sketchBot

Designer Con 2011

2011-11-04T22:50:00.000-04:00

Designer Con 2011 is this Saturday, November 5th, at the Pasadena Convention Center! I'm pleased to announce these incredible resin casts by Pretty In Plastic as my show exclusives. They will be $60 a piece and limited to only 30 pieces for this run. I'm offering up six juicy colours that complement the original Sketchbot series.

I'm also releasing a new Sketchbot print at the show! This 13" x 19" Giclée print is priced at a very affordable $20.

Also, based on the overwhelming positive feedback from Instagram and NYCC, I'm pleased to have on hand a limited run of custom iPhone 4/4S Sketchbot cases!

Printed via Uncommon, these turned out extremely well. Pick up your favourite colour to match your Sketchbot purchase. Only 21 of these exist, and will go for $35 each.

I'm offering all seven Sketchbot stickers as a set for $5 or individual for $1 each.

I'll have plenty of Sketchbot T-Shirts available for $20 each.

I'll have on hand Sketchbot vinyl V1-V5, and the DIY's available for $35 a piece.

V6, due out in 2012, will be on display as well.

I've got lots of awesome Sketchbot content this year, so stop by Booth #434 and say hi!

Sketchbot V5 NYCC Pre-Release

2011-09-22T14:34:00.002-04:00

New York Comic Con is right around the corner, and I'm excited to return to NY to participate in my fourth NYCC. I won't have my own booth this year, so I'll be doing the pre-release of Sketchbot Variant 5 with my good friends over at the My Plastic Heart booth, #879. Signing times have yet to be locked in, but I should be making an appearance sometime on Friday. I'll have a small batch of brand new Sketchbot t-shirts on hand, along with a new, ltd. edition NYCC giclee print. Be sure to check back for actual signing time and a view of the print and t-shirts that I'll have on hand!

Sketchbot X Stikalicious = iPad Wallpaper Fun!

2011-09-22T14:13:00.000-04:00

This is pretty big news - I've been included in Series 1 of Chocoloate Soop's awesome new iPad app, Stikalicious!

The app is a free download and includes one complimentary sticker set. You can then make in-app purchases of your favourite artist's sticker sets, including custom backgrounds that you're free to mix 'n match any way you see fit.

As a extra bonus, I've designed two brand new, exclusive Sketchbots for Series 1 - Yellow variant w/crayon and Jet Black variant w/rapidograph. I've also broken out the accessories, so you can choose from your favourite drawing tool to include with your wallpaper creations.

I look forward to seeing what you all come up with - be sure to eMail links to your Stikalicious wallpaper images. Have fun!

Stop It! for Super Cooper's Munky King Show

2011-09-22T13:22:00.000-04:00

It's been a busy Summer, so let's try to catch up on some blog posts!

I was excited to be part of "Super" Cooper Berella's huge birthday celebration group art show that opened a few weeks ago at Munky King LA. The show runs through this Friday, Sept 25th, so try to check out the work up close if you have the chance.

Below are some work-in-progress shots as I work on the digital painting on my Wacom Cintiq using Corel Painter 12. The digital giclée turned out nicely using Epson's Stylus Pro 3880.

Sketchbot Variant 4 @ San Diego Comic Con 2011

2011-07-19T16:44:00.000-04:00

It's been over 2 months since my last post, but with good reason - we've relocated to Los Angeles, CA this past June! It's been a busy Summer thus far getting settled in and also jammed-packed with quite a few freelance gigs.

Tomorrow I head south for my fourth San Diego Comic Con! Sketchbot Variant 4 (green w/stylus accessory) will be available as a pre-release exclusively at the Dragatomi booth #4935, and then it goes global after the con. Price remains at $35.

I'll also have 25 Limited Edition Sketchbot prints that will be available during the times I'll be signing - Thursday at 12pm and Sunday at 3pm. These giclée prints measure 8.5" x 11" and were printed on cold press bright archival paper on an Epson 3880 Stylus Pro. The quality is amazing, and I'm excited to offer these for $20 each. See you all in San Diego!

Making of Sketchbot and 3d Printing @ NYC Maya Users Group, Wednesday, May 18th 7-9pm

2011-05-02T16:25:00.005-04:00

I'm very excited to be invited by Steve Mann and the NYC Maya Users Group to give a presentation on how I use Autodesk Maya to create characters that are printed via rapid prototyping and make their way to final products - specially, the Sketchbot vinyl designer toy.

I'll be bringing along plenty of samples to show what the 3d printing results look like, in addition to touching on a few other 3d-to-print projects I've completed over the past year.

The meeting will be taking place at Oceana Digital on Wednesday, May 18th from 7-9pm. Entrance is free and you can RSVP at nycmayausersgroup@gmail.com I'll also be giving away one original Sketchbot variant at the end of the evening!

This will be my last event in NYC before we head out to LA on May 20th. Would be great to see lots of familiar faces there for my last hurrah. Blue Sky Studios will also be on hand showing behind-the-scenes on their latest CG animated film, Rio. This is full-circle for me, as I moved to the East Coast 17 years ago to animate for Blue Sky!

Sketchbot V3 Debuts FRI, 4/22 @ TOYSTREET NYC

2011-04-20T17:42:00.000-04:00

Alright folks - here's the first new Sketchbot colourway for 2011! Variant 3 sports a popping, semi-translucent magenta tint to the vinyl and comes with ink pen accessory and matching sticker. Debuts this Friday, 4/22, 12-8pm at TOYSTREET NYC and will go into wide release thru normal distribution channels the following week.

My good buddy Mr Munk will also be sharing space with me at the booth where he'll have some gorgeous customs available for sale. Definitely swing by and check these bad boys out in person.

Rumor has it I'm also tapped to do a custom sneaker-head for Cookies 'N Cream. Stay on the lookout for more info day of show!

Sketchbotik

2011-04-06T09:56:00.000-04:00

Astute readers will recall that when I first started the Sketchbot blog back in 2007,

I was excited to be heading to Berlin to attend my first Pictoplasma conference. I've since attended two additional events that took place locally in NYC, but am unable to be in Berlin for the latest incarnation which begins today. I will, however, be there in spirit as my custom Lunartik, Sketchbotik, will be part of Matt Jones Mini-Tea Tour debuting tonight at 43º Kitchen/Gallery as part of the Pictoplasma Character Walk. Lars and Peter have planned an incredible 5-days worth of character goodness, so be sure to check it out if you're in Berlin.

The Pharaoh Bonez

2011-03-25T13:42:00.000-04:00

It's been a crazy busy month work-wise, but I was able to crank out this custom - The Pharaoh Bonez - for tonight's "Dem Bonez, The Reconstruction"custom show opening at ZAKKA.

Turns out Elite Gudz's Mr Den had worked with the godfather of graffiti, SEEN, for about 13 years and had access to this piece that didn't quite make it into final release. Den and co-curator Nemo got the go ahead from Seen to put together this show, and I'm honored to be included with such an esteemed roster of artists.

Show opens Friday, March 25th at ZAKKA here in my funky-industrial BKLYN neighborhood that is known as Dumbo. Check out my Flickr set for a few more shots.

Crimson Argus

2011-02-25T10:04:00.001-05:00

Here is the full reveal of my custom Alien Argus for Max Nagata's group show at Toy Art Gallery, which opens tomorrow, Feb 26th and runs thru Mar 26th.

**UPDATE** Artwork is now available online - here's a direct link to my very affordable piece.

I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out, as I've been experimenting more with washes, dry-brushing and all around weathering on recent customs.

Here's a great tip for getting amazing captures of your work - try to take advantage of the natural outdoor light, especially during "Golden Hour" when taking photos. I like to throw the background out of focus and position the piece to get an edge/rim light along the silhouette of the character where possible.

If you're in LA, be sure to stop by the gallery to check out what is turning out to be a huge custom show for Mark's awesome Kaiju-inspired creature!

Alien Argus Custom Group Show

2011-02-16T14:41:00.000-05:00

Here's a few sneaks of my piece for Mark Nagata's Alien Argus Custom Group Show, opening Feb. 26th and running thru March 26th, 2011 at Toy Art Gallery in Hollywood, CA.

The figure has crazy awesome detail and was super fun to paint up. This piece also marks my first ever Kaiju custom!

I'll post the full reveal next Friday when the show opens.

New Moon @ My Plastic Heart

2011-02-11T16:34:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year Sketchbot followers! It's been a very busy start for me, as I just completed a big freelance gig for Saatchi NY and am putting finishing touches on a few new pieces for various shows early in the year.

First up is New Moon, Interpretations of the Chinese Zodiac, opening tonight (2/11) at My Plastic Heart NYC. This is the third iteration of the zodiac-themed show, curated by John Wong.

My concept took a few twists and turns before settling on an idea that was partly inspired by my 1-yr old daughter's wooden toy blocks. My birth year is 1965, so naturally I chose to do The Snake. Pigs are on the direct opposite on the zodiac scale, so I wanted to incorporate them into the composition. The humanoids were based on old sketches I did years ago while doing simple, volumetric character studies.

The final piece, titled "Why Do Opposites Attract?", is an 11" x 17" Giclée print and will be on display thru March 13th, 2011.

Happy Holidays from Sketchbot!

2010-12-22T13:28:00.000-05:00

It's been an incredible year for Sketchbot. We debuted the original colourway this past June at My Plastic Heart and had them available at San Diego Comic Con in July, Variant 2 was introduced at New York Comic Con at the end of July, and the DIY blanks were announced at Designer Con in November. We also had not one, but TWO Custom Shows - the first was held at My Plastic Heart in March, and the second at Munky King LA at the end of November. Next year we have four more exciting variants rolling out, and the possibility of Sketchbot Custom Show 3 is already in the works. I'm also participating in a few exciting shows early next year - most notably, I've been invited to do a series of Star Wars Galaxy Sketch Cards for series 6 and also will be contributing to the third New Moon show at My Plastic Heart.

Here's to a wonderful holiday season and a prosperous New Year!

P.S. Longtime readers will recognize that the above image is based on this concept from two years ago. I had always intended to bring that concept to life in 3d, and finally had some time this year to crank it out.

Sketchbot Custom Show 2 - Captain Cavebot!

2010-11-19T11:04:00.000-05:00

When I first began this custom, I was going to do an entire figure covered in sculpted fur based on two drawings I did called Furbot. I started with the body, but then had to put work on hold for 2 weeks while I took on some paying jobs. When I returned to the figure last Sunday I started rethinking the concept and was doing a few colour studies in Photoshop when it hit me - "why not just do a figure with a hairy body only?" The classic Hanna-Barbera character Captain Caveman immediately popped into my head, so I snapped a picture of work-in-progress and mocked up that idea. I think it turned out pretty good, considering the last minute change and working out of my normal "mask 'N spray" comfort zone.

You can see this, along with 70 other amazing pieces beginning tonight at Munky King LA. See you at the show!

Sketchbot Custom Show 2 Sneak Peek Day Five

2010-11-18T00:22:00.000-05:00

Alright, technically, it's Thursday as I compose this final teaser grid before we head out to LA. I'm simply not going to have any time to do this in the morning before heading to the airport, so those of you up late get first dibs.

This last group is comprised of pieces by: Atomos, babyVtec, Steve Talkowski (hey, that's ME), Jenny Wolf, Mister Toast, Kingquan, Phetus, Gumpy Revolution, and Scott Tolleson.

I hope you've all enjoyed a week's worth of teasers. Be sure to come back for complete coverage from the show at Munky King, plus all the cool events going down in Pasadena this Saturday at Designer Con!

Sketchbot Custom Show 2 Sneak Peek Day Four!

2010-11-17T09:46:00.000-05:00

Alright folks, here we go with day four's teaser grid. As the incredible imagery continues to pour in I get excited as to the impact this show will have on the DIY custom community. People are going above and beyond with their entries and I am truly blown away!

Artists in today's grid are: George Gaspar, LYSOL, Overkill Creations, Ritzy P, Nathan Hamill, Ayleen Gaspar, Betso, Triclops, Kelly Denato, Pocket Wookie, Sour Bones, and Abe Lincoln Jr.!

Sketchbot Custom Show 2 Sneak Peek Day Three!

2010-11-16T09:13:00.000-05:00

Are we really only 3 days aways from opening night?! Hells ya, and I'm just now painting MY entry for the show! (I work best under pressure)

This third installment of the teaser grid includes work from: Cris Rose, Jimmy Foo, Rusted Halo, Scottoons, Cameron Tiede, Jon-Paul Kaiser, Bucky Lastard, Rotobox Vinyl Anatomica, Kevin Gosselin, Kat Brunnegraff, Paul Shih, and Phu!

Sketchbot Custom Show 2 Sneak Peek Day Two!

2010-11-15T09:51:00.000-05:00

Alright, we're in the homestretch for the big show this Friday night. Here are two more sets of teaser grids for you all to drool over!

Artists represented in this group are: Grimsheep, Lunabee, valleydweller, Mike Gulen, Alisa Ross, Paul Kaiju, Squink, PodgyPanda, dodgrr, Scribe, Spanky Stokes, and Shawnimal.

Sketchbot Custom Show 2 Sneak Peek!

2010-11-12T09:01:00.000-05:00

Alright folks, we're one week away from the big show at Munky King, and what better way to kick off the countdown than to release the first set of teaser images!

We've got 75 artists this time around and I have to tell you, everyone seems to be upping their game significantly for this show. The entries are as diverse as the first show, and I'm truly blown away by what people are coming up with for this platform.

Artists represented in this series of teaser grids: MAp-MAp, Euralis Weekes, Yoshii, David Lanham, J★RYU, A Little Stranger, Mr Munk, Lunartik, Mike Bell, Mike Slobot, Chris Ryniak, and Jim Bradshaw.

Stay tuned next week as I reveal teaser grids Mon-Thurs leading up to opening night!

Happy All Hallows' Eve!

2010-10-30T21:36:00.003-04:00

It's been a crazy October, which started off with a whirlwind 3 days at NYCC, where Variant 2/Blue was released. (view my Flickr set here) I've been busy getting ready for the epic Sketchbot Custom Show 2 which opens at Munky King LA in 3 weeks, along with Designer Con the day after. Stay tuned for some teaser images that I'll start releasing from all the participating artists about a week before the show opens. In the meantime, have a safe and fun Halloween!

Sketchbot Custom Show V2 is ON!

2010-09-03T13:40:00.011-04:00

After the huge success of the first Sketchbot Custom Show back in March, I've decided to curate a 2nd show to coincide with Designer Con in late November. Opening night is the Friday BEFORE Designer Con, November 19th, at Munky King LA so mark your calendars and plan your trip accordingly!

Check out this GARGANTUAN list of over 70 artists participating:

LYSOL ● Mike Bell ● Overkill Creations ● Betso ● Squink ● Kat Brunnegraff ● Rusted Halo ● Clutter Magazine ● Mr Munk ● Paul Kaiju ● Dodgrr ● valleydweller ● Kelly Denato ● Grimsheep ● Emily Bee ● Ritzy P ● Brian Ewing ● Jimmy Foo ● Alisa Furchess-Ross ● George Gaspar ● Ayleen Gaspar ● Mister Toast ● Kevin Gosselin ● Michael Gulen ● Nathan Hamill ● Monstafaktory ● Triclops ● James Yeah ● Ragnar ● Lunartik ● Jon-Paul Kaiser ● Frank Kozik ● PodgyPanda ● David Lanham ● Phu ● Rohby ● Abe Lincoln Jr. ● Sarah Jo Marks ● Drew Millward ● Lunabee ● Callgrim ● Pocket Wookie ● Lap Ngo ● TaskOne ● Rotobox Vinyl Anatomica ● David Palieri ● Atomos ● map-map ● Dave Pressler ● Gumpy Revolution ● Huge "Dred" Rose ● Cris Rose ● Scribe ● Reuben Rude ● Chris Ryniak ● Scottoons ● Paul Shih ● Mike Slobot ● Shawnimal ● Bwana Spoons ● A Little Stranger ● Troy Stith ● Spanky Stokes ● Steve Talkowski ● Cameron Tiede ● Bucky Lastard ● Scott Tolleson ● Kingquan ● BABYVTEC ● Euralis Weekes ● Julie West ● Jenny Wolf ● Yoshii ● J★RYU ● ManOne ● Rsinart ● Phetus ● Jim Bradshaw

I'm also dropping the Sketchbot DIY Blanks at both events, so in addition to acquiring original customs from many of your favourite artists, you'll be able to purchase and take home your very own blank and customize one yourself!

SDCC 2010 Recap

2010-08-05T11:25:00.001-04:00

I know, it's already 2 weeks after San Diego Comic Con, but I didn't come straight home - I had a 5-day stopover in LA to attend Siggraph. Finally settled in back home and going thru a ton of shots from four days of Comic Con crazyiness. I had an absolute blast signing and drawing at Dragatomi's booth Thur-Sat. Huge thanks to Ray and Joanne for inviting me to be part of their first Comic Con experience as exhibitors.

Special thanks to my distributer, DKE Toys, for getting Sketchbot some awesome exposure at their booth. We announced the next two colourways and the response is overwhelmingly positive. The blue variant will drop at NYCC, so mark your calendars and come out to Javitz Center this Oct to score Sketchbot Variant 2!

I've been going thru the multitude of photos I took over the course of 4 days and slowly getting them up on Flickr. The big draw for me this year was all the Tron Legacy stuff. I got in to the off-site Flynn's Arcade and checked out the awesome club-behind-the-arcade. Though I missed the Tron panel with cast and director, I DID get to see the Tron presentation at Siggraph a week later. I'm still pouring thru photos, so check back in a few days for more Comic Con coverage!

Sketchbots Revealed!

2010-07-22T13:28:00.002-04:00

Just a quick post to upload my official pictures of the new Sketchbot colourways, then off to the convention center for my first signing of the day!

- Posted using BlogPress from iPad

Sketchbot at SDCC 2010

2010-07-19T12:42:00.000-04:00

It's that time of the year to head out to San Diego and geek out on comics, art, and designer toys! Sketchbot is out and will be available for purchase at the show. If you'd like a signed copy, make your way to the Dragatomi Booth #3848 on Thursday, 11am, and Saturday, 11am, when I'll be on hand to sign and sketch.

Another booth you're definitely going to want to swing by is my distributor, DKE Toys #4732. We'll be revealing Variants 2 and 3 in the Sketchbot series!

Looking forward to meeting all the new fans of Sketchbot at the show - see you in San Diego!

Sketchbot iPhone 4 Wallpaper

2010-06-25T17:41:00.001-04:00

Did I hear someone ask for iPhone 4 wallpaper on Twitter?! Here's a quick Lock Screen version for all you brand new iPhone 4 owners, optimized for the higher resolution screen at 960 x 640. I'll be releasing lots more of these down the road, so follow me on Twitter and keep an eye out for release and availability. Enjoy!

LA Sketchbot Release & Signing at Crewest

2010-06-14T22:22:00.001-04:00

Last Friday's Sketchbot launch at My Plastic Heart was a huge success. We sold out our allotment for the night and they are now taking pre-orders that will begin shipping after 06/21/10.

If you were unable to attend the NY signing - and, just happen to live on the West Coast - I'm flying out to LA this weekend for a signing at Crewest gallery on Saturday, June 19th from 6-9pm. You can also view my mini-retrospect on display, as I'm their featured custom toy designer for the month of June.

I'm looking forward to meeting all the West Coast Sketchbot fans!

NY Sketchbot Release & Signing, 06/11/10 @ My Plastic Heart

2010-06-07T09:45:00.002-04:00

Sketchbot launch day is this Friday night! It's been 11 months since we began actual production and Sketchbot is now ready for his NY debut. I'll be signing and doing sketches at My Plastic Heart this Friday, June 11th, from 6-9pm. If you can't make it to the East Coast event, don't worry - I'll be in LA at Crewest the following Saturday, June 19th, for the West Coast release & signing. Exciting times ahead, thanks everyone for the support along the way!

Sketchball & Refbot for World Cup @ Crewest

2010-06-05T19:53:00.005-04:00

As I'm anxiously awaiting the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, it was only fitting to tailor my latest custom for Crewest's World Cup show after an event that is often times preceded by the histrionic talents of those presented with the ultimate penalty - the dreaded RED CARD EJECTION. The show opens tonight, Saturday, June 5th, from 6-9pm in Los Angeles, CA.

Additionally, I was also chosen as their first ever "Custom Toy Designer of the Month" that, coincidentally, also takes place concurrently with the World Cup opening. This included being offered the 3rd Saturday of the month to host an event of my choosing, which, thanks to the stars being in alignment, meant that I would be able to finally offer up Sketchbot to the world. Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 19th, as I fly to LA for the release and signing of Sketchbot V1! More info to follow. In the meantime, do swing by the gallery to catch the current shows, along with World Cup First Round Viewing Parties (see attached flyer for match-ups and game time starts)

Sketchbot iPad Wallpaper - Series 1

2010-05-28T13:25:00.001-04:00

Yes, I drink the Apple Kool-Aid big time. I got an iPad within the first week they went on sale and am having a blast with it. I still have yet to find the ideal stylus for drawing with (don't get me started) but the iPad is proving to be an excellent digital portfolio companion when I'm out and about. I'm anxious to put it to the test in July, when I'll be attending SDCC and Siggraph back-to-back. Ideally, I'd love to leave my MacBook Pro at home and just rely on the iPad for all my computing needs while at the conventions. One crucial test will be how quickly I can load up photos from my Canon 7D and actually do some rudimentary editing before posting up here and to Flickr. I'll be acquiring the hard-to-obtain(?) Camera Connection Kit soon and do some thorough testing.

In the meantime, I'm way overdue with getting some Sketchbot related artwork up for iPad wallpaper use. The trick is formatting imagery to look good in both portrait and landscape mode. I recently completed some vector artwork for my Thought Processor custom last week, so I'm offering these up as the first in a series of Sketchbot iPad Wallpaper. If you're reading this page on your iPad, simply click on the image, save to your photo library, and assign as desktop, home screen, or both. Enjoy!

Sketchbot X Thought Processor Custom

2010-05-21T23:47:00.002-04:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks since the big Sketchbot custom show. One of the projects I was able to squeeze in was this cool custom piece for Phoneticontrol's Thought Processor NYC Series. The show opened tonight, and I've posted my image dump up on Flickr here.

Each artist was asked to include an accompanying piece of art along with their custom. I thought this would be a great opportunity to put my Illustrator chops to the test and undertook a triptych that depicts the backstory to "Sketchbot Transformed." Fortunately, my 6+ yr-old Epson Stylus Photo 2200 printer came through if flying colours! The show runs thru June 21st, so swing by My Plastic Heart and check out all the amazing work in person!

Sketchbot Custom Show Recap

2010-04-16T14:57:00.001-04:00

I'm very pleased to inform you all that The Sketchbot Custom Show at My Plastic Heart was a huge success! We had an amazing turnout - there were easily 100-150 people that made it thru the tiny space in 3 hours, and the overall reaction was super positive. It was great to see many of the local artists in attendance, and for those who couldn't experience the show in person, we streamed the opening live on UStream.

Opening night sales were not bad, with 12 pieces selling instantly. I know times are still tough, but there are 32 pieces still up for grabs (and more than a few for under $200), so visit this link and get yours before they're all gone!

The Sketchbot Custom Show Flickr set has been updated with 82 new pictures I shot during the opening. I would encourage you to see it up close in person if you find yourself in NYC - the show is up for one more week and closes next Friday, April 23rd.

For those that simply can't make it out, you're in luck! One of my custom artists, Dave Gittleman, was on hand with his Canon 5DMarkII as our official show photographer and shot an incredible amount of footage that he assembled into this killer video!

I want to thank all of you who came out and gave your support to a totally new platform. I also want to thank Vince and Bikei from My Plastic Heart for giving me the opportunity and space to host the show. And most importantly, a huge thanks goes out to my manufacturing partner, MAD, who worked his magic last October in acquiring 50 blanks so that I could have pieces to send out in the first place.

Sketchbot Custom - GigantorBot

2010-03-26T11:06:00.001-04:00

Today's the big day! Sketchbot Custom Show tonight at My Plastic Heart, and I'm kicking things off with the full reveal of my custom, GigantorBot!

Anyone who knows me is fully aware of my obsession with all things Gigantor/Tetsujin-28. In fact, the Sketchbot design itself was partially (sub-consciously?) influenced by a few design elements found in the amazing work of Mitsuteru Yokoyama, most notably the dead ahead stare of the half opened eye and minimal use of rivets.

It was painfully obvious that I had to do a Gigantor version of Sketchbot. I did a quick Photoshop mockup, and then went back to my original computer model to further explore the idea in 3d. After a few test renders, I knew this was the way to proceed.

However, I also knew there was going to be no way I could hand sculpt these pieces to the tight precision required to pull off the concept and do it proper justice, so I opted to utilize the same method in which I fabricated the original prototype - print out the pieces in 3d! I was going to try and match the vinyl blank, but decided to just print out the entire object so that there would be no discrepancies with fit and finish.

I broke the character down into various components to make paint and assembly that much easier. After much wet-sanding and priming, the pieces were ready to mask and spray. Final assembly went fairly smoothly, although, my connector tabs for the rocket pack were way too thin and one snapped off. Liberal use of Zap-a-Gap rectified the situation, and the model was completed!

You really need to see the model up close to appreciate how well the 3d print matched the 3d geometry. I hope you get to see this, along with the rest of the amazing pieces I've gathered, tonight at My Plastic Heart - stop by and say hi!

Sketchbot Custom Show Teaser

2010-03-25T12:42:00.002-04:00

This archival photo was recently uncovered, revealing a protector of the city long before there were Transformers or Super Heroes...

Sketchbot Custom Show Sneak Peeks, Round 2

2010-03-24T11:42:00.005-04:00

This will be the final teaser grid before the show! We're still waiting on last minute arrivals, but here's another 18 crops from the roster for you to drool over. Enjoy!

Sketchbot Custom Show Sneak Peeks!

2010-03-19T13:07:00.004-04:00

We're one week away from the big show and the sneak peeks have started to trickle in. I've been Tweeting updates throughout the week, and thought I'd show a few more not yet seen here on the blog to whet your appetites. ;) This represents just over a third of the collection that will be on display.

I have to say that I'm genuinely blown away by the level of A-game people are bringing to their customs! It's encouraging to see my fellow artists embrace what I hope will be a new platform for customizers to use as an alternative to the plethora of DIY canvases out there.

I've got something especially mind-blowing in the works for my custom and will be putting the finishing touches on it early next week. Check back for a special sneak peek before the show opens next Friday!

Sketchbot Custom Show!

2010-03-01T11:25:00.005-05:00

It's March 1st, and I'm super psyched to announce phase 1 of Sketchbot! We're kicking things off with a huge custom show at My Plastic Heart NYC that opens on Friday, March 26th and runs thru April 23rd. I've assembled a staggering array of 50 artists and customizers to DIY up the 'bot in their unique styles. Mark your calendars, you're not gonna want to miss this one!

Be sure to check out all of the participating artist's work at the following links!

64 Colors | http://www.64colors.com

Aaron Stewart | http://www.bendablerubber.com

Andrew Bell | http://www.creaturesinmyhead.com

Argonaut Resins | http://argonautsresin.blogspot.com

Brent Nolasco | http://brentnolasco.blogspot.com

Brian Flynn | http://super7store.com

Chauskoskis | http://walterjacott.blogspot.com

Chris Krebs | http://www.chriskrebs.com

Chuckboy | http://chuck-boy.blogspot.com

Chris Raab | http://www.coroflot.com/chris_raab

Cypher13 | http://www.cypher13.com

Dacosta! | http://www.chocolatesoop.com

Dave Gittleman | http://www.flickr.com/photos/davegittleman

Dead Presidents | http://www.deadpresidentsdesigns.com

Mr. Den | http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr-den

Gods and Monsters | http://www.godsandmonsterrrs.com

Dril One | http://www.drils.com

Dustin Cantrell | http://anomicbomb.blogspot.com

Entae Kim | http://www.behance.net/entae

Frank Mysterio | http://frankmysterio.blogspot.com

Jared Deal | http://jareddeal.blogspot.com

Jason Limón | http://www.limon-art.com

J-Bat | http://www.dynomightnyc.com

Jeremiah Ketner | http://www.smallandround.com

JESTER | http://www.j6x2.com

Motorbot | http://motorbot.kevinolsonartist.com

J-ROO | http://www.dynomightnyc.com

kaNO | http://www.kanokid.com

Keithing | http://www.keithing.com

King Abnon | http://absolutenons3ns3.wordpress.com

Leecifer | http://www.leecifer.com

LJ Lindhurst | http://www.ljlindhurst.com

Lou Pimentel | http://www.lou-pimentel.com

MAD | http://www.madtoydesign.com

Manny Galan | http://www.dookie-poo.com

Matt Doughty | http://www.onelldesign.com

Moopf | http://www.moopf.com

NEMO | http://nemossculpturestudio.blogspot.com

OsirisOrion | http://osirisorion.blogspot.com

Patrick Francisco | http://doodlechimp.blogspot.com

PHONETICONTROL | http://www.phoneticontrol.com

Pon | http://www.feedthepigeons.net

Reactor-88 | http://www.reactor88.com

Sam Fout | http://www.moontoadproductions.blogspot.com

Mr. Shane Jessup | http://mrshanejessup.blogspot.com

Steve Talkowski | http://sketchbot.blogspot.com

Sket One | http://www.sket-one.com

SUCKADELIC | http://suckadelic.com

TOYSREVIL | http://toysrevil.blogspot.com

veggiesomething | http://www.veggiesomething.com

Mission: 10,000 Rockets

2010-02-11T19:08:00.005-05:00

I just wrapped up a pretty cool project for the agency Creature based in Seattle. I was one of three artists chosen to interpret three winning drawings (out of 10,000) of rockets of the future from school kids around the country for the Mission: 10,000 Rockets project developed by Bing™

The entire progression can be viewed at this Flickr set.

They had seen my Sketchbot 3d prototype and were interested in getting something created in a similar fashion. Of course, I was more than happy to get another chance to print out a 3d design, and jumped at the chance to participate.

Mission: 10,000 Rockets Turn Table from Steve Talkowski on Vimeo.
This is a 3d turntable render of the rocket I was commisioned to create for the Bing™ Mission: 10,000 Rockets project.

The final model will be on display at the winning entrants school. There will also be a book published in April that will contain every drawing submitted to the contest, along with the three final art pieces.

I'd like to thank Creature Art Director Eric Larkin and Project Manager Sarah Faulkner for making contact and including me in such a fun project. Also, HUGE thanks to Dave Gittleman and Michael Gulen for 3d output.

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-22T21:50:00.005-05:00

It's been a busy two months since my last post in October. I finished two freelance gigs, and also received the T1 and paint samples of Sketchbot! Tweaks and adjustments are in the works, with final approval mere weeks away. Exciting times lie ahead for 2010. More info come late February.

Sketchbot Studios wishes you all Happy Holidays and a great start to the New Year!

TweetBot

2009-10-16T17:14:00.007-04:00

I've been on Twitter for 8 months now, and it's by far my favourite social networking site. It's the pure essence of micro-blogging. I've found that I discover - via succinct, 140-character 'Tweets' - an abundance of interesting posts and tidbits than had I spent 3-4 times more scouring various websites for the same information.

How best, then, to show my appreciation for the site than to create an interpretation of the Twitter bird - in this case, one that would fit comfortably in the Sketchbot universe! I present to you, TweetBot.

I scribbled a quick sketch of this idea month's ago but just now had some free time to play around with the character. I'll definitely be rigging and animating this little critter, so stay tuned for some animation posts in the near future.

Clike HERE to add me to your follow list!

Mimobot X Infectious Contest Entries

2009-10-09T16:55:00.005-04:00

It's been awhile since my last post. I recently wrapped up a 6-week animation freelance gig (will post about that next) and needed to finish some entries for the Infectious X Mimobot Design Challenge.
I thought it would be cool to actually model the shape in 3d and use the 2d template as the basis for a texture map. This way, I could easily slap various designs onto the model and see how well they hold up on the actual 3d volume.

Head on over to the site and check out all the other entries. And do cast your votes while there!

Click here to vote on Jellyfish Mimobot

Click here to vote on Sketchbot Mimobot

SDCC 09 / Summer Vacation Wrap-Up

2009-08-01T12:49:00.008-04:00

We've got one day left on our 2-week West Coast adventure. First stop was visiting family in AZ, followed by 2 1/2 days in San Diego at Comic Con, a 3-day visit to LA, and wrapping up the final week in Cambria with more family visits. Unfortunately, I've spent 10 days very much under-the-weather, as I picked up a nasty sinus infection amongst the 125,000 Comic Con attendees. I did manage to get some antibiotics earlier this week and am starting to feel much better.

A few quick thoughts on Comic Con. This year seemed even crazier than last year. Preview night saw people rushing the doors like it was black Friday! The lines to every panel were longer, and the crowds more jam-packed than ever, and this was just Thursday and Friday. We drove to LA Friday night after the show, so I can only image the weekend was even more intense. More SDCC 09 pictures up on my Flickr here.

I was excited to have the Sketchbot prototype on display at the DKE TOYS booth, and got lots of great response. This thing is finally becoming a reality! Met a slew of folks from my Flickr and Twitter contacts and lots of familiar faces from the year before.

One of the highlights was getting into Hall H to see the Disney/Pixar presentation. John Lasseter talked about the Toy Story series, a new 2d animated Frog and the Princess, and the highlight was bringing out Hayao Miyazaki and showing an incredible clip from Ponyo, which hits theaters in the US August 14th. The other panel that got me excited was seeing Peter Jackson present Neill Blomkamp's District 9. REALLY looking forward to seeing this one. I missed the Iron Man 2 panel (it was on Saturday) but the HD trailer for TRON Legacy made up for it in spades. The artists over at Digital Domain are doing an amazing job on this and being a huge TRON geek, I can't wait to see this on the big screen.

Alright, time to enjoy our last full day on the California central coast. We're gonna take the dog over to the beach and dip our feet into the ocean. Will be back in Brooklyn on Monday, have a great weekend!

Artist Series Interview up on "I Heart Cool Stuff"

2009-07-23T01:36:00.004-04:00

The Artist Series: Steve Talkowski from I Heart Cool Stuff on Vimeo.

I was recently interviewed by Erika (aka, Sakiwaki) from www.iheartcoolstuff.com - be sure to show some love and post a comment on their excellent site!

Sketchbot Prototype SDCC 09

2009-07-18T20:13:00.004-04:00

What a difference a year makes.

Last year this time I had just completed two hand sculpted and painted prototypes of the first version of Sketchbot. I brought them along to SDCC, had one on display at Toyqube's booth, and the other I carried with me and showed to whomever would stop and listen to my spiel. I received lots of positive feedback and even some constructive criticism. The plan was always to revise the character to be more animation friendly, in addition to further refining the shape and features. It was also important to settle on a cohesive branding strategy for all the various elements that comprise Sketchbot Studios.

Today, I'm proud to announce that Sketchbot is now in full production as a designer vinyl toy!

The new prototype will be on display at the DKE TOYS booth at SDCC 09. I'll be in attendance Wednesday during "Preview Night" and wrapping up my visit end of day on Friday. I'll have a batch of the newly designed stickers and business cards with me, so hit me up for some free swag if you see me wandering the vinyl toy aisles.

It's been an exciting journey since I first began this venture over a year ago, and the future promises a plethora of surprises for Sketchbot. See you all in San Diego!

Sketchbot Prototype Final

2009-06-30T13:25:00.003-04:00

Here's a quick update on the Sketchbot prototype. Two full sets were delivered yesterday from the awesome Crystalline Models! One will be fully painted and on display at the DKE booth during SDCC. The other will be delivered to the factory where it will be used to create the master molds. Some key improvements are removal of the grooved eye, which doesn't lock me into one shape, and better defined grooves in the arms and legs. The figure has been scaled up by 10% to take into account the shrinkage factor when it gets cast in vinyl. Also, the enlarged right hand and accessories have been completed and look great. You can see a size comparison with a mini Munny up on my Flickr. I'll post pictures of the painted proto before heading out to San Diego for Comic Con.

It's iPhone 3GS Day, and V2.0 Sketchbot Wallpaper!

2009-06-19T17:08:00.001-04:00

Truth be told, I'm gonna miss my original 1st gen iPhone. I really liked the look and feel of the casing, and OS 3.0 ran just fine on it. However, I couldn't wait to finally upgrade to 3G, as the Edge network is slower than molasses. Of course, having a slight bump in camera resolution, along with being able to shoot video clips, is a nice plus. I just hope I don't regret this come same time NEXT year. We'll have to wait and see if the fourth iteration of the iPhone will be evolutionary, or revolutionary.

In the meantime, I'm offering up some fresh iPhone wallpaper with V2.0 graphics. It's refreshing to update the brand across the board with the latest imagery. Enjoy!

Sketchbot Customs... In Glorious 3d!

2009-06-05T17:10:00.001-04:00

Sketchbot DIY MadL from Steve Talkowski on Vimeo.

This project started out as a proof-of-concept for setting up the Sketchbot blinking eye rig. I haven't started to rig up the bot itself, and thought I'd apply the animated texture map to a 3d MadL that I cranked out. I've been in a 3d customizing mode the past week, and figured I'd explore my first MadL concept. Possible candidate for the next artist series?

If you have the capacity, I encourage you to download the HD version of the animation on my Vimeo page.

I've also been presented with two paper templates to customize, and thought it'd be great to bring them into 3d and do some photo-realistic rendering. The first one is a design from Sharim Gubbels, called "Ghostboy." The second template is by Gareth Lancaster, aka "moopf".

I do have an original paper toy based on Sketchbot in the works and hope to have something available for download in the not-too-distant future.

Sketchbot Update - Stickers and Quotes

2009-06-02T19:09:00.006-04:00

Lots of exciting things going on behind the scenes at Sketchbot Studios. First, you'll notice a new masthead at the top of the blog that represents the updated logo. This redesign carries over to a new batch of stickers, which include artwork for each of the 6 planned colourways and the DIY blank version. I'll be including a sticker inside each box. Unfortunately, I have to conceal all the amazing versions until those variants become available (gotta keep the suspense alive!). The good news, everyone gets to follow along with Variant 1, and here's the final artwork:

And, yes, that's a sparkling new URL that will be the official home for the Sketchbot brand. It's currently under construction and I'm working on some killer content for the site. As always, you can continue following the adventures of toy production and other going-ons right here.

The following image represents but a third of the ginormous sticker run I recently had completed by the fine folks at Stickerobot. My design is currently featured as their Sticker of the Week! I highly recommend them for any of your sticker needs - tell 'em Sketchbot sent them your way.

Here's a quick comparison between V.1 and V.2 - the design sorely needed updating, and V.2 is now consistent with the revision to the actual 3d model.

Finally, I've been having lots of back-and-forth conversations with two factories in China, presenting my plans for production and getting those much needed quotes. Financing is going to be challenging, but I will not compromise on quality for my first release. I think all the fans of Sketchbot will appreciate the value that is going into bringing this character off the page and into reality. I'm still shooting for a release before the holidays, so keep sending those positive vibes in our direction!

Honey Nut Cheerios Sci-Fi Spot

2009-06-01T20:07:00.004-04:00

SciFi Cheerios "if" Spot from Steve Talkowski on Vimeo.

I worked with Hush on this spot a few weeks ago. My role entailed rigging up and animating the bee character, modeling the honey wand and subtle honey animation, and full lighting of the character. A hero Cheerio was animated landing and bobbing in an imaginary plane, and this was repeated numerous times to fill out the foreground splashing bits of cereal. The spot was composited and colour-corrected in After Effects.

Check out Hush's website for more killer work, including another spot I animated on, Sony Ericsson's "Dance Off"

KickToys Launch Party @ Toyqube

2009-05-09T00:38:00.003-04:00

After enduring a hellish 45-minute traffic clusterf*ck on the L.I.E., we finally made it to Flushing for the Kicktoys' Launch Party at Toyqube. There was a great turnout for such a modest show, considering there were only 10 custom pieces on display. Met the entire Kicktoys crew, who are really nice people. Congratulations on the launch, and we are definitely looking forward to some of the newer projects that were displayed on the video monitor. Funny how the ride home took less than 15 minutes!

KickToys Custom Teaser

2009-05-04T12:08:00.004-04:00

Here's a little sneak peak of my custom BEit Dude for the Kicktoys launch party this Friday at ToyQube.

New Moon: Interpretations of the Chinese Zodiac @ MPH

2009-04-12T17:54:00.003-04:00

Here are my pictures from the My Plastic Heart opening that took place on Friday, April 10th, 2009. Lots of excellent work on display, and it's always a pleasure viewing more customs in person from non-local artists. The show runs thru May 10th, so be sure to stop by if you find yourself in the East Village.

Sketchbot Update - Blueprints Completed

2009-04-01T17:04:00.006-04:00

I can't believe it's been six weeks since my last post! I've been incredibly busy, with two back-to-back freelance gigs taking up the majority of that time. Fortunately, I also had the last 7 days off and have spent the entire time focused on completing the Sketchbot turnarounds for all seven planned colourways. This included designing and modeling five additional accessories that will each accompany a unique colour variant. And, for all you customizers out there, I'm also going to do a decent sized DIY blank run as well! This is going to be an ambitious first release, and I can't wait to get the ball rolling with manufacturing. I'll be submitting my blueprints for quotes to see exactly how much this is going to set me back, then - provided the actual cost doesn't give me a heart attack - proceed to green light the start of production.

I also have a collab series with Drilone to complete, and will be doing a custom for Toy Qube's upcoming Kicktoys show in May.

For now, I'll share the turnaround for Sketchbot Variant #1, Pencil Edition. The others will be kept secret until the release date gets closer. Stay tuned for some additional, exciting developments in the near future!

Sketchbot 3d Update

2009-02-17T10:11:00.005-05:00

The pencil is back! I really needed to revisit the accessory issue because, really, what good is a sketchbot without his drawing implement?! I had always envisioned numerous art tools that this character would employ, and I see no reason (other than cost) to include a separate hand that is large enough to grasp the super deformed objects. This also affects the various colorways I have in mind. I'll most likely have to do an additional 3d print run, as the vinyl toy will shrink by 10%, and I really don't want the final toy to be less than 4.5". This also gives me the opportunity to finesse the grooves on the arms and legs, as the first 3d print was a bit shallow and required use of a tiny jewelers file to enhance the groove profile to a more desired finish. All of these issues start cropping up as I'm preparing the turnaround blueprints to submit to the factories for quotes. I really need to make sure there is no discrepancy in what I propose, and what I would like the final piece to look like. Lots of work involved before pulling the trigger here, and I'd rather take the time getting it right first time out of the gates as opposed to rushing it out.

NYCC 2009 Wrap Up

2009-02-09T19:21:00.002-05:00

It was a tiring three days heading back and forth from Brooklyn to Javitz Center. Saw lots of familiar faces, and many who remembered me and Sketchbot from last year, so that was cool. Everyone loved seeing the revised Sketchbot prototype, and I made some new contacts for working with the manufacturers overseas. Comic Con purchases were extremely minimal for me - two artist's books, one really cool inkjet print from Bob Larkin, and one Ugly Doll action figure from Dave Horvath. Check out this Flickr set for my pictures from the show floor!

Sketchbot Molds, Take 2

2009-02-05T21:54:00.003-05:00

After a 2-week hiatus, I was finally able to start thinking about the next step with the Sketchbot prototype pieces - mold making and pulling a few resin casts. Now, I haven't done this since last Summer with the first version of Sketchbot, and I'm hoping to get something together for NYCC (which, incidentally, starts tomorrow). Suffice to say, mold making is not my forte. I don't mind sculpting the initial barriers, but the actual mixing and pouring is the messiest part of this venture. After spending an entire day prepping the pieces, the first molds were done and I proceeded to pour the first test pieces. Bad news - every piece was plauged by air bubbles, existing in both the mold and the casts. Ugh.

Already coming to the conclusion that I'm not going to have anything to show (or sell) by Friday, I figure since I'm already in this mode that I'll simply take another crack at making new molds, this time really paying attention to the seam lines and air vents. This evening, the molds were finished and ready for their test castings. They still exhibited a small amount of bubble holes, but were significantly better than the first run. At this stage, I'm seriously debating on whether or not I'm going to be able to pull off a successful DIY limited edition run, as every piece from here on out will require patching and repairing before painting. The good news? I do have a rock-solid 3d printed prototype that I can shop around and see about having that mass produced professionally. I'll bring those pieces with me to Comic Con, have a good time checking all the stuff out over the weekend, and eventually get a few painted up versions done from this week of tests.

Lots more pictures up on Flickr documenting the week's work.

Sketchbot 3d Prototype - Pieces Finally Arrive!

2009-01-15T19:37:00.003-05:00

The Sketchbot 3d printed pieces FINALLY arrived this afternoon. (mental note - USPS "Priority" is an oxymoron)

I am extremely happy with the quality and detail of these! They do require some additional cleanup, and after about an hour of wet sanding to remove the very slight remnants of layering and micro-scratches, they are rock smooth.

The pieces all have a snug fit, though, the more I've been playing around with it, the looser the connections are becoming.

I won't be able to generate molds from this until sometime next week, so please marvel at these photos to tide you over until the next phase begins. :)

Sketchbot 3d Print Progress

2009-01-11T16:59:00.004-05:00

How cool is this? Gabriel from Crystalline Models was kind enough to snap a few pictures of the Sketchbot model in mid-print. I would love to see a time lapse of this process. The printer being used is the Objet Eden260V, which has a .00006” layer thicknesses (16 microns).

I'm extremely impressed with the turnaround time. I uploaded the geometry Friday afternoon, the print was finished later that night, then shipped out on Saturday. I could be receiving the pieces as early as tomorrow (Monday), which means I can start creating molds ASAP. Stay tuned...

Sketchbot Revisions Part 2

2009-01-08T23:45:00.004-05:00

I've been getting some great feedback over on Flickr, and I agreed with the observation that his legs appeared a bit too thin. I also wasn't entirely happy with the flappy feet and felt they needed to be shorter and more round as exhibited in most of the recent sketches. I also paid considerable attention as to how the limbs would attach to the body, inserting a slightly recessed area on the body so the limbs would inset nicely into their slots while allowing full 360 degree rotation.

I think I also came up with a new logo for the toy line. ;)

Sketchbot Revision Update

2009-01-06T20:44:00.006-05:00

NYCC is 4 1/2 weeks away, and I'm feverishly putting the final touches on the revised Sketchbot. The plan is to do a relatively modest run of hand-casted resin figures exclusively for the show. This will also serve as a testbed for having a 3d printout created to use as a master to create a silicon mold from. I'm in the process of finalizing this geometry and will be choosing a 3d print bureau soon to upload the model to. I'll post photos from that result when I get the model, then document the molding and casting process once again. Stay tuned, it's gonna be a busy month!

Sketchbot Turntable from Steve Talkowski on Vimeo.

"Tetsujin 28" Teaser

2009-01-05T18:05:00.006-05:00

Because I'm a HUGE fan and avid collector of all things Tetsujin-28/Gigantor, I just had to post these gorgeous images that Felix Ip, Creative Director of IMAGI Animation, recently shared on his blog. I really hope this project becomes a reality!

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-30T19:16:00.003-05:00

I wanted to get in one last post before the end of the year. Sketchbot wishes you all a Happy Holidays and a great start to the New Year.

I'm cooking up some new goodies for New York Comic Con (only 5 weeks away!) so stay tuned and see what comes out of the oven.

One more thing as the NFL post-season begins - GO GIANTS!

Plushiepalooza

2008-12-11T08:45:00.004-05:00

I've been meaning to post up a slew of pictures since returning from an amazing week-long trip to Seattle for Thanksgiving. Jonlyn and I walked around quite a bit on our first day in the city, and we stumbled upon one great little gallery space after another. There's this funky shop called The Anne Bonny, and upstairs is Coco Howard's studio. We were then pointed in the direction of Schmancy, where we met the incredibly nice Kristen Rask. If you're into inventive uses of all things plush you've got to check out her shop. Kristen reminded us about a plush show that opened last week at Gallery Hanahou here in NYC. There's an incredible array of plushies on display for the next month, and I encourage you to check them out in person. Be sure to peruse my Flickr set devoted to all things plushie here. I've always had a few designs in mind that would lend themselves perfectly to the plush format and will definitely be exploring this medium in the new year!

Collab with Fabric Lenny

2008-12-01T08:55:00.004-05:00

Just back from an amazing week in Seattle and I wanted to post up some photos of the collab piece I did with Fabric Lenny for his upcoming show at Low Space Gallery. He sent me a set of wooden Russian Dolls that were half-painted and left for me to finish. As you can see, I was in full "serpent/sperm" mode after using a similar motif on my DCTO piece. Be sure to catch his show this Friday, Dec. 5th, if you happen to be on the other side of the pond! Check out a plethora of Lenny's work here.

DCTO Sneak Peak

2008-11-23T14:44:00.004-05:00

Here's a few snaps of my DCTO for Dacosta Bayley's upcoming Dreams To Dreams custom show.

Happy Birthday Sketchbot!

2008-11-18T09:12:00.006-05:00

Today marks a full year since the Sketchbot blog went live. The character has come a long way over the past 12 months, evolving from a simple silhouette sketch to a full-fledged, resin cast prototype. I've also acquired a bit of recognition as a fledgling custom artist, having participated in seven custom shows since the beginning of the year, and in the process of completing two more. Next year promises to be an exciting one, with the plan for Sketchbot to become fully realized as a designer vinyl toy accompanied by an art show. I'm working on something small for NY Comic Con in early February, so stay tuned for more details. In the meantime, I've got a couple of freelance gigs that need my immediate attention, as their completion will help greatly in funding the Sketchbot venture.

Dreams to Dreams Custom Vinyl Show 2008

2008-11-12T19:31:00.005-05:00

I'm putting the finishing touches on my next piece, Dacosta Bayley's DCTO (Dreams Come True Object) daruma vinyl for the first custom toy show to be held in a museum - the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, CA. Opening reception will be held on Saturday, December 6th, 1-4pm, and the show will run from Dec 1st thru January 4th. I'll post a sneak sometime next week. By the looks of that artist list, this is going to be a show not to miss!

Friday Night Openings - kaNO's "Bodega' @ MPH

2008-11-08T14:19:00.004-05:00

Last night, My Plastic Heart hosted the launch of kaNO's latest designer vinyl toy, Bodega. The character is based on the small juice bottle drinks that were widely available at the corner bodegas. I personally like the use of transparency in this new character, along with the proportion of the spray cap serving as the character's head. This run is limited to 300, so be sure to visit MPH in person or online to pick one up. More pics from the opening here on my Flickr.

Friday Night Openings - Osaka Popstar Devil Dog at The Showroom

2008-11-04T11:48:00.004-05:00

The second show we saw last Friday night was at Toy Tokyo's The Showroom, featuring Osaka Popstar's Devil Dog platform. There were an enormous amount of pieces on display, with a few celebrity signed pieces by Rose McGowan, Robert Rodriguez and Seth Rogen. Plenty more pics up on my Flickr set, and also at the Devil Dog Art Show preview page.

Friday Night Openings - APW Halloween Show

2008-11-02T19:00:00.004-05:00

Looks like I just found the title for a new posting series, "Friday Night Openings." It seems there are more custom art show openings than ever taking place in NYC. This past Friday night was no exception. The first stop was APW Gallery to check out their Halloween Custom Toy Show. There were quite a few excellent pieces on display, among them entries from Osiris Orion, Patrick Fransisco, forcefeed:swede, Rebelwookiee, and a slew of other. I also discovered a totally new (to me), extremely cool character that I had been unaware of - the lightbulb-shaped platform toy 'Ouip' by delitoys. Hans Yim and Kerry Lee have been putting on top-quality shows on a regular basis, and it will be very interesting to see what they do with a larger space set to open next year in Long Island. Check out the full photo set here on Flickr.

Pumpkin Fence - Cobble Hill

2008-11-01T17:24:00.007-04:00

This impressive array of pumpkins - on view in the beautiful Brooklyn neighborhood of Cobble Hill - is one of the more inventive displays I've seen out there. 100 small pumpkins have been hollowed out from underneath and impaled on individual stakes of the fence. These are left up until they fully rot, turning the display into a ghastly, drooping procession. More photos in my Halloween 08 photoset on Flickr.

Pumpkins '08

2008-10-25T22:20:00.003-04:00

We got replacement pumpkins from the same stand upstate and finally got 'em both carved up this afternoon. They turned out better than I expected, considering they were fairly thick to cut through.

Demo Reel Updated!

2008-10-22T08:25:00.004-04:00

So, I desperately needed to update my demo reel. I've had this amazing piece of music from Lalo Schifrin in mind to use, like, forever. I'm posting on Vimeo because they allow larger file sizes with somewhat better compression than youTube. You can also download the full-size, uncompressed version from there.

UPDATE - Credit list now up on my personal website.

Steve Talkowski Reel 08 from Steve Talkowski on Vimeo.

Kathie Olivas and Obama '08 Show Openings

2008-10-19T22:29:00.004-04:00

There were quite a few events happening this past Friday night in NYC, and the two we saw were well worth the time spent waiting in line.

First up was Kathie Olivas' stunning "Uninvited Guests" show at My Plastic Heart. Pretty much the entire show sold out and lots of people waited in line to get stuff signed. Brandt Peters was also there tagging sketchbooks. Additional photos here.

Next up was the incredible "Art + Action = Obama 08" Barack Obama Action Figure custom show at The Showroom NYC at Toy Tokyo. I wasn't one of the participating artists in this show, but I wish I was! There were many gorgeous pieces on display. The good news - due to overwhelming demand, the show has been extended until Oct 22th, so be sure to check it out if you get the opportunity! I've got plenty more shots up at this Flickr set.

Sketchbot On The Move

2008-10-14T12:53:00.002-04:00

Playing around with some rendering ideas for a possible 2d animation approach.

Pumpkin Time - MINOR SETBACK :(

2008-10-13T12:27:00.005-04:00

We got these killer pumpkins while upstate last weekend. Paid a butt load for both and didn't want to carve them too early. Well, now they are deteriorating terribly and we're gonna have to scrap 'em. grrrr

Oh well. I'll just have to adapt the designs for whatever new shapes we acquire. Let me know which ones (all 4 sets viewable on my Flickr) ya'll would like to see make it to final carving!

Soft and Furry Site Updated

2008-10-07T07:54:00.006-04:00

Cypher13 have updated their Soft and Furry website! You can now check out pictures from opening night at Plastic Chapel, view multiple angles of each piece, and order those still available (hint ;) from their online store. They're also planning a future book that will feature interviews from all the participating artists, so be sure to check back for developments on that too.

iPhone/iPod Touch Wallpaper

2008-09-17T11:40:00.003-04:00

I'd like to offer up one of my custom images that I've been using as wallpaper for my iPhone to all the Sketchbot readers out there who also drink the Apple koolaid. Enjoy!

Post-It Slinkies!

2008-09-11T18:10:00.003-04:00

EepyBird's Sticky Note experiment from Eepybird on Vimeo.

Saw this on Gizmodo and had to share it with Sketchbot readers. (Ok, so I also wanted to try embedding a Vimeo link into a blog post) ;)

Pictoplasma NYC Begins Tonight

2008-09-04T13:08:00.005-04:00

Just a quick reminder - PICTOPLASMA NYC begins with a party tonight, followed by two days chock full of speaker presentations and character animation screenings Friday and Saturday. I'll be attending both days, so if you happen to see me in between presentations, hit me up for a Sketchbot sticker!

Custom Groond up on JoyEngine

2008-08-28T11:41:00.006-04:00

Guess the cat is somewhat out of the bag... ;)

http://www.joyengine.com/tag/steve-talkowski/

My Photoshop mock up is on the upper right corner.

Soft and Furry Sneak Peek

2008-08-26T21:58:00.001-04:00

Here's a little peek at my entry for the Soft and Furry show.

Upcoming Show - Cypher13's Soft and Furry

2008-08-25T11:34:00.007-04:00

No sleep for us customizers - next show up is Cypher13's Soft&Furry show at Plastic Chapel in Denver, CO, featuring Looft, Doo, and Groond. I only had time to do one, and picked Groond. The show is September 13th, and I'll be sending my entry out in a few days. Stay tuned for some sneak peaks...

House of Liu Custom for APW Gallery Show

2008-08-22T19:00:00.003-04:00

Here's my piece for the APW Gallery "House of Liu" Custom show taking place tonight.

More pictures up here, and at APW's site here.

Custom Sharky Completed!

2008-08-15T11:46:00.004-04:00

Yes, I like to push the envelope. The envelope in this case being the deadline for ToyQube's 4th Anniversary show, which is tonight! It's all cool, though - I got the go ahead to drop off my Sharky at the venue later this afternoon while setup occurs. Hit my Sharky Flickr set for a bunch more pics, including work-in-progress shots.

Face Your Manga!

2008-08-13T19:04:00.004-04:00

This is fun:
http://www.faceyourmanga.com

Sharky Concept Art

2008-08-13T00:01:00.005-04:00

The week-long lapse in posting is due to cranking on my Sharky custom. It's getting down to the wire and I'll be starting the final paint Wednesday afternoon. (I tend to work great under pressure)

Everyone's either posting sneak peeks or finals of their Sharkys. Here's some amazing pieces posted by Bil Betsovic, Cris Rose, kaNO, Nakanari, Reactor 88, Smallandround, Kerry Lee, Hans Yim, and Rebel Wookie.

I'm going to continue to tease ya'll and instead, post my concept sketches. I'm neither confirming, nor denying, that any of these made the final cut. I'll most likely post the final on Friday morning, so check back then. ;)

Upcoming Custom Shows

2008-08-05T14:40:00.006-04:00

Just a quick post to announce two upcoming shows I'll have pieces in:

The first is ToyQube's 4th Anniversary Party, to be held at the Sullivan Room in NYC on Friday, August 15th. I'll be one of over 50 artists (they've got me listed under an old screen name, Sketchguy) modifying a Sharky vinyl figure, designed by ToyQube's Keith Poon.

One week later (8/22/08) is Veggiesomething's "House of Liu" Custom Show at APW Gallery.

Also, the Sketchbot prototype is being reaccessed as I move forward obtaining quotes from manufacturers. I've been pretty busy since returning from Comic Con, but I'll try to post some sneaks of my Sharky custom next week.

SDCC - Art and Books Acquired at Comic Con 2008

2008-07-29T15:11:00.021-04:00

Believe it or not, I bought ZERO toys this year! I stopped being an obsessive Gigantor collector a few year ago, so now I only purchase items that appeal to me as a designer. On the other hand, I've got a weakness (addiction?!) for art books and monographs. Following is a list of items I purchased, along with the appropriate links to their work online.

I'll begin with the very last piece I got as the show was closing on Sunday afternoon. This sweet robot drawing by KMNDZ that was available at the Hi-Fructose booth.

I discovered quite a few new faces on the first day. Got this nice little book called Inner Workings by Dave Pryor and Bob Rissetto.

Close by was Bruno Werneck's booth. He had this amazing print on display, a beautiful retro-style reinterpretation for the cover of "Secret of the Lost Race." Pick up his latest compilation of work, SPLASH2. You won't regret it!

Fleet Street Scandal is comprised of Kevin Dart and Chris Turnham, another talented duo with a penchant for an updated "retro-style" look that I'm totally digging. They had Volume 1 of their collective artwork on sale, and it was a must-buy for me.

SPACEGIRL, by Travis Charest was a wonderful find! Every page is a single, wide-screen panel, and his illustrations are drop-dead gorgeous. Visit his MSN Groups page to view the entire sequence.

Ruben Martinez has a new book out called The After Life which contains a plethora of creature design and wonderful imagery. Check out his beautiful gallery on deviantart.

Kathie Olivas and Brandt Peters have a new book out, "Ghosts and Martyrs" (Kathie's work) or "Martyrs and Ghosts" (Brandt's work) - it's one of those one side up/one side down books by Murphy Art Books.

I also was excited to meet an artist that I've admired for quite some time, Jeff Soto. We had a great chat at the end of day one and he even did a little Sketchbot drawing when signing his excellent new book, Storm Clouds. Check out his blog for an entertaining Comicon recap. ;)

I couldn't resist these wacky robots on the cover of Jamie Baker's NERVE BOMB Comix, and picked up Issue # Zero. Tons more cool stuff up on his folio.

And last, but not least, I picked up both Afterworks 2 and Out of Picture Vol 2, which features the work of Pixar and Blue Sky Studios artists work outside of work.

Stuck in San Diego

2008-07-28T14:27:00.006-04:00

My Jet Blue flight was canceled yesterday due to "weather conditions on the East Coast." Fortunately, I was able to acquire an extra night stay at The Sofia Hotel and figured, what better way to spend my time than to edit, tag, comment, and upload 75 photos to my San Diego Comic Con Flickr set!

This post is dedicated to all the amazing creators that took time to come out, sell their wares, and meet their fans. Btw, that's Berni freaking Wrightson I got to meet! Next year, look for yours truly to be on the other side of the table. ;)

SDCC - Last Day

2008-07-27T11:56:00.005-04:00

If you've seen me throughout the week, you most likely have caught me pimping Sketchbot to whoever will stop and listen. ;) This photo courtesy of John Stokes, from the excellent SpankyStokes.com

I finally met up with Jack from VinylPulse. We had met very briefly at NYCC (like, the last 5 minutes on the last day before he had to run off to the airport) and it was nice to have a more relaxed chat. I would later have dinner with him and his wife, along with Brent Nolasco, and Vince and Bicky from My Plastic Heart.

Dez Einswell putting the finishing touches on one of his pieces.

Great to see the giant MOD:1 at Supermodifiedstudios booth.

Tara McPherson had quite a bit of work available at her booth.

This week has flown by! Too tired after the long days to edit and post the plethora of pictures I've taken, however, I promise to upload the massive set to Flickr once I get back to Bklyn on Monday. Now off to endure the last day of SDCC...

SDCC - Sketchbot On Display @ ToyQube Booth #4837

2008-07-24T02:21:00.006-04:00

Just back at the hotel and am already overwhelmed. San Diego Comic Con is HUGE! It's like 3 times the size of NYCC. (Incidentally, I was here a year ago for Siggraph, and that's a huge convention in itself) The big news (for me) is that Keith Poon from ToyQube had some extra space available and allowed me to put Sketchbot in his display case. I share a shelf with Hans "APW Gallery" Yim. Be sure to swing by booth #4837 to check out all the amazing work on view.

I got to talk extensively with Brian Flynn from Super-7, Matt Doughty from Onell Design, Shawn (Shawnimals) Smith, Kirby and Whitney from Rotofugi (I learned that my Sketchbot custom Plushform sold the other day!), and George, Ayleen and Matt from Toy Break. Sketchbot is being well received thus far.

Be sure to check out my exclusive SDCC Flickr set throughout the run of the convention for as many pictures that I can comfortably post each night before crashing. ;)

I'd also like to give a shout out to the following blogs that posted Sketchbot news items yesterday:

Jeremy Brautman from ToyCyte had nice things to say about my first design, as well as Brian Szabelski from Tomopop and a nice mini-interview I did with Andy from ToysREvil. I'll be meeting up with Jack from VinylPulse.com on Thursday.

SDCC - Preview Day

2008-07-23T17:15:00.004-04:00

Arrived in San Diego last night. Refreshing to be out of the current heat-wave the East Coast was experiencing. Though, I am WIPED OUT! The past 5 days have been jam-packed finishing the prototypes and all the other ancillary material that I needed to bring out with me. Here's a picture of the four new SDCC Edition buttons, along with three faves from the NYCC run.

Spent the morning inserting the pins in 300+ buttons, then assembling 165 goodie packets for free swag giveaways. I know that's a paltry number for the amount of people expected at the convention, however, I've got an extra 200 buttons left and another 1,000 stickers on their way, so if you see me on the convention floor, hit me up for some Sketchbot stuff.

I'm heading over to the convention center in a few hours to pick up my badge and attend "Preview Night." I'll post anything interesting either later tonight or first thing in the morning.

Sketchbot Prototype Sculpt, COMPLETED!

2008-07-21T12:55:00.004-04:00

*whew* What a weekend. In the midst of a 5-day heat wave here in NYC, not ideal conditions for spray painting up on the roof. Spraying out the window with fans on high, then letting the pieces dry in the air conditioned interior. (This stuff won't cure in high humidity) There was simply no way I was going to be able to hand paint the eye and logo to my satisfaction, so I came up with the idea to print out to scale on inkjet sticker labels. The diameter of my button hole punch matched perfectly with the pupil of the eye. I ended up cutting out by hand the circle of the logo and the "SB" designation for the pencil. I still have to finish painting the second sculpt, but here's what I'm bringing out to San Diego! I'm currently trying to locate some display space - if anyone has a small amount available in their booth, drop me a line.

A few additional views up on Flickr.

Sketchbot Prototype Sculpt, Phase 4, Part V

2008-07-17T11:19:00.005-04:00

Alright, second mold completed. Five positives pulled yesterday afternoon. Pencil mold completed. Two positives pulled. I was meticulous with my use of Plexiglas to ensure a level mold, yet I had a slight problem with apparently not using enough Easy Release 200 to separate the mold halves. An X-Acto knife was needed to aid with the separation of the mold, and I inadvertently sliced into the sole region of the right foot. Every positive has a small gap in the bottom of the foot and requires a Magic Sculpt patch and sanding to level off.

Whilst machining away late into the night, I decided to grind down the rivets and see what they would look like with a flat head as opposed to a round one. I can go either way - the rounded version has a playful quality, but is also very prominent. I dunno, at this point the sculpt has taken on a life of its own, veering way off model from my original graphic. I feel the pencil is too tall by about 3/4". Like I've been telling myself throughout, this is merely the first prototype. It's the "Mark I" version of Sketchbot. I need to get this painted up and in presentable form for San Diego Comic Con next week and see what kind of reactions people have to this in person.

More documentation up on Flickr.

Sketchbot Prototype Sculpt, Phase 4, Part IV cont.

2008-07-15T10:25:00.003-04:00

In-between 2 days of iPhone madness last Thursday and Friday I was able to get a slight amount of work done. The weekend was spent with lots of patching and sanding, and yesterday I cranked out the cartoon pencil sculpt. Today, the second mold will be constructed (and a first one for the pencil) and I'm hoping to pull a workable positive to start painting tomorrow. All this before heading out to see Ricky Gervais's later tonight!

P.S. I REALLY need a dedicated work space... *sigh*

Sketchbot Prototype Sculpt, Phase 4, Part IV

2008-07-09T18:50:00.003-04:00

Magic Sculpt is the bomb! This stuff hardens like a rock and sands very nicely. Spent about 6 hours today sanding and detailing. Drilled out the holes for the rivets, which will be filled with ball bearings just past the half-way point. My best friends today were a set of three tiny jeweler's files. Looks like I'll need another pass of Magic Sculpt for tonight, try to finish up tomorrow and start the next mold. A few more comparison pictures up on Flickr.

Sketchbot Prototype Sculpt, Phase 4, Part III

2008-07-08T13:04:00.004-04:00

Success! Ok, after the 2nd attempt, but still, I'm much happier that I got a workable positive out of my problematic first mold. A few mental notes: use larger pour holes and keep in mind the 3 minute pot life next time. I can now machine this version and further refine without worrying about all that chipping and instability from my fragile Sculpey original. Also, the next mold will be created with firm acrylic walls and be better leveled for a tighter seal.

EDIT - I forgot to mention that after consultation, I built up the front side of the mold with additional silicon material. This allowed me to move forward and get a workable positive!

Sketchbot Prototype Sculpt, Phase 4, Part II

2008-07-07T17:52:00.003-04:00

I poured the 2nd half of the mold this afternoon, and after 4 1/2 hours of letting it cure it appears that it's still squishy in parts. As I feared, the top half is way too thin around the eye opening to hold a proper shape. You can even see the mold creased a bit and I've got an awkward line running through the upper front portion. Grrrr. Additionally, I think the foam core ended up being too flimsy for this size of a mold. I might have to start from scratch here. I just want to get this molded, because that Sculpey is already cracking and chipping in areas. Not a happy camper at the moment. Stay tuned...

Sketchbot Prototype Sculpt - Phase 4

2008-07-05T13:02:00.005-04:00

So, I'm upstate and have lugged all the materials with me to create the mold and pull some positives. The only problem is, I underestimated how much OOMOO 25 was needed for the mold! I ended up using two kits just for one side of the mold. I'll now have to wait until getting back to the city on Monday and visiting The Compleat Sculptor for more Smooth-On materials to finish the mold.

It's clear that I'll have to further machine the first resin pull, as the Sculpey is just too fragile at this point to continue working on, especially drilling holes for inserting ball-bearings as rivets. Additionally, I filled in the right hand so as to avoid a concave surface in the mold (I didn't want to undertake too complex of a mold my first time out). This will allow me to drill out a more accurate surface for holding the accessories.

As usual, more pictures up here on Flickr.

Sketchbot Prototype Sculpt, Phase 3

2008-07-01T15:50:00.003-04:00

Alright, finally getting to the sanding and smoothing stages. I've been doing quite a bit of tiny corrections, then re-baking, sanding, and repeat. There's still that minor crack in the bent arm that just wont take the filler - grrr. During the last bake I decided to do a Photoshop colour mock-up to visualize the final paint. I'm going to try and finish the detail work tonight so I can make a mold tomorrow. Then I'll pull a few resin positives over the holiday weekend. A few more pics up on Flickr.