Interview with Gary Ham
I've had to opportunity to interview US-based artists Gary Ham [blog] on a couple of occasions in 2008 - and hadn't have a chance to catchup with him (blog-interview-wise) until now. After a slew of self-produced releases, TOYSREVIL chats with Gary about his earlier releases and what is to be in-store for the coming future, including a swell sneak at a collabo with Chaukoskis! Read-ON, folks!
TOYSREVIL: My first ever "interview" with you was in 2008, focusing on CarrotShakeJake - how did the concept of self-producing your own toys start? How has it worked out for you?
GARY HAM: I have been a collector of toys for about 17 years and in late in 2004 I bought my first designer toy at SDCC, Pip and Norton from Critterbox. I looked forward to attending SDCC every year as it was the only time I ever saw these awesome con toys. Around 2006 I discovered the toy blogs which at the time were Toysrevil, Vinylpulse, and Plastic and Plush. I was obsessed, checking them every couple of hours.
A point came where I decided I wanted to be more involved and had ideas for toy designs of my own. Being that I was an unknown, I knew I didn't stand a chance at having a toy produced by another company, so I saved my pennies and gave self producing a go. Jake did very well and found loving homes all over the world. That is such a cool thought. Being able to independently produce toys has been a dream come true.
[Gary Ham trading card for Art Hustle Series 2]
TOYSREVIL: What I really liked about MORSELS, was that the style seemed very identifiable "Gary Ham" and your sense of cartoon-illustration (in the vein of Americana, alongside Scott Tolleson), and have seen various releases in different colorways. Any more Morsels to come? How did that come about? Were they self-produced (with Pretty in Plastic)?
GARY HAM: I had drawn some designs for what were essentially sexy oompa loompas. I thought they were appealing, so I contacted Atomic Monkey about sculpting her and Pretty in Plastic did the manufacturing and painting. Bear Williams, the sculptor, did an amazing job and Julie B of Pretty in Plastic went above and beyond with the beautiful castings and meticulous hand painting of her. There were 25 in total made in 5 different colorways. The Morsels are a finished series, so there will not be any future releases or colorways.
[Morsels Line-Up]
TOYSREVIL: Your wooden-toy releases had been pretty prolific in '09, with a variety of shapes and predominantly "animal" based characters (much in vein with your SuperHam characters). How did they come about? Delving into new arenas? Or an artists' evolution?
GARY HAM: I have always been a handy man and in another life I probably would have gone into construction/carpentry. Not being much of a sculptor, I realized with wood I could more be hands on with my designs and see them through from start to finish. I'm not sure why I primarily did animals, it just sort of happened that way.
TOYSREVIL: We've seen a recent release in Cirque Du Siamese's Hugo and Bruto Bassen. Will we see anyone soon to appear from Circusdom? Or is that a over-and-done-with-deal?
GARY HAM: Cirque Du Siamese was a labor of love. Took many months of being covered in sawdust and hunched over painting, but the result was worth it. I would like to create a piece to compliment them, so the show must go on! If not in wood form, then maybe some custom circusdom.
TOYSREVIL: What would you say is the "style" of Gary Ham? Do describe to us your illustration / design style.
GARY HAM: I would say my style tends to be more simplistic and often cute in nature. I enjoy working in limited color palettes and fun shapes. I like to work in straights against curves because it's a fun ride for the eyes as they stumble about the design.
TOYSREVIL: Who inspires you? What get's your creative juices flowing?
GARY HAM: Every day I visit blogs and see designs from artists that leave me inspired and in utter awe. I'm a sucker for the cute, whimsical, clever, silly, offbeat, and retro stuff. Here are some photos of my collection that provide constant inspiration to me.
TOYSREVIL: Congrats again for winning Best Munny again for the recent Munnyworld Megacontest - and as well we've been seeing a number of customs from you, rather than your own form-creations. How is that for you, to work on another form?
GARY HAM: Thanks. Designing for other platforms is both fun and challenging. With so many artists having already tackled many of the platforms, it's no easy task to come up with a fresh or unique concept. I was always a little hesitant at doing customs having never been much of a painter or sculptor. Most of my art was hand drawn and then digitally colored, so custom work has really opened my eyes try new things and techniques.
[More Drummys to come?]
TOYSREVIL: As well you've always seem self-sufficient, but we've been seeing you being involved in a few shows, including contests - was that always a deliberate dis-involvement?
GARY HAM: Ha, not deliberate at all, maybe was just flying below the radar. Only in the last year have been invited to participate in shows. It's been a lot of fun to be more involved with the custom side of designer toys.
TOYSREVIL: You've done a few Android-designs (Snowflake and Cupcake) - how did that come about, and now do you feel about designing for other toy-forms?
GARY HAM: Andrew Bell contacted me about submitting some designs for the Android series. It was an exciting e-mail to receive because it was my first chance to submit a design for someone else's toy and be apart of the blind box fun. It was a great experience and hope more design opportunities arise in the future.
[9 x images in slideshow above of Unused Android Designs]
TOYSREVIL: What I reckon is amazing and a utter surprise (when I first found out), was your Hermees character, making a transition from wood-craft to vinyl! How did that come about? And how is that working out for you? With The Trickerster edition released - why this enlarged size of vinyl?
GARY HAM: A couple years had passed since Carrot Shake Jake and I thought Hermees was fun and different enough to take to production. His vinyl mold was taken directly from the wood version I made of him, so his large size was just due to me wanting to keep the parts large enough so I didn't lose any fingers in his creation. Hermees has been doing extremely well and flown to many wonderful homes. A true international traveler. A very limited green colorway of 50 will release at SDCC.
TOYSREVIL: What's next on the horizon for Gary Ham? Any plans for SDCC, NYCC, or another when?
GARY HAM: SDCC '11 is next up and then SDCC after that. I am currently working with the humble and extremely talented Chauskoskis on my next toy project. We can't wait to share it with you and are hoping for an early 2012 release. Ok, you twisted me arm, here is a sneak peak of what's to come.
TOYSREVIL: (Trust me, arms were indeed twisted ;p) Tell us something about Gary Ham that no one else (in public?) knows!
GARY HAM: I have an identical twin brother, Greg. He is an artist too and it is always interesting when he comes to SDCC. I've heard stories from other people there that thought I blew them off or of how they were getting angry with me that I was acting like I didn't know them. Mistaken identity is just part of being a twin and I only hope that one day I don't get my butt kicked for something Greg may have done.
TOYSREVIL: My first ever "interview" with you was in 2008, focusing on CarrotShakeJake - how did the concept of self-producing your own toys start? How has it worked out for you?
GARY HAM: I have been a collector of toys for about 17 years and in late in 2004 I bought my first designer toy at SDCC, Pip and Norton from Critterbox. I looked forward to attending SDCC every year as it was the only time I ever saw these awesome con toys. Around 2006 I discovered the toy blogs which at the time were Toysrevil, Vinylpulse, and Plastic and Plush. I was obsessed, checking them every couple of hours.
A point came where I decided I wanted to be more involved and had ideas for toy designs of my own. Being that I was an unknown, I knew I didn't stand a chance at having a toy produced by another company, so I saved my pennies and gave self producing a go. Jake did very well and found loving homes all over the world. That is such a cool thought. Being able to independently produce toys has been a dream come true.
[Gary Ham trading card for Art Hustle Series 2]
TOYSREVIL: What I really liked about MORSELS, was that the style seemed very identifiable "Gary Ham" and your sense of cartoon-illustration (in the vein of Americana, alongside Scott Tolleson), and have seen various releases in different colorways. Any more Morsels to come? How did that come about? Were they self-produced (with Pretty in Plastic)?
GARY HAM: I had drawn some designs for what were essentially sexy oompa loompas. I thought they were appealing, so I contacted Atomic Monkey about sculpting her and Pretty in Plastic did the manufacturing and painting. Bear Williams, the sculptor, did an amazing job and Julie B of Pretty in Plastic went above and beyond with the beautiful castings and meticulous hand painting of her. There were 25 in total made in 5 different colorways. The Morsels are a finished series, so there will not be any future releases or colorways.
[Morsels Line-Up]
TOYSREVIL: Your wooden-toy releases had been pretty prolific in '09, with a variety of shapes and predominantly "animal" based characters (much in vein with your SuperHam characters). How did they come about? Delving into new arenas? Or an artists' evolution?
GARY HAM: I have always been a handy man and in another life I probably would have gone into construction/carpentry. Not being much of a sculptor, I realized with wood I could more be hands on with my designs and see them through from start to finish. I'm not sure why I primarily did animals, it just sort of happened that way.
TOYSREVIL: We've seen a recent release in Cirque Du Siamese's Hugo and Bruto Bassen. Will we see anyone soon to appear from Circusdom? Or is that a over-and-done-with-deal?
GARY HAM: Cirque Du Siamese was a labor of love. Took many months of being covered in sawdust and hunched over painting, but the result was worth it. I would like to create a piece to compliment them, so the show must go on! If not in wood form, then maybe some custom circusdom.
TOYSREVIL: What would you say is the "style" of Gary Ham? Do describe to us your illustration / design style.
GARY HAM: I would say my style tends to be more simplistic and often cute in nature. I enjoy working in limited color palettes and fun shapes. I like to work in straights against curves because it's a fun ride for the eyes as they stumble about the design.
TOYSREVIL: Who inspires you? What get's your creative juices flowing?
GARY HAM: Every day I visit blogs and see designs from artists that leave me inspired and in utter awe. I'm a sucker for the cute, whimsical, clever, silly, offbeat, and retro stuff. Here are some photos of my collection that provide constant inspiration to me.
TOYSREVIL: Congrats again for winning Best Munny again for the recent Munnyworld Megacontest - and as well we've been seeing a number of customs from you, rather than your own form-creations. How is that for you, to work on another form?
GARY HAM: Thanks. Designing for other platforms is both fun and challenging. With so many artists having already tackled many of the platforms, it's no easy task to come up with a fresh or unique concept. I was always a little hesitant at doing customs having never been much of a painter or sculptor. Most of my art was hand drawn and then digitally colored, so custom work has really opened my eyes try new things and techniques.
[More Drummys to come?]
TOYSREVIL: As well you've always seem self-sufficient, but we've been seeing you being involved in a few shows, including contests - was that always a deliberate dis-involvement?
GARY HAM: Ha, not deliberate at all, maybe was just flying below the radar. Only in the last year have been invited to participate in shows. It's been a lot of fun to be more involved with the custom side of designer toys.
TOYSREVIL: You've done a few Android-designs (Snowflake and Cupcake) - how did that come about, and now do you feel about designing for other toy-forms?
GARY HAM: Andrew Bell contacted me about submitting some designs for the Android series. It was an exciting e-mail to receive because it was my first chance to submit a design for someone else's toy and be apart of the blind box fun. It was a great experience and hope more design opportunities arise in the future.
[9 x images in slideshow above of Unused Android Designs]
TOYSREVIL: What I reckon is amazing and a utter surprise (when I first found out), was your Hermees character, making a transition from wood-craft to vinyl! How did that come about? And how is that working out for you? With The Trickerster edition released - why this enlarged size of vinyl?
GARY HAM: A couple years had passed since Carrot Shake Jake and I thought Hermees was fun and different enough to take to production. His vinyl mold was taken directly from the wood version I made of him, so his large size was just due to me wanting to keep the parts large enough so I didn't lose any fingers in his creation. Hermees has been doing extremely well and flown to many wonderful homes. A true international traveler. A very limited green colorway of 50 will release at SDCC.
TOYSREVIL: What's next on the horizon for Gary Ham? Any plans for SDCC, NYCC, or another when?
GARY HAM: SDCC '11 is next up and then SDCC after that. I am currently working with the humble and extremely talented Chauskoskis on my next toy project. We can't wait to share it with you and are hoping for an early 2012 release. Ok, you twisted me arm, here is a sneak peak of what's to come.
TOYSREVIL: (Trust me, arms were indeed twisted ;p) Tell us something about Gary Ham that no one else (in public?) knows!
GARY HAM: I have an identical twin brother, Greg. He is an artist too and it is always interesting when he comes to SDCC. I've heard stories from other people there that thought I blew them off or of how they were getting angry with me that I was acting like I didn't know them. Mistaken identity is just part of being a twin and I only hope that one day I don't get my butt kicked for something Greg may have done.
