Nov 15 2011

Take it out?

TOY BREAK

I had the pleasure of being the guest for a second time on the internet toy nerd show “Toy Break”.
Go and see what we knattered about here..


Nov 14 2011

Designer Con 2011 Recap

Amanda Louise Spayd Doktor A collaboration sketch

The weekend of the 5th/6th November was spent in (abnormally) not-so-sunny California. A mere 14 hours plane ride for this pasty English fellow.
The reason for the trip? The annual gathering of the art-toy clans at the premier geek event that is Designer Con..

This was my second year in attendence so I had some idea what to expect.
Though the hall at the Pasadena convention centre had now changed to their main room and the booth numbers swelled by about 30%. It was a bigger, brighter and ballsier show that any other in it’s previous five year run.

I was stationed this year at the Circus Posterus booth with fellow collective artists Kathie Olivas, Brandt Peters, Chris Ryniak and Amanda Spayd.
(I didnt get much chance to grab photos of my own so I have scalped these off the web. Thanks to Shinji, Brad and George and those others who took them).


This was me and Amanda behind out booth, showing off our Japanese cookies. A lovely gift from awesome collector, store owner and all round splendid fellow Shinji Nakako.
Most of the day was spent vending out megre wares to the friendly masses and doodling endless monsters and robots for anyone who wanted them. The one at the top of this page was a rare collaborative sketch between Amanda and myself for some lucky chap who seemed jolly pleased with it.

Me and Chris Ryniak were also interviewed in a live web streamed chat show type escapade by the Super Sucklord. You can view the whole 6 hour talkathon via the Toy Break Ustream channel (click on the “LIVE” link ) or just watch our part here (it’s around the 2h30 mark). Kathie and Brandt also made it to the couch very near the end of the day.

My “Nocturnal” Humphrey Mooncalf figure was released as a con exclusive by 3D Retro. And I sat for a while at their booth signing them for people who purchased.
I am sure they will have any remaining stock available online in the next few days.

The event also saw the quiet unveiling of my latest production toy venture.
Chester Runcorn is a new 6″ figure to be released by Kuso Vinyl mid next year. They sneekily has secreted one of the prototypes in their display cabinet and we waited to see if anyone would notice. Indeed they did, very quickly!  I was fielding questions about the new arrival all day whilst I believe the poor Kuso booth staff had to fend off offer to purchase the prototype for hours upon end..

 

And just like that it was all over.
A very fast day indeed, probably amplified by a somewhat jet-lagged brain no doubt. I got to do one full curcuit of the hall this year. Which was 50% more than last year and even picked up a few presents.

If you love toys of the odd handmade or small run veriety. Or designer vinyl and underground art, I can recommend Designer Con as a cracking day out.. The door price is a fraction of SDCC, for a far superior, friendlier and more relaxed convention.
Ayleen and Ben hosted a splendid show this year and I hope to be back in the near future.

 

The next day was spent wandering the streets of DisneyLand in the rain and sampling its dubious wares with the Circus Posterus crew and some lovely members of the Sideshow Forum there…. I will let the photos speak for themselves..


Dec 18 2010

Designer Con L.A trip

So only a month after the event I have finally got a little time to recall my recent trip to L.A.
Was over for a few days to launch my G.N.O.M.E toy at Designer Con and hang out with friends.


The first version of the G.N.O.M.E was released as a Designer  Con exclusive. There were 150 of the little fellows available and pretty much all of them sold out at the event. I was signing at the 3D Retro booth for an epic 3 hours, doodling on toys, sketchbooks, skateboards, you name it.

Ben Goretski who owns 3D Retro as well as running Designer Con with Ayleen (from Toybreak/October Toys) was running around all day sorting things and making stuff happen with the aid of his natty little headmike.. not quite 1990’s Boyband material maybe?

He wrangled the many artists in attendance into contributing to a large live painting jam session. I was called up late in the day along side the splendidly talented Miss Mindy to add my bit to the canvas. Whilst we were painting the Dr Sketchy’s anti-art-school model threw poses up a rather wobbly ladder on the stage next to us.

The final piece at the end of the day.

On there besides myself and Mindy are : Chris Ryniak, Buffmonster, Joe Ledbetter, Bwana Spoons, Voltaire, Ritzy Perrywinkle, Angry Woebots and several others I cant identify I am afraid.

Honestly the event went by in a blur of sketching and signing. I was a doodling machine………..
.

I got to meet a lot of great artists, though sadly only briefly. Mostly at the “Sketchbot” custom show opening the night before Designer con. (Yes I went right off the plane and a 15 hour flight directly to Munkyking for the show… Hardcore art shmoosing..)
Including these two apparent clones…. Odd!

The next few days were spent meeting people I wave wanted to meet in a very long time and spending a little time seeing some of the more geeky sights of L.A. In fact overall it was a bit of a Geektrek. Let me explain:

For a start Ben is a bit of a collector of awesome geek stuff. So a visit to his home and office was a joy.
I Busted Ghosts :

Rocketeered :

And the ultimate, got a ride in his Delorean. (Ben is what you might call, a bit crazy for the Back to the Future movies.. which is just dandy with me..)

And what’s that inside the Delorean?

Of course it’s a Hoverboard….(TM Mattel).

There was also a trip to Disneyland with my splendid hosts George and Ayleen and bestest art buddy Mr. Chris Ryniak in order to check out the new TRON area set up for the month.
Yes more geekery.
You are scanned by a full sized Recogniser as you enter the area, who informes you to report to the games grid……..

There was a large M.C.P style construct in the center of the arena under which a DJ in Tron garb mixed 1980’s pop whilst Troned up podium dancers shook their stuff and other “programms” flung frisbiees ( sorry, data disks) and chased through the crowds.

Ultimatly this led (via an odd outside bar area) to Flynns Arcade.

The inside was a splendid reconstruction of a 1980’s video games arcade with lots of classic stand up cabinets you could play. It even smelled right……

Hidden in amongst the likes of Galaxians and Zaxxon was a real version of Space Paranoids………. Which I had several goes at. Though I wasnt very good at it. I believe the trick is “all in the wrists”…

There was also a full sized Lightcycle which was quite a sight and a 20 minute screening of a chunk of the new movie which was interesting for the 3D but a little flat I felt.

We went on a few of the classic rides and generally wandered about chatting. As George pointed out a theme park is a great place to socialise as it forces you to stand around chatting for hours whilst you que up..

All in all a splendid trip. I hope to be back for more next year…


Dec 3 2010

Toy Break

Episode 146 of the internet TV toy show “Toy Break” is up and Doktor A is the guest!

 


Jan 30 2010

Madl Video Review

Those lovely folks over at Toy Break have done a review of my Madl.
Check out episode 105 to see it and more toy related reviews and news.

http://www.toybreak.com/episodes/105/index.php

ToyBreakMadl