Spanish champs

Spain won the EURO and I'm going to Madrid!

See you guys in a while, play safe.

8-inch Treeson

I bet this is the new talk of the town. Yes... yes... it's the new Treeson at a more regular size of 8 inches (a common height we see in most toys). Being the usual me, I'm beginning to feel there one too many Treesons out there. But if they are selling well, oh well, it's just fair to keep them coming. By the way, $69 isn't cheap. Just cause couple of days back I talked about the Giver and it being at $69 too.

On a much positive side, I am real glad that they have done this in a very durable quality manner. It looks sturdy enough to be treated anyway you can imagine.

My guess is, there will be a GIANT Treeson down the road.

my Scavengers

she only came about on my second last blind box

Just pure happiness. Haven't had time yet to really look into them. I doubt I will find much flaws but it is still worth commenting, in due time.

Wonting illustrations

I came across a simple website containing intriguing illustrations by a New York based artist, wonting. There are thousands of illustrators out there but you only come across a few and only a few from that few will capture your fancy.

She is currently offering free shipping on her modest range of gocco prints here.

new treeson?

There have been sneakpeaks of a supposedly new Treeson lurking on various toy blogs. Here's the latest image posted in toyrevil's flickr. Decide for yourself. Good fun.

TOMOPOP contest

The good people over at TOMOPOP is having contest and the winner gets a priceless Doktor A Sky Kraken limited edition print, signed and numbered.

"What figure or designer forever cemented your love for all things vinyl and collectible?"

Write up an entry on your very own blog with the title "Doktor A Contest" followed by your own title. Just for for you US people, I'm afraid. Good karma to TOMOPOP.

More information here.

Freezer Burn Giver

Plastic & Plush posted picture of another variant of Andrew Bell's Giver, the "Freezer Burn". From the post, we should expect to see (at the moment) three variants of the Giver; Orange "Burning Desire" (100 pcs), "Freezer Burn" (300) and "the Giver of Disease: Gangrene" (300). I don't suppose I have got it wrong that the Gangrene and Orange are in fact the same piece as I remember clearly the Orange is limited to 100 pieces (pre-ordered over at G1988), previously mentioned here.

I probably should not be tempted to get this one too. I'm almost out of display space.

*Added

the Gangrene version

Amy Sol prints

Here are my two new Amy Sol prints additions. Seeing them in person, I have to say that I think "Dillydally Ticky Tock" captures my attention over the other piece (which people like better in general). Most likely "Going be Leaf" has a sweeter composition or setting. However, in terms of intricate details, Dillydally takes it.

"Dillydally Ticky Tock" details

"Going by Leaf" details

Noferin @ G1988

In which friends recite their morning calls

In which summer scents fill the sky

Noferin will be featuring two pieces for the upcoming Gallery 1988's "Everything in Together" group show, opening June 20th in San Francisco. Really love these two pieces mainly of their colours. They are just so... warm and comfortable to stare at. You probably knew by now that I particularly love purple / purple-ish colours.

Should be quite a show with a good strong line of artists, particularly those I am familiar with. You can see the list here.

Mushishi

This is probably my first time writing and recommending an anime. But trust me, if I had to make start with one anime, it will definitely had to be this one. I am certain there are numerous entries in the internet that would agree with me.

I first watched Mushishi about two years ago and recently I wished to rewatch it. Mushishi isn't like any other typical anime, but rather in a league of its own. It is categorized into the Historial Fantasy anime genre. It has a very artistic approach with a combination of Japanese folklore tales and mythology with extraordinary entities to give you a serene and strong storyline with depth. The pace of the anime will also need to get some used to.

Our protagonist, Ginko

"The story features ubiquitous creatures called Mushi that often display supernatural powers. Mushi are described as beings in touch with the essence of life, far more basic and pure than the grotesque creatures we are accustomed to. Due to their ephemeral nature most humans are incapable of perceiving Mushi and are oblivious to their existence, but there are a few who possess the ability to see and interact with Mushi. The Mushi depicted in the anime look very similar to floaters."

So, basically Ginko is a mushi master (hence called Mushishi) that travels in search of mushi to research and at the same time cure people that suffer from them.

A feature film was made in 2006 with the same title, I have yet to watch it. Apparently it received good reviews but I suppose one would have to watch the anime prior to the film in order to understand the plot.

stainless steel Be@rbrick

Toybeast reported this impressive (yes, even more impressive than that 'layered wood' piece) 1000% stainless steel Bearbrick weighing a staggering 13.5kg.

Honestly, it's only impressive just cause it's stainless steel finish and I suppose that also what's so special about it. Nothing else.

Read all about it via toybeast.

guess who got the first case of Scavenger minis?

It's obviously the creator herself. Kathie Olivas showed us her case of Scavengers where she scored the chase, 2-faced Hazel. I have got my case sorted out, so I just have to sit back and wait for them to be released on the 20th or thereafter.

The last time I purchased a case was Series 6 Bearbricks. I was lucky to score the ultimate chase, Futura. I rarely get lucky, so let's hope I get a complete set just from this case.


Here are the shots posted by Kathie:

first Noferin prints

From my previous post here, I purchased my first Noferin prints and they arrived to my door this morning. It appeared quite beaten-up, naturally I was real worried about the prints inside being ill-treated and disfigured.

Thankfully the foamboards did their job and prevented further damage except to themselves.

In which the Lotus bloom captures everyone's attention

In which moonlight filters through the forest

Things that came with them:

*click to enlarge image

Note the "Congratulations" note was towards 'winning' the award for having the longest mailing address this time round. *I am proud of it. :)

Such sweet people. Thank you Noferin.

Chris Appelhans

Being quite forgetful as I age, I have absolutely forgotten about Chris Appelhans for a moment there. Being reminded of him, I shall make it up by featuring him right off.

I first came across him through Gallery Nucleus while browsing for their impressive line of artists and their works. Affordable prints too, so please do have a look.

What really amazes me is Chris's ability to capture our attention with his choice of compositions. There always this sense of... serenity and sweetness to his creations. They literally tickle your heart and draw you towards them away from everything. The characters too, you will chuckle at them because you would ask why on earth them; only to find out only they and nothing else fit into his compositions.

Just my personal take. I shall allow you space to breath and take them in yourself.


Some older works:

Hucubus Park & Kite Operation 2

And the new works involving watercolours:

Best Chair

Cloud Catching

Browse his wide range of affordable prints at Nucleus and Chris's blog here.

your very own hot air balloon

APina is widely known for his classic hot air labbit customs. Here he has done it again and offering a 5" piece up for grabs for $150. Hit him up here if you are interested.

One of these days, I will need to pick up a 10 incher from him.

a paper tiger

Allow me to introduce a paper tiger, an online art store that pro-actively brings to us limited edition prints by big name artists, small name artists and growing artists. Most of the artists are relatively new but not unheard of. I am particularly fond of works by new artists, something fresh and unseen before yet you can still afford their works.

One artist getting featured there that I am trying to follow is Scott Belcastro, which I will talk about once I have learnt more about him in due time.


Check it out, explore and discover...
a paper tiger

Kustom Keifer Custom Teddy Trooper

I recently and almost suddenly purchased my second Teddy Trooper custom piece. To be honest, this sculpt has to come second after the Mellow in terms of preference. The purchase was a little sudden and I purchased it for a nostalgic reason.

I recall seeing this piece from some place and that was sometime two years ago. When I saw the artist himself posted this for sale on the board, I was absolutely thrilled and jumped immediately on it.


I present you, Kustom Keifer's "Urko"

Amy Sol at Thinkspace

Amy Sol's previously mentioned (here) "Karmic Magic" show opened yesterday and news has it that she might not be have another show anytime soon in the States. So whoever lives within reach of Los Angeles, I would suggest making your way to Thinkspace and have a good look at Amy's artworks.


My favourite painting:

And this gouache & graphite on paper piece here is simple wonderful:

Click here to view all artworks. Enjoy.

On a sidenote, look out for the "Kokiri Carousel" print that was released last night. Good news has it that there should be extras remaining that should be made available online. I must say I am real happy to be able to own her prints, the least I can do at the moment. Let's see whether this print will make it to my collection.

Brent Nolasco's solo

I suppose everyone should have checked out Brent Nolasco's solo show entitled "Broken Hearts and Stolen Souls at MyPlasticHeart by now. Personally, I do not yet know how to appreciate his paintings (my bad) but I am definitely awed by his ability to produce wonderful inspiring customs.

The variety of pieces, particularly of very different forms and sizes make it an even more interesting presentation. For obvious reasons, I was thrilled to see a mellow being part of his line up of custom pieces. Not really my cup of tea but brilliant nontheless.

Here are two of the many amazing pieces:

See the rest of them here.

Angry Woebots Custom Mellow

Here is the fourth addition to my custom Mellows collection. An Angry Woebots angry panda to go with the rest. The gold brushes and black splatters make a good addition to the usual style. It's an ever evolving prominent style of his. I am glad to have a piece for this batch's style. If my imagination goes wild, I'd say the black & white makes it resembles a penguin for a moment.

I shall take a couple more shots and add them to this post later.

Koibito colourways

The past couple of weeks, we see images of Yoskay Yamamoto's Koibito colourways popping up, with the latest all-black popped up via. Vinyl Pulse today which would be available at the coming SDCC (released by Munky King and limited to 150 pieces)

Yoskay said via Munky King:

"Once upon a time I had a goldfish named Tuna. But he passed away because of my laziness and mistreatment... .So I painted him for his memory...

But at same time Koibito symbolizes the sense of alienation that I felt growing up in Cali.... .It's kind of like the phrase "fish out of water".... I felt and still feel like I don't completely fit in my environment... both in Japan and the US..."

-----------------

It does remind me of my own experiences. I suppose I know how that feels, to a certain extent.

Scarygirl online flash game

I am always excited to hear just about any news on Nathan Jurevicius and his Scarygirl as he is one of my favourite illustrators / toy artists.

News has it we will soon be seeing an online flash game based on his world of Scarygirl.

More info via toysrevil

Retropolis today

Today we shall see the opening of Doktor A's Retropolis at Rivet Gallery. The preview was released about a week ago saw some fantastic works and I would say particularly the paintings.

As per my previous post here from last week, I was eyeing the Mr. Head painting. Unfortunately, I was preoccupied with work and never had time to go around making a call on it.

Thus, it has now gone to somebody else, nothing to it.

Wait till you place your eyes on the two sculpts. You will drop your jaw. They are there, just waiting for somebody to pick them up, for a premium. Overall, it's a top-quality presentation.

*edit 08/06
You may view the show pieces here.

Amy Sol's Karmic Magic

As I come across more previews of Amy Sol's paintings for her upcoming solo at Thinkspace on 13th June, I thought it is about time this post went up.

Love the title, definitely digging the print that comes with the show for those who are not able to afford the paintings (yet) and not on the higher spots up the list to be eligible for one.

"Trampoline"

"Migration"

I still could not make up the exact theme for this show, though "Karmic Magic" itself is a big hint. Look out for the print (painting on the flyer, first image) that comes with the show.

More info on the print via Sour Harvest.

Angry Woebots custom munnys

Aaron aka Angry Woebots has just dropped just three pieces of custom munnys. As I understand, he will not be taking commission customs anymore / at least for a while. There is still a piece of giant munny left if you're quick with your finger.

My Mellow should be on its way. *excited

mellow dramas

Been a long time since I talked about music. Just been looping the same kind of music throughout my work-hectic period. But never got tired of the lounge ones.

This time round, I would recommend Mellow Dramas, featuring groovy laid-back beats fused with love poetry. Sounds intriguing, doesn't it?





Check out Mellow Drama's MySpace page here.

Brent Nolasco

I have previously thought about commissioning Brent Nolasco to do a custom piece. I, however, ended up picking another artist's works over his. I reckon the commission price varies now with his upcoming debut solo show with MyPlasticHeart, opening on June 13th.

His works have been quite consistent before the show, as seen in the boards, mainly commission pieces for private collectors. However, if you check updates on his works for this show, you will be amazed and awed how his works have grown.

I have not the time to look at all his works for the show thus far, but this one captures it all at this moment.

It is beyond amazing.

Noferin new prints

Done with work, finally. I am absolutely knackered right now.

Got a lovely email with an update from Noferin of their two new prints. I might jump on these, first artwork purchase from the duo, Nicho and Candy from Australia.

I hinted previously to Nicho about a commission work, I wonder whether they would give in to my request. Candy's tummy is getting real big too. :)

Both limited to 75 pieces each

I like the smaller dimension piece on the right. Just like it simpler.
Like 'em? Head over to Noferin's shop to purchase.

simplicity rocks

Here's an impressive custom piece by Nerderella that I came across on the O3 board. It's her first custom piece and evidently, it's one helluva job! Bravo! I am somehow very much attracted to it. Probably cause I am absolutely impressed how a simple design or character can be effectively turned three-dimensional brilliantly.

"Bunny Munny"

Do browse her flickr for more shots.