This is my first of my monthly “big” – post (read more about the changes I will make this year).

I had this lying around for some time (made it before Christmas), but didn’t take the time to finish it.
For the first time I had a WIP test builder (Jason Bolt) and that helped a lot.
Especially because I had some pressure to finish it!!

And as promised it will be down-loadable; I present:

Brummble

Brummble is a papertoy tribute to the awesome vinyl from ThreeA: Heavy Bramble.
I wanted to see how fast I could “papertoy” a vinyl (about 3 nights (3*4hours) and some extra hours for ‘bugfixing some ‘lite’ instructions and photos). The instructions are very minimal, so some it’s not a beginners project. You will need 5 pages, my advice is to use 120/160 gram paper (heavier than the usual printing-/copy-paper). It will take about 4 hours to cut out and build.

Blank template

Not a print this time? No I don’t think it needs more, but you may always surprise me with a custom!

5 pages

Yes it’s not a small papertoy, but the result will be very close to the original!
and show me/the world the pictures!!

The .ZIP file contains a .PDF
(You can use freeware like FilZip or 7zip to extract a .ZIP-file and read a .PDF with Acrobat or Foxit)

It’s been a while … haven’t posted anything regular in a… year.
That would have been the year 2011: the year I became for the first time a dad.

So here a little update (for the one person who still reads this blog).

2011 and a little bit before that

I had big plans; I wanted to show everybody that my live didn’t change when I got a kid…
Boy…was I mistaken.
Don’t get me wrong: this has been the best year of my live!!
But the things I wanted to do this year, the plans I made… nothing of that happened.
My daughter happened! and everything else followed HER plans.

I wanted to be a part of her live and not only look after her in the weekends.
My girlfriend and I both decided to have a 4 days work week so my daughter only has to goes to the daycare center for 3 days.
The employer I was working for at that time didn’t want me to work 4 days. I tried to use a dutch-law: they said they would take me to court, etc, etc.
I don’t want to make this post about my former employer (if you want to know more about this story, just ask), so I decide that it would be best for the both of us to find another job (1.5 month before my daughter was born…. I know: I’m still bitter about that).
But here is the good news (remember: the best year of my live) I found a great new job at noprotocol.nl!!!
I could work there for 4 days, they are very flexible and an awesome group of talented people.
AND I didn’t miss anything daughter-related stuff, which I can recommend every dad to do: have a day alone with you kid.

So the first 6 month of the year 2011 is mostly about being a dad (boring stuff for people who don’t have kids, nothing to explain to the people who have them).

Professionally (during the day I’m a Flash Designer/Developer) I learned about Robotlegs, AS3-navigator, LoaderMax, etc. Had some interesting talks with the people of “the bigger boat” (group of freelancers). AND I can do the job in 4 days (sometimes with some creative time-management from my employer and myself) which I knew would be possible, but conformation is alway nice.
In the next 6 months of 2011 I started to think about what I wanted. What makes me happy, what is making me happy right now and what will make me happy in the future. I miss the feeling I had when I started to work as a junior designer: wanting to learn EVERYTHING to become a senior. But now I am a senior… what’s next? Do I want to be a programmer for the rest of my live? Questions that are not answered yet.

I’m also a papertoy designer (something I do at night). This year was not a good year for papertoys: I needed my sleep!
I have done 1 exhibition in Amsterdam and I did an exhibit at Sneakerness Amsterdam (also the first time that I sold papertoys).
Both exhibition was done the rest of the dutch papertoy designers (3eyedbear, Marshall Alexander, Dolly Oblong) and one german papertoy designer (Nick Knite).
For these events I made 2 new papertoys, but they will not be downloadable. Nick Knite and myself wanted to organize a papertoy calendar with papertoy designers we both like… sadly I had to cancel that: no time to start/finish it
All and all not very productive year.

2012

My live (and this blog) is more than just one specialty. So here a short list:

Flash / Development

This is my job, this is how I make a living… and Flash is Dead! (again). I’m not worried so I will keep learning even more about that subject. But I need more! I have made a small CMS in 4 weeks in PHP (what an ugly language is that!) but that didn’t excited me much.
So I want to learn haXe! I’m quite excited about this language so I will be writing about that soon.
I would love to lead a team… or join a group of flash/geek-superstars (whatever moves me forward)
I want to finish what I have started in 2011:

• finalize (and improve) my project setup.
• automate the stuff that I have to do over-and-over-again

Find out how a senior finds his “what’s next”
Start having coffee-meeting with the industry tech-directors/tech-team leaders/etc to answer BIG question
Will be joining the after-work-drink-on-friday with my colleagues more often (once a month)

Urban Papercraft / papertoy

I really have no plans for papertoys: I used to do this to relax, but last year I relaxed by sleeping.
There is still two books I wanted to write…. but I can’t promise that it will be finished this year.
You can always ask me for a workshop or lecture about papertoys: just let me know!

The graffiti inspired papertoys I do will not be downloadable: that will be my art and art can’t be given away
So what can the fans download? I have created a toy based upon 3A vinyl toy: Brummble. That will be released very soon.
And more perhaps? Not really a plan for that but sometimes I get a tickle and that needs to be scratched… and the product of that scratching (now this metaphor is getting dirty) will be downloadable.
Can you ask me for exhibitions? Yes, please do. I like the idea that my work is art and not only a (paper)-toy.
That is also the reason that I have titled this paragraph “Urban”: urban-art, urban-toy, urban-paper that’s what I will be making.
Can you ask me for a papertoy book? Yes, please do. I have worked on two books with much pleasure and would be honored to asked for another.
Can you ask me for a custom? Yes you can… but time is very precious right now. So your project must be VERY interesting.
I have promised to finish a custom Zealot Guard from Abz, and that is what I will do. Why do this custom? This is a VERY exciting project by a (perhaps the only) female papertoy designer.
There are some plans to visit Germany for some workshops, but other than that I have no idea.
2012 will reveal itself to me as it goes towards 2013

Blog

Now I have some energy back in the evening I will be writing again on this blog, but not as often as I did before 2011. I used to write every week. That will change to once a month: a ‘big’ post. The ‘big’ post will be a tutorial or something else that needs more explaining. That will mean that there will be at least 12 more posts. Between these ‘big’ posts there will be some papertoy related images (minimal writing).
I will be writing about haXe, so that will be exciting (for programmers). I think I can be of some help making haXe more accessible for the ‘normal’ programmer.

That is not the only way to follow me: I have a twitter account. here I talk about everything that interests me (design/development/sneakers/games/video/whatever)

Misc

When my daughter was born I quit the gym (it was too expensive). I wanted to find something cheaper… It turned out to be very cheap: I didn’t join a gym but I also didn’t do something else. This year I will be joining a gym…. and to be very specific: I want to try Kickboxing!
Another thing that I will do, or stop doing… Is doing things for free. And that goes also for friends and family; they will pay (not necessarily with money, but for free doesn’t work for me anymore)

I’m looking forward to 2012!

(popsetpaper.com, Happy Colours’ Attack)

But for I can’t finish the papertoy in time (my live is changed a lot!)
(participate)

Damn I just couldn’t get more time in the design/build… I wanted to compete but there are more important things to do…

I could be sad, but I’m not, so instead of winning a contest
Ishare the end result with you (this is my blog so why not):

I introduce to you:

Squeezzrr

a C-Myk papertoy
(and my first Shin Tanaka custom)

Squeezzrr front-shot

Squeezzrr side-shot

Hope you like it.

Update #1: I have added Squeezzrr also to the gallery of Pop’set. It will be visible in 48 hours . To bad that there is no like button anymore

Update #2: I was missing the possibility to “like” this! So now you can do that here: like me on facebook. So like me alot

I have written about it, showed you images/photos and now there is a special day for it!

Papertoy Monsters:

Make Your Very Own Amazing Papertoys!

The papertoy book I have designed two monsters for published by Workman Publishing (strangly enough you can’t buy the book at Workman anymore).
If you want to buy the book visit amazon.com and buy a couple of copies!!!.

Here a little quote by Workman:

A breakthrough paper-folding book for kids—paper airplanes meet Origami meets Pokemon. Papertoys, the Internet phenomenon that’s hot among graphic designers and illustrators around the world, now comes to kids in the coolest new book. Created and curated by Brian Castleforte, a graphic designer and papertoy pioneer who rounded up 25 of the hottest papertoy designers from around the world (Indonesia, Japan, Australia, Italy, Croatia, Chile, even Jackson, Tennessee), Papertoy Monsters offers 50 fiendishly original die-cut designs that are ready to pop out, fold, and glue. The book interleaves card stock with paper stock for a unique craft package; the graphics are colorful and hip, combining the edginess of anime with the goofy fun of Uglydolls and other collectibles. Plus each character comes with its own back-story.

I’m proud to present the monsters I have designed:
Scorpion Robot

and
Squidbeak (formely know as ‘Octobeak’)

You won’t find a lot of images of these Monster papertoys around on the Internet, I’m not sure but I think my paper models are rated advanced.
Although you can see a part of the page where Squidbeak is at boingboing.net (check the first page of the book you see).

Here a promo of the author Castleforte:

The Papertoy Monster book has also a site:papertoymonsters.tumblr.com/ so check that out for more pictures of the monsters. And follow it with twitter: twitter.com/PapertoyMonster

Here all the other monsters that you can build:

Castleforte: here is a sneak peak of all 50 monsters from my new, soon to be released book, “50 papertoy monsters”. thanks to workman publishing for this wonderful, promotional poster. enjoy!

This is a freaking awesome book!!! what a beautifull set of papertoys

My monsters are “Squidbeak” (third row, first one) and “Scorpion Robot” (fourth row, third papertoy).

Preorder at Amazon

I thought about it…. and I think he’s right!
So here a little progress: based upon a MAC 10 here is my papertoy version MacTen.

Original “blueprint” of the MAC10

and my first build (WIP)

And after my first build, I realize that there needs to be a lot of changes to make it as fun as the Revolvrr.
So back to the drawing board, and make it more fun

The model is not ready for download, but let me know how bad you want it (make a comment!!!) and you will be the first (!) to know.
Oh and when your busy commenting, tel me also what should be part (weapons like a Rambo knife, grenade, ….) of the “Urban protection series”!

But this one is just so you don’t forget me:

Revolvrr is a papertoy that I made as a part of an other papertoy.

Nick Knite and Dolly Oblong advised me to share it with you. So here it is: it’s only a blank version because it just doesn’t need more.

The .ZIP file contains a .PDF
(You can use freeware like FilZip or 7zip to extract a .ZIP-file and read a .PDF with Acrobat or Foxit)

There was some room left on the template so I made a bullet for the Revolvrr

70′s Lurrv Gun – Methuup da Funky One custom

Water Pistol ‘Revolver’ – Jason Bolt custom

Revolvrr custom – Anonymous

Revolvrr custom – George McKnight

How to do this?

The first you need is a piece of paper with a print/pattern on it. Try Google for a pattern.
You can buy paper with a print on it but you can also use a page from a comic/magazine/flyer.
After that you just print the blank template on it.

Oh no!!!

The first papertoy suicide? A sad way to end your birthday… how will this end…
And remember: Revolvrr’s don’t kill people, scissors do!

(No papertoy fan(s) where hurt during this photo session)

This papertoy is a gift for someone who creates jewelry (check out the quick website I did for her: Smederij in Amsterdam).

She complains that nobody gives her jewelry. So I created a BIG-diamond ring

Visit my Flickr account for more images

Scorpion Robot

OctoBeak

They are papertoy monster made for the Monsterbook by Workman Publishing Co.
You can preorder it at Amazon:

Papertoy Monsters: Make Your Very Own Amazing Papertoys! .

There are 50 monsters in this book made by 25 designers. We were given the task to create monster papertoys on one piece of paper, with double-sided prints. They also asked to do some “classic” monster: I did a robot and a fictional monster.

Check my flickr account for more images!

Straat Papier Holland Klik – Workshop promo from Matthijs Kamstra on Vimeo.

Maarten Janssens create the “Straat Papier Holland Klik”-logo, and did the stop-motion animation. I did the rest

THE ABC URBAN ARTS FESTIVAL (read more)

A festival where design and crafts go hand in hand.
Saturday 26th, 2010 from 1pm – 6pm the square in front of The American Book Center (Spui 12, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) will be an outdoor atelier, with artists creating work on-site for the public to enjoy.

Maarten Janssens (3EyedBear.com) and Matthijs Kamstra aka [mck] (MatthijsKamstra.nl) will be given a FREE papertoy workshop at ABC treehouse (Voetboogstraat 11, Amsterdam, The Netherlands).

You can meet, greet and craft with the following Dutch Papertoy Artists:

• Dolly Oblong
• Loulou & Tummie
• Maarten Janssens
• Marshall Alexander
• Matthijs [mck] Kamstra

For further information on the ABC URBAN ARTS FESTIVAL please contact :

Rick Lightstone (lightstone45@zonnet.nl) or Donna DuCarme (treehouse@abc.nl)

More info about the festival:
http://www.abc.nl/blog/?p=14118
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=285334500311&ref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Urban-Arts-Festival/292157415238?ref=ts