading that horses were one of the most difficult things to draw and so I got [the] Encyclopedia of the Anatomy of the Horse and drew from there until I could draw each breed. I have no idea if I’ve retained any of that information but I’ve certainly retained the enthusiasm and dedication to challenging myself in my craft.
Having been artistic from such a young age, when did you realize you wanted art to be a career? Were your parents supportive? Honestly, I can’t think of a time when I’ve wanted to do anything else. It seemed only natural that I would work in the arts. My parents, like most parents I’m sure, worried — and still worry — about my well being in such a challenging field. My father wanted me to learn Japanese and practice international law. There are moments when I think he might have been right, then I snap back to reality.
You’re really well rounded. Your paintings, drawings, toys, plushies, and even skate decks are all expertly done. Are you just one of those people who is good at whatever she does? If not, how have you been able to master all of these different things?
Had you worked with wood before? I hadn’t worked with wood before besides in grade school science fair dioramas. I love dioramas by the way. More recently, I did some wood carving for a show curated by Lana Crooks at Clutter [Gallery] called Adventure Awaits. I did small carvings of a boat, oars, fish, etc. as embellishments for the frames. SO FUN. I’d love to do some more work like that.
Can you give us an idea of the art you work on for your day job(s)? I’d imagine you’re doing most of that stuff in Creative Cloud, but very little of your personal stuff seems to be digital. Most of my professional work is digital work or a combination of illustration and digital. Right out of school it wasn’t hard to see that the paying work for creatives was in the digital animation and design world. I started in animation for entertainment, then advertising, then online gaming, and now I do mostly digital illustration work. While all these jobs draw upon years of accumulation and honing of knowledge and skills, I often dismissively refer to this type work as “flipping burgers.” But what I mean is that at this point in my life, this work is not a career, it’s a job. I do these things to pay rent and support my artistic pursuits. I think digital
art is becoming more pervasive and acceptable as an illustration and art form. I personally enjoy creating hand done work especially after sitting in front of a computer all day. I can’t wait to work with my hands and real materials.
You’ve been teaching a seniorlevel college illustration class for the past few years at Pratt, right? How has that been? This semester will complete my 2nd year of teaching a Senior Illustration class at Pratt Institute. It’s been very interesting indeed. The classes have been diverse and so I’m getting the full expanse of the quality of students coming out of art school. It’s great to be able to see the trends of the fine art and illustration world being gleaned from the outside and invented in the classroom. It’s also pretty interesting to realize how much I have learned through my somewhat schizophrenic professional and personal art careers. Sometimes I’ll catch myself talking with a student and think, “Wow, I didn’t know I knew that”. I’ve learned so much through trial and error and exposure, the classroom environment gives me a chance to revisit and share those experiences. It’s fulfilling.
With the distressed nature of your painted characters in mind, it’s kind of ironic that you’re a pretty upbeat person. Then again, some
Master?! If only! Though painting and drawing are my most natural mediums, I truly enjoy working in all mediums and wish I had more time to dedicate to mastering them. However I find if you apply the basic fundamentals of shape, color, and composition, it shouldn’t really matter what materials you use; the approach should be the same. I bring the same tools of experience to each and every project no matter the medium. There’s a lot of technical trial and error involved and I’m blessed to have become part of a community of knowledgeable artists that are willing to share their time and experience with me.
What was the process like for your balsa wood “Year of the Horse”? 18 | Clutter 25
"From Lashes to Love Knots," 2014
“Embrace the Fall,” 2012
of your 3D work, like “Honey Bee,” is very cheerful. I find it amusing that you consider me an upbeat person! Those who know me best will also get a chuckle out of that. I actually had to make a conscious decision to become more social and part of that decision was to also present a sunnier side of myself. I realize that when interacting with people, I can help set the tone — normal humans have probably always known this very obvious thing. I’ve found that if people are at ease around me, I can relax a bit and it makes for much less difficult social interactions. The distressed and isolated characters you see in the paintings are probably a more accurate reflection of my experience but, just like I try to be more open in new social situations, I try to add hopefulness in my work through light and color and humor.
Is this why you prefer working by yourself at home as opposed to in a studio? Do you just find it easier to work alone?
characters have long, flowing hair that twists and turns, letting you really flex your muscles when it comes to lighting techniques.
I do prefer working alone and in my own space. It’s great to be able to control the environment you are in. I don’t have to be concerned with appearance or cleanliness or order. I can just focus on the tasks at hand. I can — and do — listen to whatever I want or watch whatever I want, at any volume I want, until the wee hours. Sometimes I wish that I could have personal space in a community setting. It would be great to take mental breaks and pop over to someone else’s studio and have a quick chat with some likeminded individuals. Dedicating myself to my work takes real social sacrifice and puts me in a bubble of isolation. This can be great for concentration and productivity but pretty tough on the psyche.
I often feel like my characters are either floating out in space or being observed in a solution under a microscope. I’m always looking for ways to bring turbulence into my otherwise serene, gelatinous environments. The hair allows me to envelope or entangle my character as well as reach out into the rest of the environment from the main body of the composition. I’ve used other tools for this type of interaction; ghosts, tubes, tears, goop, but hair is definitely the most satisfying to paint. And, as you mentioned, it gives me ample opportunity to paint with light which is a large part of my work.
Let’s talk about hair. A lot of your
Related to the hair, there are a lot of knots in your characters’ arms and legs. Is creating complex knots a challenge you set for Clutter 25 | 19
The first toy I customized I believe was Andrew Bell’s 19” Zlik for Attack of the Zliks at myplasticheart. At the time, I had no idea what a custom toy was but was excited about the opportunity and I was working in comics and plush so there was no inner battle about the “highbrow” aspect of it.
Your customs are always elaborate, incorporating a lot of detailed sculpting (“Fallsies” and “Brantlers” for example). How do you come up with concepts for your customs? How long have you been sculpting? “Swing Low,” 2013
yourself? I actually got an encyclopedia of knots for some of that work, so the entangled limbs are often real life knots. And yes, this was definitely part of a technical challenge for myself but also another way to communicate entanglement, entrapment, and frustration; another way to disturb and disrupt my otherwise ambivalent, floating subjects.
There’s a lot going on in your paintings, hair and appendages are flowing everywhere and are set against complex cosmic washes of color, but some of your minimalist drawings are equally striking. How do you make that transition? If you are interested, you should see some of my older drawings; drawing with simplistic, clean lines is my first love. I still do a lot of exploratory work like that in my personal sketchbooks. For some reason in the gallery setting this type of work doesn’t do very well. In response to that I began to create drawings that are somewhere in between my paintings and drawings, meaning I incorporate more light, environment, and rendering. So far this has been a great compromise and a way for me to include more affordable works in my exhibits for people who aren’t ready to invest in my paintings but want something more similar to them than my line drawings.
My customs are often related to whatever 2D art I’m creating at the time. “Fallsies” and “Brantlers” are very much a continuation of the visual language I had explored in my Fall into Frost exhibit at myplasticheart.
Some of them are parts of dioramas, “Swing Low” for example. That’s pretty rare. What was your inspiration for incorporating your toys into environments? Oh here, dioramas! As I mentioned before, I do love dioramas. I think the idea of placing characters in a setting comes from working mostly as a painter and illustrator and from wanting to not only control the appearance of the character, but the environment as well. Especially for “Swing Low”, I wanted that sensation of nostalgia that always seems to hit around the fall season.
Most of your toys are customs or are hand-made. Would you like to do more work on platform toys
like the Dunny? Or maybe even your own production toy? I was pretty excited about the Android platform toy that I had the opportunity to participate in and would certainly be open to something like that again. As for my own production toy, this is a conversation I’ve been having for years. It’s just tough for me to decide on an image that would reflect my work as well as fit the platform of a production item. I’m indecisive!
I’ve heard you’re planning on creating a book covering your past few years worth of art. What else is up next for Kelly Denato? Oh boy, lots I hope! I intend to utilize as much of my diverse skill set as possible over the next year. I’m going to continue participating in exhibitions as much as possible and I’ve got plans to finally work with much larger formats for my paintings, something I’ve been anxious to do for a while. Also on the to-do list are some sculpting and casting for limited releases, planning scheduled print releases, participating in artist in residence programs, and creating collaborative work with some of my very talented friends and colleagues. I also want to continue with and expand my Instagram “drinkanddraw” sessions where I take suggestions from followers and create work which I post in real time. I think there’s a lot of potential there and I’d like to explore it. It’s also just a lot of fun!
For more information on Kelly Denato, please visit:
www.kellydenato.com
What was the first designer toy you either created or customized? Did you have any reservations about doing something that took the form of a toy instead of something a bit more “highbrow”? 20 | Clutter 25
“Fallsies,” 2013
ART MIND ON MY
MIRANDA O’BRIEN
ARTMYMIND IS THE COLLABORATIVE EFFORT OF TWO MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTISTS, GUILLAUME AND JULIA LACHAMBRE. TOGETHER THEY CREATE SOME OF THE CLEANEST, MOST CREATIVE CUSTOM TOYS AROUND. UTILIZING A MIXTURE OF PAINTING, SCULPTURE, AND TEXTILE TECHNIQUES, THEIR WORK OFTEN LEANS TOWARDS THE DARKER SIDE OF JAPANESE MYTHOLOGY AND CULTURE. HUSBAND AND WIFE, THEY PUSH AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER, STRIVING FOR A PERFECTION THAT SO FEW CAN ACCOMPLISH. THEY ARE TAKING THEIR CRAFT TO A WHOLE OTHER LEVEL AND, WITH THAT, THEY ARE PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF WHAT CUSTOM TOYS ARE, AND CAN BE.
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untitled, 2013
“Shikko-sha” (regular, subscribers & chase editions), 2012
Where does the name Artmymind come from? How long have you been using it? The name comes from the state of mind we chose for our lives years ago, where art fuels our inspiration and aspirations. A tool of communication and expression. We have been running Artmymind full time for the past four years and it has been equally awesome and challenging. We know some amazing artists that are scared to do the full dive from their daily job… And we sometimes think that they are damn right! (Laughs) It is a little mad alright, particularly with the very little administrative support that is usually offered to artists. What did you do before? Quite a large variety of jobs actually. Not in chronological order: performer, sales assistant, dragon whisperer, surgical equipment assembler, tropical plants importation, ice skating dancer, part-time wizards, store management, dental hygienist, computer assembler, customer support, and game master. The list is quite long, and somewhat accurate. Speaking of things that are ‘somewhat accurate,’ where were you both born? Some rumors have been passing around about France and Poland, but the truth is that we were born in Wonderland and Narnia. (Laughs) What are the pros and cons
of working with your spouse? Ouch! We can’t publicly talk about it, and it’s definitely not a safe subject. (Laughs) Joking aside, it is a blessing to get to share this passion, but it can be challenging to be professional and objective at times, especially when it comes to criticizing each other’s work. Quality first, love second, safety third.
and modernism in a matter of a street block with centuries old temples and tiny wooden shops squeezed between massive skyscrapers. We actually moved to Japan to feed our creativity on its fascinating and vast folklore. This appearing anachronism offers limitless inspiration. Leaving this amazing country was maybe the hardest thing we had to do.
You are clearly very technical with your work. Tell us a little about your background.
Tell us about the process of starting a custom. Do you design a concept first or start and see how it evolves?
We are completely self-taught, so the technicality of our work is the result of long nights of research and experimentations. Early on we projected where we would like our craft to go and researched the set of skills it would require to get there. Patience is the key. We must confess that we are insane perfectionists, and it can be such a curse. It makes it so hard to let go of any detail that could have slipped through. Definitely our time in Japan enhanced it even more; perfection is a fundamental aspect of the Japanese culture. They have such a dedication and dexterity in everything they achieve… It’s mind blowing.
This is a tricky one and maybe the most challenging. Every project has its own process depending on timeframe, platform, size, and complexity. While some are clearly planned, others are complete works of improvisation. We often work on each other’s concepts, but it happens that our individual visions collide on a certain piece. When that’s the case, we abandon both concepts and start from scratch on a common one. This avoids frustration and leads to better designs.
Samurai are an ongoing theme in your work, is that because of your love of Japan? Totally! Asian culture, as a whole, is our present main source of inspiration. Imagine walking down the streets in Tokyo and travelling between ancestral
In terms of how we work, we work as one but of course have our strengths and often separate out the work accordingly. For example, one of us can start roughing [out] a sculpt and then pass on to the other for refining. All in all, each figure, passes from hands to hands along the creative process. We also both have our own favorite materials but we use everything from epoxy to polymer clay, wax to fabrics; Clutter 25 | 25
“Daitengu,” 2014
each has its own unique qualities. Purely for customizing, epoxy clay might be our clay of choice for its bonding quality, fine grain, and durability.
matter how painstaking it is or how long it takes you to refine your craft. Focus on the quality of your art.
You predominantly work on Dunny or Munny as your base platform. What is the reasoning for this?
We have been traveling abroad for the most of the past seven years - collecting and travelling don’t go very well together. Also the past few years, we have been investing everything into developing our craft. There are, though, some artists whose pieces we would love to own, like 64 Colors, Jeremiah Ketner, Squink, Ardabus Rubber, and few others. Honestly, we don’t even have any of our own creations at the moment! If we were to start collecting, Coarse figures would be some of our favorite productions.
Well, we like the aesthetic of those platforms. They were the first figures we ever customized, and part of the decision was to promote them and, if possible, to contribute in some ways to their expansion. Any toy is in essence a platform for imagination and creativity, which is the purpose of any artistic medium, but what can make it art from our point of view is the message or personality imbued in them by the artist. You can take a common figure and make it into something unique and personal. Beyond that, they [Dunnys & Munnys] have their own demand, so it is also a way of reaching a community of truly passionate people.
What toys do you collect?
too long. We have some really mad ideas that we will hopefully be able to bring to realization. Something that has been on our minds for some time is relocating Artmymind to the U.S. maybe?! And if someone wants to hire two extremely skilled and humble artists, please let us know. For more information on Artmymind, please visit: www.artmymind.com
Would you like to have a production toy? We would definitely love to have a production toy and have been in contact with few designer toy companies… Let’s see what happens.
What advice do you have for any customizers starting out?
What does the future hold for you?
Do not content yourself with the easy way or settle for your comfort zone, no
More ambitious artistic projects that have been in suspended mode for “Samsara,” 2012
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IT’S A GREAT LIFE, IF YOU DON’T WEAKEN NICK CURTIS
DABS IMBUES A RAUCOUS, GRAFFITI INSPIRED STYLE TO HIS CANVAS, WHILE MYLA SIMULTANEOUSLY LENDS METICULOUS AND PLAYFUL PAINTING SKILLS TO HERS. SITTING ACROSS FROM ONE ANOTHER AT THEIR SHARED DRAWING TABLE, THIS CREATIVE TEAM PASS THE PIECES BACK-AND-FORTH TO EACH OTHER, BEGINNING WORK ANEW ON THE ART NOW BEFORE THEM. AS DABS MYLA HAVE GROWN TOGETHER IN THEIR PARTNERSHIP, RELATIONSHIP, AND MARRIAGE, THEIR INDIVIDUAL ART PROCESSES HAVE MERGED INTO A TRULY COLLABORATIVE AFFAIR. MASKED UNDERNEATH THE VENEER OF GOLDEN AGE CARTOONDOM, THE COUPLE’S ART MANIFESTS AS ADVENTURESOME ACRYLICS BRISTLING ON BOARD, SPRAY PAINT MURALS SUPPLANTING BARREN STREET WALLS, AND EVEN INTRICATE INSTALLATIONS THAT ELEVATE EMPTY SPACES INTO IMMERSIVE KINGDOMS OF CREATIVITY. INSPIRED BY THEIR EVERYDAY LIFE TOGETHER AND THE BEVY OF UNIQUE EXPERIENCES THEY’VE BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH TO SHARE, THE ONE QUESTION — OUT OF THE BOUNTIFUL NUMBER IN MY MIND — THAT I WAS DYING TO KNOW WAS…
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WHERE DO THE NAMES DABS AND MYLA COME FROM? DABS: I’ve been writing DABS since 1992. I started off with a different tag, but a friend of mine who I used to go bombing with wrote DABS and I really liked his tag a lot. Like a lot of people in graffiti, he lost interest after about a year and — when he did — he passed the name DABS down to me! MYLA: When we first started dating, DABS started taking me out to paint spots with him and teaching me how to use spray paint and about [graffiti] letters. He told me I would need to come up with a name — a tag — and I started writing MISS13. I did the first two or three pieces I painted under that name, but I hated it! I just couldn’t think of anything good. I was speaking with one of my friends about it and she actually suggested MYLA… I loved it straight away! It fit into all the criteria I was looking for: it had four letters and started with the letter M. DABS: Then when we decided to start solely collaborating together, we thought we would just put our two names together to make one name: DABS MYLA. HOW DID THE TWO OF YOU FIRST MEET? DID YOU INITIALLY BOND OVER ART OR WAS IT SOMETHING ELSE? 30 | Clutter 25
MYLA: We met at art school in Melbourne. We were both studying illustration, and — over the years of our study — we became great friends and then eventually fell in love! DABS: We did initially bond over art, considering that we met at art school. We both had a similar style of drawing and similar influences, so I think we connected over a mutual interest of style. But we also became great friends because of a shared love of music, we both loved a lot of the same bands and the same kinds of music. And over the years of getting to know each other, we would always be bringing new music to share with each other and old classics from the ‘90s to blast in the classroom. SINCE MUSIC HAS PLAYED SUCH A LARGE PART IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP, WHAT ARE CURRENTLY YOUR FAVORITE BANDS TO PLAY WHILE WORKING? MYLA: Oh man!!… So many are in the favorite pile at the moment! Maybe I’ll break it into a few groups. For older bands, at the moment, we are really thrashing [to] a lot of Frank Zappa, Kaleidoscope, and The Beach Boys. Then we have also been listening to a lot of ‘90s Australian bands, the stuff we grew up listening to and going to see as teenagers, like The Hard-Ons, The Meanies, Magic Dirt, and Cosmic Psychos. Some more contemporary
THIS PAGE: Mural in Tahiti with Kem5, 2014’ Mural in Rio de Janeiro, 2013 OPPOSITE: “Adventures to the Top of the World,” 2013 Mural in Bergen, Norway, 2013
bands like Thee Oh Sees, King Khan and the Shrines, Bleached, King Tuff, and Speedy Ortiz. We have also been listening to a lot of Jeffrey Lewis! We have recently become big fans of his in the last few years… If you’re not familiar with Jeffrey Lewis, you should definitely look him up! WHAT IS THE EARLIEST PIECE OF ART THAT YOU EACH REMEMBER CREATING? NOT TOGETHER, BUT RATHER EVER IN YOUR LIFE. DABS: I can’t remember the earliest piece of art I made, but i do have a drawing that my grandma recently gave to me. I made it for my grandpa when i was about four or five, and it’s a sheet of paper filled with different Mickey Mouse [illustrations], all in different poses… It’s kind of awesome! MYLA: One of the first drawings I remember doing was on my first day of school when I was four. I remembered I tried to write the alphabet around a drawing of myself, but it was just a bunch of random letters because I didn’t actually know how to write the alphabet! WHEN DID YOU REALIZE THAT COLLABORATING TOGETHER WAS SOMETHING YOU WANTED TO DO? WAS THERE A SPECIFIC PIECE YOU WERE WORKING ON THAT HELPED YOU MAKE THAT REALIZATION? MYLA: We began collaborating as soon as we started dating. I think we kissed for the first time on a Thursday night or something, and then we began working on a collaborative canvas on the Saturday, so it started straight away! But although we collaborated a lot in the first few years we were together, we still worked on a lot of
solo work as well as collaborating whenever we could. After a few years we just realized that we enjoyed creating work a lot more when we collaborated, and also both really loved the finished outcome a lot more than our solo work, so we just made a decision to become one… and only always collaborate on everything we did. And we have ever since. SINCE THAT INITIAL COLLABORATION, HOW HAS YOUR STYLE EVOLVED? DO YOU THINK WORKING AS A PAIR HAS PUSHED EACH OF YOU TO NEW HEIGHTS ALONG THE WAY ON YOUR ARTISTIC JOURNEY? DABS: For sure! Over the years our style has progressed and changed a lot. I think that the fact that we work together plays a massive part in how our work looks and how it evolves. We are constantly still picking new things up from each other and influencing each other. My ideas are not solely mine anymore. If I have a concept now, I share it with MYLA and she
will add to it then shoot it back to me… making something that could never have existed if I worked alone. WHAT UNIQUE AESTHETICS AND ELEMENTS DO YOU EACH BRING TO WORKING TOGETHER? AND HOW DO YOU MAKE TWO VOICES INTO ONE SO SEAMLESSLY? MYLA: We both bring different elements to our work, in the beginning a lot more so. We both had a lifetime of influences and experiences, and over time we have thrown a lot of that stuff into the pot and mixed it all up to create the style that we now have. But we have been together for close to ten years now, so now a lot of the new things that come to our work are from shared experiences from our life together. DABS: We spend a ridiculous amount of time together! We have actually never spent a full day apart in the last nine years. We work together, eat together, hang together, and sleep together everyday! So now I think we Clutter 25 | 31
don’t really do anything to make two voices come into one seamlessly, we kind of are just one voice! HOW DOES YOUR JOINT CREATIVE PROCESS WORK? MYLA: We usually have two paintings going at one time. When we are working on a show, we both start on one piece, choose parts that we are each going to begin with and apply most of our attention, then we hit a point and swap over and the other person will do all the parts they need to do to the others… Then pass back and forth until they are done. That’s with the actual painting process in the studio. The concept and drawing of all our work comes from us sitting and scribbling and talking for hours, working out ideas and drawing thumbnails, then we would decide which parts of the idea we each want to take. So I might be like, “I will draw up that car, the potted plant, and the building.” And then DABS would say, “Okay, well, I’ll draw up the boy and girl, the sling shot, and the chair,” for example. Then we would each work on the drawings we need to, come back and go over each others and maybe make a few changes if one of us feels inspired, then put everything together into one finished drawing ready to transfer and paint. This process is pretty similar for designing a drawing for a wall mural also. But then when we paint walls, we just go for it… we both just start painting and paint whatever need to be done! WITH ALL THE WORK THAT GOES INTO CREATING THE ART, IS THAT WHY YOUR GALLERY SHOWS ARE SUCH IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES? YOU’RE KNOWN FOR REALLY TRANSFORM THE ENTIRE SPACE INTO A VAST & COHESIVE PLACE TO PERFECTLY DISPLAY YOUR ART. WHAT HAS INSPIRED YOU TO TAKE THIS TACT? DABS: It’s something that we have been working towards ever since our first exhibition we made together. We both love installation art, and really like the idea of making our shows more than just artwork on a wall and giving our paintings a whole context of their own. I think a huge inspiration was seeing the TWIST exhibition when it came to Melbourne in 2005. I was such a massive fan of Twist ever since I saw the feature on him in 12 ounce, and then to go see his show and the 32 | Clutter 25
OPPOSITE: “Talking to the Sun about the Moon,” 2013 Installation at Wynwood Walls, Miami, 2013 Photo by Ian Cox
THIS PAGE: Trouble Trouble (forthcoming) by DabsMyla & Munky King
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mural in Rio de Janeiro, 2013
overwhelming installation it definitely left a big impression. MYLA: Also, when we first moved to LA, we would go to Disneyland whenever we had spare time. That was and still is a big inspiration on our installations. CREATIVELY SPEAKING, WHAT ‘ATMOSPHERE’ DO YOU FIND THE MOST INSPIRATIONAL? WHAT IN YOUR STUDIO HELPS TO KEEP YOU CREATIVE AND PRODUCTIVE? MYLA: I think the most inspirational thing for us is to travel! We are lucky to be able to travel a lot to pair murals and I think that when ever we come back from an adventure we are always super charged with ideas and stoked to get back in our studio and to get to work! Once in our studio, what keeps us motivated and productive is the thought of the next trip on the horizon, epic 300 song long Spoitify playlists, and audio books! WAS YOUR LOVE OF TRAVEL WHY YOU RELOCATED FROM MELBOURNE TO LOS ANGELES? WAS THERE ONE SPECIFIC EVENT THAT INCITED THE MOVE? MYLA: No specific reason. Just that we felt like a change, so we decided 34 | Clutter 25
to move… and we were looking for somewhere with better weather than Melbourne! YOUR ART IS VERY CHARACTER DRIVEN. DO YOU CREATE STORIES FOR EACH PIECE, EACH CHARACTER? DABS: There is always a story behind everything we paint. A lot of the time, it’s probably hard for people to see what that story is though, because it’s usually quite abstract and always relates to a specific moment in our life together… So we usually will start with an experience or a memory of our life and then build from there. THERE’S AN OBVIOUS INFLUENCE IN YOUR STYLE FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF CARTOONS. DOES THIS STEM FROM NOSTALGIA? OR IS IT A FORM OF COMMENTARY ON INNOCENCE? OR SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY? DABS: It’s a little of all those things, I think. I was a huge fan of animation as a kid. My uncle was a big collector and enthusiast of animation and comic art, so I would always be at his house when I was young looking through books and watching old cartoons. We both really love mid-Century design also, so we really lean a lot towards the characters
that were used in animation and illustration in the ‘50s and ‘60s. THE INFLUENCE OF CLASSIC CARTOONS IS OBVIOUS IN YOUR UPCOMING ART TOY. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THIS PIECE? DABS: The toy is a two character set: a stick of Dynamite and a match, Mr. Freddy Powerful and Little Sparky! They are like BFFs. When they unite, they can cause tremendous mayhem! MYLA: We are really excited for the release of our first art toy with Munky King! It’s really fun to see some of our characters come to life in 3D! ASIDE FROM THE UPCOMING TOY RELEASE, WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON THAT YOU CAN TELL US ABOUT? MYLA: We are actually working on our biggest installation to date at the moment. We were recently approached to collaborate with MTV and design an installation that would be used for the 2015 MTV Movie Awards!! This will defiantly be the largest scale installation we have ever made!!
For more information on Dabs Myla, please visit: WWW.DABSMYLA.COM
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BY LEECIFER
THE COMING OF THE PICKLEBABYS NICK CURTIS
We know now that this world was being watched closely by alien intelligences superior to man’s, and yet as mortal as his own. While human beings busied themselves with their various concerns, they were scrutinized by pickle-headed invaders, wide-armed beings as likely to embrace with a hug as they were to utilize an anal probe. These creatures lay in wait, mostly unnoticed by the transient creatures that swarmed and multiplied over the Earth. And then, in the fifteenth year of the 21st Century, came the great disillusionment. It was near the middle of May. The
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economy was better. People were back at work. Sales were picking up. On this particular evening, May 16, these beings with vast, cool, and sympathetic intellects decided to stop simply regarding our planet with dubious eyes. They opted to make their presence known. This was the day that the PickleBabys invaded en masse. The first man to draw attention to these elongated headed beasts, Leecifer, sheds light not only upon his own history but also informs about these adorable invaders, giving insight into what he believes their alien PickleBaby heads might contain and perceive.
PickleBaby - Dragatomi Blue, 2013
So where does the name Leecifer come from? I was christened with it as a wee small terror of a kid. In the late ‘60s as a tiny child, I guess I took a dump in a pool and tried to blame it on the family dog and some of the adults dubbed me Leecifer. Years later, a singer in a band I was doing posters for gave me a shout out from the stage, again as Leecifer, and I’ve been using it ever since. Your work is fairly diverse, so what inspires you? My old bio had: “Leecifer can be found unabashedly channeling the cultural influences of gig posters, manga/comics, tattoo, hot rod, skate, graffiti, kitsch/
nostalgia, kaiju, and vinyl art toys into his very own fucked up vision of urban contemporary art.” This is probably the tip of the iceberg, my inspirations are all over the place and we could fill a whole article worth of space just on that list. I will say it’s always been apparent to me, that as our personal tastes change, so do our inspirations and that’s certainly been true for me. Maybe easier to nail down, how’d you get into art toys? My wife, Michele, and I encountered the toy scene as byproduct of supporting local artists. We used to have a great big giant house and I was constantly curating our various collections. At one time, we had several thousand square feet of
wall space for 2D paintings, gig posters, and the like; mostly S[an] F[rancisco] & West Coast centric urban contemporary artists. As we began scaling back our 2D art purchases, we discovered StrangeCo, who remain to this day one of my favorite toy companies. The artist roster made up for the crappy production value, as it was all the artists we had been buying 2D work from. At our height, we had 14 or 15 [Ikea] Detolfs! And how did you get into making your own art toys? The following varies every time I try to recall it, but this is the gist of it… With the exception of the multi-armed army men I horrified my family by making as a little kid, some of the first pieces I Clutter 25 | 41
customized were Bounty Hunter and expensive kaiju stuff [I’d] gotten off eBay. After visiting [Frank] Kozik to drop off my Panda Meat book submission — and drool at the MASSIVE collection of toys in his apartment — he mentioned this new place opening called Kidrobot, and I immediately [bought and] butchered four or five cases of Series 1 Dunnys. Soon after, or there about, came my association with Super7, which turned out to be great fun — I began to curate shows, work odd events, paint house product, moderate the custom forum page, and produce vinyl toys through them… well, multiple color ways of ONE toy, the Honoo. (Laughs) I also began to work on my first self-produced figure, the PickleBaby.
PickleBaby - work-in-progress edition prototype, 2015
Wait, you were working on the PickleBaby way back then? We first saw them in 2012, the hand-painted resin copies that were part of the Bat Butts & Goat Guts exhibition you did with Paul Kaiju at Dragatomi… so where did they come from initially? Oh yea, the PickleBaby’s genesis was way before that [show] actually, something like 15+ years ago. I had seen some ancient, elongated infant skulls on display somewhere back when I was making gig posters and I was fascinated by them. I mean, I always thought MY folks were tough/clueless, but — shit — at least they didn’t squish my soft, mushy baby skull between boards and tie it up so it GREW THAT WAY! These little ‘alien’ skulls seemed sorta sad and tragic, so I wanted to make HAPPY ones!
various cultures while also enjoying a hot soak, indulging a collective sweet tooth, comfort food, and a good beer — or whatever you’re into. PickleBabys are all about simple pleasures. Friendly and curious to a fault, as they just try to get by on our often inhospitable & hostile planet, they can be mischievous but often naively innocent. And they’ve
Is there a backstory for the PickleBaby character? A reason he’s supposed to look the way he does? Yes! I mean, he couldn’t just be a squished baby skull! He’s actually an alien that crashed into an abandoned cucumber field where a deceased farmer was buried with his last crop. Nearly vaporized, the alien oozed like a giant ameba on pseudopods out of his crashed saucer — yup, classic old school saucer — and fashioned a body from the farmer’s remains and the freakishly giant pickles readily at hand. If you look closely, you can still see some of his alien DNA present in his right leg. What do you think his personality is like? “PickleBaby - Albino
They like the art and music of our 42 | Clutter 25
Cyclops,” 2012
thoroughly perplexed by humanity, who routinely find their shape anatomically suggestive. Most importantly, even though by intergalactic standards any inhabited planet that makes war on its own populous for reasons of race, creed, color, or orientation is consider sadly and woefully ignorant to the point of being irrevocably quarantined and avoided at all costs, PickleBabys seems to be in no great hurry to leave. It’s good that they’re in no hurry to leave, since — in 2013 — you debuted the soft vinyl version of the PickleBaby. Why did you decide to make the leap from resin to vinyl with this character? And why opt to self-produce it instead of finding a company to release it? Well, it sorta seemed to be ‘coming full circle’ to me. I had already been customizing art toys and vinyl figures for quite some time, and I wanted a “mascot sized” piece of vinyl all my own that I could do whatever I wanted to with, whenever I wanted; a sofubi piece that fell between modern — dare I say Western — urban art toys and classic kaiju, even though PickleBaby isn’t a GIANT monster, like Godzilla or Gamera. Hell, he’s only about 8” tall with a 7” arm span! PickleBaby was something I could invite my friends and other artists to lay their own vision and style on. I
love “unauthorized” collaborations, so I wanted to give people an open invitation to participate and paint blanks. Buy a PickleBaby and fuck it up to your heart’s content!
“PickleBaby - Bruce,” 2012
I heard rumor that you might do other heads for the PickleBaby in the future… Oh yes! Originally I had wanted to do a bunch of different heads, with various combinations of organic vegetable/fruit matter, and I may still do so. I’ve had a pumpkin design forever! It is ALWAYS Halloween inside my head and, besides my own fucked up vision of Batman, that holiday is my favorite theme by far! I don’t know if I’d still call them PickleBaby figures, though… Might have to go with PumpkinBaby. And I could do different types of pickles too. Always wanted to use Gherkin. Did you know there are Mexican Gherkins, aka Watermelon Gherkins?!? Lil’ baby mini cucumbers that look like teeny tiny watermelons! I could always just make shit up like Polish Kale and have it be a banana or something. Anyhow, PickleBabys are just now getting around to their “invasion” plans. Speaking of invasions, you have a PickleBaby themed gallery show coming up… What was the genesis of that? Well, we’ve got quite a few pieces/ releases out there — including dozens of resin one-offs, a blue resin run for Dragatomi, and various vinyl versions — but, with these PickleBabys being rather shy, I figure we needed a good way to introduce them to the wider world. Not to mention I’ve always advocated people picking up a brush, or [other] tool of choice, and getting involved in the customizing scene. After a conversation with the most excellent Robs [Lumino & Losito] of SubUrban Vinyl, they were kind enough to help organize a landing party in [New] Jersey! Who are the artists that will be in the show? Even though we’ve already sent out the initial advertising, I can’t help myself and I continue to squeeze people in. I know Mikie Graham was just added to the roster, and I believe there may be a few more as well… I never mind seeing the “And more artists to be announced”
statement on a gallery show’s collateral. Anyway, the current list is — in no particular order — Mikie Graham, JC Rivera, Josh Herbolsheimer, Betso, Daniel Talone, Paul Kaiju, Jason Limon, Carson Catlin, Brent Nolasco, John Grayson, PJ Constable, Scott Tolleson, Jay222, Bwana Spoons, Tim Lee, Mechavirus, Scott Wilkowski,Yosiell Lorenzo, Flat Bonnie, Bob Conge, Lou Pimentel, Josh Kimberg, Matt Walker, Nathan Hamill, Joe Scarano, Task One, Spanky Stokes, Southerndrawl, valleyDweller, Eric Broers, Daniel Fleres, DrilOne, Nebulon5, and, of course, me. (Laughs) Who selected the artists that’ll be involved?
eclectic group of artists, and I, of course, wanted to pepper the list with friends and artists I wanted to see put their mark on the PickleBaby. However the only real downside to sofubi is the difficulty in securing product, both in the expense and the time to have it manufactured, but this gave us the opportunity to open up the show to bunch of artists of different mediums and I couldn’t be happier about that! There are so many amazing artists that have nothing to do with vinyl figures and I’m just as excited to see what those folks, left to their own devices, will do with the concept of the PickleBaby! I’m hoping we see all kinds of iterations, distortions, and just plain “wacky shit” takes on the PickleBaby!
The Robs and I did. It was “group decision.” Suburban Vinyl has a history of working with a talented and diversely
For more information on Leecifer, please visit: www.instagram.com/leecifer1 Clutter 25 | 43
Nick Curtis
Located in Bath, England, A Large Evil Corporation — lovingly known as Evil Corp — “predominantly work[s] for the advertising industry, generating high quality character animation.” Steering clear of the hyper real direction their industry has turned towards, Evil Corp strive to develop new styles, ones that embody their desire for “a bit of grit, charm, and humor.” In the course of their experimental animation explorations, Evil Corp happened upon the concept of designing figures based on classic films and television shows, masterfully rendered in their unique vision. Tackling a diverse range that encompassed everything from Evil Dead and Blade Runner to The Night of the Hunter and The Shining, the immediate
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reaction from everyone alike was: “Where can I buy those vinyl figures?” Inspired by this excitement, Evil Corp began “looking for high quality manufacturers, and investigating how to acquire the licenses to produce them.” Quickly understanding the exorbitant cost of producing and licensing everything, it was fortuitous that Funko stepped forth and opted to partner with Evil Corp on making the pieces a reality. Being manufactured under the new Vinyl Idolz series name, we were fortunate enough to learn more about these upcoming pieces by talking to Seth Watkins, the Creative Director and Co-Founder of Evil Corp, and Ben Butcher, the Vice President of Creative for Funko. “Ed & Shaun,” 2014
“Ash,” 2014
“Igor, Dr. Frankenstein & The Monster,” 2014
Where did the designs for the Vinyl Idolz line come from? What prompted them originally? Seth Watkins: The original designs that started the whole thing off came about as I was trying to find a fresh, simple style of character that could be animated in a stylised way. As it developed, I wanted to explore how easy it would be to generate new characters and bring variation whilst staying ‘on style.’ After coming up with a few of my own characters, I thought it would be fun to choose some popular characters from TV and film to see how much recognition could be retained whilst staying within the limits of the style. The first characters I fully modelled up were Shaun and Ed from Shaun of the Dead and I thought
I’d tweet them to Edgar Wright, as I’d seen a fair bit of Cornetto Trilogy fan art and I thought he’d get a kick out of them. He loved them and the response from the public pushed me on [to] model more characters from popular culture and use Twitter as a conduit to show them. So the response to the designs was very favorable immediately? Watkins: The response to the figures was amazing. And people kept asking, “Where can I get them?!” Ben Butcher: (Laughs) One of our artists saw your [Evil Corp] blog, sent it around [the office], and we all had the same reaction, “How do I buy these?”
Watkins: So we began to look into toy production, a field we knew nothing about, and very quickly we realised it was going to be very difficult and expensive to realise these characters as toys. We looked into crowd funding and Kickstarter, which all looked perfectly feasible. It was when we began reaching out to the production companies and studios who owned the rights to the characters that we realised getting the license to produce these toys was going to be the sticking point. Then one morning, out of the blue, an email popped up in the inbox from Brian Mariotti, CEO of Funko… Butcher: Brian loved the designs, so he’d reached out to Evil Corp to see if they [already] had a partner to help them realize these amazing figures. And, when they didn’t, he expressed our interest in partnering with them. Watkins: And Vinyl Idolz began to become a reality. So, Ben, what was your reaction when you first saw the concept designs for the Vinyl Idolz line?
Ghostbusters: Dr. Egon Spengler, Dr. Peter Venkman & Dr. Raymond “Ray” Stantz, forthcoming
Butcher: I loved them immediately. Seth’s designs were so charming and had so much character to them. Caricature is a very difficult thing to do and to be able to caricature in such a stylized way and retain so much of the original personality of each of these characters is amazing. When you look at them you immediately know who these characters are, and you are also hit Clutter 25 | 49
with how appealing they are. That combination is truly special. Do both of you have any favorite designs from the ones posted online? Which ones are you most excited to finally hold in your hands? Watkins: Hmmm… that’s tricky. When I started I ONLY made characters I really like, so there are plenty I’d love to see sitting on my shelf. Some of the British comedy characters are among my favorites: Donald and Davey Stott [from Vic Reeves Big Night Out], Tubbs and Edward [from The League of Gentlemen], Father Ted [from the eponymous sitcom]. I love The Shining characters — Shelley Duvalle[‘s Wendy Torrance] always gets a laugh — but I think Shaun and Ed are my favorites, ‘cause they got the whole thing started and I am infinitely grateful to Edgar Wright for championing them from the start. Butcher: Seinfeld, Young Frankenstein, and American Werewolf in London.
Primarily because I have loved these three properties for such a long time and never had an opportunity to have products of any kind, let alone figures that capture the essence so well.
Back to the Future: Marty McFly & Doc Brown, forthcoming
Will we be seeing Vinyl Idolz designs that have already been shared online make the conversion to toy life? or will the produced line be different pieces from what Evil Corp had posted concepts for? Butcher: A little of both. Watkins: I’ve posted over a hundred characters on Twitter and some of them will definitely feature in the Vinyl Idolz line up. Butcher: Like everyone who follows the Evil Corp blog, we have fallen in love with the designs Seth’s already realized. We definitely want to try and produce as many of those as possible… Watkins: Well, some designs almost
certainly won’t [be produced] as they are so obscure that I suspect we’d only manage to sell three [copies] of each. But I’ve been working closely with Funko to create a whole swathe of new designs for the line. Speaking of new designs, will the deal with Funko be restricted to licensed characters, or will you be producing wholly original designs as well? Watkins: Certainly to start we will be working with existing licenses, because there are so many fantastic ones to do and people seem to get a real kick out of seeing their favourite characters distilled into a small plastic gonk… I know I do! Butcher: Right now our combined lists of licensed characters are so large that it will take us awhile to satisfy all of our secret desires. If we come up with something that is equally powerful but is non-licensed, I am sure we would be open to trying that as well. What can you tell us about the production pieces? Watkins: They will be 8” figures, with a bit of variation based on the height of the character. Butcher: Yea, they’ll average about 8-10” depending on the character. The figures are non-articulated and they will all be packaged individually in their own window box. The painting and final look should look as close to the original renderings on the blog. The goal is to match what we all fell in love with from the beginning.
(clockwise) The Walking Dead: Rick Grimes, Say Anything: Lloyd Dobler, Napoleon Dynamite: Napoleon Dynamite, Dodgeball: White Goodman, and Hot Fuzz: Danny Butterman & Nicholas Angel, all forthcoming
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For more information on A Large Evil Corporation, please visit: www.evilcorp.tv