Dunny Project 1.0

If you know me then you probably know that I'm obsessed with Dunnys, the popular designer toys from KidRobot. It has become commonplace amongst Dunny collectors to make their own custom Dunnys. Feeling inspired by some of the success I've seen other fans have, I decided to take a shot at designing a Dunny.

To design your own Dunny you start with a Dunny you no longer want.You then remove all the paint from the Dunny, prime it, and paint it up.

I am obsessed with glow in the dark stuff, so I knew I had to incorporate that into my design. I wanted it to be a surprise though, and not a known aspect of the toy. The basic idea I had for my Dunny was going to be an electrician bunny and I would use the glow in the dark paint to make it appear as if he was being electrocuted.

So I primed my Dunny, painted it with a bit of acrylic paint, and used a Sharpie to do the finer details. I taped off where I wanted the Dunnys skeleton to be and hit it with the glow in the dark spray paint. That was one of the most difficult parts because I wanted there to be enough paint to give it a good glowing effect, but not so much that it would show up in the light and give away its hidden feature. The head and arms came out pretty decent but the chest was way too prominent. I decided I wanted to give the Dunny a nice matte finish so I picked up some satin gloss spray paint. Little did I know that the gloss would make all of the Sharpie on the Dunny run like it was wet.

It seemed like every time I made it to the next step I realized I had to go to the art store again. This made the project take the better part of a month to complete. By the time I came to end I was so frustrated and bored with it I just wanted it to be done and over with. I had also planned to put a "KR Electrical" logo on the back and I wanted to give him a little name badge patch on his chest that said "Sparky". They would have added some much needed character to the design, and taken up some of the negative space on his back, but I was ready to move on so I left it the way it was.

Here are photos of the finished product...



The glow in the dark paint job didn't come out as great as I had hoped, but Leslie managed to make it look really great in photo. I wish it only looked that bright in person!

I'm disappointed in the finished product, but I think it came out pretty well considering this was my first attempt at doing this. I think I was a bit overly ambitious. I took a couple chances and I don't think they paid off. Next I'm going to try to design a mini Munny since it's a bit of a larger piece.

This is all part of my mission to create more, and so far I have to admit I'm pleased with myself.

Drawing Bored

I decided to get some business cards printed over at moo.com. The site is pretty sweet and lets you add your own art to the cards. Because the kids like them so much right now I thought I'd draw up some zombies to put on the cards. And here they are:

Jabber Jaw

I like to talk. At great length. To whomever about whatever. The art of conversation is not dead, it's just that some people are lousy artists.

Rarely do I find myself without the words to say. I can have a conversation with a complete stranger just as easily as an old friend. I also take great pleasure in throwing out words and phrases that people haven't heard before. I'm obsessed with sounding like I have the vernacular of a cool character in a movie. I say what's on my mind and sometimes I'm a bit too honest for my own good. I think this throws people off and sometimes they think I'm trying to be funny when the truth is I just don't care. I hate being back into a corner by a string of little white lies, so I come out with the truth up front so people always now where I'm coming from.

I think of talking to a new person as a challenge. It's not like I'm a remarkable person. My job is only mildly interesting and my hobbies are a bit too nerdy to appeal to most audiences. I think I know just a little bit about enough things that I can keep a conversation afloat and not look like a complete idiot. Some people mistake my chatterbox ways for cockiness or confidence. I think the truth is I just enjoy hearing myself talk.

Most great conversationalists will agree an important strength is to know when to stop talking. I'm pretty good at it. Usually. I'll admit, there are times when I'm on a roll at a social gathering where it can be hard to shut me up. I yammer on thinking I'm the life of the party, thinking everyone's hanging on my every word. I like to think people think I'm interesting, but I think sometimes they're just too polite to tell me to shut up.

It should go without saying that listening is one of the most important parts to the conversation. All participants should be equally involved. Otherwise you can practice the art of talking to yourself since you won't be invited to any more parties. You can't just be waiting for the other person to finish just so you can say whatever is on your mind. And timing is everything! Sometimes I will have something funny to say and I'll wait for the chance to slip it in, but if the moment passes I've learned to just let it go. You can't force it in! And if you say it and people didn't hear it, don't repeat yourself a few times hoping to get the laugh you think you deserve.

I've also learned that sometimes the most intelligent and kind thing you can say is nothing at all. Sometimes it is better to think than talk. People expect me to comment on everything, so sometimes it's best just to let it go. For instance, if I see someone at school who's got a new haircut; chances are they've heard a million and one questions and comments about it, so I might just opt to leave it alone. It's not that I don't like paying people compliments, but you can sense when someone's talked enough about something. At least I know when I have.

Obviously all this babble stems from my constant need to be the center of attention. Just the act of writing a blog proves I've convinced myself I have something to say and there is people out there that will listen.

Now go out there and talk, people! And now I will practice knowing when to shut up.

with teeth.

I haven't written in anything in a while.

The fever that is Summer has finally broke and the cool weather is slowly seeping in. There's a chill in the air that sneaks up your shorts and makes you tingle in your gentleman parts.

I had a brief dentist appointment this morning. In and out. It wasn't the kind where they leave you in the chair for an hour while you sit there wondering if the dentist and hygienist are in the other room discussing how best to tell you all of your teeth are going to fall out. As much as I'm not pleased with my station in life, as much as I get discouraged about being overweight, as much as I'm disappointed I'm not back in school, I can always count on receiving a heaping handful of compliments at the dentist office. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I have some pretty good teeth; and the dentists remind me every chance they get. Granted this is the South, and I'm sure they are accustomed to patients with all manner of jagged and missing teeth. If every other patient comes in looking like Shane McGowan it's probably a relief to occasionally get a guy that at least owns a roll of floss, let alone knows how to use it.

On the highway on the way home I saw an 18 wheeler in which someone had scrawled on the back door, "Jesus loves me," and "Jesus saves." I couldn't help but wonder if either of these statements were true then I'm sure Jesus would prefer it not be written in the dirt and soot on the back of a truck. And more importantly, the person who wrote it must have been in a sad state if they found themselves writing messages to people on the back of an 18 wheeler. Maybe Jesus does save, just not that person apparently.

And I would be remiss if I didn't mention that this weekend is Dragon Con. We managed to get press passes courtesy of Broken Frontier. There are a ton of celebrities and comic artist. There is also going to be a big Kid Robot event called Dunny Fest. Oh, and MC Chris will be there as well. This could end up being the biggest con I've ever gone to.

And so that's it. Nothing enlightening or important to say. Just a bunch of rambling that will no doubt be labeled as "stream of consciousness writing" by my co-worker, Foxy. We have a dermatologist appointment later so I took the day off for that and the dentist. Guess I'll clean the house a little.

Going Down

A lot of people get killed in elevators in the movies. I began to muse about why this might be. I can only imagine it's because there is a universal feeling of claustrophobia in elevators. Here you are, trapped in this 8' by 8' steel cube and there really isn't much you can do other then hope it's functioning properly. If you were in there and someone came at you with a gun, knife, tentacle, whatever, there is no place to run.

Or perhaps there have been too many screen writers riding elevators to some movie exec's office only to find their script was rejected or trashed.

Eh. Just be careful in the elevator I guess.

Obey

Watch one of my heroes, Shepard Fairey, do his thing:

Shepard Fairey from Arkitip on Vimeo.

My Letter to the President

NBC recently aired a special called Inside the Obama White House. Leslie and I caught it and I was surprised at how interesting it was. I knew I liked our president, but I gained even more respect for him after seeing the inner workings of his administration. At one point in the special they talked about the letters that President Obama receives. It then occurred to me that I should write a letter to the president.

What follows is that letter:

Dear Mr. President,

Let me begin by saying good job. In my 29 years I have never before been so proud to be an American. This is a feeling that I am shamed to say is a bit foreign to me. I followed your campaign very closely and my wife and counted the days we would have the honor to vote you into office. I've been extremely impressed with what you've done with the giant mess that was waiting on your desk when you showed up. Keep up the good work.

Now that I'm done buttering you up, here's my plea: I need a job. Full disclosure, I'm not unemployed. I have a pretty good job for someone with just an AA. In fact, between my job and my wife's we live quite comfortably. I am not another unfortunate American who lost there job as a result of the recession.

I work for a wholesale company and I purchase large quantities of cheese in the South East. You're probably asking yourself how I could apply these skills at in your administration, and the truth is I don't know. However, I think it is the interests in my personal life that might be of use.

It is for that reason that I think you should create a new position: Secretary of Pop Culture. I am a connoisseur of all forms of pop culture. I have a vast knowledge of comics, I am very well acquainted with film both domestic and foreign, I love art (I was a fan of Shepard Fairey well before he created your iconic poster) and I read a lot of books. I also have a great interest in the internet and technology, which I know is a growing focus of your administration. I use facebook, twitter, I write a blog, and I worship Apple products.

As the Secretary of Pop Culture I will keep the administration abreast of all of the important going ons in pop culture. This can include trends in movies or how many times you are mentioned in comics. I will also find a way to catalog the information in a way that will be helpful to the administration.

I'm not looking for fame or fortune and I know the members of your administration have to put in long hard hours. I'm willing to put in my time and do what I must to help you help the country.

I know this is a tall order, and I understand if you cannot accommodate this request at this time. All I ask is that you consider it...and maybe sign my copy of Amazing Spider-man that you appeared in.

Yours truly,
Jean-Paul Dorigo

Of course I do not actually expect a response from President Obama. He's a very busy guy, and to be frank, my letter is pretty ridiculous. I decided to submit it anyway, on the off chance it might make its way to him and give him a chuckle. Of course I'd be lying if I didn't entertain the notion of him responding, if for no other reason then to call me an idiot. Would I ever work for President Obama if offered? In a heartbeat. For now I'll just focus on buying more cheese.