Categories
Design Flash

2011 vs 2012

Update #1: I joint a gym to learn how to KickBoxing and Muay Thai! Here is the link to the site: http://www.samuraisports.nl/ (little warning: this website is not a beauty)
Update #2: Brummble the papertoy tribute to ThreeA vinyl: Heavy Bramble is online and ready for downloading: here.

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 πŸ™
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 πŸ˜€
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 πŸ˜€

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!

Categories
Design Urban papercraft

Papertoy Monster Day

Never heared of it… That because it self-proclaimed.
And I’m one of the people who will do the self-proclaiming.

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!
Papertoy Monster - book cover

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
Scorpion Robot
and
Squidbeak (formely know as ‘Octobeak’)
Squidbeak

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:

Categories
Custom Design Drukk

Drukks: the Pusher Series 1 – Dr. Bear

I’m one step closer filling the 6 slots for Pusher Series 1 (Designers on Drukks).

Scott Schaller is filling the 5th slot with his Dr. Bear
Dr. Bear by Scott Schaller

An awesome design. And I love the extras Scott designed for Dr. Bear, especial the brain case.. Always wanted a evil Doctor in my papertoys collection.

Of course is Scott and Nice paper toys member, you almost have to be πŸ˜‰ …

Some other nice-to—know information: Scott is a Graphic Design Teacher, which isn’t that special: a lot of papertoy designers have a creative job or education. No, besides teaching Graphic Design, Scott is also in charge of an after school program: F studio.

As a design teacher, I often throw in a lot of hand skills oriented components to the projects I assign. The computer plays a big part in all of our projects, but the finishing of a project, whether it is binding a box or constructing a packaging comp, is the part that makes the project complete. Paper toy crafting just seems to be a natural next step, combining design and illustration, hand skills, and toy making.
….
we are making our own vinyl toys, including the design, sculpting, and casting of resign models

How cool it that!!! I’m trying to figure this stuff out in my spare time and here is a teacher who can teach you everything you ever wanted to know. Man I’m jealous.
Visit Cabrillo Design Lab for more info.

Check this out: Custom self portraits by students of Scott (and himself) based upon boxy from Shin Tanaka.
Boxy student self portraits
Scott himself
Scott Schaller

And way down here on the end of the post… Scott told me that one of his students is working on a Drukk and she wants to have the last slot in series 1. Please do, you can have the last slot. And when you have filled that last spot I will start on the Selfish Series 2. πŸ™‚
Categories
Design Urban papercraft

Urban papercraft: Spiky Baby Deluxe series – part 2

Update #1: I’m sorry: it seems that the deluxe series is no longer available.

Ric pointed out to me that there is an update on the SPIKY BABY DELUXE SERIES from Shin Tanaka:
SPIKY BABY DELUXE SERIES

This is a special one, you don’t want to mis this series: the master himself is giving some new models away in this download.
Of course the SPIKY BABY are designed by some very talented designers, and you should check them out (see the links below), but I’m a fan, and the models Shin makes are really cool.

So lets take a look at this SPIKE BABY custom:

Don’t know how they are called but the link is called “SMN” and the image “SNKR” (sneaker?)
???

Link and image is called “TTB”
???

As other SPIKY BABY series you can download all models at random, but I don’t have the patience to download them all that way.
So I hacked it a little and give you all the links at once:

Update #2: I removed the links, they don’t work: you are too late for the download
  1. 460 374
  2. akira 385
  3. Akishi Nishida 376
  4. BARON UEDA 126
  5. BOUNCE 965
  6. BOX 026
  7. David Horvath 279
  8. DavidFlores 396
  9. eshimasa 854
  10. gumliens 553
  11. HARIKEN 525
  12. HYPER CORE 128
  13. KAIJIN 339
  14. KAZUHIRO HINO 944
  15. KIMA 962
  16. koraters 204
  17. MOCHIWO 541
  18. mori chack 559
  19. mori chack heavy blood 195
  20. mori chack instinctive 519
  21. NO23 Tomohiro 391
  22. REACH2 828
  23. REACH 609
  24. SHIN 813
  25. T9G 394
  26. Terry 207
  27. TOUMA2 924
  28. TOUMA 107
  29. NEKONOKO 546
  30. CUPCO 1 864
  31. CUPCO 2 956
  32. CUPCO 3 128
  33. CUPCO 4 454
  34. devilrobots 246
  35. MAD 697
  36. DavidFlores blue 769
  37. DavidFlores green 857
  38. MAD BARBARIANS 465
  39. VFDR
  40. TTB
  41. SMN G
  42. SMN P
  43. SMN M
  44. BSHITT 754
Categories
Design Urban papercraft

Urban papercraft: PaperToys book Artists

Update #1: I have written a post about Jerom
Update #2: Read about Macula

I have written about the paperToys book from Matt Hawkins before: it’s a book about the most talented paperToy designers in the world!

(and I’m part of that group πŸ˜‰ )

Because the list is so impressive I should write about these people…..
And I already did that: a lot of these paperToy designers are part of my Urban papercraft series

But there are some where I will not write about: not because they are not talented, but they don’t meet the requirements for my definition of Urban Papercraft. So I hope I don’t offend someone, but this group of designers will be striked out (like this)

  1. Shin Tanaka — πŸ™‚ read my posts yes, wrote about him more then once…
  2. 3eyed Bear — πŸ™‚ read my post
  3. Speaker Dog — πŸ™‚ read my post
  4. Toypaper — πŸ™‚ read my post I love papercraft/Flash
  5. Sjors Trimbach — πŸ™‚ read my post one of the first paperToy designers a wrote about.
  6. Ken Munk — πŸ™‚ read my post I really like the idea of hunting trophies
  7. Carlo Giovani — πŸ™ very talented though
  8. E440 — πŸ™‚ read my post
  9. Illectronics — πŸ™‚ read my post
  10. Jonny Chiba — πŸ™‚ read my post
  11. PHILL — πŸ™‚ read my post
  12. Marshall Alexander
  13. Nice Bunny — πŸ™‚ read my post very recently
  14. SIZZA — πŸ™‚ read my post
  15. P.P. Bear 100% loading
  16. Big Chief
  17. Lou Lou
  18. Bryan Rollins
  19. Christopher Bonnette — πŸ™‚ Update #2: read my post
  20. Grumm — nice dude! πŸ˜‰
  21. Jerom — πŸ™‚ Update #1: read my post
  22. Burlabox
  23. Rommy very, very, very cute, but no blank template
  24. Cubotoy — very beautyfull, can’t find blank template, pitty πŸ™
  25. Matt Hawkins

I see I have my work cut out for me….

Categories
Design Urban papercraft

Urban papercraft: Nice Bunny

Why have I never written about Nice Bunny?

Probably because of the controversy around his first designs. The first time I saw a design of Nice Bunny was the “Nice Bunny Paper Toys” (Tagger, DJ, Samurai, etc.)
NiceBunny Paper Toys
I wanted to write about him immediately, but I read somewhere that this series was base upon BrickBoy from Sjors Trimbach and he was not happy about that.

This all has been cleared up, and you can see that the series is now with a little footnote:

The NiceBunny Paper toys are Brian Castleforte, inspired by & built on the BrickBoy template Sjors Trimbach, with permission.

(read about this story here, where Nice Bunny explains the whole story)

After all this was blown over I was to lazy to add Nice Bunny to the urban papercraft series.
(….)
And Nice Bunny exploded: he got a new site, started an online shop, started Nice Paper Toy (read my previous post), and started the Hedkase Artist series Paper Toys
Hedkase Artist Series Paper Toys
And with an impressive lineup:
Ben the Illustrator
Ben the Illustrator
PHIL
PHIL
Nick Knite (SIZZA)
Nick Knite
Matt Hawkins
Matt Hawkins
and the list goes on and on (check it out)

What can I say…. I’m sorry πŸ˜‰

You can get the template here with an explanation how it works
hedkase Template
or use this direct link to the blank hedkase .PDF template

Categories
Design Urban papercraft

Urban papercraft: Nice Paper Toys

Some time ago Nice Bunny started a social network about papercraft.
Nice Paper Toy

There are a lot of very talented people who are already part of this network and you don’t need an invitation. The only thing you need, is the “love” for paperToys… πŸ˜‰

And the nice thing about people who are all doing the same thing, you get really informative discussions!
I specially like the discussion about “Sharing Designs – How to Protect your Brainchild” which can be read here, with input from Sjors Trimbach, Nice Bunny (who had some ‘trouble’ with his first papertoys), Marshall Alexander (who started creating papertoys with a custom design of Readymech) and Matt Hawkins.
This discussion is not only very helpful for papertoy designers, but it’s very nice to read: people tell there horror stories, toes are being stepped on, history of some designs are explained, …. πŸ˜‰

And what is a social network without the promotional stuff: here we have a Network Badge (Large)

Visit Nice Paper Toys

So visit me at Nice Paper Toys and join.

Categories
Design Grumm Urban papercraft

Son of a Grumm

Matt Hawkins started a book about papertoys which will be publish early 2009 (read more about this in a previous post).

I contributed Son of a Grumm, which is an exclusive custom Grumm design, to this book.

This is: Son of a Grumm

Son of a Grumm

If you curious about the first half of the papertoys for the book (working title ‘Urban paper’), goto the Custom Paper Toys-account at Flickr.

if you want to more about Grumm visit it’s homepage and perhaps make a custom.

Categories
Grumm Urban papercraft

Paper Toy Book preview

Update #1: I got the complete list of paper toy designers from Matt Hawkins


Paper Toy Book preview, originally uploaded by Custom Paper Toys.

Last year I was invited to joint a group of 24 of the most talented paper toy designers in the world. Matt Hawkins (you know him from his site Custom Paper Toys or his contributions to Paperforest) started a book which will be publish early 2009.

On the image you see the first half of the papertoys:

Just visit flickr and see the notes on the picture, so you see who made what….

My toy is the one with the gun: I call it Son of a Grumm.
When I have my own pictures of it, I will post it here