LIKE TOYS, LOVE CLUTTER
CLUTTERMAGAZINE.COM
ISSUE 35
FEB 2016
FREE
AMANDA VISELL SNATCHPUNCH • FRANK MONTANO SEYMOUR • ODDFAUNA
LIKE TOYS, LOVE CLUTTER
CLUTTERMAGAZINE.COM
ISSUE 35
FEB 2016
35
FREE
AMANDA VISELL SNATCHPUNCH • FRANK MONTANO SEYMOUR • ODDFAUNA
AMANDA VISELL 24 Whimsically Woesome Article by Nick Curtis On The Cover Scaredy Labbit by Amanda Visell, Frank Kozik & Kidrobot, 2016
SNATCHPUNCH
10
Tats for Tits Article by Nick Curtis
ODDFAUNA Surreal Biology Article by Marc DeAngelis
FRANK MONTANO
16
BlizzardBeasts & DiamondTroopers Article by Nick Curtis
36
SEYMOUR
42
Raise High the Roof Beam, Sculptors Article by Nick Curtis Clutter 35 | 7
TEAM Miranda O’Brien Editor-in-Chief
Nick Carroll Art Director
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Matt Dorcas Advertising Sales matt@cluttermagazine.com
Josh Kimberg Managing Editor
Jason Ryule Technical Coordinator
Marc DeAngelis Contributing Writer
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8 | Clutter 35
TATS FOR TITS BY NICK CURTIS
PHOTOS BY: PAUL COPELAND, TOMMY QUINONES, BRIAN MAHONEY, DAN OROSCO, MIKE PALFY & JOE TRUCK
“D-Lux × Snatchpunch - Tit-Tot,” 2016
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middle and high school and, at that time, the 1980s, I was heavily involved in NYC’s punk scene, so I gravitated towards fabulous sickos like Mike Diana, Savage Pencil, Screaming Mad George, and stuff like that. Also was HEAVILY drawn to Japan’s underground art scene, which has always been ESPECIALLY twisted. Since I know you’re a tattoo artist, can you let us know your background in that artistic field, man? I started tattooing around 1992 and opened my first studio on the Lower East Side in 1994. I currently own Magic Cobra Tattoo Society in Brooklyn, NY, and Ace of Hearts Tattoo in Long Beach, CA.
A tattoo artist’s career centers on the flesh, turning “virgin skin” into permanent works of art. As such, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that tattooer Joe Truck’s designer toy creations were revelations of mottled, textured flesh cast in Japanese vinyl. Using the brand name Snatchpunch Creature Cartel, or just Snatchpunch for short, Truck unleashed his first psycho-sexual monstrosity in late 2014. Quickly finding a following for his creation, Truck has already released a second figure with a third on the way. But where did Truck’s designer toy career start…
Let’s start with the eternal question: what’s your art background?
“Nebulon5 × Snatchpunch - Tit-Tot,” 2016
Well, I have always drawn. I have pictures of mine starting as early as three years old. I was born and raised in New York City, Greenwich Village to be exact. I had a very strange childhood, so art was always my sanctuary, that and music. I would put on a record and just draw for hours. At some point, as a child in the ’60s, I discovered the Mad, Cracked, and Famous Monsters of Filmland magazines and that began my obsession with lowbrow and horror-related stuff. I was also watching low-budget horror flicks on channels 5, 9, and 11. If you’re a New Yorker older than forty, you know what I’m talking about. Around that time I became obsessed with artists like Ed Roth, [Robert] Crumb, Robert Williams, Basil Wolverton, and a host of others. Also began buying adult underground comics which led to my love of S. Clay Wilson, Spain [Rodriguez], et al. I continued drawing and painting throughout
Most notably I am known for being one of the pioneers of what we now call “traditional [American] tattooing.” I also opened the first “legal” storefront shop in 1997 called Alphabet City Tattoo. At that point there were only about forty or so of us full-time tattooers in New York, imagine that!!! What was your first experience with designer toys? Did you immediately know you wanted to make one? No, I started as a collector. I had been collecting vintage U.S. and Japanese toys for a long time but a lot had been lost in moves and things like that. Through that background, I literally stumbled onto toymakers like Real X Head, Paulkaiju, and Mutant Vinyl Hardcore. I flipped out and started collecting and after a year or two decided it would be awesome if I could actually CREATE my own toy. Did you find the translating your skill from being tattooer into those of a toy designer difficult? Or did the two mesh well for you? Not difficult at all, to tell you the truth. The hard part was getting my foot in the sofubi door. I am a true lover of Japanese culture and toys so I knew that was where I wanted my toys made. Being a tattooer of 25 years was great fodder for toy ideas. I have always tattooed my own monsters on people so I had a large mental reference file to tap when I started drawing for my first toy. Your designs seem to incorporate Clutter 35 | 13
sexual organs in the least sexy possible ways… Do you think there’s a reason you’re attracted to depicting them that way? That’s just my mind. My influences have always been disgusting, dark, and sexual. When I came up with Bostyrant there were no hideously ugly, hermaphroditic, multi-breasted sofubi figures out there, now there are… Go figure! It’s the ‘60s underground comic influence in me, can’t control myself. I can totally see the ‘60s comix influence on your style, but I also get an ‘80s and even ‘90s horror film vibe… I’m especially thinking of Peter Jackson’s early films, like Bad Taste and Dead Alive (aka Braindead). Or am I completely on the wrong track? YES!! You COMPLETELY understand my aesthetic!!! If you combined all those influences and add films like Basket Case, Troma flix, and Japanese gore, you got me. I literally spent 30 years of my life with my nose in comics and in dirty movie theaters digging up the most obscure crud I could find. Still do. Moving on to the actual toys, the Bostyrant was your first figure. How did it all come about? I was drawing specifically for my first toy, Bostyrant, and at the same time trying to get in contact with anyone who could help me with manufacturing it a sofubi figure.
Sherbert Bostyrant, 2015
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“D-Lux × Snatchpunch - Tit-Tot,” 2016
At that time, that particular door was extremely hard to open. As I continued to draw and make friends in the toy community, I met Paul Bas [Monster Island] and we became buddies. Once Paul realized I was serious, he looked at my drawings and started critiquing them. Once he and I agreed the drawing was quality enough, he introduced me to Kevin [Kusulas, aka Grizlli Atom] who agreed to do the sculpt for me. The introduction to Ricky [Wilson, aka Velocitron] was made and Bostyrant became a reality. I can’t say enough about Griz… he really became my mentor in the sofubi world, great dude. You jumped right into vinyl production, instead of playing with resin versions… Why make this expensive leap?
I’m a very definite and impulsive person. I create very fast, be it art, music, whatever. So when I realized the best toys were being made in Japan and found out the difference between sofubi and “normal” vinyl toys, it was a no-brainer for me. Up until recently you’d never painted your own figures, right? How have you found the challenge of hand-painting them? I found it as hard or easy as any other artistic endeavor I have tried. It was actually using the airbrush that was the hardest thing. Once I got used to using the tool, the application of the paint was easier. I am used to complimentary color combinations, fades, etc. I was a graffiti artist in the 1970s and I’m a tattooer, both are a great background for airbrushing.
“Nebulon5 × Snatchpunch - Medicom Bostyrant,” 2015
“Paulkaiju × Snatchpunch - Tit-Tot,” 2015
So the Giantyrant was your first sculpting excursion! Did it come out exactly as you envisioned it? Is it a larger version of the Bostyrant? Yes, the Giantyrant is my first 100% Snatchpunch sculpt. He kind of evolved into something a bit different than I originally envisioned. His articulations are simplified, more like a 1960s toy. He is kind of like a larger “cousin” to Bostyrant, a much larger relative if you will. His head is HUGE!!! What else can we expect from you in 2016? Well, as far as toys go, we will have a few more Bostyrant small runs, same with Tit-Tot, then the Giantyrant drops in early 2016. I am already on my next sculpt for a zombie I call Gokoichi. He’s reminiscent of my love of Lucio Fulci and George Romero, with my usual insane twist.
“Paulkaiju × Snatchpunch - Tit-Tot,” 2015
Your new figure is Tit-Tot, but where did the design for the Tit-Tot come from? I’m particularly fascinated by the fact that while the arms articulate, the don’t fully rotate but more spin in place… I drew Tit-Tot immediately after Bostyrant and decided it would be my next figure. If you saw the picture, you’d see that the sculpt is about 90% of what I drew. Griz and I went back and forth regarding the rear end, sexual organs etc. When it came to the arms he asked me how I wanted them and I said exactly like the drawing, just sticking out and spinning in place. I was going to have the brain spin too, but it ended up not seeming necessary. I understand you are shifting to
sculpting yourself. Why opt to handle the sculpting instead of partnering with Grizlli again? I was there for the beginning parts of the Tit-Tots sculpt and I micromanaged it, going back and forth with Griz every step of the way. He came out to L.A. for a trip and he had just started the sculpt. I told him that I wanted to do my own sculpts and paints from now on, so being the good friend he is, we set up at Gino [Joukar, owner of Toy Art Gallery]’s beautiful house and he gave me a crash course in sculpting and airbrush. Both those guys have been super supportive since day one. My next figure, Giantyrant, is in production in Japan as we speak and it is 100% my sculpt.
I’m also very excited to have a really sicko four-way fanzine coming out, in collaboration with my great friends Izumonster [aka Izumo Irezumi], Go Scumboy [aka Saashita Go], and Acid Ma… if you don’t know the latter two, look them up on social media. The zine will be a total throwback to the really messed up ’60s and ’70s lowbrow gore art with a lot of tattoo flash influence. Stoked on that. Otherwise, continuing to put out more sofubi kaiju, opening another tattoo shop here in Long Beach, staying weird, and being a dad.
For more information on Snatchpunch, please visit: instagram.com/snatchpunch Clutter 35 | 15
“BlizzardFeast,” 2014
BY NICK CURTIS
If you are a custom collector than the name Frank Montano is probably not unknown to you. Underneath his superior sculpts and precise paints, Montano isn’t merely creating handmade designer toys… he’s crafting a world of his own devising. Populated by BlizzardBeasts and DiamondTroopers, fans have had to piece together insights into the world of Feast from every new piece, that is until now… Until Montano explained everything and it’s place in his universe. 18 | Clutter 35
“DiamondTrooper” (unique colors), 2015
I get the impression that there is a rather detailed back story for your BlizzardBeast and DiamondTrooper characters. So, what is it? The BlizzardBeast, or yeti, is a mythical character who possesses spiritual abilities such as shapeshifting, manipulation, healing powers, etc. The BlizzardBeasts are in search for harmony. Within the advanced operation of Feast, the DiamondTroopers are elite hunters and scavengers. Destroying each Beast for their resources. Body fluids from the Beast’s provide fuel sources for weapons and machinery. The skull of the Beast provides protection for the Troopers, but only by removing the fangs — to release any spiritual presence — can a Trooper prevent being cursed. It’s a play on good versus evil, a fight over resources and riches, namely diamonds. What does a DiamondTrooper who hasn’t killed a BlizzardBeast, thus doesn’t wear one of their skull’s for a helmet, look like? I think all your customs have included the skull, right?
Yes. Being a member of Feast, they are always sent out on the hunt with protection, however — If you were to catch a trooper without one — underneath you’d find a pissed off dude. Here’s a sketch of what the Troopers look like:
Yes, well, I’m a huge fan of anything zombie related, so I thought, “what would happen if I turn a bunch of BlizzardBeasts into the living dead.” The idea was to send out the DiamondTroopers to capture these Beasts and bring them back to their HQ, then they would create an army of BlizzardBeast soldiers by injecting them with a trance-like serum “Liquid Crystal” to fight alongside, but that didn’t go so well. This is a really well thought out back story! Where did it come from?
What does the tiny crown on the BlizzardBeast signify? I’m assuming that you have a reason for it being there… The crowns that some Beast’s wear symbolize superiority, after all, it is their land they’re trying to protect. I will tell you this, there is only one DiamondTrooper out there who happens to possess a crown. I’d hate to be that guy… What’s the story behind your ZomBeast troopers? Zombie BlizzardBeasts, I assume…
The story has just started to take form recently. I started out creating portraits of the BlizzardBeast, really taking the time polishing the look I wanted. If you notice, he always looks grumpy and mad, like a lot of people in this world. Countless hours went into making this creature look angry. I then started to dissect him and dig deeper, giving him a skeleton structure. That led to creating the DiamondTrooper, a purpose to really piss him off. (Laughs) Are there other creations of yours within this shared universe? There are a few new characters I have Clutter 35 | 19
yet to reveal, such as a K-9 unit from Feast. A sidekick may be in the works for the BlizzardBeast, some new weapons, gadgets, and machinery. These are all possibilities to be revealed in 2D and in 3D toy form. Speaking of new possibilities, you just offered out an original resin figure rendition of the DiamondTrooper. Why make the shift from customs to original figures? Yes, I just recently released an edition of ten preorders for January 2016, along with a release of five figures at DesignerCon 2015. The move from customs to original sculptures has been a plan for over a year, and finally — after acquiring some casting equipment — I was ready. I wanted to focus on my original work, bringing my 2D sketches to life. After all, customizing other companies work can get a little repetitive at times.
“DiamondTrooper v2 (Red),” 2015
What inspired the look of this piece? It’s immaculate but unlike any of the customs, aside from the skull helmet… I’d say the biggest inspiration behind the character comes from skateboarding. Aside from art, I’m pretty good on a BMX bike and I’m into the skateboarding industry. Two very similar worlds. Like most skaters the Trooper carries around a backpack, rocks slim jeans and a long tee with style and ease. It was a simple go to which happen to work perfectly. Aside from BMX and skateboarding culture, what else influences you and your art?
“BlizzardBeast (Green),” 2015
“BeastWithIN (Green Chase),” 2015
Aside from action sports, I’d have to say Ashley Wood, Coarse, and Huck Gee are a big driving force in my work. I think it’s the fact that I’ve always been fascinated with branding and building an identity from scratch. It has always been the fine detail from accessories, color choices, and linework that really catches my eye.
We should expect to see prototypes mid-2016. It’ll be a 10-inch figure to pair with the 8-inch DiamondTrooper.
So can we expect to see the BlizzardBeast as an original resin figure too?
What else can we expect from you in 2016? Well, 2016 is looking like another good year. I’m planning a few solo shows in the Bay Area. I would like to work with a few folks in the customizing world. I’ve really been anticipating on doing some one-off projects with Quiccs and Nugglife, aka Ian Z[iobrowski]. We have a few ideas in mind that should be really fun. I do have one project I’m pretty excited about with a man we all know, [but] I’ll leave it at that. As far as getting some new projects underway, I really want to focus on some digital artwork. Establishing a website with a gallery of my previous work, some new prints, and to sit down and start a small comic series! So much to do and so little time.
“ZomBeast Trooper,” 2015
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For more information on Frank Montano, please visit: instagram.com/frankmontano
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WHIMSICALLY WOESOME BY NICK CURTIS
Chop Chop, 2014
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Scaredy Labbit, 2016
BEING A DEVOUT VEGETARIAN MAKES IT SEEM STRANGE THAT AMANDA VISELL IS FIXATED ON DEPICTING — IN HER ART — AN EAT-OR-BE-EATEN PHILOSOPHY. WITH A WIDE ARRAY OF HER WORLD’S INHABITANTS HAPPILY REVEALING THEIR STOMACHS’ CONTENTS THROUGH A CARTOONISH BUBBLE ON THEIR BELLIES, EVERYTHING FROM CARNIVOROUS GIRAFFES TO BABY-EATING CROCODILES ROAM FREELY. HECK, HERS IS A PLACE WHERE DRAGONS ENLIST INTO THE GIRL SCOUTS AFTER DEVOURING A TROOP MEMBER! FILLED WITH FANTASTICAL ADVENTURES, MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURES, AND SURREAL HIJINKS, VISELL’S WORK JUST CELEBRATED A DECADE OF BEING EXHIBITED AND THE ARTIST SHOWS NO SIGN OF SLOWING DOWN. QUITE THE CONTRARY, ACTUALLY…
I’LL BE HONEST, YOU’VE BEEN SUCH A BUSY ARTIST OF LATE THAT I’VE HARDLY BEEN ABLE TO KEEP UP… WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN AVERAGING, A RELEASE A MONTH?
Jeez, I don’t know. Probably more than that. It’s my job and I have no hidden income, so I have to release things fairly consistently. AND YET YOU SOMEHOW CONTINUE TO KEEP YOUR RELEASES FRESH! YOU DO EVERYTHING IN-HOUSE FOR MOST OF THOSE, RIGHT? HAND SCULPTED, CAST, AND PAINTED…
Thanks, poops. Yeah, if you’re
referring to resin figures, we do it all here. Resin is an easy thing for us to do. We can control all aspects of it pretty easily, and the fact that we do it ourselves means we can experiment with what characters we wanna put out. Have more fun with it. Ya know, if we wanna make five gold sparkly donkeys, then we do it. AND IT’S LESS TIME CONSUMING THAN YOUR ORIGINAL WOOD FIGURES. OR, AT LEAST, I WOULD IMAGINE IT IS.
No, wood is super fast for me! Resin involves much more sanding to get mold ready, designing for the mold and designing the mold itself. Every shape is a different issue. Clutter 35 | 27
“Wolf Playground,” 2015
I HEARD A RUMOR YOU’VE BEEN PLAYING AROUND WITH CERAMICS… ARE YOU FINDING IT MORE TIME CONSUMING, LIKE RESIN, OR QUICKER, LIKE WOOD?
THE PARTNERSHIP SOMETHING ELSE?
Is it a rumor if it came from me? Trying to learn about it. Michelle [Valigura] and I have some plans to collaborate on some things. I would never be able to do it on my own. That shit is hard. And so stressful! Her last wave of shit is still in the kiln now, and you don’t really know what’s happening until it’s totally done.
SO YOU’LL BE CREATING YOUR OWN 1/6TH, OR 1/12TH, OR WHATEVER SCALE FIGURES THROUGH 3A?
IT FEELS LIKE THIS YEAR, TO ME, HAS BEGUN A VERY NEW CHAPTER IN YOUR ARTISTIC LIFE. DO YOU FEEL SIMILARLY?
(LAUGHS) YEA, THAT’S PRETTY MUCH THE 3A WORLD. ARE THINGS FAR ALONG IN THE PLANNING PHASE THEN?
(Laughs) That’s the idea. Though everything moves slow, so it’s more like next year. We literally just finished the ceramics studio this week, once the kiln got up and running, [so] now we can really jump into that. I’m also starting a new partnership with Ashley Wood and 3A. We’re still getting into gear with that but should mean a fuck ton of collaborations in the near future.
Ones that are going into production on their end are in [the] beginning stages... I’ve already made my version of Ashley’s Bramble in resin, Bertie is next.
I’D HEARD! CONGRATS! ARE YOU CREATING A LINE FOR 3A OR IS
Oh, I guess so. I’ll be doing something with them again in May in Thailand,
28 | Clutter 35
Ideally, it’s all of those things. I love those guys.
Whatever scale, yes. And playing with their existing world a bit. They can exist together. Some girls, some robots, some guns.
Llama and Toadstool, 2016
THAT’S GREAT. SO THE RECENT ART SHOW IN TOKYO, WHERE YOUR BRAMBLE DEBUTED, WAS LIKE AN INTRODUCTION TO YOU BEING PART OF THE 3A FAMILY?
Mayan Gold Burro y Burrito, 2015
“Surge,” 2015
for whatever the convention is called… I assume it’s like Thailand Toy Expo? THAT’S IT INDEED! WILL YOU POSSIBLY REVISIT SOME OF YOUR OLDER DESIGNS OR CONCEPTS AND TWEAK THEM TO FIT THE 3A UNIVERSE?
What would that [even] be? LIKE CAN WE EXPECT THE GIRAFFAGON OR THE DRAGON SCOUT TO APPEAR?
Oh, maybe. But not as of now. So far it’s new designs. WHILE THIS IS DEFINITELY AN EXCITING COLLABORATION,
YOU’VE ALSO BEEN WORKING WITH COARSE REGULARLY OVER THE LAST YEAR. WILL YOU CONTINUE TO DO SO?
THOUGH I CAN ALSO SEE YOUR STUFF WORKING WITH ASHLEY’S CONCEPTS PERFECTLY TOO.
Well, thanks. We have some thingies in the works now! PLANNING TO CONVERT MORE OF YOUR COLLABORATIONS WITH THEM INTO PRODUCTION PIECES? OR ARE THESE WHOLLY NEW WORKS?
Maybe a little of both. You a big Coarse fan? (LAUGHS) I DO ENJOY THEIR AESTHETIC AND QUALITY. I SEE YOUR WORK AND THEIRS BLENDING RATHER WELL.
YOU MIND IF WE CHANGE GEARS A LITTLE BIT? I’VE GOT A QUESTION I’M CURIOUS ABOUT… YOU’RE A VEGETARIAN, YES?
I am. (Laughs) Though I occasionally eat an oyster. YOU INCORPORATE STOMACHS AND DEVOURING THINGS REGULARLY IN YOUR ART, ESPECIALLY EATING ANIMALS OR BABIES. DOES THIS MEAN ANYTHING SPECIFIC TO YOU SINCE YOU ARE A VEGETARIAN, Clutter 35 | 29
Last Days of Autumn — Frenzy, collaboration with coarse, 2015
SAVE THE OCCASIONAL OYSTER?
No, we all gotta eat. The whole “why would a crocodile eat a baby” thing, to me it seems the most logical. I AM CURIOUS ABOUT YOUR WELL-DOCUMENTED CHICKEN OWNERSHIP… ARE THEY A FOOD SOURCE FOR THEIR EGGS? OR STRICTLY PETS?
Eggs, and fun. They’re great pets. We have eight now. They eat all our kitchen scraps, [at least] the stuff that is good for them, but we don’t get enough chicken shit to properly fertilize the garden. WOW. WHERE DO THEY LIVE? I MEAN DO THEY HAVE A COOP OR SOMETHING SIMILAR?
Right now they’re in two coops, [but] we are building a new one. We have two newer chickens and there’s not really enough room for them. BUILDING A NEW COOP?!? I SWEAR, YOU TWO MUST BE INSANELY BUSY. I DON’T KNOW HOW YOU DO IT.
I don’t know either. Actually, I do. I haven’t left the house in like a week. 30 | Clutter 35
SO YOUR PROPERTY HAS A KILN, TWO CHICKEN COOPS, AND A GARDEN… HOW BIG IS YOUR PLACE? MIND GIVING US AN IMAGINARY TOUR?
MOSTLY FLOWER GARDENS OR VEGETABLE GARDENS? OR A BIT OF BOTH?
It’s almost an acre. We are a block away from the [Angeles] National Forest and twenty minutes from downtown L.A. It’s a pretty magical scenario, though our drought is making it a little worrisome…
It’s a bit more like an orchard. We have olive, avocado, apricot, pomegranate, lime, lemon, orange, tangerine, peach, nectarine, guava, cherry, I think there’s more… We just planted eight native huckleberry bushes that are gonna grow like ten feet high. I’m hoping for pie.
DROUGHTS MUST BE TOUGH ON YOUR GARDENS. DO YOU PLANT
We’re actually trying to convert the property into being at least 50%
Ferals series - Dragon Scout Master, 2015
“Bramble Driver,” 2015
native plants. It’s a lot of work. I don’t go to the gym.
DO TO RELAX? IT CAN’T BE WORK ALL THE TIME…
ANY PARTICULAR REASON FOR THE CONVERSION TO NATIVE PLANTS? I MEAN, IT SOUNDS MORE NATURAL, BUT I’M SURE THERE ARE BENEFITS…
It actually is. Remember, I haven’t left the house.
Yeah, water is the biggest advantage. If you plant the plants that are supposed to be here, you don’t really need to supplement them with water, drought being an exception. But, also, the birds and bugs that live here actually need the native plants that they’ve evolved to eat and live on. SOUNDS REALLY BENEFICIAL ALL AROUND. SURPRISING MORE PEOPLE DON’T DO IT…
Yeah, no shit. I can go on and on about this. It’s pretty boring. (LAUGHS) FAIR ENOUGH. WITH ALL THIS WORK YOU’RE DOING - BOTH ART AND HOME-BASED - WHAT DO YOU AND MICHELLE
BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT IT IS LIKE WHEN YOU’RE A FULL-TIME ARTIST… IT’S NOT AS EASY AS PEOPLE THINK.
Yeah, any gig-based work, it’s all about the hustle. WE’VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE, SO I KNOW YOU’VE GOT A GOOD SPIEL IN HERE… AND YOU ARE THE MASTER — ER, MISTRESS? — OF THE HUSTLE.
Ferals series - Bah Boon, 2015
Naw, if I was [then] it would be effortless! YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’VE GOTTEN A LOT OF YOUR BREAKS BY JUST NEVER TAKING “NO” FOR AN ANSWER, RIGHT?
I mostly get “no” for an answer. I think I’ve just built my world to make
Ferals series - Fox in the Hen House, 2015
Clutter 35 | 31
WORKED TOGETHER FOR A LONG TIME, RIGHT?
Yeah. He was just here chain smoking, and I looked at the ashtray and there’s like ten cigarettes that he took one puff of then put out. Need to get to the bottom of that. (LAUGHS) WAS FRANK BEING NAMED CREATIVE DIRECTOR ONE OF THE REASONS FOR YOUR RETURN TO KIDROBOT?
I think my return made Frank [into] Creative Director! Just kidding! Yes, I think in that revolving door of an office he’s the only one I know there! I’ve worked with Frank before, with Kidrobot and with Switcheroo. He’s no nonsense and he knows what’s up.
Juniper the dog overseeing the assembly of the Burro y Burrito figures, 2015
that irrelevant. Resin figures are a great example. HOW SO?
There’s no one telling me what I can and can’t do. I have the internet, I have muscle. I make whatever I want. That’s scary in a lot of ways, because no one is paying me, it’s all risk and effort. I think it makes me a better artist, though. I’m certainly not complacent. I HATE BRINGING IT UP, BUT I FEEL IT’S IMPORTANT… DO YOU THINK BEING A WOMAN ARTIST IS MORE DIFFICULT THAN A MALE ARTIST? THAT IS TO SAY, ARE YOU CONSTANTLY FIGHTING AGAINST SEXISM AND SEXIST OPINIONS?
[and] I don’t think he gets called a bitch. While Ashley paints lots of sexy time activities, I haven’t seen anyone ask him if he was painting himself in those positions. Mostly, though, I have been pleasantly surprised with how many awesome people I’ve met all over the world that could not be nicer. THAT’S GREAT TO HEAR. YOU MENTIONED FRANK BEING A PUSSYCAT… YOU AND HE HAVE KNOWN EACH OTHER AND
Yup. For me, there’s the battle in my own head. Ya know, trying to stay assertive and aggressive for what I want, or just trying to have the confidence to paint something. Being a girl, those issues are something we deal with a whole lot more. I don’t think they really go away from how we get brainwashed when we’re little. There’s also how shit exists around us, how people relate to us. People think Frank [Kozik] is scary or intimidating, [but] he’s a pussycat, 32 | Clutter 35
“Mountain Lion Fan Club,” 2015
SO IN ADDITION TO THE 3A AND COARSE PROJECTS, ARE YOU PLANNING MORE WORK WITH KIDROBOT TOO?
I have a few things already designed that should be coming out soonish. THE SCAREDY LABBIT SHOULD BE OUT JUST AS THIS INTERVIEW GOES TO PRINT!
And [then the] Buck Wethers 8-inch Dunny… NICE! SO THE DUNNY IS A REVISIT OF THE FERALS CHARACTER?
Buck Wethers is from the 8-inch Dunny pile I made for Kidrobot years ago.
HOW ABOUT SCAREDY LABBIT? ALSO FROM AN OLD SUBMISSION?
OH, IT’S A POSSESSION THING. INTERESTING.
Oh, that pile wasn’t intended for production, it was for an exhibition in Toronto when that place existed. Scaredy Labbit is new.
Like [in] old Disney cartoons, ghosts would jump into you. So scary.
I’M ACTUALLY CURIOUS ABOUT YOUR SCAREDY THEME, WHICH YOU’VE USED A COUPLE OF TIMES RECENTLY. DO YOU THINK IT STEMS FROM ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR?
I REMEMBER THOSE! YOU USED TO WORK IN ANIMATION, RIGHT? DO YOU FIND IT TAUGHT YOU IMPORTANT THINGS FOR THE TOY ARTIST LIFESTYLE?
Have I?
I worked in stop motion animation as a sculptor and fabricator. My employers replaced a toilet and stored the [old] used one in my work area.
SCAREDY CAT AND SCAREDY LABBIT.
PARDON THE PUN, BUT THAT SOUNDS LIKE A SHITTY JOB.
Oh, the cat. Just trying to squeeze in some personality into those shapes. I think terror works on them.
It was a shitty job. People like it, I don’t really get why. I think of the toy artist lifestyle like having a day job. The peeps that I know that make toys for a living are supplementing in other ways. At the very least, it’s art shows that’re really paying the bills.
I LIKE HOW THEY LOOK SCARED, BUT SEEM TO BE DEVOURING THE SOURCE OF THEIR FEAR.
I think it’s more like ghosts took advantage of the screams and jumped in to try you on!
EVEN YOU SUPPLEMENT IT WITH ART SHOWS AND WHATNOT…
It’s a guess, but I bet only about
5% of peeps making these toys are actually supporting themselves with their art. I know a whole lotta people that get support from other places. HAVE YOU EVER PERSONALLY THOUGHT ABOUT TRYING TO LICENSE YOUR CHARACTERS TO GENERATE INCOME? I COULD SEE YOUR DESIGNS BEING AN AMAZING ANIMATED FILM OR TV SERIES…
Yeah, tried pitching for a long time. My experience is that’s working for free and I do not have that kinda time. Animation doesn’t like me so much. ANIMATION IS SILLY FOR HAVING THAT ATTITUDE THEN.
(Laughs) No, I’m trouble. They may be right. That’s part of the “hearing ‘no’ a lot” conversation. THE ONE WHERE YOU HEAR IT, IGNORE IT, MAKE IT HAPPEN? ASSUMING IT’S WORTH MAKING HAPPEN…
Last Days of Winter - Temptation, collaboration with coarse, 2015
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Oh, I can’t make EVERYTHING happen. I just try to control how little a “yes” or “no” from someone else has anything to do with how I work. Generally, I don’t like other people’s opinion as much as my own. EXCEPT MICHELLE’S, I’D WAGER.
(Laughs) ANYONE ELSE WHO’S OPINION REALLY MATTERS TO YOU?
Our dog Juniper loves me so much, God knows why. If she was somehow disappointed in me, I would lose my marbles. I do let her eat anything she wants and as much of it as she wants… AH, BRIBERY.
Our other dogs, George and Manly, they could take me or leave me. Once I accidentally locked June in the bathroom, still has total confidence in me. DOGS, CHICKENS, ANY OTHER PETS?
We fostered a squirrel. She grew up and lives somewhere on the property, but she’s wild now. We also fostered a baby duck, [and] that’s how we ended up with two more chickens. She was so upset, [but] as soon as she had other babies around she thrived. When she got old enough, she started doing test flights but [still] lived in the coop. She took off one night to join the migration. They leave at night to use the stars as a guide. Isn’t that nuts?! WOW… SO TAKING CARE OF ANIMALS, GROWING GARDENS, BUILDING STRUCTURES, MAKING RESIN, LEARNING CERAMICS, ANYTHING YOU DON’T DO?
I don’t leave this place.
For more information on Amanda Visell, please visit: www.amandavisell.com 34 | Clutter 35
Knuckle Dragging Bertie Driver, 2016
SURREAL BIOLOGY: HOW EMMA SANCARTIER CREATED HER OWN ECOSYSTEM WITH ODDFAUNA BY MARC DEANGELIS
Cozy Den, 2015
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Terra Beast, 2015
It’s easy to get distracted at New York Comic Con, so when you’re trying to snap photos, amass blog post ideas, and meet up with artists, you have to be in the zone. A few years ago, I was storming through The Block area of NYCC, on my way to photograph an artist signing, very much in said zone. Was my lens clean? Did I have enough room on my memory card for 100 more photos? Had I taken enough vitamins to ward off the nerd flu? I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. My brain told my feet to stop, but it took them a few seconds to snap out of the zone. After walking past the booth, I screeched to a halt, stepped a few paces backwards in a pseudo-moonwalk, and actually took a second to absorb what I had seen: a menagerie of resin and watercolor creatures, some firmly based in reality, others modified with a heavy dose of fanciful, almost Seussian imagination. These sculptures and paintings clearly belonged alongside the other art toys at NYCC, but they also wouldn’t be out of place in an offbeat boutique deep in New England or the Pacific Northwest. Between the breadth of work and the painstaking attention to detail, I was absolutely intrigued by Emma Sancartier’s world of OddFauna and had to learn more. Clutter Magazine finally sits down with the Canadian transplant to Seattle to learn about her process and the origins of her unique imagination. As your world’s name implies, most of your characters are based on animals or are original creations inspired by real animals. Where did your love of animals come from? Are animals and pets a big part of your life? Animals have always been a slight obsession of mine. Growing up, I was always surrounded by nature and wildlife. Most waking hours were spent playing in the forest beside my house. I would read books about animals and would make up my own worlds, sculpting little critters out of Fimo. My dad thinks it’s hilarious that I’m basically still doing what I liked to do when I was 8. We had a dog and a cat growing up, but I always dreamed of having a whole menagerie of pets.
No menagerie for adult me, but my husband and I have a dog who’s a little wild, and we go adventuring together. It looks like you handle the vast majority of the work yourself: designing, sculpting, painting, etc. Where and how did you develop all these skills? A lot of people in the industry only handle one of these steps of the production process. My only formal training is in illustration, but I’ve always loved working in different mediums. I’ve experimented over the years in a wide range of materials, ranging from metal working to ceramics to casting in resin. Out of school, watercolor was my focus, but I wanted to bring some
of my 2D characters to life. I’d done plenty of one-of-a-kind sculptures in different mediums but wanted to learn how to make multiples. Several years ago a friend showed me how to make a simple mold of one of my small sculptures and from then I was hooked! At that point, the idea of getting someone else to create toys of my characters never even occurred to me. I liked the challenge of learning a new medium, and sculpting just became another creative outlet. I watched lots of YouTube videos on casting and mold making and went through lots of trial and error with different materials and techniques. There’s so much accessible information out there right now, you can learn how to make pretty much anything! Clutter 35 | 39
I’ve been wanting to explore this world that I’ve been creating a little more, so I decided to start a weekly comic called The Hatchling. I’ve been making mini-comics over the years but wasn’t sure what to do to build up the story. I really didn’t want talking creatures, so I thought it would be fun to add a human character who could talk. It’s about this little girl-beast that hatches out of an egg to the surprise of her new bird mom. I have plans for some bigger overarching story, but right now it’s just a bunch of goofy random ideas that make me laugh. A lot of your paintings use watercolors. What draws you to that medium? Logur Water Creature - Jade, 2014
I’ve also teamed up with a few mold makers to help me cast some of the bigger resin sculptures, but I still feel the need to sculpt the originals and hand paint each one. I still do the bulk of the casting and mold making myself, but this past year was so busy I got a little burnt out, so I think I’ll probably hire an assistant to help lighten the workload. You’ve had multiple success stories with Kickstarter. What does it take to run a successful Kickstarter campaign? OddFauna’s Little Book of Beasts is a little bestiary which got made using Kickstarter. I really wanted to self-publish a collection of some of the creature illustrations I’ve done over the past several years. I chose Kickstarter mainly to see if the interest was there and use it as a way for people to basically pre-order a book. I also really wanted to work with a good printer to ensure a quality product I’d be proud of. If I had to pay for it on my own I would have had to do a lower number print run and would have had to cut some corners on the quality and page count. It ended up being a really great experience and because we raised more than we needed, I was able to add some embellishments to make it extra special. I did a previous Kickstarter a few years before the book for my resin Ovok sculpture. That campaign was successful but was way more work for me in the end. I think that I learned 40 | Clutter 35
a lot from it which made the book go a little more smoothly. Some of the rewards that I offered for Ovok were a little ambitious and I ended up hand painting way more custom sculptures than I had anticipated, but it all worked out in the end. Most of your sequential art features a little girl. Who is the inspiration behind the character? Is that little you? (Laughs) Well, she’s not exactly a little me; she’s her own character but she is loosely inspired by a combination of me and my two sisters when we were little. There’s also a bit of my wild nieces in there.
Little Sproutlings, 2013
I love working in watercolor, even though it’s not the most forgiving medium. It’s so satisfying when you get a line just right, or when the color bleeds and melds together in that perfect way. It’s a nice fast medium, and I like that you can bring your supplies and pretty much paint anywhere. You’ve customized a few vinyl and resin platforms. Any interest in doing more work in that vein? I’ve loved doing customs for other artists! I’ve had lots of fun trying to come up with unique ideas for each sculpture. The few that I’ve painted have been created by really talented artists that I know, so there’s a little pressure to do the piece justice and
make something really beautiful. I also love seeing what other artists create using the same platform. I would definitely be open to doing more collaborations! Do you design your creatures while keeping in mind that you may want to turn them into a sculpture later on? Or do you pick which designs would be most conducive to sculpt after they’ve been put to paper? When I’m working on a painting, I’m not usually thinking about how a character will translate into a sculpture, I’m just focusing on how it looks on paper. I usually end up going through paintings I’ve done looking for characters that would be a good addition to my little sculpted beast army. It’s sort of a fun challenge to figure out how to create a 3D creature out of my very flat illustration style. Do you have any existing designs that you’re thinking about turning into a sculpture? Terra Beast maybe?
Odon, 2013
draw inspiration from?
illustration work?
Yes! I’m working on some new sculptures right now. I’m hoping to release one in a few months! I’d love to do the Terra Beast, but I’m not quite sure yet how I would cast him. All the little bits and details sticking off his back would be a bit of a nightmare of a mold. Maybe he is destined to just be a big one-off sculpture.
Oh my, I love Miyazaki! The way he creates such beautiful worlds is really inspiring. As far as people, he would be on the top of the list. I also find so much inspiration in the natural world, either being out in it, or by devouring nature documentaries, and books full of bizarre creatures and plants. Also, my weirdo dog Edwin has definitely inspired an OddFauna beast or two.
Some of your designs seem to come with that same spirited imagination as Hayao Miyazaki. Who are some people, places, and things that you
Your style is unique, endearing, and imaginative. People must be knocking on your door. Have you worked with brands, publications, etc. for
You’re too kind! Honestly, I get a little anxious about putting myself out there and approaching big companies. I’ve been mainly focusing on my own work, but I have taken on freelance illustration work over the years for all different kinds of projects. My favorites were my children’s book The World is Your Oyster with the publisher Simply Read Books, and a pretty cute woodland puzzle and journal for Mudpuppy. I would really love to work on more book projects in the future! What’s up next for OddFauna? This year is going to be a really exciting one! My husband and I are going to collaborate on an OddFauna video game. He works in feature animation and is currently finishing up his own indie game. It’s something we’ve been talking about for years, but we’ve finally carved out the time to make it happen. This will be a really exciting new challenge, we’re hoping to put together a Kickstarter campaign around this time next year to help fund it. So keep an eye out for OddFauna: Adventures!
OddFauna’s Little Book of Beasts, 2013
In the Forest puzzle, 2014
For more information on OddFauna, please visit: oddfauna.com Clutter 35 | 41
RAISE HIGH THE ROOF BEAM, SCULPTORS BY NICK CURTIS
“The Lurker” (detail), 2015
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A play on J.D. Salinger’s collection Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction, the title of this piece seems apt as — in the interview — we learn that New Zealand born artist Peter Kelk assumed the name Seymour while contemplating Salinger’s works. Known for his surreal sculptural creations, Kelk has foregone the “typical” designer toy artist route of becoming known for customizing platform pieces or resin casting his original creations… Kelk brings the uniqueness of each being hand-sculpted to the art toy world. Of course, as he’s evolved and gained popularity within the designer toy world, Kelk has expanded his oeuvre to include a couple of customs and begun resin casting limited edition versions of his sculpts, but his core integrity to uniqueness remains. And the man, as we learn, is every bit as unique as his art. use multimedia and sculpt[ing skills], I just went nuts. Even as a kid I would make people weird little presents out of Fimo. One day, a good friend of mine said he could imagine my characters in a stop motion film and I should try and sculpt one. I tried — it came out pretty crude, but I sold it in a gallery and I was hooked! I just never thought that a person could seriously make a living from making little characters out of clay — I still don’t! — but when the designer and art toy world began to develop, I realized that there were heaps of like-minded people out there, which was hugely reassuring. The Odd-yssey, 2015
Your real name is Peter Kelk but you use the artistic alias Seymour. I have to know: How did that happen? I was working as a freelance graphic designer at the time I started to concentrate on my own artwork. I decided to keep my real name for the design work and make an alias for the artwork. I also have a religious side of my family. My dad is a minister (pastor) so when I first started I was concerned about how the nature of some of the themes in my work would affect what they were doing, so I wanted to keep my work separate from theirs. Sounds crazy when I’m writing this as my family are probably the biggest fans of my work, maybe not in total agreeance with the subject matter - but supportive from the beginning. The name came about pretty randomly really: my wife said
it would sound good if I said I took the name from one of J.D. Salinger’s short stories, but no — (Laughs) I just liked the name and it somehow fit with my style at the time. Now eight years down the track it’s kind of developed into more of a brand than an artist name, so I guess it’s here to stay. So I understand your art education encompassed mainly illustration and not sculpture, which I find fascinating due to how brilliant your sculpts are. How did you begin working on sculpting pieces? My design course was a very hands on and concept driven degree. At the time, I loved doing illustration and really wanted to go into illustrating children’s books, but whenever I was given a project where I would
What about making sculptural versions of your concepts hooked you? What does it provide you — as an artist — that doing illustrations doesn’t? I think it’s just that physical tangible thing that I love. Starting with a block of clay and forming it into a character, then painting it, then doing the finishing of it. It’s just a bit of a buzz bringing something flat and roughly sketched into the 3D world and giving it a life. Do all your creations inhabit one strange world or aren’t you concerned about their connectivity? The idea of that kind of comes and goes. When I first started drawing the characters I definitely imagined them to be from one world. But because I keep trying news things, I kind of shoot myself in the foot and Clutter 35 | 45
When It comes to my sculptures, I just like them being crazy and bright. I’m still learning how to airbrush and my skills there are still very basic, so tend to still paint in block color and only use airbrushing for highlights and shadowing. I think because of the block coloring and color choice the pieces do come across more intense than they would if they were fully airbrushed. A lot of your creations feature bulging, doll-like eyes that you’ve sculpted. Does this aspect hold some significance to you? Or is it merely a visage that you find striking?
Hustlers & Brawlers series, 2014
occasionally make a piece that looks nothing like the rest. At the same time, I’ve just released a print called Odd-yssey which is a Hieronymus Bosch-esque mashup of heaps of my characters living in the same world. Most — though not all — of your illustrated work is black & white while your sculptures are extraordinarily colorful. Why this dichotomy of aesthetics? When I first started to create my illustrations, I’d draw pages of rough characters, objects, backgrounds and scenes, then scan them into
Sideshow series, 2014
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Photoshop and actually compose the illustrations in a kind of subliminal manner. Because the scanned outline drawings were so rough, I would then add color and texture to them to kind of make up for the crappiness of the ink work. A few years on, I started to work on my drawing style and learned how to do more detailed stippling and hatching. I really liked the detail and texture this gave to my illustrations and felt that they didn’t really need color to get across what I wanted to achieve. I guess this was the transition.
Hmmm, I guess my characters just don’t have eyelids. (Laughs) I haven’t thought too much about it, as it was just the way I have always drawn my characters. When I first started my characters were drawn extremely crude with very little detail. The eyes were just circles with dots for pupils, so I guess this is just something that has carried through and developed into what they are now. Your works are fairly surreal, whimsical, and monstrous… I imagine quite the bevy of interesting influences have helped you establish this aesthetic. Mind sharing some of your lasting artistic inspirations? I find I get inspiration from everywhere. I also work in an art gallery so I’m constantly surrounded by artwork and visually stimulating objects. I’m a big fan of vintage horror and sci-fi, any type of vintage medical
Fiends and Foes series, 2015
curios, and weird publications in general. Publication-wise, Art Forms in Nature by Ernst Haeckel would be the most inspiring visual thing I’ve ever seen. Each time I open it I see new shapes and textures, and his use of symmetry has been a big influence in my work. I’m also constantly inspired by other artists from all different genres. Every time I see an amazing new work it pushes me to not stay stagnant and keep trying new techniques and directions. Resin casts of your sculptures is a fairly new endeavor for you. Why did you opt to shift from wholly original pieces to casting designs? I wouldn’t say I’ve shifted, but I’m definitely concentrating on both now. I wanted to open up a lower price range for my works, as my one off sculptures are quite expensive. Doing resin multiples and custom coloring them seemed to be the best way to do this without going down the soft vinyl route. I’m now completely hooked with the mold making and casting process! It’s most finicky and frustrating thing I’ve ever done but also the most satisfying. There’s nothing quite like seeing a rough sketch go through the process of turning into a physical object. Last year you released a blister carded resin figure series titled Friends & Foes for DesignerCon. What was the
concept behind this? Do you feel it was successful? I was an ’80s kid, so grew up with the first round of Star Wars toys and carded figurines. Doing a carded toy seemed like the perfect way to combine my illustration style with my sculpting and production. I was also trying to work out a way to get as much work as possible into a suitcase to bring across to DesignerCon from the other side of the world. Because of the size and weight of carded toys, it seemed perfect. To be honest, I’m not too sure how well they were received. It’s always a bit harder when you are creating completely fictitious characters that aren’t referencing pop culture or bootlegging existing characters. I’m happy I tried it, and would love to see the Fiends and Foes range develop and grow, but we’ll see. Earlier this year you displayed your — first? — custom designer toy at the DTA Dunny Show 2. How did you find the process of working with a base platform already in place versus starting from scratch? This was actually the second time I’ve used a base platform; I’d done one of Brandt Peters’ Skelves a couple of years ago. I had always wanted to try a Dunny at some stage, so I was super honored when I was asked to be part of the show. I found the process to be more organic than sculpting from scratch. I started with a VERY rough sketch and then just started to
build it up using Epoxy Sculpt. I liked the challenge of making something very stylistic of my own work yet keeping the shape of the Dunny still recognizable. It was a heap of fun and would love to do it again... or try and 20-inch Dunny! What else can we expect from you this year? Anything new and exciting in the works already? My 2016 is actually looking pretty open at the moment - which I’m pretty excited about. I’ve got a few group shows booked, as well as DesignerCon again in November. I want to spend the year experimenting again and working on a few projects that I’ve had on the back burner for a while e.g. giving wax sculpting a shot, and continuing to work on my casting skills. I’m also curating a show in July at Outré Gallery in Melbourne called Xenoplasm. The art and designer toy scene is still just emerging in Australia, so the goal of the show is to do a bit of an introduction to the scene focusing on the East meets West aspect of the industry… how Japanese kaiju and toy production has influenced western designer toy aesthetic & production and viseversa. This shows been in the works for a while now, so 2016 looks to be a pretty exciting year.
For more information on Seymour, please visit: seymourart.net Clutter 35 | 47
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