So there have been a few posts/threads around lately that have got me thinking about customs in general...what I like about them and what I don't like about them. As a "customizer" myself, sometimes it's a little difficult/awkward to publicly voice my opinions about stuff that irks me when it comes to customs but we're all grown-ups here and I think honest discussion is good. Here are just a couple of things that have been on my mind (remember, I'm talking about customs/customizers and not original self-produced toys/designers): Do most "customizers" consider painting these toys to be their "art" or their "hobby?" I don't think there's a right answer to this question but, personally, I consider painting monster toys designed by other people to be a hobby. A hobby that can be taken seriously (which I do) but I don't really think of it as making art. I guess, in my mind, it requires the kind of skill I would associate more with being a craftsman of sorts. It seems that most "customizers" are out to find and claim a "thing" to make their own. I'm not saying that this is wrong but I don't really see the fun in it. To me, painting every toy that came into my hands in the same style would get repetitive and suck the fun out of the hobby. It also tends to make custom shows somewhat predictable and less exciting. I can understand it as a means for an "artist" to try and create a "brand" or a style that is sell-able but, again, instant fun-suck. Everybody feel free to chime in, I'm interested to hear people's thoughts and opinions. Sorry for all the quotation marks.
I do it as a hobby. People have asked me to paint stuff for them and I have turned down a couple of them...mainly cause I'd been asked to make bootlegs of a rare paint scheme. Example: Person: Hey, can you paint me a Pushead Pirate? Me: Ummm...sure. What color? Person: I want it exactly like this one (insert image of rare Pirate). Me: HELL NO!!...and here is why. #1-I'm not going to bootleg any toy just to fill someone's collection. #2-I don't want Pus and his cronies knocking on my door in the wee hours of the morning with a sock full of quarters. #3-that's just wrong for me to do (similar to #1) That was a real event. I won't say who asked me (and don't pm me cause I won't say who it was). I don't paint toys to sell them, unless I'm asked to...like for a show. If I was painting to sell, I wouldn't be using the style I use. I'm not blind. I know what seems to sell. But why would I do that when my whole reason for painting toys is for myself to keep. I have offered to paint toys as a trade, but I've only offered it to people that have said that they like me stuff but can't afford to buy a custom. As far as voicing my opinion goes, I have voiced it on a few things on here and I think people in general become very defensive when they hear what I have to say. It is viewed as an attack because all I've pointed out are the negative things. To those people I ask you this: How do you expect to grow if all I do is pat you on the back and say "good job."?...and you know what, I have complimented people on work they've done. Any monkey can pick up an airbrush and paint toys. What's different is that the monkey doesn't give a crap about what you say about the toy he's painted.
From a collectors standpoint I really can't understand why you'd want a bootleg in your collection?? Unless you're into real bootlegs by real bootleggers I guess..but to ask someone to make one for you.. I don't get it.
I think it's certainly a discussion worth having, and a worthwhile question. I absolutely view painting toys as a hobby, and not as 'art'. As such, am constantly striving to improve my hobby skills, both through my own retrospectives and other people's comments. The comment about having a 'thing' is also something I have been putting some thought into lately. Obviously everyone is going to have their own style to some degree, and that's part of what makes discussing customizing as a community fun. At the same time, there seems to be this aversion to certain styles or finishes. It's a weird relationship that certainly comes back to the painter's intentions in working on figures in the first place. For people who are looking at it first and foremost as a way to make money, having a style is certainly crucial to keeping that operation going. The argument for or against painting toys to sell goes back and forth with no real answer, but I think the recent relative crash in demand for custom painted vinyl speaks to the issue at least a little. I don 't know if there's anything wrong with having a 'thing', but there's certainly the very real possibility that having a thing causes you to stagnate. It certainly becomes very boring when you can click on someone's thread and already know exactly how the figures will look before the pictures load. Not to sling shit or anything, but I thought it was pretty funny that the first response to this thread was by a guy who very much has a 'thing'. Not that there's anything wrong with that... OO has had different 'things' in the past but has moved forward and tried new things as well, leading to some good stuff.
Because it's near impossible to get. That's the only reason I can think of. I think forgery is a better word than bootleg in this case.
I'll throw my two cents in on this as a 'non-customizer.' I think the general consensus (for most cases at any rate) it is that it is a hobby. The line where this changes to 'artist' is really at the point of sale, i.e. producing pieces for this purpose. Many people have successfully made this transition, and the result is some truly excellent collaborations between painters and designers. You guys do great work; the rest of us are envious of your talents. But, it is also worth mentioning that whether you choose to classify vinyl toys as 'art' or not, I still respect the skill that went in to making a custom, and in that way, you're an 'artist' in your own right. Like many other things in life, maybe it's seemingly easy to do, but it sure as hell isn't easy to do right. [There is a lot of bad art out there I could do without, but to each their own] And there's also a learning curve to consider, which is why we should all (no matter what we do) be open to criticism. I don't think there is any true 'artist' now or ever who would consider their work perfect. When it comes to custom requests, that is a grey area. I can understand the purpose behind them, but it is also solely up to the customizer whether they are willing to take on these kind o jobs or not. As it is mainly a hobby for most people, done at their convenience, the time/schedule is not necessarily conducive to this. Many don't want suggestions on how their work should be, or to do work that isn't 'theirs.' From a buyer's point of view it's impossible to gauge though, as this varies person-to-person. Final line is that people should stay away from copying/mimicking the work of others. Even if the intention is good, do an original homage that is still recognizable as you own work.
I don't think it's flat-out wrong to paint to sell or to have a "thing," but it definitely has an impact it has on the customs people choose to put their time and effort into. I guess the main thing that bugs me about the application of a "thing" to a toy is when it doesn't make sense for the figure it's done to. In those instances, in my opinion, it reduces a toy that was intended to have charm and character of its own to nothing more than a platform.
I will certainly agree with you here. There have been numerous 'prolific' cases where customs are done that make little thematic sense at all and do treat the underlying toy like a mere platform. Those cases have lead to some big blowups, but never really gotten to the heart of the issue. 'Artistic intent' and how people interpret the subject don't always line up.
I think this is more of an exercise in semantics. The question is how, exactly, you want to define what an art or a hobby is. I think of it as a hobby that requires some artistry. Success requires familiarity with an airbrush, a sense of how to pair colors together, and a sense of how to conform to a sculpt (most important part, in my book). I think that the best paint jobs don't try to impose their own patterns that clash with a sculpt's anatomy, but follow the highlights and recesses with bright and dark colors. Call it a skill, hobby, or art. In the end, it's still fun.
When I paint a figure, I consider it an extension of all the other art I create. I do what I like, what I feel I have to get out, and move on. I haven't sold any custom pieces, and am not trying to find a "Style" to make money from. I can't not do what I am compelled to though.
When I first started painting Kaiju/Sofubi. It was more to see if I could. I love kaiju figures, and the fact that, at the time, only a handful of people were painting them. That was the initial draw to the painting... I started with some V-Color, and a cheap airbrush, and painted a few toys. Upgraded the brush, and painted a lot more. At that time, there were still not that many doing it. I mainly like painting them because like me, my collectors wanted new 1 of a kind colorways. After V-color was pretty much shut off to us, I pretty much decided to hang it up. Until Monster Kolor.... I love Monster Kolor, but so does everyone else. Now anyone can get it, so there's an over-saturation in the market with custom painted toys. I think that's what separate the people who have a style, technique, or pallet they constantly use... yeah OO uses oil slick alot, yeah I load everything up with color change, and so on... But you know who painted what in those instances.... I myself moved quickly to S7 figures as they are affordable, and a few designs are highly desirable when custom painted. Hobby or not, you need to make money to buy more paint, figures, airbrush parts, etc... So people do tend to paint popular figures to secure sales to completests, etc, to further their painting. I myself am sick of painting other peoples designs. Yeah there are still a few sculpts I'd love to toss my twist on, but for now I am looking to create my own figures. I'll also be moving more away from S7 figures. I'm also going to be limiting my customs. Right now I'm making about 10 a week, and I'm highly overworked, and burnt out. I'll be painting other things, with new techniques, and paint combos.
maybe it's because i'm jaded.. but customs on this board have gotten boring and have lacked creativity in general zzzzzzz
I agree 100%... Mine are often just 1 off simple colorways with different paint effects such as pearls or flake... Actually I think most of the customs have just shifted to new colorways of toys... same spray pattern, new colors, etc...
I have to be honest with you D-Lux, I've never understood the appeal of your customs. To call them simple is an understatement. And to hear that you're churning them out 10 a week makes me wonder how much thought is put into them... I take days, sometimes weeks to finish pieces. And also, not everyone love Monster Kolor.. I'm not much of a fan.
Sometimes it takes me weeks to finish a piece... With masking, color layout, color mixing. Some take a while... Sometimes I go out to the garage, and just paint... It'll take me a week to paint all 10, but sometimes I just pick colors, and spray. Those also include commissions that have the colors layed out. I'm a pretty fast painter when I get going. Like I said. often times I just like to see different colorways of existing toys, so not much thought has to be put into it. If I want to replicate the spray pattern of a mummy boy, but with my colors, it's not rocket science... I have 2 boxes of toys in my garage now that have been there for months. Not because I don't want to paint them, it's that they are taking a lot of thought. As for MK, I totally agree, it's not for everyone. Personally I liked v-color. But I cannot get it anymore, and I think MK is a very suitable replacement. I chose the gloss clear, and a lot of people don't like it. I could use MK matte, but I don't. I like the finish, and my collectors do to.
On the topic of having a "thing", I agree but I also have certain techniques that I like to use, or I find that I go through phases where I prefer certain colors over others, but I tend to approach each toy separately and as an individual character or thing.
You can tell in your shading, the customs you do... You add that extra little touch to add depth, plus they generally have a flat finish. That's how I can tell your pieces apart. Must be your "thing" but I dig it.
I actually don't coat my figures at all, and I spray with gloss or semi gloss finish paints. I try to stay as traditional with my spraying methods as I can. I think most toys out of Japan don't have a clear coat, and neither do mine. Phil
actually from the M1 videos I've seen they clear... there are a few RH figures I've owned that seemed cleared.
Personally I don't feel comfortable commenting on here, in public, about other artists or customizers pieces. My pieces may be simple, and might be redundant, but so far I've been successful with what I've done. To me, success means people want my toys, they want my things next to their production toys. They spend their hard earned money on things I make. That makes me feel good.
Huh, could be... Maybe if the pieces have florescent paint a top layer of clear would smooth the finish... Maybe some do clear coat. Absolutely. I'm not faulting you for that all. It makes me feel good when someone likes what I do enough to want to own it too. As for your customs, I look forward to your new direction. I'd like to see you move forward and try new/more complex things what have you and I hope it goes over well for you.
i will still likely use color change in future customs, but they won't be drenched... my party balls are an example of newer multi mixed colors, special mixes, uses of different technologies, etc... More so I'll be expanding away from S7 and exploring more sculpts. Personally I give it up to anyone who spends their hard earned money on expensive equipment, and thousands of dollars in paint to hone their skill/hobby. I know I've spent hundreds of hours in my garage... When I say i do 10 toys in a week, it's because I'm out there painting 6 hours a night for 6 days... I respect everyone's style here. You all have your own thing, and that's cool. when everything starts looking the same (not just my toys) from artist to artist... We'll have an issue...
Yeah, some for sure do... I know some things I do, I like better without the clear, but MK does tend to chip. Personally on some colors the high gloss clear makes colors pop hard! It's deff a personal preference
