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Opportunity LOL's Spotlight Interview: Artist Jon-Paul Kaiser
With a highly detailed, primarily black-and-white painting style, Jon-Paul Kaiser has found a huge following within the toy customizing world. His art is constantly in demand and in the best collections, he is behind many of the coolest production toys, and seems like a pretty good guy - a great combination to equal a rising star. If you are a fan or merely curious, today's interview is pretty huge. Learn the artist's thoughts on Star Wars, the possibility of going full time, Coarsetoys, and see some cool shots of his toy collection. Enjoy! How has clothing design work gone for you so far? Could you point us in the direction of any menswear by you that we could purchase? Jon-Paul Kaiser: "It's going great so far, I work for a design studio in the daytime doing (mainly) licensed menswear. We're a small company but we have quite large clients on the UK high street as well as online stores such as Play.com. If you check out their mens Star Wars Lego & Haynes t-shirts; I did 'em! I also have a few items linked to my toy designs coming out this year, so keep your eyes peeled!" Would you ever think of going full time in the toy world? How much cash do you think you would need in the bank and what else would you need before making the change? Jon-Paul Kaiser: "That would be the dream, however I'm very pragmatic. I have a full-time job that I really enjoy and I'm in no rush to leave. The toys and my own design work is now taking up a significant amount of my time before and after my working day, when I need to I'll reduce my hours to increase the time I can dedicate to painting. As far as money is concerned I wouldn't need 'cash in the bank' as I have a fair income from external design work, I'd just need to make sure I was debtless before making the change. In an ideal world, I would get a significant grant or a commission that would require me to give up the menswear..."
Congrats on being involved with Fat Cap Series 3! Is this your first Kidrobot production toy? Jon-Paul Kaiser: "Thanks very much! Yes, it's my first KR production toy. It's great being involved with Kidrobot as it opens my designs up to an even wider audience." You've created a ton of Star Wars customs - how many more characters do you have in mind for future toys? Is there a licensing issue to be concerned about? Jon-Paul Kaiser: "I am a little bit obsessed with Star Wars... less so than when I was a kid, but still it never goes away... The character designs from both sets of films are incredible, though I much prefer the designs (and the actual films) of the original trilogy, and that's not just from a nostalgia point of view. With the costumes; the practical clothing and accessories, they give a deeper sense of plausibility and are closer to our own real-life reference points so we can relate to them in a more instant and emotional way. Ideally I'd like to recreate all of the Star Wars characters, or at least most of the from the original trilogy... going back a couple of questions to that commission that would make me quit work - if LucasArts are interested, I'd certainly be available to paint the entire series up for them! With customs and one-offs, there's no licensing issue. In fact my Admiral Ackbar Mini-Munny custom was actually sold through StarWars.com."
You've customized a fair number of Paw! Figures and Jaws from Coarse. How do you think the Coarsetoys collecting community differs from the Kidrobot collectors? What special issues do those toys raise? Jon-Paul Kaiser: "I'm not that aware of the community that collects them, but from the overwhelming quality of the items they're in a league of their own. The items produced by Coarse are several steps up the ladder from toy to art, they're certainly more like sculptures than toys and with their recent releases that trend has increased. The attention and money that they invest into these creations are gobsmacking, the packaging alone... it's just streets ahead of most other things out there. When you purchase a Coarse toy, you open layer after layer of packaging and you know you're dealing with a premium product. Customising them, I don't think they raise any issues other than you have to make sure the work you are doing on them is of a similarly high standard and compliments the aesthetic of the figure."
You are well known for your use of black and white in custom toys, but you have created a few full-color pieces. Specifically, your Captain America Qee for 2011 NYCC was quite cool. Is your choice of color a decision to set your style apart? Jon-Paul Kaiser: "Not at all; I sometimes use a little colour to add a little extra to the design of it's needed, usually keeping it to a single extra colour. With the Captain America I felt that colour would be needed, especially as I'll be creating customs of all the Avengers with Toy2R."
I read in an interview with Honey Design that you don't clear coat your customs. Does this affect their longevity? Assuming you are customizing a 3" Dunny - how many years do you expect that toy to last? Jon-Paul Kaiser: "I still have one of my first ever customs, he sits displayed in my cabinet being and looks as fresh as he day I painted him. If the toys are properly taken care of, they should last. If any repair work was needed, I'll always be available to rectify any issues they might have." Will the Ozzel see a resurgence? Jon-Paul Kaiser: "No, the Ozzel is pretty much done with I'm afraid. Porl & I considered having him produced in vinyl, we went through all tracking down factories, getting quotes, securing a venue for a release event, however in the end it wasn't a step Porl was comfortable taking so we've left him as the very limited resin toy which we both believe adds to his appeal."
I'm surprised many artists who have contributed designs for certain companies' production toy series have been paid with a number of their toys. What is your take on that sort of deal? Jon-Paul Kaiser: "I think if the company producing the toys makes it clear to the artist that that is the offer they are making, it's fine. The artist is still able to sell some of these APs for financial gain. One of the biggest rewards for an artist in this field is exposure and working with a toy company offers a much wider audience than most artists could reach themselves. It would be great if ever company could offer a straightforward royalty for any designs but very few are large enough to be able to afford that." Could we see a shot of your art and toy collection? Jon-Paul Kaiser: "Yes, I'll forward you some shots as they're all over the place!!"
JPK's collection at home. Click for larger shots.
JPK's collection at home. Click for larger shots.
JPK's collection at work. There is a third shot here. One thing you do that almost no one else does is that you thank people who favorite your work on Flickr. How much time does this take per day and do you think that this has strengthened your bond with collectors? Jon-Paul Kaiser: "It takes a little time, but I think it's worth it. If someone has taken their time to have a look at my pictures and appreciate it enough to 'Like' or comment upon it, it means a lot to me and the least I can do is acknowledge that. I don't know if it has strengthened the bond with collectors, but to be honest that's not the reason why I do it." You are fairly active online. What are the three coolest things to have come out of being engaged on the internet? Jon-Paul Kaiser: "Well, firstly the CE Character competition in 2010. The Character Licensing Expo Asia has held in Bangkok, Thailand in September 2010. As part of the show they held a design competition for their platform CE toy, five international winners were flown to Thailand to take part in the expo. Being partnered with one of five Thai winners, we then had to work together on developing a new set of characters and complimentary products live at the show. We were treated like stars and it was an experience that I will always remember and treasure! Secondly, almost off the the work I have done with toys has come through the internet. Both commissions and getting the attention of companies like Toy2R which has led to several very fruitful projects together. Thirdly, through the internet, toys and the shows I have met and made many friends. People who I keep in touch, occasionally get to meet up with and who I'm sure will remain life-long friends."
Are you comedy fan? Who are your favorite comedians and do you listen to comedy podcasts? Jon-Paul Kaiser: "I do love comedy - both stand-up and sitcoms. Amongst my friends with I have quite a robust (abrasive?) sense of humour and my taste reflects this; I'm especially fond of comedians who like to break taboos like Jimmy Carr or Frankie Boyle. I also find Arj Barker and Dave Chappelle hilarious though they're not that well known over in the UK. " What can the Opportunity LOL readers look forward to from Jon-Paul Kaiser in 2012? Jon-Paul Kaiser: "Quite a lot! I've got plenty lined up for 2012 and it's very nice to know I've got several things coming out throughout the year. Toy2R have been hard at work getting my Captain Sturnbrau figure right and there should be more in the works with them this year. I also have more releases lined up with other toy producers this year (which I'm not allowed to talk about just yet) as well as some JPK licensed apparel! I'm also trying to work out some details for a show at a gallery in the US, which is both daunting as hell and very exciting! There will also be, of course, plenty of customs on their way!!"
Great! For more JPK: Website | Flickr | Twitter Check out our previous posts on Jon Paul Kaiser here.
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