Artist name: 64 Colors
Artist website: 64colors.com
Artist location: Michigan, USA
Toy Name: Oakie, Blizzard + Flamingo
Toy Type: Kidrobot 4″ Mini Munny
Toy Story: Oakie (natural color), Blizzard (Blue), + Flamingo are Forest Sprites. Part of a nomadic tribe of woodland dwelling creatures who practice the patch selection theory… the behavior of a forager whose prey is concentrated in small areas with a significant travel time between them. These colorful critters live and work in large, nomadic tribes. Always on the move searching for sustenance and a better existence for their clan.
Toy Available for sale: These 3 Munny”s were sold to a collector in Oregon. All of our toys are available for sale either through shows or on our store website: http://www.64colors.bigcartel.com
Artist available for commission? Contact us at: info [at] 64colors.com

Artist name: Mad Pierrot
Artist website: sideeffectvinyls.blogspot.com
Artist location: Philadelphia, PA, United States
Toy Name: Pete Weiss Dunny
Toy Type: Kidrobot 3″ Dunny
Toy Story: “We are here to make things better at being worse…”
Pete Weiss is an accountant with the MV&P Firm. Not much else is known about him, save that he”s quite the charismatic businessman.

The inspiration for this Dunny would require a lot more of both my time and yours than either of us is willing to spend. I think it”s best left at saying that Pete Weiss is an alterego Pete Wentz (bassist and lyricist of Fall Out Boy) took on before and during the recently ended Believers Never Die Part Deux tour to make a statement (and shenanigans, but that”s a tale for another time).

Based on an illustration possibly by Jensen Karp (of Clandestine Industries and G1988) and tour outfits.
Toy Available for sale: http://madpierrot.bigcartel.com/product/pete-weiss-3-dunny, $25, US shipping is included. For shipping outside the US, please ask first.
Artist available for commission? Please kamikaze.echoes [at] gmail.com for info on commissions.

Artist name: jonpaulkaiser
Artist website: jonpaulkaiser.blog.co.uk
Artist location: United Kingdom
Toy Name: Spawn: Wings of Redemption
Toy Type: Kidrobot 4″ Mini Munny
Toy Story: This was a commission for Sykogrl, who collects different custom Spawns froma variety of artists. I wanted to stay away from the big cape figure and used the Wings of Redemption as my inspiration.
Toy Available for sale: As this toy was commissioned, it is unfortunately not available for sale.
Artist available for commission? Email me at jonpaulkaiser [at] hotmail.com to chat about ideas and customs. Thanks!

Artist name: Collin David
Artist website: resonantfish.com
Artist location: Hudson Valley, Philadelphia
Toy Name: Verdigris II
Toy Type: Custom Droplets
Toy Story: This is what happens when time bleeds.
Toy Available for sale: The second series of Verdigris customs by Collin David. Each is hand-painted and includes metal parts. Very limited edition of seven custom Droplets, boxed - resonantfish.bigcartel.com
Artist available for commission? I”m up for anything! The more, the better. I”m currently working on pieces for three or four different shows around the world, but I”d love to do something for an individual collector. Please contact robotbacon [at] gmail.com for more information.

Artist name: Josh (f+) Pearce
Artist website: fplusnever.com
Artist location: Arizona, USA
Toy Name: “Spawn”
Toy Type: Kidrobot 8″ Dunny
Toy Story: This is an 8″ Dunny that was custom commissioned by a private collector. Made with acrylic and epoxy resin.
Toy Available for sale: Unfortunately this toy is not available for sale.
Artist available for commission? Open to taking on a a couple more customs through July. email: Josh [at] fplusnever [dot] com

Artist name: Patrick Francisco
Artist website: patrickfrancisco.com
Artist location: New York City, USA
Toy Name: Untitled
Toy Type: Kidrobot Mega Munny
Toy Story: A pretty upset simian.
Toy Available for sale: Yep, contact dragatomi.com for availability.
Artist available for commission? Yes, please use the contact information provided on patrickfrancisco.com

Artist name: Rotobox Vinyl Anatomica
Artist website: rotobox.blogspot.com
Artist location: Philippines
Toy Name: Mazinger Qee
Toy Type: 8″ Toy2R Qee
Toy Story: Mazinger is one of our favorite super robots and we just had to customized a figure of him.
Toy Available for sale: Nope, unfortunately this toy is not available for sale.
Artist available for commission? Email me rotobox [at] live.com or you can visit rotobox.multiply.com and rotobox.blogspot.com

Kat Brunnegraff may be a new comer to the designer toy scene, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been making waves already. Known for her distinct night-like style, she made her appearance to the scene in the beginning of this year starting with her Custom Illazilla which was featured on the cross-country tour. She also did a custom toy tutorial for us last month back in May. We had a chance to catch up with Kat and ask her a few questions!

Click Read the rest of this entry » to read the whole interview.

Custom Toy Lab:
Please tell us more about yourself Kat that hasn’t been mentioned already?

Kat Brunnegraff:
I’m 25 years old, I live in Columbus, Ohio, I attended CCAD for 4 years and have a BFA in illustration… it’s funny I don’t ever need the thing anymore but the training I got was good.

I originally went to art school intending to become an animator, but switched over to illustration after the mass firings of all the 2D animators from Disney back in 2002-2003. I remember hating painting when I did it in school, we were never allowed to really draw the way we wanted to, it always had to be realistic, which is fine but I like to experiment with styles. I all but gave up on painting by the time I graduated from CCAD in 2006 because I found it to be dull and time consuming.

After I graduated did a lot of digital art but a lot of people, my husband included, told me that I should paint. I never listened to them though, I thought that I hated painting, it was messy it took forever to dry etc… But after I found Krista Huot (a fabulous artist) on myspace I messaged her and told her how much I loved her paintings. (I eventually bought one from her) I asked her every question about the gallery scene and how to get my art out there that I could think of and she was very nice and told me that she’d give me the same advice that Gary Baseman had given her a while back, PAINT! So I finally caved and started painting, my first few attempts were lacking, but after a while something clicked and people seemed to like them.

Custom Toy Lab:
What brought you into in the custom toy scene?

Kat Brunnegraff:
I’ve been a toy collector/admirer since… forever, I used to stare longingly at my computer screen on a website called “Sweaty Frog” back in the 90’s (now known as “My Plastic Heart”) for hours, wanting to buy the really cool, really different toys but never being able to afford them. (I was a teenager with no job back then) It’s been a dream of mine to have toys made after my own characters for a long time, but since I’m so new on the scene people didn’t know who I was as a painter or toy artist. So I decided to pick a theme that I enjoyed and some popular toys and start customizing them to see if I could make a name for myself in the custom toy world. So far, so good.

Custom Toy Lab:
What is the toy scene like there down in Ohio?

Kat Brunnegraff:
There aren’t too many places in Columbus,Ohio that sell Urban Vinyl/Art Toys, but we have one really awesome gallery that does sell them called Rivet and there is Shoparooni up in Cleveland. So, it seems like it’s just starting to get popular here, I mean I only just discovered it myself around two years ago. Also there is a shop called Anime Palace that sells Tokidoki toys, I go there from time to time to get my cute fix.

Custom Toy Lab:
How did it feel to have your toy part of the Custom Illazilla cross-country tour?

Kat Brunnegraff:
It was my first cross country tour for my art, and my first custom toy show, I was thrilled to participate. I love to paint on wood, and to get a chance to paint on a wood toy was awesome for me. Also TNES is a super nice/creative guy. (I highly recommend buying and customizing illazillas, they’re an awesome platform!)

Custom Toy Lab:
Your custom toys have a night-like feel to them. What inspired you to customize your toys with this type of style?

Kat Brunnegraff:
Well, I LOVE the night time, love the sky, the moon, the stars, I wish that people were more aware of how the nights sky is supposed to look, so it seemed natural to me to paint a night theme. Also subconsciously I was influenced by the movie Princess Mononoke that I had seen back when I was 14. I hadn’t seen it for a long time and only recently while watching it did I realize that the creature in the movie was also called a Night Walker, I thought about that creature often while painting my first toy in this style.

Custom Toy Lab:
If you were able to collaborate with any other artists out there in the toy scene, who would be your first choice?

Kat Brunnegraff:
There are a lot really… Jeremiah Ketner, Krista Huot, Jared Deal, Gnarf Death, Johnny Yanok… too many to list them all! I love all their styles and it would be super fun to collaborate with any one of them.

Custom Toy Lab:
Have these artists inspired you in any way?

Kat Brunnegraff:
All of the artists I listed inspire me to be a better painter, and to work harder, some of the colors I use are inspired by them.

Custom Toy Lab:
What other kinds of mediums do you work on besides toys?

Kat Brunnegraff:
I work on wood a lot when I do paintings, I prefer it over canvas, I just love the way the wood grain shows through, gives it a more natural feel.

I love to work with plush toys as well, they’re super fun to make, also easier than sculpting which I do like to do every once in a while when and back when I couldn’t afford to buy a fancy toy I’d just make my own! Still do sometimes.

Custom Toy Lab:
Did you find it difficult to work on a toy as opposed to on canvas or wood?

Kat Brunnegraff:
Vinyl/Plastic is MUCH harder to paint on than wood, a lot more prep time is needed. Some toys have to have paint stripped off, body parts removed and need to be spray painted or sanded before you can start to paint. But I’m not complaining I love just sitting outside with some stinky nail polish remover and thinking about what I want to make a new toy look like. It’s very relaxing.

Custom Toy Lab:
If you don’t mind us asking, what kind of other upcoming projects do you have going on at the moment? What can we expect next?

Kat Brunnegraff:
Weeeelllll I wasn’t going to tell anyone but I was thinking about doing a new series soon after I do a few more Night Walkers, with either a Forest theme or a Snow theme. I’m also working on some toys and paintings for some upcoming gallery shows.

Custom Toy Lab:
Every artist has a set of tools that they use for customizing, what would you consider yours to be?

Kat Brunnegraff:
Paint, Nail Polish Remover, Cotton Balls, Hair Dryer, Paint Brushes, Spray Paint, and a warm dry day to help the paint dry faster.

Custom Toy Lab:
On average, how long does it usually take you to finish customizing a toy?

Kat Brunnegraff:
It depends on the size/shape/number of parts a toy has, but on average it takes me about 6 hours to do a 5 inch toy. Sometimes more time sometimes less. Depends on prep work too.

Custom Toy Lab:
What sort of advice would you give to new artists who are considering breaking into the toy scene?

Kat Brunnegraff:
Pick something you love, it can be anything really. Something cool or beautiful, or crazy, doesn’t matter what, and just make toys. It takes time and patience to get noticed.

Custom Toy Lab:
How has the internet benefited in promoting you as a custom toy artist (websites such as Custom Toy Lab, and etc)?

Kat Brunnegraff:
The internet has played a HUGE role in promoting my work!
I don’t think I’d be as far along as I am if it weren’t for the internet. I don’t live in a big city, and I think that it would be a lot harder to get noticed if I couldn’t just hop on the internet, upload my pictures and share them with hundreds of people instantly.

E-mailing blogs is really helpful if they decide to post your work, because you might only have 10 fans, but the blog you submitted to might have hundreds or thousands of fans, and suddenly you have more too! It can be really exciting.

Custom Toy Lab:
As an artist do you take commission requests? How can you be contacted if people are interested?

Kat Brunnegraff:
Yes I do take commissions, I can be contacted at kat.brunnegraff [at] gmail.com

Custom Toy Lab:
We’d like to thank you Kat for taking the time to do this interview with us!

Kat Brunnegraff:
Thank you for the interview! It was my first, and it was super fun! :)

Artist name: Mad Pierrot
Artist website: sideeffectvinyls.blogspot.com
Artist location: Philadelphia, PA, United States
Toy Name: The Moustachette
Toy Type: Kidrobot 4″ Mini Munny
Toy Story: A quest for truth in a blanket of stupidity.

It”s about life, love, art, and blueberry milkshakes…

This Mini Munny was inspired and based on the upcoming short film, The Moustachette. Everything, from the base color to the bright white mustache, is inspired by the film.
Toy Available for sale: You can purchase the toy at the following website: http://madpierrot.bigcartel.com/product/moustachette-mini-munny, $45, shipping in US included. For shipping outside the US, please ask first.
Artist available for commission? Yes, please kamikaze.echoes [at] gmail.com for commissions.

Artist name: Troy Stith
Artist website: bot-o-matic.blogspot.com
Artist location: Columbus, OH
Toy Name: Eyzor
Toy Type: Kidrobot 4″ Mini Munny
Toy Story: Eyzor is one of Professor Lindmir’s first, but, favorite creations. It’s watchful eye not only detects trespassers trying to steal from Lindmir’s workshop, it also eliminates them with a blast of steam. If the intruders are lucky enough to survive Eyzor’s steam assault, it’s only a matter of time before his blaring siren alerts the rest of Lindmir’s pets. Most petty thieves flee by this time, but for those brash enough to stick around, they soon find out they’ve made the last mistake of their lives.
Toy Available for sale: Eyzor will be on sale June 6th at 12:00pm (EST) on Gorilla Mouth (http://gorillamouth.bigcartel.com/product/eyzor) for $80.00.
Artist available for commission? Please e-mail troystith [at] hotmail.com for more information on commissions.