Monsters & Misfits II

Calliope Jackalope: An Anatomy, Pt. I

In continuing with our CP x Tomenosuke sofubi anatomy series, we now turn our attention to Kathie Olivas’ Calliope Jackalope, who we anticipate to see at Le Carnaval des Spectres this September at Artoyz Paris.

Unlike Brandt’s Stingy Jack, there was no pre-existing master sculpt for the Calliope Jackalope, which meant she had to be made from the ground-up. With Teodoru Badiu again at the helm of 3D rendering, he created the digital turns of the figure. Stingy Jack sculptor Yohei Kaneko of Mirock Toy would return as sculptor for this project.

One of the really interesting features of the CP sofubi project is the goal to have interchangeable heads between all of the figures. That also presents many obstacles, however, as was discovered while sculpting Calliope: in order to support Jack’s head and have it look natural, Calliope’s backline and shoulder width had to be adjusted. This element of interchangeability will have to be taken into account with each subsequent release and, while a challenge, may very well yield both impressive and playful results.

And here she is, in all her glory: after repeated modifications and adjustments to the figure to accommodate Brandt’s Stingy Jack and preserve Kathie’s signature style, the prototype was approved the evening of the Monsters & Misfits II opening in Takayama, Japan, last April.

Which means: we’re off to get waxed!

[via the Tomeno blog]

WIP: Stingy Jack’s New Digs

The Stingy Jack universe continues to creep and crawl with two brand new head sculpts that are currently in progress for Paris’ Le Carnaval des Spectres.

Some of you may recognize the black cat sculpt from one of Brandt Peters’ paintings from Phantasmagoria back in 2010 (“Treat”, below). The Ooze Skull, on the other hand, continues on with this sort of candy gore theme that we’ve seen him flirting with recently, particularly with the Zombambie figure that debuted (and subsequently sold out) at Monsters & Misfits II. That won’t be the last we see of them, by the way.

The cat and skull heads will fit onto the standard Stingy Jack body, in an effort to keep these sculpts as dynamic as possible. With so many modular pieces, the customizing potential is endless. Oh, the fun!

 

Experience the Magic of Monsters & Misfits II … in 3D!!

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It’s time to bust out your cereal box 3D glasses, kids, as this next video is in 3D! Shot by BP Utfil (remember him from last year?), this clip takes us through the Kusakabe Folk Museum and Monsters & Misfits exhibition in an impressive 3D format. It’s about as close as we’re going to get to attending this juggernaut … and it’s freaking awesome!

 Monsters & Misfits II is on display until April 26th in lovely Takayama, Japan.

Monsters & Misfits II: A Thank You from Shinji

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The four artists of Circus Posterus went from Gero-onsen to Tokyo in the morning of 16th. Yesterday, on 17th, they went to the Tokyo DisneySea with Shigeta of goccodo and Satoshi of ARTDENKA. Today, they are enjoying themselves at the Ghibli Museum. And, tomorrow, they will leave for home.
We would like to give big thanks to fans who came all the way to Hida Takayama and all those collectors around the world who purchased the works.

The Monsters & Misfits II has received more favorable responses than we had expected. With most works getting sold out after about one week, it has been a great success. The show will be held until 26th. It will be great if you can come before it closes.

We are planning to hold Part 3 next year. The time of the event will be changed to summer or fall, and we intend to make further improvement on the show. We will make that the show will be even greater next year.

[via the Tomeno Blog]

Monsters & Misfits II: The Critter Congregation

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So this is what happens after hours at the Kusakabe Folk Museum: critters of all walks of weird gather by the irori and mutter in tongues unknown to the human ear …

And at the end of the month, they disband: continuing on their own separate journeys, they’re likely to never cross paths with their pals again …

Monsters & Misfits II is a Circus Posterus group exhibition featuring new works from Chris Ryniak, Doktor A., Kathie Olivas, Brandt Peters and Amanda Louise Spayd. Hosted by Tomenosuke-syoten, the exhibition is on display through April 26th.

Photos by Susumu Noto

Monsters & Misfits II: Opening Night & Gallery Photos

The photo onslaught continues with a bunch of snaps of opening night and the exhibition set up in the Kusakabe Folk Museum. Have a look!

Monsters & Misfits II is a Circus Posterus group exhibition featuring new works from Chris Ryniak, Doktor A., Kathie Olivas, Brandt Peters and Amanda Louise Spayd. Hosted by Tomenosuke-syoten, the exhibition is on display through April 26th.

* Gallery photos by Susumu Noto

Monsters & Misfits II: Behind the Scenes

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Some beautiful, behind-the-scenes photos of Monsters & Misfits II to enjoy with your coffee on this fine Sunday morning. Special thanks to Shinji & Eno of Tomenosuke-syoten for the solid coverage and the Kusakabe staff for their unparalleled attention to detail.

The exhibition is on display until April 26th. Artworks can be viewed here — we’re only a few pieces away from a sold-out show!

M&MII Video: Opening Reception @ Kusakabe Folk Museum

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We continue our Japan video coverage with beautiful footage from the opening reception of Monsters & Misfits II, along with other festivities that took place yesterday.

Chris Ryniak managed to find a hotspot this afternoon and gave us all a quick update via the Circus Posterus forum:

This whole experience has been so surreal and unlike anything I’ve ever done before. They have been so generous and gracious to us over here…treating us like royalty and making us all feel very special about what it is that we do.

All of yesterday was amazing and unreal… We had a sit down conference with the vice mayor of Takayama(who also gave a speech at our opening last night). They prepared a traditional tea ceremony for us…which I am sure I messed up somehow and shamed someone’s ancestors.

We still have so much to see and do. And EAT….

Omg guys…the food! Omg.

Thank you all for your wonderful support!

Kanpai!

Definitely sounds like the experience of a lifetime. The gang is in Japan for a few more days, so there’s bound to much more coverage to come; stick around!

Doktor A’s ‘The Confectioner’ for Monsters & Misfits II

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Next up to bat from Doktor A for Monsters & Misfits II is The Confectioner, an organic chemist and Joshua Hipplewaithe’s co-conspirator in candy creation. Here’s his story:

Organic Chemist by trade Archibald Schpoon enjoyed cookery as a hobby.
Upon a chance meeting with Joshua Hipplethwaite he began experimenting with confectionary and soon it became a driving passion.
He delved into the conundrum of complex and unusual ingredient combinations and the unexpected effects that they could have on some types of Mechtorians.
Ever pushing and blurring the boundaries of what was possible within the fields of exquisite delicacies and recreational pharmaceuticals.

Fashioned from vinyl, acrylic, epoxy resin, polymer clay, lead, rubber and found objects, the Dok delivers yet another showstopper original sculpt for the collectors in Japan. More snaps of the candy man are below!