We here at PixArt are constantly on the look-out for new ways to inspire our artists. And what could be more inspiring to an artist than toys? It’s a match made in creative heaven. From classic action figures to the new wave of vinyl collecting, we love it all. We wanted to bring some of that charm and fun to PixArt. So, after months of planning, we’re happy to announce a new project here at the blog – KNICK KNACKS!
We just love the crazy collecting world of vinyl toys. From Disney’s Vinylmation to Kidrobot’s Dunny and Munny lines, we just can’t get enough. We thought it would be great fun to design concepts for our own hypothetical line of Pixar-themed toys. The possibilities seemed endless. We thought we would simplify things a little and focus strictly on design. Instead of a 3-dimesional figure, we provided artists with a simple and familiar shape. For Series 1 of Knick Knacks we created the BUZZ LIGHTYEAR. Few characters are more beautifully designed than everybody’s favorite Space Ranger from the Intergalactic Alliance stationed in the Gamma Quadrant of Sector 4. Using this iconic (and somewhat stylized) shape as the base, we let the artists loose. There was only one rule – the subject matter had to be Pixar. Any Pixar film, short, character, environment, etc. had to serve as the inspiration for the image.
For this first round, The Signature Designs, we asked a handful of our favorite artists to take the concept for a test drive. We’ve been thrilled with what we’ve received so far and more designs are on the way! Keep an eye on PixArt all month long as we release even more designs. We’d like to thank the artists who contributed their time and talent to this launch. They really helped us develop the process and we could not have done this without them.
Big thanks to Andrew Kolb, Jay Rogers, Ryan Howarth, Martin Gee, Alongkorn Sanguansook (GuGGGar) and Eric Barclay. See their amazing work below!
NOTE: For this initial release of images, we are inviting some of our favorite artists to participate. If you are interested in contributing, send us a link to your existing work. We will only post images that use our specific template so please don’t submit an image before contacting us first. We will provide the template. We’ve got lots of fun tributes and challenges coming up for Knick Knack designs so stay tuned to the blog for more info.
