Hey Look. It's Plastic!

What’s that scene from The Graduate? Plastics. The future is plastics son. Hmmmm lemme see if I can find the actual quote. here we go-

Mr. McGuire: I just want to say one word to you. Just one word.

Benjamin: Yes, sir.

Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?

Benjamin: Yes, I am.

Mr. McGuire: Plastics.

Benjamin: Exactly how do you mean?

Mr. McGuire: There's a great future in plastics. Think about it. Will you think about it?

For me, the future was and still is art and toys. Toys made out of anything floats my boat. I just love “play”, through toys is how I get to that place of play. Most toys, and mostly the ones I love are made from some form of plastic. In the future these will most likely be made out of fungi, and plant based materials, in the meantime I’ll continue to keep using what’s available to make these gems I love so much.

I see these as keepsakes that will be traded, sold, or kept and passed down for generations. So I’m not too worried about the impact these have on the earth, esp compared to the trillions of water bottles, water bottle CAPS, plastic lighters, and all this other throw away garbage we keep producing.

So this post is actually about plastic bags. I love the look of the traditional bag and header, seeing them all pinned up, or clipped on a wall makes me so happy. Making more throw away bags, does not make me happy. I am now a full 3 years out since my last order of a big stack of plastic bags, and my very LAST order from ULINE was 8 months ago. Time to move on. I feel like there are enough plastic bags on the earth, so I’m just giving little shout out to say, I won’t be buying anymore. From my stack three years ago I still have a pretty good quantity. Most now are off sizes, too big, Left over from a huge order scrappers made for something back in the early Grass Hut days, so my next “art job” purchase will probably be a heat sealer, that way I can just turn the big bags into whatever size I like. With all this in mind, some future releases could include fabric sewn bags, paper bags, or recycled shopping bags heat sealed to the correct size. A bread bag release? Yeah that would be pretty fun, I love all the different colors and graphics on breadbags.

Lastly, if you are a toy maker, or maker of anything that uses plastic bags. This post isn’t here to tell you you are doing it wrong, or to shame you in any way. I’m not telling you what to do, just letting my little community what I am up to.

Feel free to leave any thoughtful comment, and I’ll do my best to answer.

Machine Gun Ghost

It’s a Machine Gun Ghost kinda Friday.

It’s another great marvelous two in one team up with Bwana Spoons and Paul Kaiju. this time it’s all about his new buddy Machine Gun Ghost. 

Firstsies, Bwana designed a psychodelic disco powered time based art print. That’s right, time based. The print run is open for just 48 hours. However many are pre-ordered in that time is exactly how many prints will be made. this will be an 8.5 x 11 Giclee, signed and numbered by Bwana. $24 each, limit is 5 per human.

Secondsies. Meet Tommy, our new bipedal SOB friend. this is a micro-run of 4, and it’s unlikely we will see anything other than a one off or two anytime in the future, so this is pretty much it. $50 each. Limit 1 per human.

Lastsies, but not leastsies, Bwana made 4 one-offs of Paul’s magnificently dorkongaluss Machine Gun Ghost standard sized vinyl. Sculpted by Paul, produced in Japan, painted by Bwana. 1 each per human. Price TBA

All released into the wild.

10am Pacific

gravytoys.com

But which one?

I found this old photo of a set up for one of my 3 3/4 Star Wars still life paintings.

Last friday, after sitting on this stack of images for a good 7-8 years I released the first in my series of 3 3/4 vintage Star Wars action figure paintings. These are all based off the original Kenner figures from 78-84 (85?). I loved these little beasts, and still do. U sed to carry Snaggletooth hanging out of my front pants pocket, right out of those bell bottomed cords:)

Mostly 2009 - 2011 I did over 120 little, and a few big, paintings of this whole figure series. Deciding which one to do first was somehow a total no brainer. Deciding which piece to do second, for this Friday’s release suddenly became very difficult. Some pieces are very literal translations, some are very abstract. Some of the figures human faces are so weird and “off” that i remember struggling to make my artpiece still shine. Some pieces are literally just the butt of the figure, and are some of my favs, some look like i was having a bad day while I was painting, and some look just ridiculous.

What was so hard about picking the second piece? Well what if this ended before i got to do some of my most favorite ones. What if I just picked all my favs at the beginning, and didn’t leave any fireworks for the end? So I decided to kick week two off with a blast. Rocket firing Bobafett. Who doesn’t love boba? I love him, AND I still get to leave regular Bobafett for sometime down the road.

Now. What will week 3 be? should I do another baller piece? Or a cluster of Lukes. There are so many Lukes. Snaggletooth is my favorite figure, but not my favorite painting, the greedo painting is fine, but not fantastic. Should i just make a new greedo painting? Shouldn’t a Greedo painting be 100% magic? Where is the cantina playset painting? I can’t find the image for that one.

No matter how i roll this out. i think the end result will be one hell of a print series. I’m looking forward to seeing how this all unfolds:)

Dear Terry

Terry and I are making a new zine. You can ask Terry anything here. ask about his personal life, what he eats, advice on any topic, and he will try to answer. I will pick 2-3 letters to publish in his letter column, and send zines to the published letters.

Summer Slime is coming.

Just a tinkle and a week away. You guys ready to have some funs? Toys, tacos, and some Lagunitas liquidy bits. I'm super hopped up about this one.

Terry Stardust this Friday

This friday at 10am pacific. Terry Stardust. Pink GID, choco brown, and GID vinyl with sprays and handpainted elements. these will be blind bagged with an extra treat, and two are variant versions with a bit of different color and more handpainted elements. SORTOF one-offs. FUN!

Good Morning.

John and Zack helping me out to assemble the very first Cyborg Stardust

Lazy lazy Lazy. 

Not so much lazy in my life. I've been working lots on various projects, painting toys, painting paintings:) , sculpting, and doing housey things like building a new chicken coop. But posting about my Brodarr buddies, jeesh, I really need to dust the cobwebs off this loggy blog here.

This week look for lots of little bits here and there about my Suns Of Brodarr friends. Time to get a little rainbow blood flowing here.

SHirahamama

Little Wolfs will be available at 10am pacific here on Gravy, in the web shoppe. Ships anywhere.

Big Neko. There is just one available (because one is for me:). I'm doing this one by Lotto right here in this thread. Neko will be $300 shipped. U.S. and Japan sales only on this one. Oh and Big Neko DOES have the extra third head, and can choose which one he or she gets. I like them both.

To put your name in the hat comment in this thread right here with your human name, and please be Paypal ready ok. You have until 10am Friday Morning pacific to enter. Thanks and happy nekoing.

Both of these Shirahama Toy releases are very special to me. I've known Dennis since SF days. it was such a treat to walk into Thrash Out for the first time and see his smiling face there.

This is a mix of pumpkin orange and choco vinyl, with florescent pink and gold sprays, and two different whites for teeths n claws, and ocean teal for the ghosty eyes. Happy early Halloween.

Little Artshow

New Paintings, Steven the bat, and more goodies.

wtfasia catalog

I'm not sure how easy it is to print from this site... but I made this high res cataloggy checklist with at least 3/4 of what will be available for the 4 shows. A few things haven't shown up yet, chocolate prenute, and some different killers, and t9g marty and killers. Even if they don't manifest for this tour, this is a hell of a line up. I have been painting non-stop everyday for this tour. So much rainbow action here. Hope to see some of you, and you can't make it to the shows, send a link with this one big wet stinky sheet to your friends that are going. See you on the flipside.

Pins Prints and Bandana are here!

Check the webshop for a whole new load of magic. Please note. These will all ship third week in May.

Big new batch of goodies this Friday

4 new enamel pins, a bunch of new prints, new colors for the Slow Your Roll Bandana and Tote, and a small pile of new one-offs for your clutching pleasure this Friday at 10am pacific. Check my instagrammy @bananapoons for pretty consistent updates all week.

wtfasia tour

The ball is really starting to roll over here as i get ready for a four stop wonderbluster. The WTF asia tour goes like this. Studio Uamou Saturday April 28th, and Superfest sharing a table with Cometdebris on April 29th. Both of these jams are in Tokyo. Then I'm off to Thailand for the Thailand Toy Expo (TTE) May 3rd-6th. My last official stop is an art/toy show at Paradise in Taipei Taiwan on Friday May 11th.  After that back in Tokyo for a factory visit, and slight brainmelt.

Gravy Toys Mega Load

Here it is!

Kiwi, the Luckykappa will be ready for take off Friday 10am pacific

Here's a shot of the sculpt. She is buried in silicone right now. I'll do one version for Skulls club, and a second public version as well.

Place Kiwi by your front door and rub her shell for good luck on your way out, put here in your restaurant for good health, or your shop as an anti-theft charm.

This first kiwi is resin. Although there is a chance she could make it to sofubi. I wouldn't count on that. I am so backed up with sofubi projetcs still from last year, by the time it happens I probably will have sculpted some new treasure to be made into soft vinyl:)

MeMe's are finally done.

MeMe are now complete. You still have a few hours to put your name in the hat for one of these beasts by Popsoda x Restore and one offed by Bwana Spoons. Scroll down the the "I still have three" post and put your name in there. Same price as first 4, which i think was $260. plus shipping. I'll double check.

I'm shooting for Friday night...

But as you can see. i still have my work cut out for me.

I still have THREE MeMe I need to paint Lotto

Next Wednesday I'll have three more MeMe that I will sell by Lotto. Sign up here, in the comments section of this post if you want to put your name in the Randall mug. Same price. Similar style.

Better pics and shipping.

Shipping. I haven't figured out how to do this. But I need to start sending anything to Asia-customs, or larger orders priority, with tracking, and maybe insured. I know how to ship this way, but need to make a new option on my site. The problem is that if i just say folks need to use the higher shipping price option for overseas orders, they will just choose the cheaper option anyways. But i don't want to penalize somebody from Taiwan just wanting to order a few Jungle Goobers:) I'll figure out something that works for all of us.

Wednesday 10am pacific

MeMe by Popsoda x Restore. One off magic by Bwana Spoons

Suns Of Brodarr, Cyborg Garak by Cometdebris x Gravy Toys

Better, not in the dark pics coming soon:)

This Friday I'll be opening up membership for 2018 Skulls And RainBones Society. This year I'm putting together some stellar packages for you. Is going to be quite delightful.