ALTO: Q&A + Seen @ ToyConUK 2013
I spoke to Chris Dobson aka [alto] about his experiences at the recent ToyConUK, and he has been extremely forthcoming with replies, and for that you have my humble thanks, Chris! Read-ON!
TOYSREVIL: How was the ToyCon for you? Was it what you expected it to be? Was this your first Con?
CHRIS DOBSON: ToyConUK was my first Con as both exhibitor and visitor and so I didn't know quite what to expect. It was great, however, providing as it did the opportunity to catch up with artist friends and meet some lovely new people, too.
For me, it really brought home the wealth of talent that is present in the UK and provided a great opportunity by which to celebrate it.
Whilst living in Edinburgh means that Kidrobot London was never the same toy hub to me as it was to many others, there is no denying that it was an important focal and gathering point for fans and artists alike. In the aftermath of its demise, the significance of an event such as ToyCon should not be underestimated, if the UK scene is to continue to develop and flourish.
Of course, I should also mention that, whilst I’ve been a little UK-centric, so far, there were many from further afield – Europe, and beyond! - who had made the journey across especially for the show, which was quite an amazing show of support.
TOYSREVIL: Tell us what you had on your table! And which of your items had the warmest reception / best response?
CHRIS DOBSON: My stall was really a celebration of my first year of original toy designs and so Evil Origami and Little Ox (my collaborations with DMS and Creo Design, respectively) were present and correct and resplendent in an array of colourways and artists customs.
However, I would say that it was the public debut of my collaboration with DMS, Skelevex, that drew the most feedback and sales, on the day. Displayed on both mine and the Monsters & Mecha booths, in a variety of colours and finishes, the response was fantastic. It's great to see these starting to find their way out into the world and I can't wait to make them available internationally (on the subject of which, this Friday - 12th April - will see the online release of the 'Black Death' colourway via DMS’ webstore.
For those who may find the bigger skull to be outside of their budget, we also previewed mini-Skelevex, which I have feeling will prove to be a big success.
I’m so happy with how the first members of the Skelevex family have turned out and know how much of a labour of love they have been for Dan, too, so we’re quite proud parents at this moment in time, I would say!
TOYSREVIL: Any suggestions to make the event even more awesome in the future?
CHRIS DOBSON: There is already talk about expanding next year, given the apparent demand for tickets this time round, which I think is a really positive step forward, as it demonstrates the strength of following for what remains very much a niche scene, here.
It would be nice to see more international stall holders and artists, too.
From a personal point of view, I was disappointed not to have escaped my booth more, during the course of the day, as barely had an opportunity to have a good look at the work of others (including, unforgivably, the prototype of my forthcoming collaboration with Taylored Curiosities!). This also meant that I was not able to attend the panels that were on offer, which sounded very interesting.
So, next year, I will try and manufacture a way to get along to those, perhaps even making an appearance myself, should an invite be forthcoming – what do you say, guys?!
Finally, remaining goodies from the Con will be going up for sale via my webstore soon, starting with Evil Origami and Little Ox customs (launched April 9th) – there is some brilliant work in here and at reasonable prices too, I think, so keep an eye on my social media outlets for updates as to when these will go live.
(Most images by Dolly Oblong)
TOYSREVIL: How was the ToyCon for you? Was it what you expected it to be? Was this your first Con?
CHRIS DOBSON: ToyConUK was my first Con as both exhibitor and visitor and so I didn't know quite what to expect. It was great, however, providing as it did the opportunity to catch up with artist friends and meet some lovely new people, too.
For me, it really brought home the wealth of talent that is present in the UK and provided a great opportunity by which to celebrate it.
Whilst living in Edinburgh means that Kidrobot London was never the same toy hub to me as it was to many others, there is no denying that it was an important focal and gathering point for fans and artists alike. In the aftermath of its demise, the significance of an event such as ToyCon should not be underestimated, if the UK scene is to continue to develop and flourish.
Of course, I should also mention that, whilst I’ve been a little UK-centric, so far, there were many from further afield – Europe, and beyond! - who had made the journey across especially for the show, which was quite an amazing show of support.
TOYSREVIL: Tell us what you had on your table! And which of your items had the warmest reception / best response?
CHRIS DOBSON: My stall was really a celebration of my first year of original toy designs and so Evil Origami and Little Ox (my collaborations with DMS and Creo Design, respectively) were present and correct and resplendent in an array of colourways and artists customs.
However, I would say that it was the public debut of my collaboration with DMS, Skelevex, that drew the most feedback and sales, on the day. Displayed on both mine and the Monsters & Mecha booths, in a variety of colours and finishes, the response was fantastic. It's great to see these starting to find their way out into the world and I can't wait to make them available internationally (on the subject of which, this Friday - 12th April - will see the online release of the 'Black Death' colourway via DMS’ webstore.
For those who may find the bigger skull to be outside of their budget, we also previewed mini-Skelevex, which I have feeling will prove to be a big success.
I’m so happy with how the first members of the Skelevex family have turned out and know how much of a labour of love they have been for Dan, too, so we’re quite proud parents at this moment in time, I would say!
TOYSREVIL: Any suggestions to make the event even more awesome in the future?
CHRIS DOBSON: There is already talk about expanding next year, given the apparent demand for tickets this time round, which I think is a really positive step forward, as it demonstrates the strength of following for what remains very much a niche scene, here.
It would be nice to see more international stall holders and artists, too.
From a personal point of view, I was disappointed not to have escaped my booth more, during the course of the day, as barely had an opportunity to have a good look at the work of others (including, unforgivably, the prototype of my forthcoming collaboration with Taylored Curiosities!). This also meant that I was not able to attend the panels that were on offer, which sounded very interesting.
So, next year, I will try and manufacture a way to get along to those, perhaps even making an appearance myself, should an invite be forthcoming – what do you say, guys?!
Finally, remaining goodies from the Con will be going up for sale via my webstore soon, starting with Evil Origami and Little Ox customs (launched April 9th) – there is some brilliant work in here and at reasonable prices too, I think, so keep an eye on my social media outlets for updates as to when these will go live.
(Most images by Dolly Oblong)
