"13 Things Which Made My 2013" from Javier Jimenez
WHAT: "Earlier in 2013, I interviewed 13 Creators worth looking out for, and for the end of 2013, I had asked a select few to list "13 Things Which Made My 2013"."
I have much man-love for Javier's work - both in 2D and 3D - so much so I bugged him to do a Mascot Sticker Design for the blog! Methinks his work speaks for themselves, and I truly hope he goes much further in this scene :)
[This was Javier's Interview]
JAVIER JIMENEZ: The Phantom Life
This is the first thing in my list cause by the end of 2012 I started working for the clothing brand The Phantom Life, designing their identity (logo and overall style) and in 2013 I was able to continue to work with them in new projects and designs. Me and the brand's owner, Sean, have worked so much on it and I'm really happy to be a part of the brand. We have lots of new designs prepared and coming up with the Spring line, and we're also focusing on building a fam of sponsored artists around the brand.
JAVIER JIMENEZ: Don Antler / Gangsta Eyezon
2013 also saw the birth of my first two resin figures: my original character Don Antler and the Gangsta Eyezon. Seeing these characters in 3D and being able to actually grab them was a sensation I will never forget and hope to feel again with new characters in the near future
JAVIER JIMENEZ: Art Shows
Last year I was invited to participate in multiple art shows, consisting of both toy and illustration displays. I also curated some in my city, as well as one in Zurich. I'm kinda new to the toy/art scene, so being able to exhibit my work in galleries was something I loved. One of these shows was the 3NES show at the Bottleneck Gallery in NYC, by my good friend Chogrin. From the pictures shared, it looks like the show was a blast!
JAVIER JIMENEZ: SAVE&DESTROY in Zurich
Earlier this year I was able to curate a SAVE&DESTROY Art Show in Galerie Maurer, Zurich. I curated the show along with Martijn of KaijuMonster.com and Beatrice Seifer, owner of the gallery. The show was amazing, both because of the artists who participated and the amount of attention and traffic the show received. Swiss people were not familiar with this toy scene and were able to get a taste of the toy world and its culture because of the variety among submitted pieces.
I met a lot of awesome artists there too, like Pepe Hiller, Lyonel of WaoToyz and Cho Linska. I look forward to having more SAVE&Destroy shows in the future!
JAVIER JIMENEZ: FicZone
FicZone is a comic convention organized by a group of my friends each year in my city. I've been part of the team since 2012 and I'm in charge of art shows and exhibitions; I'm also in charge of Artist's Alley, where I work with and for other artists. This is a great experience because there's always something new to learn. This year FicZone will be held the 26th and 27th of April in Granada, Spain, and we'll be having a special show in order to celebrate the 50th birthday of a certain creature we all love.
JAVIER JIMENEZ: SDCC 2013
One of the things that I still cannot believe is my trip to the States for the SDCC. Being there and meeting some of the artists that have inspired me and that I admire was simply amazing.
I was also able to finally meet my good friend Mark Nagata in person, and had a signing session with him at the Rotofugi booth (thanks Kirby and the Rotofugi staff!). Of course everyone in the line was there for Mark and not for me, haha, but it was such a great experience and I met lots of wonderful people there.
JAVIER JIMENEZ: San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco
My trip to USA was not only about SDCC; I also visited LA to see my friend Chogrin, and we toured in some animation studios like Cartoon Network and Dreamworks. In San Francisco, I visited Mark Nagata's house and painted a mini Negora with him. I've loved toys for as long as I can remember, but I've only been painting for a year now (way less than a year at the time of visiting Mark's house!), so I had a lot of questions that he kindly answered for me! Learning from a master painter like him was both an honor and a pleasure!
JAVIER JIMENEZ: Tokyo's Design Festa
In November I was honored to join Mark Nagata, Yo Miyamoto, Jay222, Joe Somers and Todd Robertson at the Design Festa where we shared a table.
This was my first time having my own (shared) table in an art event like this to sell my stuff, and the experience was amazing. Meeting some of the top notch Japanese toy makers was a real pleasure and I learned a lot. Also, the place was full of awesome artists and wherever you stared everything looked so professional. I've always known that the competition in the art/design world is tough, but this made me realize it even more.
JAVIER JIMENEZ: Tokyo
Tokyo can be summarized with these three words: "Tokyo changes you". The people, the city and the food.. Everything is so different from the culture I grew up in; experiencing Tokyo changed me forever and has the potential to do the same for anyone visiting. Especially if you like toys. I met a lot of nice people in Tokyo and I will try to go back again in the middle of 2014.
JAVIER JIMENEZ: Meeting People
I met a lot of people in 2013 thanks to my trips, but also thanks to social networking and some events I attended here in Spain as well. For instance, early in 2013 I was lucky enough to meet Emilio Garcia, Okrabelo and Okokume in the city of Malaga when the CAC was showcasing Selim Varol's art collection. I think meeting people helps us grow as people, but if the people you meet are fellow artists, it helps you grow as an artist as well.
JAVIER JIMENEZ: Learning
As I said, I've been painting toys for just one year and a couple of months now. Along with that, you have to take into consideration the fact that I'm self taught and have no formal training in any type of art, so I had to start from complete scratch. All that I know (which is still very little), I learned from friends and my girlfriend who have been supporting me since day one.
I still have a lot of things to learn, but I love toys with all my heart so I'm incredibly eager to learn and improve. In 2014 I hope to learn as much as I can!
JAVIER JIMENEZ: Sharing My Experience
Even though my experience is still very little, there's always someone with less experience than you and in need of advice. I was lucky enough to find mentors who have always been willing to help me out with my doubts, and I want to help people in need just like these mentors helped me.
Last year a local art school reached out to me asking if I could prepare a master class for their animation students on how to design videogames and of course I said yes!
I loved talking to them and sharing what I had learned so far, and they were very passionate and had a lot of questions! One reason that I want to learn and aquire more experience is so I can share my knowledge with those who need it.
JAVIER JIMENEZ: Started Collecting LEGO Toys Again
This is a more personal thing, but by the end of 2012 and more heavily in 2013 I started collecting LEGO toys again. When I was a kid, I used to have tons of LEGO sets but my parents threw them away when I grew up.
Every set I get keeps me busy and excited for a while as if I was still a kid and I love that!
Finally I'd like to thank you Andy for your continuous support, and also all the people who have supported and/or helped me. It feels good when people support you and it gives you a reason to keep working hard to improve and offer better stuff. I have many things I'm working on for this 2014 and I hope to bring them all in time!
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