a long week of thoughts

i'm still trying to figure out what this whole blog thing is for. i guess it just evolves until it feels right.
the larger concept is about sharing ideas, thoughts, quirky viewpoints, sketches, successes, failures, etc. i chose gumball because i think it fits with my way of seeing the world. gumballs remind me of being a kid and that's the simple joy i try to create as an author/illustrator/designer. just a small brightly colored sphere made of gum. but full of so much potential.

the reason i decided to even start sharing in the first place comes from a conversation I had with my friend Cinque, a painter, web guru, and designer who has been inspiring me for years. (read his blog here.) i said i had so many kid's book ideas i didn't know what to do with them. he suggested i share them. frankly, they're no good to anybody if i pass on and they remain in a little black sketchbook. i'm still a little hesitant about rattling off a list of my top ten ideas and throwing them out there, but the idea makes sense.

and now for a little sharing:

i just completed a model/action figure prototype of my main monster character Bludo-the blue dog looking creature that can be found on my business card and website homepage. this is something i've been working on for the past few months. i've been fascinated for awhile with limited edition action figures and urban vinyl sold at stores like KidRobot and decided to bring my character into the 3D world.

Step 1: I sculpted him out of an oil based clay.


Step 2: I removed his appendages and made individual poured silcone rubber molds of the torso, ears, arms, and tail. You can see the 2 pieces of the torso mold and a mold for one of the arms with pouring vents. My days as a moldmaker at Jim Henson Creature's Shop in Los Angeles paid off. (for more detailed information on moldmaking you can visit here.)

Step 3: I poured a fast casting plastic into the mold to create positives. (The white arm in the mold is a poured postive.)

Step 4: I sanded and painted, drilled holes for the appendages and put him together.