The Many Adventures Of Paper Vinny

Tis the Season to make Toys

2011-12-11T10:27:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the season for many of us. Christmas and Hanukkah is just around the corner. There are so many amazing models out there related to these festivities that I thought I would post some for those who are looking.

Two major places to find a never ending source of festive toys are:

1. Canon's new Christmas 2011 site. Tons of free decorations for trees, pop-up cards of Santa and all things wintering and wonderful.

2. The all things paper toy related Paperkraft blog. They have tagged and sorted out all the festive things for Hanukkah and Christmas for you. Everything from moving automaton models of Santa in his sleigh to Disney themed Dreidles.

Cheers!

Paper Vinny

Escapist Magazine Interview

2011-11-19T10:36:00.000-08:00

Last month I was lucky enough to be interviewed by the lovely and creative Kathleen De Vere over at EscapistMagazine.com. The article ss titled "The Rise of the Disposable Designer Toy" It was about paper toys and my experience and what got me started with them. There is a bunch of stuff about some of Paper Toy's origins and the artists and designers who have been involved. It's a great read with some cool links that I think you will enjoy so go check it out HERE.

A Few Questionable Characters

2011-10-25T13:46:00.000-07:00

Yes indeed these two are a wee bit suspect.

First we have Travis Price's Phidias Gold Custom complete with tattoos galore, big gold belt buckle and quite obviously some neglected dental care.

Next up is the Zombie Waiter from the "Fold Your Own Zombie" Calendar where you get a different zombie paper toy to make each month. The designs are really cool and detailed and pretty easy to put together. For 2012 they have a Robot themed calendar. As you can see this Waiter is quite stylish though not so hygienic. And just in case you are wondering...yes, those are HIS brains. He even has a hold in his head to prove it.

Halloween is almost here. Hope you are all getting the finishing touches on your costumes.

Cheers,

Paper Vinny

Wild Flower Fall

2011-10-20T20:22:00.000-07:00

Here is a Gnome hanging out in some wild flowers he found near the roadside. Yes, it may be Fall and yes, there is a chill in the air but the Sun isn't done shining yet and thankfully, there are still some flowers left to bloom.

Keep watch for Gnomes in your neighborhood and don't forget to take a moment to enjoy all the colors that are still springing up around you too.

Cheers,

Paper Vinny

Introducing...Simple Vinny!

2011-10-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

Alright so I've finally gotten my stuff together and finished a postable template for Simple Vinny. I kept getting asked by folks if I had a simpler Paper Vinny that they could build. One that kids could do in a short time. So I came up with this design that should be sturdy no matter what paper you use.

Some of you might have seen him or even built one of your own at the IconoCraft or Pecha Kucha shows. I was recently interviewed for an online magazine as well and they were wanting a link to the Simple Vinny Template so HERE YOU GO!

I'll be posting a Blank Version soon for any and everyone who wishes to customize a Simple Vinny. In the meantime if you build one of the Simple Skull Edition toys please email me a photo of him in his new environment or on an adventure. I always love to see where he's gotten to next.

Happy Building,

Paper Vinny

Count Down To Halloween

2011-10-09T23:33:00.000-07:00

Hey one and all. It's been a wee little while since my last post. I have some news and templates to post soon but in the mean time check out these new Halloween Paper Toys by the great artist MACULA. They are pretty easy to build and they look awesome. There is a Witch, a Zombie and a Wolfman on top of all the many other creatures and characters he has created over the years. Check them out!

Cheers,

Paper Vinny

IconoCraft 2011

2011-06-19T10:45:00.001-07:00

Well it's been a while since my last update. The "Simple Vinny" model is done and will be making it's debut at a local DIY art show on June 22. I'll have a couple models to choose from so come out and get crafty. Now here's all about Iconocraft:

"IconoCraft returns to the Victoria Event Centre! This moveable feast of art will inspire you to get crafty, with a range of different specialty crafting tables run by Victoria artists who will provide mini-workshops and materials to create your own Do-It-Yourself crafts to take home with you, like original screen-printed tees, cute burlesque-style underwear, needle felted monsters, Paper Toys, chainmail, buttons and more. While... you craft up a storm, you’ll be able to enjoy tunes courtesy of DJ Desunos and watch live painting by Kristin Grant of Urbanheart Live. Our wonderful craft instructors will have their handmade wares for sale, too.

Doors are at 7pm and demonstrations will start from 8pm. Tickets are available at the door for $10 and include $3 of tokens that can be used at the craft making tables (each table will require a small fee of between $1 and $5 to cover material costs for your DIY crafts).

Learn to make...
-needle-felted creations
-buttons
-chainmail
-decorated cupcakes
-Paper Toys
-screenprinted t-shirts (you can even bring your own)
-terrariums
-feather earrings
-burlesquified underwear/bras/bikinis (bring your own to decorate!)

Demonstrations from:
Derek Jacoby (from Maker Space) - laser cutter
Ryan (from Knotty By Nature) - drum carding & nuno felting
Kristin Grant (Urbanheart Live) - airbrush body painting

plus: live canvas and body painting from Kristin Grant and Urbanheart Live."

So there you have it. Be there or be....er..well just go and you'll have a great time and have something to show for it by the end of the night.

Cheers,

Paper Vinny

Spring Crafting

2011-03-30T15:13:00.000-07:00

Hello Hello Everyone,

So I've been super busy figuring out the Simple Vinny model and getting some folks involved in customizing the template as well. I hope to start releasing the models soon but until then I wanted to hook you all up with some other cool templates.

The Folks over at Curiosity Group have been releasing free calendar toys each month. The next one for April, has a really great style and Jazz theme to it. So check out the newest model and the templates for each of the past months and maybe you'll find something you like. I personally love them all.

Cheers,

Paper Vinny

Paper Power For Japan

2011-03-12T11:12:00.001-08:00

Hey Everyone,

As most of you know Japan was hit with a huge 8.9 Earthquake and then a Tsunami. The Paper Toy Community has always come together in times like these to do our parts and help out where we can. We were able to raise a couple thousand dollars for Haiti relief and we are hoping to do the same for Japan.

Shin Tanaka is one of the most well known Paper Toy Artists. He has been a huge supporter of the scene and has always pushed the envelope creatively. He has just released a model that is cute red bear. It is free to download but he is asking that when you do download the model that you also donate to one of the many relief funds for Japan that have been set up. There are many different sites to find these organizations on but I have included a link to both the Canadian Red Cross and the American Red Cross both of which have specific buttons to donate to the Japan Relief Fund which were Shin's wishes.

So if you can help out the folks in Japan please do so. Here is Shin's Site and the template.

Thanks,

Paper Vinny

Many Thanks and Much Appreciation

2011-02-15T11:35:00.000-08:00

So presenting at Pecha Kucha Night was really nerve racking but really amazing. I had the opportunity to meet and talk with so many creative and inspiring folks. I received lots of positive feedback and made a number of connections. Seeing what a number of other people are doing creatively inspired me to no end. I've already begun designing a simpler Vinny because some people have found the original a bit tough to start with. As well, some people stated they would like to involve their kids so hopefully "Simple Vinny" will be more accessible and a more appropriate springboard for those wishing to get into paper toys or those wishing to have a Paper Vinny of their own. Simple Vinny is not quite done but I will post templates here on the blog for all of you to enjoy as soon as he is.

It's been a great year for me so far. So many great opportunities have come my way and I am looking forward to all that 2011 has to offer. I hope all of you had a wonderful Valentines or Anti-Valentines day. Thanks to everyone who has newly visited the site and to all those who came out to Pecha Kucha Night.

Last but not least, here's a picture for you all. It is a picture of "Joey Jr." A smaller version of Joey MacDonald. He's the Director of Olio Artists & Workers Cooperative. He's been a huge help to me in getting connected with the local art community and in making larger paper toys. The thin pic is the outfit of his I took inspiration from. I created a special plaid design for the toy. For his shirt I used a concert poster from one of his band's gigs. His belt is made from the Olio site banner. The belt buckle is his band's symbol mounted on a silver plate and his hat says Olio Artists & Workers Cooperative and is covered in different coloured paint splotches just like Joey usually is, due to all the screen printing he does. The photo was taken upon presentation to the real Joey, in the Olio Studio with the screen printing machine in the background.

Cheers,

Paper Vinny

Official Official

2011-01-29T11:01:00.000-08:00

Official poster for the event...

Pecha Kucha Night

2011-01-28T11:15:00.000-08:00

Wow so I found out that I have been chosen to be one of the presenters at a local "Pecha Kucha Night" here in my city. It's an event where a bunch of artists, designers, and super cool folks get together and present all the different projects they are working on. I'll be showing my paper toy photos and talking about how I got started and what I'm working on now.
For more info check out the main site HERE. If you happen to be in the Victoria area, check out our local site HERE.

Needless to say I'm nervous as heck but excited also. I love meeting other folks who are creating and doing interesting things with their time. It's a great opportunity for me to connect and be inspired and I am really looking forward to Feb. 10th, 2011. The tough part will be standing at a podium and talking into a microphone but I'm going to do my best.

So come on out if you can or check your local area to see if there is a Pecha Kucha night near you. If there isn't, maybe you could start one up.

I hope all of you are enjoying 2011 so far and I wish you all lots of creative ideas and adventures. Here's another pic of mine to hopefully brighten your day.

Cheers,

Paper Vinny

New Years and Switching Gears

2011-01-13T11:44:00.000-08:00

Wow! It's been almost a month since my last post. This was due in part by it being the busiest time of the year for folks with Christmas, Boxing Day, New Years, etc. I haven't had too much time to build many models. I was mostly focused on completing some customs including a toy of my friend Joey as a way of saying thanks for assisting me in printing off my largest paper toy yet(4+ feet tall!). I've been working a lot more lately on customizing models and designing my own from the ground up. The latter of which is quite challenging at times.

Also, I was recently asked to be a presenter at a local art based show. I'm a little nervous about speaking in front of the audience but I always think it's healthy to challenge ones self by stepping outside of Ye' old comfort zone. Don't you? I'll post more info soon.

So thank you for your patience. Here are a couple of pics that were taken when the weather was a little nicer and my Vitamin D came mostly from the sun and not from a bottle of vitamins. Fula is by an amazing designer Zerolabor and the picture was taken in the local Solstice Cafe and Kikoo is by artist Kawaii Style and was taken in front of the Legislature Buildings with the Empress Hotel in the background.

Cheers,

Paper Vinny

Mr. Ives Does It Again

2010-12-15T11:36:00.001-08:00

So I have been busy working on some new models and trying to create photos for others. I currently have no Christmas themed ones in the works but Paper Automata Extraordinaire Rob Ives, just released a Santa toy. It hides candy or other small treats and is a free download, so I thought I would pass it along as I know there isn't much time left this year for such toys.

Head on over to HERE to see the full story and many of the other wonderful models that Rob has brought us. I am a member of Rob's site and not only would a membership be a great gift this holiday season but there are also many moving models to choose from and they are very well priced too. The models range in all levels of difficulty, so no matter their age, you're bound to find something that fits.

Cheers,

Paper Vinny

Smallest Ones To Date

2010-11-28T18:04:00.000-08:00

So recently I finished building the smallest paper toys yet. Their bodies are only 7/8 of an inch tall and with their hair it puts them just over an inch tall. Basically, they are about the size of an Canadian 25 cent piece. Tweezers and patience were essential in their creation.

The models are "The Rainbros" by Brian Castleforte. He's the guy who started nicepapertoys.com and has been a huge influence and inspiration for a large number of paper toy enthusiasts. They were only released at a couple of events in the USA but he did have a small picture of the templates on his site. Soooo, being the fan of the models that I was, I printed the picture out and attempted putting together all four of the models. The challenge after that was finding an environment that suited each of the four elements without having them blow away or get stepped on. Bloo is water, D'Redd is fire, Lello is Sun and Grrreen is Earth.

Bloo is hanging out at a local fountain in the downtown core. D'Redd is bringing the fire in a set up shot. Lello is enjoying the suns rays at a park in the city and Grrreen is rolling in the grass at a local hang out as well.

Make sure to check out Castleforte's site HERE for all of his cool creations and event news.

Cheers,

Paper Vinny

Papurrrrr Kitty

2010-11-16T12:44:00.000-08:00

Here is a cute little cat by artist Tetsuya Watabe. That name might not mean much to some folks but in the paper toy community he's quite well known for a couple models, mainly his "Rommy" series. I'm looking forward to building a few more of his, especially his "Koomarty" model which resembles a cute polar bear standing up.

I took this pic just across the street from one of my favorite hang outs, The Solstice cafe.

Cheers,

Paper Vinny

The Great Outdoors

2010-11-09T11:11:00.000-08:00

Paper Vinny was spotted at Smith Rock State Park in Oregon, USA. It's a absolutely stunning place with something for everyone. If you love rock climbing I'm sure you've already heard of it but it's also a wonderful place to go for serious hikes or even just casual walks. Check it out if you are ever in the neighbourhood.

Cheers,

Paper Vinny

Happy Halloween Vote Now!

2010-10-31T12:39:00.000-07:00

Well it's that time of the year again. The time when many dress up and venture out into the streets for treats and tricks. The site paperkraft.net recently put on another paper toys photo contest. This time with a Halloween theme. I just entered 3 photo's into the contest(so keep your fingers crossed). Here are the pics for you to enjoy or be scared by.

You can Now Vote on which finalist you would like to win. Just CLICK HERE

The top left hand one is the witch from Yamaha's Papercraft site. I made her extra big because the model was really neat and fairly detailed.

The top right hand one is 3 Eyed Bear's "Killer" model. Complete with eerie evil mask in the background.

And finally on the bottom is Pale Horse's custom of Horrorwood's Skull King. I shrunk this regular size model down so that when he was finally finished, he measured a wee
1 and 3/4 inches tall! Tiny but still scary.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Cheers,

Paper Vinny

Rodrigo Rides Again

2010-10-26T11:39:00.000-07:00

So another one of the paper toy community's artists who goes by the name Tougui released an amazing series a while back. It's an collection of customs of his Rodrigo Del Papel model. I made the MR. Kone model a long time ago but didn't get around to taking a pic till recently. I strongly recommend checking out the other customs as they are very diverse and well worth the build time. A number of them have been created by top artists as well. Oh ya and their FREE!

Click Here for more Rodrigo Models

Be sure to check out the rest of Tougui's site as he has released a number of other amazing paper toys for free. Even the "Crooks Gang" just in time for Halloween.

Cheers,

Paper Vinny

Moldy The Polish Pirate

2010-10-05T14:18:00.000-07:00

This is Moldy The Polish Pirate. He's head of the "Fungi Fighters" and his favourite season is Autumn. I made him for my friend Phaedra who recently found a giant mold factory in her apartment. She had just moved in and had all of her stuff set up when the discovery happened. Well now she's semi-homeless and as we all know, nothing cheers up a semi-homeless person with mold problems more than a paper pirate.

Oh and if your wondering why he's polish. It's because her landlord is this sweet old Polish lady who speaks almost no English, so my friend also needed a translator. I thought why not kill two birds with one pirate and make him a "Fungi Fighter" and translator too.

Oliver and Mr. Hawkins

2010-10-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

This is Oliver Ollie by the great Matt Hawkins! I built him a little while back and although he was one of the more complex toys I have built, he was actually quite straightforward and easy to put together.

Please visit Matt's website www.custompapertoys.com for lots of free awesome paper toys and to see what cool projects he's currently working on. Also check out Matt's must have book Urban Paper that's under $20 bucks and filled with 26 paper toys you can cut out and make. It even comes with a DVD with all the templates on it if you want to make more or not cut up your book(See I told you he was great). Or there his Robot Wars Box O' Fun, featuring 10 unique paper robots that move with the help of 2 motorized units. All 7.99 (US Dollars)! Too good of a deal to pass up( Mine is on it's way as we speak).

Cheers,

Paper Vinny

Mini Vinny Meets "The Man"

2010-09-12T13:23:00.000-07:00

So it's been yet another long wait between posts. My excuse...Burning Man. Yep Mini Vinny's latest excursion was a road trip down the West Coast of Canada and the US. Final destination...Burning Man Festival in Black Rock City, Nevada, USA.

It was a long planned trip and fun was had by all. For those who don't know about Burning Man, it's an amazing, inspiring and super duper creative place where everyone fits in and art is the name of the game. Radical self expression is encouraged and sometimes even enforced. To find out more about Burning Man Festival check out their site HERE.

At the Burn there are two main events. One is the burning of a giant stick man that is filled with fireworks, lights and other pyrotechnics. Each year there is a theme for the festival and this year is was "Metropolis". When the "Man" burns, it's a night of letting go and letting loose. Chaos pervades but the community of Burning Man is never lost. People run, dance, walk and even roll wild.

The following night is when The Temple burns. Now, where the "Man" is about energized celebrations, The Temple is quite the opposite. It's a place where over the week of the festival people go there and bring pictures of loved ones, pets, friends who have passed on or maybe couldn't have made it for other reasons. People write on the walls things they wish to let go of, whether that be conflict or negativity with someone or themselves even. It's a place of connection. On the Sunday, the day after the "Man" is burned, The Temple is burned. Instead of having 56,000 people running around and going wild like the night before, you have those folks gathered, sitting in a giant circle around the Temple structure. It is quiet when the Temple burns. It's a time to reflect, let go of whatever it was you were holding onto that was bringing you suffering or something you just needed to be free from. As The Temple burns, people openly say their goodbyes to whom or what ever.

That night, I had one young gentleman who was standing close to me, ask if anyone would like to toast to his brother who had passed away recently. He told me that his brother had brought him to Burning Man for the first time years ago. He told me his brother was his hero. I didn't know this man or his brother but we stood by the fire, toasted and talked with his brother's favorite drink. This is a place where strangers don't exist. The commonality of the human experience is all one needs to apply and be a part of the Burning Man experience.

The day prior to the Temple burning I placed the Mini Vinny that I had brought on this trip, in the Temple For me it was a symbol of the growth I have made in the last year. A shedding of a past skin that I had outgrown. The joy and connections I have found via Mini Vinny and the rest of my paper toys has and is amazing and I am so grateful for it. In my travels I continue to meet people who have interacted and been positively affected by my toys. It is more than I could have imagined.

So here you are. A few pictures of the awesome and inspiring times down in Nevada. May you all continue or begin to find your creative voices. And may you all find your way to Burning Man or a festival of it's like, at some point in your life.

Cheers,

Paper Vinny

Fringe Festival Mascots

2010-08-19T12:24:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone,

Sorry for the long delay but life and work have been busy. What really was taking up my time though was designing a couple of 3 dimensional mascots for a local festival. It's a great theatre festival that we have each year. There are a number of cities that have a Fringe fest and if you are lucky enough to live in one of those cities I strongly urge you to check out all the great shows they offer.

As for the mascots... They were a simple drawn design with minimal detail. The company was wanting something simple like the original drawings, expressionless and yet animated. A tough combination. It took a while but I was finally able to take the original pictures of the characters and turn them into fun paper toys for all to have.

Gogo the green one comes with a top hat and a bag of money while Didi the purple one comes with a Fringe Festival Poster and a speech balloon.

If you would like to download and make your own 3D Didi and Gogo just visit here and click on the download button.

A Day At The 8bit Beach

2010-07-28T14:06:00.000-07:00

This is one of my all time favorite pics. I took this quite a while ago and it was a model I made when I was just starting out. The detail is amazing and Scott Campbell the artist has what seems to be, an endless stream of sketches and artwork. Check out the rest of his stuff on his blog http://scott-c.blogspot.com/ Make sure to go back into the archives for the "Iam8bit" work. I guarantee you'll laugh at some of the stuff he comes up with.

Cheers,

Paper Vinny

And Now For Something Completely Different...or is it?

2010-07-20T13:18:00.000-07:00

This is something slightly different from my norm. This form of paper art is called Kirigami. It's the Japanese art of paper cutting. This Gorilla is from the book Kirigami Menagerie by Hiroshi Hayakawa. It's a cool book filled with 38 different animal models for your cutting pleasure. It's cool that for an uncomplicated cutting process, one can end up with such a dynamic model. Most of the models like this one have multiple poses. The Gorilla can also stand on all fours but I liked the "taking it easy" look better.

Birthday and Balloons

2010-07-15T13:52:00.000-07:00

So last week was my birthday. I spent the day at the beach with friends, champagne, fresh strawberries and mangoes. I also created a Mini Vinny complete with wing and a cool custom backpack filled with wishes for the year. After sealing the backpack I attached Mini Vinny to a bunch of helium balloons and sent him into the sky. He took off to cheers and lots of onlookers. He sailed up and up and we watched him disappear into the blue. It was an awesome day. Here are some pics I took at the last minute( I almost forgot).

Cheers,

Paper Vinny

I won I won I won!!!

2010-07-12T14:34:00.000-07:00

I'm super happy to announce that the great people over at paperkraft.blogspot.com had a paper toy photo contest http://paperkraft.blogspot.com/2010/06/paper-toy-summer-fun-photo-contest.html The theme was summer fun. Well I entered a bunch of pics and I found out recently that I was one of 3 winners! The prize is a copy of the book "We Are Paper Toys!" by Louis Bou. It's a cool coffee table book filled with tons of photos of paper toys by a number of paper designers and and it even has a disc of templates for you to print out and make.

The photo above is my winning photo. It's the artist Charuca's toy called "Carmi". I'm super happy to have my photo chosen as a winner and I am looking forward to making all the templates included with the book.

Cheers,

Paper Vinny

Fancy Footwork

2010-06-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

This is Elio Fancy from Rob Diaz's stop motion video Elio. Rob is an amazing artist who made a funny 2 minute stop motion video made completely out of paper. He recorded it with a cellphone which makes it even cooler. Don't take my work for it...check it out yourself.

http://vimeo.com/7877526

Cheers,

Paper Vinny

Hanging With The Locals

2010-06-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

This is a picture I took while recently on vacation in Virginia. The model is a Nanibird custom done by the wonderful artist from the Netherlands, Dolly Oblong.

Now With More Toys!

2010-06-26T09:41:00.000-07:00

Alright so I've had a number of folks ask me to start a blog of the other toys I have built over the ages. I've been building paper toys for almost 4 years now. They are almost all other peoples designs as I just started doing my own graphics and designing last year. So Instead of starting a whole new blog to keep track of and keep updated, I thought I would just start adding those photos here on Paper Vinny's Blog along with pictures and stories of his own.

So here ya go, Starting today I'll be adding pictures of papertoys I have build over the years and recently. This is one of the first type of toys I made. It's a NiceBunny Custom of a SpeakerDog which is what got me into paper toys in the first place. Nicebunny is a great site/concept by Brian Castleforte and SpeakerDogs were a long running series of designer papertoys started by Bentheillustrator. I hope you enjoy them. If you have any questions or wish to build one of your own leave a comment and I'll see if I can help.

Cheers,

Paper Vinny

IconoCraft

2010-06-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to thank everyone that came out to the Iconocraft Show. So many great artists and participants. A lot of Mini Vinny models were handed out so I'm looking forward to seeing the pictures of even more Adventures of Mini Vinny. I'm working on setting up a download link so those who would like a model can download and print one out no matter where they live.

Cheers,

Paper Vinny

Stories and Pictures coming soon!

2010-06-02T00:53:00.000-07:00

Keep sending in pictures and stories of your Mini Vinny Adventures. I'm will start posting them starting this month(June.) And remember to keep an eye out...you never know when or where you might find Paper Vinny next.