Welcome to Art Fabula RU-vid channel. Here you´ll get all the information you need to understand the process of making an Art Toy and how to get your ideas into reality. We will talk about everything Designer Toys and art-related also!
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Of course it can. A lot of the big art toys showed in galleries are done in fiber. But the question is, is the “toy” part there? Is the “art” part also represented?
Relativity to your target audience is also very important. I also make art figures but not just to my own taste I learnt I had to branch out my style still make it my own but be relative to todays culture aswell..I’ve noticed this with a lot of art toy designers they. Make a lot of the same thing like random monsters with random colours all over..sometimes you can’t even make out what it is..I get it’s art but the goal is to also make money and people gotta sacrifice some details or personal preferences to do so…but great work dude for sure 😊 keep creating
i Agree with you Juan, it's very sad to see our small community get flooded with the kind of people who just want to make a quick buck. Perhaps it's a very localized phenomena to recently formed communities such as the Mexican scene but it's there and a lot of us can see the same
Oh! I’m don’t have so much information about the Mexican community. The ones I know are great, but I’m sure there are a few here and there. Everywhere. Inside the industry and outside. Buying and creating. Thanks for watching the video and for commenting!
Creating an art toy or a sofubi is still a lot of work. If you do everything byyourself, drawing, 3D, prototype and tooling ahd then you worked closely to factory to manage molds and production it’s a long process. If you’re amateur and you shoot 100 pcs … and you sell for a correct price it cannot be really profitable … you need to make big quantités to makes money ! In this case … your’re not paid for the time you spent.
Great message! The best sofubi are made with passion for the art and medium for sure. Although I like and collect figures of well known characters (Godzilla, Ultraman, etc) my absolute favorites come from independent makers with a VISION. A creativity that they share with the world because of the joy they feel and that we can share. Sometimes they hit it big and can continue the artwork and I love that- but none of them went into toy making with the idea of making it rich and getting there fast. Also: Nice Plaroid Man back there 😸
Oh! Thank you for watching my video! It’s an honor to see you here! I have been following for a while now. Watch my unboxing video that I posted this week. You will like my Elegab toys there ;) And talking about Elegab, I think he is the kind of artist I aspire to be: true to the Sofubi roots and a hard worker. The real one!
Hey buddy, very interesting video. In my opinion the behaviour you depict (artists making sofubi to make quick money) is the consequence of a major change which occurred a few years ago with the arrival of wealthy people who decided to collect sofubi like they were collecting for example luxury watches. Basic sofubi collectors saw suddenly the prices of toys made by some artists skyrocketed because this new generation of wealthy collectors decided to make these artists trendy: HxS, RxH, MVH...now Punk Drunkers, Goccodo. This is imho what nearly killed the community because a lot of collectors decided to quit because it was nearly impossible to get toys from these artists while before it was possible. When you think that artists like HxS only releases his stuff through yearly exhibition in an art gallery and toys are sold to people belonging to his "contact book"...we are more in the frame of the Art market than the sofubi spirit... It was obvious that people would like to join the money train and create sofubi. The artists who come out of the blue and sell their first toy $300, $400 are countless. I can see that everyday on Instagram. But they don't last because I really think the sofubi collectors community is really attached to the initial values: Sofubi is basically not necessarily expensive and as an artist you have to get known on the scene before pretending getting big bucks for your creations. On a positive note I would say that thank to artists like you the sofubi scene is nevertheless keeping its initial spirit: Toys which are not deja-vu and affordable 🙏🏻
Thank you very much for your comment. I think you touched the points I wanted to touch in a much better way. That is exactly what I meant with “harming the community “. That’s why I do t have any problem to call people that make Sofubi toys for “artists “ but I don’t consider myself an artist, but a designer and a painter. I just make toys and sell them. Thank you very much also for your kind words. Appreciate it!
Imagine our, illustrators, frustration because of all this ai crap, it's totally torture and killing us. And I'm with you: passion, pation, slowly grown craftsmanship - is the way to go!
First, sorry English is not my first language so I wasn't get what you were saying. I assume you are worrying about people who can make their toys cheaply and selling their toys in same price with great artist's toys? Or people making similar toys as those great artist and sell them in same price? This Art Toys / Designer Toys scene is so niche, it's kinda like a small pond. TBH you won't likely to get rich from this toy selling. I can produce toys per month. But not like that selling well, even if I lower the price. I need people who want them. If I want to get rich, I'm not selling toys, but the character. That will go a long way. And that takes time. I don't think this will be NFT 2.0 Making toys is hard. Especially making your designed toys, not selling printed STL.
I think you’ve got the message right in a way. It’s not about the price or the quantity of toys produced, it’s more about how they will leave the house after the party is done.
I don't really get it. It seems like your problem is with people who want to get rich quick with art toys, but I personally haven't found that to be a common problem, and I think people who try it are going to be in for a rude awakening. I also don't see how this hurts the community as a whole. If people are only in it for the money, their toys will reflect that and presumably won't be very popular.
Yeah, maybe the message wasn’t very clear. The problem basically the bubble’s unnatural inflation like with NFTs. A lot of people on board for the wrong reasons, but as you say, not everyone (just a minority as I pointed in the video and description) is doing it right now. Not everyone. So yes, it could be problematic in the long run, specifically for those whose lives depends on this field. It happened in the early 2000s with art toys and Kidrobot.
No one is making art toys because of the money dude. We make things because we love character design and weird and quirky figures. Anyone can make these things but you have to have people that are willing to buy them.
This video is for those who think that way, that you can be famous and rich with art toys. There are a bunch of those. I met them every day. Glad you are here because you love it. Then this message isn’t for you.
I’m curious where this sentiment is coming from? Every maker I know is making stuff because they want to make cool toys, they are not making a ton of money.
It’s coming from meeting people with crazy expectations and from the messages I usually get from a few people. But it’s just a minority. But they are harming the community.
Hi, I have a few questions about this painting. For the first coat, should you use the transparent Medium or just the thinner with the paint? For the second coat, if I use the Transparent Medium mixed with paint, do I always have to add a thinner with it or is it no longer necessary? If yes, what are the dosages?
I don’t usually need a first coat. I just paint directly on the toy with the paint diluted in thinner. If I want to do another coat of the same color I will wait until the first one is dry and then apply the second one. If I want to paint over with another color then I choose the color (diluted with thinner) and then paint over. I use the transparent if I want the base color to be revealed under the upper coat of color. You must check the mixing ratios in each paint producer website separately. I usually mix 1:1 for the Mr Hobby Paints.
they look amazing paints , i will try this kind of paints for the 1st time, so one question i have is , do you need a special solvent to clean the brushes and airbrush after use, or a universal solvent would work to clean the equipment ? thank you for sharing this information!
Thank you for this video. It’s enlightening to see the honest truth that will kick me in the head. Like yourself, I have a day job as well, and kickstart a small designer art toy. Knowingly that this small journey will need a heavy funding..from time in conceptualising your idea to the production phase. I’m happy that I can share the same experience such as yourself, to understand the industry is not an easy path.
Thank you for watching the video and for understanding the message. I don’t want to discourage people to produce toys, but I want them to be conscious about the cost and dangers of not thinking about everything on advance. A real Sofubi production can cost a few million yen and can risk all the economy if done wrong.
Thank you for this grate information. Do you have any contact information from Japanese mask manufacturer? I'm in Mexico and here is almost imposible to get a good quality mask
The magazine is called "Figure King." Moucoyama doesn't mind people painting his figures as long as they're not selling them and passing them off as his work, from what I understand.
Could you recommend a professional modeller ? I have my designs but I don’t know who to talk to. Maybe it’s not something you can share, if so I understand. I have subscribed and I’m excited to follow your journey. ❤
Thank you very much fot your advices. Concerning the markets , you talk about Japan, Taiwan and Thailand. Can i ask you what are the other mean countries where the sofubi market is, the mean audiences . Thank you very much in advance for your answer. romain
I understand the urge to do everything yourself. I've been sculpting and casting for about 3 years. I didn't want to farm anything out, and I find the most time consuming part of the job is getting the mold master finished. You can get a sculpt done fairly quick but once it's printed its never perfect and it's endless rounds of putty, prime, sand, repeat. Then a final coat of urethane paint for gloss, and maybe that has to be polished as well. It can take me a year or more to go from initial idea to a useable mold. But in the end there is a great sense of satisfaction having done it all yourself. And you do pick up a lot of new skills and knowledge along the way. I'm about to try a new technique where you print the part, make a mold, and cast it in carving wax, then finish it from there, and make the final mold from the wax master. Apparently this is how toy manufacturers used to do it. Only the original piece was sculpted of clay, not 3d printed. I've never worked with carving wax before so this will be interesting. I'm hoping it cuts down the finishing time.
Yes, thats the idea, to centralize the manufacturing process, but its just an idea. If you watch how the real Sofubi Makers works there are very few that make all by themselves. Nearly 0. Everyone needs experts to help them create everything.
man, I am in a similar boat. I'm not an artist in the traditional sense, but i am an enthusiast of art and design. I am trying to create an art toy brand and have learned 3d printing, 3d sculpting, airbrushing, resin casting in the past 18 months. i've been refining a figure design and now am at the stage where i am going to need to refine my process for handling batches of units instead of one at a time... its more work than i expected, though i expected it to be a lot
Don't worry too much about what makes a toy yours. It's honestly better to focus on your area of expertise and let others help you in the other processes. There's so much to do from sketching to production/manufacturing, sculpting, etc. At the end of the day, the idea started with you and it is your baby. My favorite art toy designer, Joe Ledbetter, has worked with many different brands to cover production and has worked with different people to cover sculpting. Does that mean those are not his toys/ideas? Not really. Keep up the good work and good luck in your endeavors!
Yeah, I dont have any problem with that. As with any craft, people usually have different ideas and perspectives. Usually those who haven even done anything yet in the field ;)
Directly to the surface. Clean the surface with water and soap (or a little bit of thinner) before if you want It to stick better. I use water and soap to clean from the vinyl residue from the factory and it’s enough.
I wish you all the best in your journey of making art toys. However, this video seems to indicate that you, like many in the art toy community, are a gatekeeper. I understand that you have faced struggles to get where you are today, and you deserve credit for that. However, I believe your younger self would have appreciated someone who could have helped you or shared their knowledge to make things easier. You essentially say, "I had to struggle, so you should too." I am not saying you have to give away your resources or "trade secrets", but this video is pointless and kind of insulting. I used to watch your videos as I was interested in making a sobubi art toy, but everytime I reached out to anyone for information and guideance I was met with the same gatekeeping attitudes that you display here.
I understand that, but that is not what I was meant with this video. I have been giving all my knowledge for free under this years but the only thing I can’t give you is where I produce the toys in Japan. That is something that is more due to the relationship created with the factory and the people that help me understand all this years than with the desire to keep it a secret. I deeply believe that if you are serious in this business you will find your way into Japan sooner or later. It’s sad that you find this video insulting. I understand what it comes from. Can I ask you a question? Have you ever reached out to me with any question about Sofubi making? I think that there are a lot of people out there that have a different perspective than you. But it’s ok to have different perspectives. I wish you the best I to this Sofubi world. But please, take your time. Don’t try to cut the corners! I did it and it was catastrophic!
