ALMIGHTY DUNNY SHOW NYC

I have a new custom toy featured in THE ALMIGHTY DUNNY SHOW! Come check it out if you're in the NYC area. Details below!

Saturday December 11th | 7-10pm@ halcyon the shop57 Pearl St | Dumbo, BrooklynF to York St / A/C to High Sthalcyonline.com Genuine Artikle527 Hawkins Ave Lake Ronkonkoma NY 11779

http://www.genuineartikle.com

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=157290607642604

Designer Trash Vinyl Toy Packaging

Packaging designer vinyl toys leaves a whole lot of trash.

I seemed to have amassed quite the collection of boxes for the DIY toys that I've purchased over the last few years, many of them Kidrobot MUNNY.

On the outside, the packaging seems like nothing special. They have a nice sturdy box, and are all nicely presented, and packaged, the accessories individually wrapped. Though I didn't realize the extent of the packaging until I started actually disposing of the boxes.

The amount of trash from one MUNNY is pretty bad, to say the least. Contained within the box, you have the bag that holds all the accessories, and each accessory has it's own wrapping, a soft or hard clear plastic. Leaving you with a toy, but a whole lot of crap to go with it.

Other toys I've purchased include Large Smorkin' Labbit, small Smorkin' Labbit, Toy2r Qee, Mutan, Pusher, and Touma, and with the exception of the small Smorkin' Labbit, and Mutan, those other toys don't have accessories. At least, they don't have them wrapped individually. Rather they're contained within the clear plastic mold, that holds the toy together when shipped.

MUNNY seems to be excessive in the packaging, but other toys have their own plastic waste issues too. And typically there's no SPI code on the plastic packaging to indicate if it's recyclable or not.

I've always felt like it's great to have designer toys, and the packaging is cool, but it's a waste to even have all that wrapping in the first place. Sort of like videogame packaging, and all you really care for is that small disc, or cartridge of the game which is tiny compared to the package it was sold in. All the wrapping just gets in the way. More waste for the environment.

Plastic trash just makes me think of all the particles floating in the ocean, as shown in Garbage Island by VBS.TV

Sure vinyl toy packaging is the extension of the artist, and the toy they've created, but I think the future of designer toys, should embrace new ways of packaging, new materials, and presentations of the toys, to make them truly unique, and conscious of waste. I have no space in my tiny place for boxes, so I toss all the packaging out, and leave the toys on the shelf.

As for vinyl toys themselves, I've heard that the majority of Polyvinyl chloride products can be recycled, but for the toys, I'm not too sure. I've never had to throw away a vinyl toy.

If Toy designers think they're all hip, trendy, and cool, then "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" should be a philosophy that artists should be pimping!!!

Albert Art Custom Smorkin Labbit Vinyl Toy

I took a dump on Kozik, and I like the shit that came out.

8x8 Acrylic on Wood.

Say hello to 'Prison B*tch: 1, 2 and Poo'

I'm kicking off 2009 with a pair of Jailbirds, and their piece-of-shit turd for a friend. What a way to start the year! Painting on a Kidrobot Smorkin' Labbit (Dark Purple Edition 10-Inch), and Kidrobot Munny I couldn't resist creating such an odd trio of toys, and I couldn't be happier with the end result.

Washing the toy, with a scrub pad. Always important when preparing to paint a custom.

I've always wanted to do a Smorkin' Labbit, but Kidrobot to my knowledge doesn't make a DIY Labbit, like the popular DIY Munnys, so I decided to go ahead and buy one (the new dark purple one ), only to make it my own.

The 'Prison B*tch' concept was pretty much a placeholder name while I was sketching out the toys, and I couldn't really think of any name that made me laugh equally as much as simply calling them 'Prison Bitch', and grouping them all under that title. So I stuck with it. I numbered them like Prisoners - #1 (Labbit), #2 (Munny) and Poo (the pink turd). They are pretty self-explanatory, with no philosophical meaning to them. They are what they are, prison breaking, turd loving creatures.I just wanted to make something fun, and I hope you guys like them too.

I also always felt like with such a nice sculpt as the Smorkin' Labbit is, the original Kozik design itself was a bit too minimal for my taste. Which made me even more excited to paint over it. No offense to Labbit fans out there, but if people are paying a pretty penny for designer vinyl, then I think the toy should look a little more intricate and well... look worth the money.

I liked working with the Labbit. It's pretty large, but there's lots of space to work with as compared to your typical Munny.

Like my previous customs, I like putting hair on my toys. Black hair with the blue highlight seems to be a staple on the toys I've been doing. The toys always look better to me when they have the 'Albert Art hair'. They just look so much more complete with hair.

Overall it took about a week to get these toys done. I'd love to get these toys on display in another art show. They're so much cooler in person, that these pictures don't do them justice.

On a final note, I went ahead and made myself a facebook fanpage, to help gauge the interest in my work. If you're loving it, or hating it, I'd like to know!

Albert Art Holiday XMAS Vinyl Toy Showcase 2008

Ending the year with some cheer.

My little corner at The Sweatshop gallery Artist Perspective show on Saturday, may have been smaller than the other art displays on the wall, but it still managed to draw in curious art goers, wondering what was up with the intentionally crooked paintings, and quirky vinyl toys to go along with them.

My setup featured Santa and Elf (Qees), Mutant Monkey and Bonk (Munny), Buck Bear and The Surgeon (Bax Bears) placed on shelves from Ikea, with Christmas lights hanging which actually weren't as distracting as I thought they'd be.

People showed up slowly, but as the night hit 9pm the atmosphere was in full party mode, despite the winter weather. Dj's played, a hip-hop dance troupe shook their junk, spoken word was spoken, and bands played through the night.

Nothing was for sale. I chose not to sell anything, even though several people genuinely expressed an interest in acquiring the art, which is good to know!

Touching the toys was off limits! But with my permission of course, you could. This person seen pictured above, loved Bonk!

Here's hoping that the new year brings more art shows where I can display my toys for everyone to enjoy.

Lastly I wanted to give a shout to the awesome kindhearted folks who have appreciated my toys enough to feature them on their respectable sites!

the Morscata12 blog, Tomopop, Plastic and Plush, toycutter

here's a funny video I whipped up quickly. Thanks goes to Podington Bear for the music.

Suckage - Canceling my trip to Blipfest 2008 and NYC

Boo fuckin' hooo, I'm gonna be regretting this decision all through 2009.

Blipfest is only 1 week away, but rather than blog about my excitement about the upcoming international chiptune music festival, I'm gonna have to say that I'm canceling my trip to NYC due to bad timing. Sucks, soooooo bad. I was really, REALLY looking forward to going to Blipfest and visiting the Big Apple, but because I'm committed to doing an upcoming art show in December here in Vancouver, I need all the time I can get to finish up the artwork which means skipping out on Blipfest (Dec 4-7).

No more Bubblyfish, no more Nullsleep, no more Bitshifter. No more Katz's Delicatessen, no more Kidrobot NYC, no more Flight Club. No more KCDC, no more Animazing, no more Upper Playground. For now at least.

There's so much that I wanted to see in NYC, that missing out on this trip has me kinda bummed, but whatever, there's always next year. Gah, why does Blipfest have to be in December? And why does this art show have to happen 5 days before xmas?!

Luckily, I can still get a refund on my ticket.

Getting in the way of my trip to Blipfest is the Artist Perspective, 'Seeing is Believing' group art show which is on Dec.20th. I'll be busy the weeks prior getting my shit together to display. If you're in Vancouver Dec 20th, definitely come and check it out. Cover is 10 bucks but it's not just art! There will be food, DJ's, Bands, and break dancing; The Sweatshop is a really cool venue, it's a skate shop! I'll be putting up some NEW custom toys, and paintings. It's gonna look awesome, and much bigger than the Third Store show. Other artists will be selling designer tees, jewelery, and photography.

It may not be Blipfest, but it's somethin!

Join the facebook event, and mark it on your calender. It's gonna be a party!

Venue: The Sweatshop 1945 E. Hastings St. Date: December 20, 2008. Doors open @ 7p Cover: $10

Dunny Series 5 debuts at Voltage Vancouver

Dunny Series 5

Vancouver's Voltage, the popular local vinyl toy and clothing store hosted a party for the early release of Kidrobot's Dunny series 5. The event also doubled as a trading opportunity for those interested in trading older Dunnys, as well as new ones purchased in cases, which retailed for around $178.

Attendees were treated with refreshments, candy, and the company of other enthusiastic toy collectors.

Congrats to Voltage for being one of only a handful of stores worldwide chosen to host an Official Release and Trading Party on Wednesday September 3rd.

Albert Art Space Monkey Custom Munny toy

Albert Art Custom MUNNY Mutant Monkey From Space! Vinyl Toy

MUNNY Made while Mourning If you haven't noticed by now, I haven't updated this site for quite some time. I've been slacking on the updates with good reason, not because I don't have anything to post, but because of recent events that have temporarily put a stop to the blogging. On June the 18th 2008, my brother suddenly passed away. It was the darkest, most uncertain day in my life, as I had lost my big brother in a situation that could have been prevented, which until now still feels very unreal. I still can't believe he's gone, and I'm writing about my brother under these circumstances.
For the past two weeks I was out of town mourning with family, and friends. The support of a large extended family was invaluable and needed in this time of tragedy. It came as a complete shock to everyone who knew him. How could someone so healthy and full of life just leave this world so abruptly?
I was in the middle of painting my Kidrobot custom MUNNY for the "Show Us Your MUNNY Vol.2" toy show with deadline looming, when I received a call from my sister, who got a call from my dad regarding my brother who collapsed while training for a marathon. Amid all the chaos, and confusion of that day I pushed on to finish the toy within a few hours all the while keeping my brother in mind. It was very difficult to concentrate on producing quality work knowing that my brother had just died, I wish I had more time to work on the custom toy titled "Mutant Monkey!" but I had to make due with the time I had left before I flew out of town.
My brother who was only 28 years old, left this world with a positive impression on those who knew him. His friends, coworkers, and loved ones remember him as a well mannered, hardworking, young man with an interest in taking care of others rather than himself. He supported numerous charities, volunteered his time and energy to helping others, and genuinely cared about the environment. He had a knack for political discussion, business, technology and the latest gadgets from videogames to Skype phone, to iphone. He loved good food, friends, and fun times.
He was a competitive person in everything he did (hence his participation in Marathons, and extreme training). He pushed himself a lot whether at work or at play. My brother and I would always get fired up when playing videogames, most notably Virtua Fighter (1, 2, 3, 3tb, 4, 4 evo, and 5). A week or so before his untimely passing he sent me a link to "Virtua Fighter 5 R" on youtube. We were both excited for this upcoming version of Sega's fighting game series. We were even planning a trip to Tokyo for the Tokyo Game Show. Though we would fight in games, he'd always share his strategies, give me tips and advice, so that I would improve as a player to take on the competition, as a big brother should. Not only have I lost my big brother, but I've lost my sparring partner as well. I'll never look at Virtua Fighter, or videogames in general the same way again without thinking of him.
Yes, videogames were a huge part of his life, ever since he got his first NES back in the 80's. When he wasn't working, studying, or training, he would be buying, collecting, or playing videogames. His games collection consists of mainly Sega, Nintendo, 360, PSP, and Atari Jaguar stuff including rare Japanese import titles for each of these systems (excluding the Jaguar and 360). He was an adopter of early online gaming on his Sega Saturn, and later on his Sega Dreamcast. He really got into the experience, getting all the peripherals (keyboard, mouse, VGA adapters, broadband adapter, twin arcade sticks, etc.) for the ideal online/network experience on the home console. He was really into the Atari Jaguar as well and purchased many games, including those for the Jaguar CD. He purposely skipped out on the Sony PS1, and PS2, generation because he felt that his current consoles and PC were enough and offered more of a multiplayer/online experience which was important to him since his siblings (my sister and I moved away) several years ago. He later gave in to Microsoft and their 360 rather than to Sony, after the Dreamcast had faded away.
His massive gaming collection, is topped off by his DVD collection, which together can fill up a corner in a store like Blockbuster Video. While family members were telling me to sell his stuff for money, I felt it was necessary to keep everything he's collected either to use, or preserve. He would want me and my sister to keep the collection he worked so hard to earn in his short life. A gamer's collection should be passed on, and I've inherited quite the collection of stuff.
My brother was also a big influence in my choice to go into animation as a career. We used to always joke about making our own videogame when we were younger with me being the lead artist/animator, my sister the programmer, and my brother the mastermind producer. He definitely helped fuel my imagination, and interest in videogames, animation, and even hip hop music. He is also the reason that I started blogging. He introduced me to 1UP.com back in 2005 where I first started blogging. His online alias "Ryo Hazuki", from the hero of the same name from the game "Shenmue", and "idorkas", a play on Apples "iphone/pod", and character from "Virtua On", became titles to both his blogs http://ryohazuki.1up.com, and http://idorkas.blogspot.com
I will definitely miss my bro. Though he is physically gone, he was such a big part of my life and the lives of others that everything we do reminds us of him.


Making of Mutant Monkey from Space!
For the show I decided to go with a character design that for once wasn't based on a videogame. I promised I'd do an original design, so with "Mutant Monkey!" or "Mutant Monkey from Space!" I wanted to go for a character with an extreme expression, attitude and with a style that lends itself to animation. The character is cartoony, with a pretty basic color scheme. The Gun prop, and can were included accessories in this MUNNY series.
After I got the toy to a point where I could say it was finished, I dropped it off at Voltage so they could get it ready for the toy show on June 26th. I unfortunately was unable to attend the show because I was in LA for the funeral, but I hear it was quite the party.


I think this is my 5th custom toy, so by now I'd like to think have the process down to a T. Using Super Sculpey for the Feet, and Shackle I boiled it to cure it, then painted it. The entire figure was painted with acrylic paint. The stage I created using an 8x8 wood panel which I primed, then painted.
I made this MUNNY with an adjustable tail in mind. I drilled a hole in the tail part of the MUNNY, then inserted a wire which I had molded and cured super sculpey to. The tail can be rotated and posed, but NOT bended.


Personally I think the toy looks good for a rush job. I just wish my brother were around to see the finished product.

This toy is listed for sale on voltageland.

Announcing Albert Art in Custom MUNNY Vinyl Toy Show Vancouver June 26

Save the date.

Out of over 100 artists, 30 local artists were chosen to participate in Voltage's Custom MUNNY show set for June 26th at the Modern in Gastown. Surprisingly I was one of the artists chosen to show off their skills!

I've been working on an original design, that hopefully stands out from the rest. Hopefully? More like, definitely. That's right, I'm doing away with the videogame themed toys for now. I'm gonna deliver something awesome, that's as quirky as me. LOL

As much as I don't want to sell this toy, I'm planning on selling the one-of-a-kind hand crafted custom, but it won't be wal-mart cheap, in fact it'll be valued appropriately to the cost of the time and materials producing it. We'll see what happens, but this toy show is known for having international buyers shelling out the cash.

If you're in town, it's gonna be a party, especially since I'm in the SHOW!

Thanks Hudson!

Yesterday I got a package in the mail from Hudson Entertainment. It was to show their appreciation for me being such a fan of their games, and for taking part in a 2-part feature about my toy customization, Bonk and Bomberman Munny vinyl toys. Total Hudson fanboy, right here.

Sweet T-shirt, and game too. Bomberman Land 2 was reviewed pretty good.

Albert Art Bomberman Custom Munny Toy

Albert Art (albertart.net) Custom MUNNY - Bomberman
One more Vinyl for 2007, because some toys you just can't find in stores.
So here it is. My last vinyl toy of the year. A hand-painted "Bomberman-themed" custom Kidrobot MUNNY, with Super Sculpey additions. After several months of on-again, and off-again work, I finally reached a point to where I could say it was finished. And I think it looks pretty darn good!
Like the other MUNNY's I've done, Hudson Soft's Bomberman seems like a perfect fit for the combination of big-head, small-body MUNNY design. He's basically a great character to make into a toy, like Bonk and Megaman were. I'm a huge fan of the Bomberman franchise (excluding Bomberman Act Zero), having played it on the Turbo Duo, Sega Saturn, Dreamcast, and now the Xbox 360. Bomberman is definitely one of my favorite games, and I consider it one of the best multi-player games in gaming history. Not an exaggeration. This year Bomberman proved that he can thrive on the Xbox live arcade with great success. If you've played it, you could vote for Bomberman Live for the Best Multiplayer Game for 2007 Game of the Year Awards on 1UP.com...
How could you not enjoy Bomberman? This MUNNY is to show my unending enthusiasm for the game!


Using Super Sculpey, I started off with shaping the head, then the shoes, then the belt. The massive head took a while to shape. I cut off the MUNNY's ears and placed thick layers of sculpey onto the existing vinyl. To balance out the head, I made Bomberman big shoes so that he wouldn't topple over. My sculpting tools included a cylindrical bottle to use as a roller, a kitchen knife, a cheese peeler, and well, that's it. Very simple, nothing special.
I mixed the colors of acrylic paint myself, and after much trial and error, I settled for these colors. They aren't exact to the characters colors from the videogames; The colors are slightly lighter. The cost of making a MUNNY mostly comes from the Super Sculpey, paints, and the MUNNY itself.


I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out. There were times where I thought the head would break in half under the pressure of the boiling, but in the end it worked. I feel like a veteran MUNNY maker.
So what's next for this toy maker? Well, Since I have been doing videogame-themed characters, I think I'll do some original designs next on not only MUNNY, but other Vinyl as well. So stay tuned for those in 2008! I'm also heading to LA for the holidays, and I'm hoping to checkout some Vinyl stores in the area as well as Beyond Ultraman @ the Pasadena Museum of California Art. I love SoCal. If it's one thing I'd like to accomplish, it would be to someday exhibit my custom gaming MUNNY's offline!
I know many people traffic this site to learn more about customizing Vinyl toys. Thanks for visiting, and if you have any comments, or questions, be sure to leave one!
Here are a few helpful links to my past posts regarding Vinyl toys. Happy Holidays!
Priming, and Boiling MUNNY
Megaman Custom MUNNY
Bonk Custom MUNNY
BAX Bear Release Party
Do you Digg Bomberman?