Interview by:
LAWRENCE ZEEGEN, January 2006, for Computer Arts Magazine, UK

http://www.zeegen.com
http://www.zeegenrush.com

1. How did you start getting your work out of the sketchbook/screen and into 3D?
My main calling card to the world of designer toys was a book I initiated, produced and designed with Megan Mair, called Vinyl Will Kill, published by IdN hong Kong. It is the first book in the world to look at the designer toy genre, and in it I interview great artists like Gary Baseman, Fafi, Pete Fowler, Tim Tsui, Devilrobots, Jason Siu, Tim Biskup, Kinsey, Kozik, and store owners such as Sarah from Colette, Paul Budnitz from Kidrobot, and about 40 other leaders in the field. The book was a great way to educate myself while introducing my work to the rest of the world, from my studio far away in Sydney Australia.

I've of course been following the 3D toy genre since its early growth, and I produced my first 3D toy, an inflatable 3D Space Puppy in vinyl, in 1994. It sold about 10,000 units mainly through my clothing label Jeremy.

To get an idea from a sketchbook to a final 3D figure is a slow process, and I figured I'd take a different approach and write a book about it, which opened lots of doors a lot quicker and also encouraged people come to me, which is what happened, and is happening. It has also opened a lot of doors to commercial work across the world.

2. How do you start developing new characters, what's the starting point?
I draw every day in my sketchbook, I clear my mind and open it up to anything that comes through. You can't beat a pen and blank sketchbook as a starting point. A toy idea needs to be something different from what's out there. I like new concepts in toys, not just a rehash, and you need to be really inventive with each new release. For me, character design and toy design are very intertwined.

3. Where do you get your inspiration from for your work?
basically from everywhere except other artists's work. I have a degree in architecture from Sydney University, and my first love is interiors, the built form, furniture design, and product design. I like the beauty of systems and methodology in design, and studying the process. For me the process and system by which an idea manifests itself is as much an art form as the final result. With the correct system in place, a lot is possible. I respect Ray and Charles Eames, Walter Gropius, Aalto, Flos, Seidler, Le Corbusier, Duchamp, Lichtenstein, Warhol.

4. Whose work in this area do you respect?
In terms of toy design, KAWS is my favourite toy designer, and I think Amos toys out of the UK do consistently great work, and I love the work of James Jarvis. So too do Kidrobot in the US, Strangeo, and Medicom out of Japan. Trexi from Singapore have also launched their new successful toy platform Trexi, and Raymond Choy's Qee story continues to expand. Infact, I'll be one of the few artists to paint a 60 inch tall Qee, which is a very tall figure. It is for a Qee customised show I'm sponsoring in Sydney. The few to have painted a 60 inch Qee include Gary Baseman, Frank Kozik and Tim Biskup. Presspop in Japan also do great artist based toys, like those from Jim Woodring, one of my favourite artists.

5. How many characters have you created that have made it into the shops?
about 10, but quite a few more are coming out in 2006, a lot of toy projects are in the works, and it is a slow process, anywhere from 4-8 months.

6. What do you try to communicate with your character-based work?
A strong concept is a must for me, not just a cool design. There are many cool designs out there, but if you can add a 'story' or theme or context for the design, it makes it that much more complex, and hopefully more desirable.

7. Which companies do you work with to create your figures/models?
I've worked with several, including Strangeco from San Francisco, Circus Punks in the US, Play Imaginative from Singapore, Flying Cat from Hong Kong, IdN magazine, LMAC from Singapore, Span of Sunset from LA, Kidrobot and Tristan Eaton from New York, and Richard Wong from Red Magic in Hong Kong.

8. Where do you sell most?
Online. Designer toys are a very online medium. I also sell Amos figures by James Jarvis at my online store, and Pete Fowler and Strangeco.

9. Coolest character that you've created?
I like the Circus Punk I just did, it's a self portrait of me drawing at a cafe late at night with a sketchbook and pens. The Trexi figures have also been very successful, I was in series 1 and my 'Lost Boy Scout' figure has been popular.

10. Crossover - which commercial/advertising projects have included
your characters/3D figures/models? Who was the client? Which agency
did you work with?
MTV Latin America based out of Miami recently commissioned me to design a huge series of animations based off my 3D characters and drawings, and this was a direct result of them picking up the Vinyl Will Kill book. It was a project that took about 3 months all up, and involved a lot of late nights and hundreds of sketches.

11. How did this/these projects start life?
We got a call one day from Alejandro at MTV and he initially wanted just one or two characters, but it turned into doing all the art and design for the whole series of animations, working with a few animation houses in Argentina and Miami. We also did another animation job recently for MTV Australia, which was a separate job that came from our 3D toy work. I'm working on some animation pilots for a company in the UK now, which is confidential at this stage. It is also based off my 3D work and illustrations.

12. Where next for the craft?
I think it's important for the designer toy genre to diversify, spread out and always keep fresh. It needs to re-invent itself with new directions based on art and ideas, not just commerce. There are many big companies around now that are dabbling in toys, which could hijack or dilute the genre, if the high creative standards are not maintained in the concept. I'm all for big companies approaching toy design if the solution is sympathetic, respectful of the genre, and innovative.

Personally I'm doing some more publishing projects in 2006, some new toys and toy package concepts. I'm also working on some animation projects and toy based art shows.

Jeremyville
www.jeremyville.com