Amanda Louise Spayd

Destination Designer Con: Pipsqueaks are Coming

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pipFinally, a proper debut of Amanda Louise Spayd’s “Pipsqueaks” at Designer Con 2013! We saw glimpses of these little dust bunnies during MMIII, but now they will come out from their burrows to fill up the Circus Posterus booth at the con.

Amanda is working long hours making these herself to get these ready for the con. We have no idea of the color or colors yet of these little halfpints but luckily, we do not have to wait too long.Get ready to see them all at booth #400 – November 9 and 10.

Do you have your tickets to Designer Con yet?

Designer Con 2013

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DCon_Kaiju_2013Circus Posterus returns to Designer Con for the third year in a row, and this time, we are going bigger and better!

Now with an additional day, DCON is twice as awesome, and this means we have to bring twice the amount of excitement. Don’t worry, we got your back.

In the upcoming weeks, we will bring you all kinds of information regarding what you can expect from the Circus Posterus team. The crew is busy finalizing releases and exclusives, but we can tell you some of the artists slated to be on hand for the fun and games are: Brandt Peters, Kathie Olivas, Shing Yin Khor, Chris Ryniak, DrilOne, Travis Louie, and Amanda Louise Spayd. If that isn’t enough to whet your appetite, we hear there may be a return of “random goodness”.

If you want to learn more on Designer Con or get tickets go here.

If you want to talk about Circus Posterus and DCON, join our forum here.
(trust us, it has advantages to be active)

 

Sketching in Japan

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Since many of the Japanese collectors don’t get to see our wonderful band of artist misfits very often, it is a true blessing when Monsters & Misfits comes around to their home base! Many Circus Posterus aficionados get to meet Brandt and the gang for the first time, or finally get to continue a conversation from the year before!

This year’s Monsters & Misfits III showed once again the lengths to which our great crew of artists will go to please their collectors. They signed toy after toy and drew in sketchbook after sketchbook. They were more than happy to show the love back to all those attending the show – or anywhere for that matter. Fortunately, we had Mikee on hand to share some pictures from the multiple sketch sessions in Takayama!

Andrew Bell spills the creatures in his head

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Reports from Monsters & Misfits III

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As the opening festivities for Monsters & Misfits III come to a conclusion, we are left open mouthed and gawking at the photos we are seeing. All the artists in attendance have graciously been texting us images and actively posting on their Instagram accounts about what went on that glorious day. We tracked down a small handful to give all the fans that couldn’t make it a look inside the opening ceremony of Monsters & Misfits III.

Here we go!

Monsters & Misfits III

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Bugbites and Pipsqueaks, landing in Japan!

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1236922_10153251190595515_1006939214_nMaking their debut at Monsters & Misfits III are Pipsqueaks and Bugbites by Amanda Louise Spayd and Chris Ryniak, so you better hide all your cookies and snacks!

Fans have been asking for minis for a while, and once again, our favourite artists have delivered! Chris and Amanda have been hard at work casting these little varmints in numerous colors, and they’ll be carrying these tiny friends to Japan as gifts for their amazing hosts and friends.

They may be making their debut in Japan but have no fear, there will be herds of them being made when they get back. We may even see some at Designer Con!

Look out for more Bugbite and Pipsqueak adventures in Japan!

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The Herald of Illumination by Amanda Louise Spayd

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You have been asking for them for over a year, and don’t worry Amanda Louise Spayd has been listening. She has once again brought back the very large Dust Bunnies!
Illumination9_Lo_ResFueled with candy, coffee, and maybe a splash of something special into her coffee, Amanda has been working her fingers to adorable nubs getting ready for Monsters & Misfits III.

The requests have been flooding in, and she has paid attention to every single one of them. Standing 23 inches tall, meet “The Herald of Illumination“. Containing over 16 yards of fabric ruffles, this bat-like Dust Bunny is a culmination of many long hours for Amanda. Not just relying on her epic height, she is detailed with fully poseable arms, ears, and wings along with a flickering lantern to guide her into the night parade. Don’t be afraid, just like her friend Lydia Deetz, she is here to light the way for the creatures and ghosts of the night.
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Bunnies on Parade – an interview with Carisa Swenson and Amanda Louise Spayd!

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Two of my favourite bunny making ladies in the world have finally done what I’ve been dying to see them to do – they’ve joined forces and created a bunny doll tour-de-force of exceptional floppy eared charm. Amanda Louise Spayd has been one of my favourite artists in the last couple years, and after discovering Carisa Swenson last year, and adding one of her gorgeously detailed dolls to my shelf, I’m starting to see the appeal in lagomorphs.

I got to ask Carisa and Amanda about their collections, and their collaboration, and other bunny related things, and they offered up a delightful romp through their shared influences and process!

CP: Tell us more about your fascination with bunnies! As a side note, I would be delighted if somehow one of you had a collection of creepy stuffed bunnies from your childhood.

Amanda: Not FROM childhood, but I do have a small collection of ratty old Easter bunnies, if you want a picture :P

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Dust Bunny, by Amanda Spayd

Carisa:
My obsession with rabbits started with Beatrix Potter’s enchanting stories and illustrations, then reinforced at my grandmother’s, as she lived in an area where rabbits would magically emerge at dusk. I could spend hours watching them.  Not only do I find hares and rabbits visually appealing, their feistiness and fleetness of foot (paws?) resonates with me.  “The Velveteen rabbit” was a favorite story of mine, but reading “Watership Down” and watching the animated film pretty much sealed it. I did have quite a collection of rabbit related trinkets and stuffed animals when young, but most are gone now. They seemed a natural subject to turn to when I began creating dolls.

Amanda:
It’s funny that I’m so smitten with bunnies, since I have never owned one.  But now that I think of it, I can definitely pinpoint some lapine influences early in my life – the first one being Watership Down. My mom was a teacher, and taught that book every year, so because it was around, I also read it pretty much every year. Also I was pretty obsessed with Jim Henson’s “Tale of the Bunny Picnic” when I was a kid. The rabbit thing sort of got revived in high school when I first saw Jan Svankmajer’s “Alice”….so, I guess i do have a fairly rabbit-heavy history. But in terms of rabbits in an artistic format, I think they’re really good as characters because so much of them can be used as expression. The bucky teeth, the ears – rabbits usually look frightened (I would too, if being someone’s dinner was always an imminent threat), and that nervousness is definitely something I use in my own work.  Also, let’s not skip over the fact that they are adorable.

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paper model by Carisa Swenson

Read More »Bunnies on Parade – an interview with Carisa Swenson and Amanda Louise Spayd!

Pumpernickel round 2 for MMIII

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Last week, we brought you some of Amanda Louise Spayd’s in progress work on her delightful resin creations for Monsters & Misfits III. Now, we get to see a finished product!
Without further ado, meet one of the Pumpernickels!
PumperComing in blended shades of blues and greys, this Pumpernickel is all dressed up for its trip to Japan. Sporting a flag scarf similar to some of its cousins found in Migration, this little resin Dust Bunny can’t wait to meet all his fans in Takayama. We don’t know if it is the coffee, the long flight, or excitement but by the look in his eyes, Pumpernickel is both excited and scared. We understand, long flights freak us out too.
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Amanda has outdone herself; all the Pumpernickels are hand cast, painted, and adorned by her. The weathering texture on the sculpt is spot on! Now, we just need to see the rest of the Pumpernickel colony in Japan!

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