Starting from Scratch

After the move to Oregon my business came screeching to a halt. I had to leave most of my materials behind, bringing with me only Paint, Magic Sculpt, a Kiln, and some small toy platforms. For the first month or so that I was here in Oregon I was acclimating to a new environment, several relationships that I held dear which took a turn for the worst upon moving, having next to no money, and a pokemon TCG tournament within a 15 minute drive. Not to mention having to ween myself off my antidepressants, anti-anxiety, and sleepy time medications due to a lack of health insurance and leaving AZ right when my insurance was canceled. Needless to say it was a shit show.

Since then I have had the chance to get used to the lack of meds, I acquired a day job at Blick Art Materials for a steady income, came to terms with the lost relationships of some dear friends as well as my mother, started setting up an art studio based out of my apartment,  BECAME A LEGITIMATE BUSINESS, and have my kiln in working order. I'm set. now I just need the work to put it all to good use.  I'm currently finishing off some long outstanding large commissions and prize packages as well as putting together everyone's Patreon rewards.

In the months to come I will be changing things yet again to make fulfilling your rewards significantly easier.  I have a big batch of figures going out this week which should catch everyone up. Once these last few, long overdue, commissions are finished I'll be starting fresh and focusing more on ceramic and resin artwork.  I hope all is well, please feel free to reach out to me!

Shadoe

Patreon Rewards!

 Hello Everyone, For those of you on the fence about pledging, here's a look at what you can receive. First we have the 4x6 "Thank You" print and the monthly print. After your very first pledge you will receive a "thank You" print for being an amazing human being and supporting a staving artist! Each month I'll be creating a new print for my Patrons, signed by me along with an orange P to remind you of your amazing patronage! Next we have the monthly pin-back button. Each month I'll be sending out a different 1 inch pin-back button to give your outfit, messenger bag or what have you some "zazz". Then we have the Exclusive Patreon 3 inch collectible figure. Each month I'll be releasing a new color variant figure exclusively for my Patrons. Spruce up your collectors shelves with these amazing exclusive colorways and brag to all of your buddies about how you're one of the few fortunate to receive it ;) Also, there's all of the exclusive content you're not seeing, receiving exclusive producer credits on upcoming releases(printing your name on the box, whaaaaa?!?!) and the warm fuzzy feeling you get from supporting your favorite artist :) Anyway, I hope this finds you well, thank you for your time! 

 Come Check out my Patreon, all kinds of good stuff going on over there http://www.patreon.com/ShadoeDelgado

 

Last Chance Custom Commissions

I'm moving away from Custom toys for a while. I'll be finishing up what commissions I have and anyone interested in a custom commission from me has until the 30th to place an order at ShadoeDelgado.com. All inquiries about customs on toy platforms not seen in my shop can be sent to ShadoeDelgado@gmail.com. On the 1st of October I'll be clearing my shop out of any platform based custom commissions until further notice. I'm really hoping  this will give me the opportunity to focus on original sculptures and toys, shows and the occasional blind box series. I apologize if this is an inconvenience to any of you, but better things are on the horizon.

 If you can help me spread the word I would greatly appreciate it. If there is anything else I can do for you, don't hesitate to let me know.

Thanks for your time!

http://shadoedelgado.com/collections/last-chance-customs

 

1st Annual Back to School MUNNYWORLD Show at Suburban Vinyl

7" Brainsich Shadowboss

I'll have a piece in a show this weekend at Suburban Vinyl. If you're in the New Jersey area, swing by for Suburban Vinyl's Back to School Munnyworld Show. The show starts this Saturday from 6-9pm. Above is a 7" Shadowboss I made for the show. There is a really great lineup of artists and should be a sight to be seen! Here's the list of contributing artist for the show: iRoc toys, Breakthemold, Dead Hand Toys, Cat Atomic Art, ChipSouper, Evilos, Thomas Harrison Foster, Carson Catlin, Fuller, Small Angry Monster, Wasted Talent, Shadoe Delgado, Jon Paul Kaiser, Task One, Jeremiah Ketner, Nerviswr3k, Motorbot, Manny Romero, Nati 513, Deeten, JFury, Nemo, A Little Stranger, Malo April, Mark Maher, and JChad. Enjoy :)

My Patreon

Hey Everyone, I wanted to talk a bit about my Patreon.

My Patreon

What... why Patreon?

Patreon is like an ongoing kickstarter in that it allows an audience of supporters to support artists and projects. However, instead of pledging one lump sum for one large project, patreon's pledges are recurring, smaller donations to help your favorite artists continue to bring you the content you enjoy. Your Pledge can be from $1 to however many doll hairs you want and in return I will show my appreciation by giving you rewards! 

By Pledging to my Patreon you will be helping me take my business of making creatures and things to a new level. If this takes off and sufficient pledges are received I can start producing bigger projects such as toy mini series, freeing me up to do work that isn't strictly commission based. Also the Patreon will help me to have a presence at some of the larger art and toy conventions,  start large print releases, original toy and sculpture projects, and potentially kill my student loan debt! Most of all I hope to use Patreon as a means of supplementing my art business and helping it reach the point of viability. Once my business reaches a point of viability my Patreon will turn into a monthly subscription service and means of providing you with more, bad-assier exclusive content.

Rewards
By becoming a patron you are entitled to rewards determined by your monthly pledge. The rewards are a way that I can show you my appreciation for your patronage without breaking the bank or sinking all of my time into them. Rewards  range from access to my exclusive Patreon content not seen anywhere else, monthly signed prints, monthly exclusive Patreon toy variants and producer credits printed on the box art of my major toy or sculpture releases.

What I do
I create these dark, chubby yet lanky creatures that I like to call Shadows along with their buddies, whatever form they might be. I'm starting to make a living of it :) I enjoy sculpting these guys most of all, but I'd like to break new ground and create them in many various ways. I work primarily in ceramic, apoxie resins and pen/ink. I have knowledge in all sorts of other mediums, however I don't have the opportunity to expand on them. My business is starting to take off however it's still a little shaky. Most of the work I do is commissioned based and leaves me with very little time to focus on the other things I enjoy that have the potential to help my art career take off. This is why I started a Patreon, to ask for your help and support!

Beginning sculpts for "Shadows and Ghosts" blind box series

To those of you who have read this, if  you wouldn't mind spreading the news or sharing this with others who might be interested, I'd really appreciate it. I've been struggling to get the word out there by reaching out to toy and art blogs and any of the followers on my social media outlets, however it hasn't been received very well or it has been overlooked. This is a tremendous opportunity for me to turn my work around and put this 7 year fine art degree to good use. The Commissions have been a lot of fun however they don't leave me with much time to do anything else. It's been a battle between limiting commissions to free up time for personal projects, but then having enough commissions to pay the bills and fund the personal projects. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated! If you've passed this info along, please let me know,  I would like to send you a small print as a thank you!

Thank you all for your time!

Beginning Work on "Shadows and Ghosts"

I've begun work on my next mini figure series "Shadows and Ghosts." I'm barely 1 sculpt in and I'm already super excited! The series will consist of 6 figures and 2  chase color variants.  I'm hoping to have a full release before November but there's the possibility I can make it happen sooner. Once I get the first set cast and painted I'll be opening it up to pre-orders. Anyway, I just had to get that out there. More photos coming soon!

Even ghosts get wedgies

First Ever Android Custom

This guy was a bit difficult at first and ended up taking it in a different direction than I had originally intended. I was originally going for some kind of stocky monster with six legs and a wide eyes. A thing about me when I sculpt is that I'm always keeping an open dialogue with whatever it is that I'm doing and I'm always asking it questions, but it's mostly the the same question "What if?" Sometimes I'll even speak to whatever it is I'm working on out loud... a tad crazy, I know. But in doing so I'm trying things and working things out all along the way. this is a really fun process in ceramic because you can always add and subtract quick and easy, However when I'm working in the toys I'm Using epoxy resin so I have to be a little more deliberate so I'm carving into solid resin... which isn't too bad but it can be a little slow going. 

Anyway, once I began the sculpt and started cutting away and cutting into my hand, leaving me with a few stitches,  I started to see a kind of a Sluggish Shadow thing with four nubby little legs and two arms for whatever reason. I also gave him antennae and a toothy grin, gotta have teh toothy grins. One thing I've noticed about me and the toys is that once I've locked onto an aesthetic I'll keep doing it and refining it.  The first new platform tends to involve most of the learning and experimenting and when the second one comes along it's blown the first out of the water. I'll have a post up here in a bit detailing what I mean. If you were to compare the very first shadow to the ones I'm making now you wouldn't believe they were the same artist.  With that In mind I really can't wait to get my hands on another android!

Oh, and another thing, When I'm working off of a platform or someone's design I like to stay true to the original as much as I can. I might hack a piece off here and there and then rearrange it, but when I'm done you'll be able to tell what it was originally without looking too hard. You can Still tell it's an android, right?

Toy Update: Captain America Shadow

 So for that past couple weeks things have been hectic with stuff and junk, so I had to catch up on a bit of work. BUT I'm all caught up now and have some awesome pieces that I'll be showing throughout the month. Let me know what you think, Enjoy!

Also, for those of you interested in supporting one of your favorite asrtists *wink wink* you should take a look at my Patreon. Patreon is like an ongoing kickstarter in that it allows an audience of supporters to fund artists and projects. However, instead of pledging one lump sum for one large project, Patreon's pledges are recurring, smaller donations to help your favorite artists continue to bring you the content you enjoy. Your Pledge can be from $1 to however many doll hairs you want and in return I will show my appreciation by giving you rewards! Any and all help to spread the word of my Patreon would be greatly appreciated, so if you could, please help me spread the word. Thank you for your time :)

It's Been a While...

I feel like a lot of my blog posts start out that way. There's been a lot going on and I'm not not really sure where to start. At the moment I'm looking for help to get my Patreon(more info coming soon) off the ground so I can start funding the large projects you've all been waiting for and I have a new series of toys on the horizon. The series' name is "Shadows and Ghosts" and it will feature at least six 3 inch figures. I got the idea from a random ghost doodle I did.

The inspiration for the upcoming series

  Things that happened: I was part of an amazing sculpture show at the Clutter Gallery,  my grandpa died, I revised some policies in my shop, I went to CCACA, Started putting a fence up around my property, my cat became ill, started cleaning out my old shack in the hopes of turning it into a studio, was in another group show over at Makerbot, got my first stitches, got my moms truck stuck in a flooded wash, Started doing pen and ink drawrings, I found some baby birds, found some toads, found some spiders, and I rearranged my house. I'm sure there is a lot of other things I haven't mentioned that have happened, but whatevs. Here are some photos to help illustrate :)

My decrepit shed/soon to be studio

I got some friends together and we tore down all of the interior walls and dry wall. 

Me in my decrepit shed with a shadow looking over my shoulder

 I didn't have any photos of myself.

One of the shows I was in

I made the Fabulist and the Auditor for this show. It was amazing..., at least from what I could see of the photos.

Baby Birds

 While we were breaking down the inside of the shed we found two bird nests with little baby birds.

Audrey and Binks

 This is Audrey(left) and Binks(right). Binks had some crystals build up in his bladder due to our heavily mineralized well water. I had to take him to the vet to have them removed and leave him over night. It sucked.

A pen and ink with watercolor I did

One of the tarantulas I found

The wash where I where I got my moms truck stuck

 Driving home I hit this wash going a little too fast and water got all up in the engine making it stall. Usually when I take it slow it's traverse-able.

One of the toads I caught

The Fabulist and The Auditor

I made these guys out of ceramic for the Tenebrous Show at Clutter.

Oktoyberfest!

here's the flyer, if you would be so kind as to share it, I would much appreciate it!

Next Weekend is Oktoyberfest at the Royal Flesh Tattoo Gallery where Ardabus Rubber, Fuller, JC Rivera, Rocketboy and myself will have some amazing wrk for you to check out!  All the Info is below including a link to the pre-sale which take place in October 19th at 10 am! Also, the reception will include complimentary brew from Atlas Brewing Company and a live raffle with loot from Rotofugi & Royal Flesh Tattoo!

Here's a taste of what to expect from me ;)

MUNCH!!!

Oktoyberfest
Custom Toy Show 
Featuring the Art of:
Ardabus Rubber, Fuller, JC Rivera, Rocketboy & Shadoe Delgado 

Gallery Reception:
Saturday, October 19th 7pm - Midnight at
Royal Flesh Tattoo Gallery
4005 N. Broadway. Chicago, IL 60613

Online Preview: Friday, October 18th
Online Presale: Saturday, October 19th at 10am
Here's the link to sign up to get the online Oktoyberfest preview email which will include the presale info: http://eepurl.com/D4nev

Event sponsored by Royal Flesh Tattoo Gallery, Rotofugi & Atlas Brewing Company

Sh** was crazy and then there was the Museum

Between school, the last bit of toy commissions until June, packing up all my belongings and shipping them to AZ, couch surfing, collaborations and maintaining some sense of a social life I've somehow forgotten to update my blog. Who woulda thunk that being busy had consequences. I'm so terrible -_- Anyway, besides all that crazy business I managed to land a wonderful opportunity sculpting an 18 inch mega munny vinyl toy and doing demonstrations for the Oakland Museum of California and their "We Customize" exhibit. The whole demo aspect of the exhibit is already done and over with however the museum will have the toy up for display within the week, or so I'm told.  Here are some pics of the Shadow Beast!

 Hopefully these can give you a sense of scale :P

There are a few more photos of the event on the We Customize tumblr showing some of the creations of the people who stopped by and you can find even more Work in progress pics on my instagram. It was pretty exciting, over 260 people showed up the first night, so much energy and everybody was so kind and inquisitive! Off the Grid was there too, so many tasty foooooooods! Once the piece is up I'll get some more photos, but if you're in the Oakland/Lake Merrit area stop by and check it out! It's free to see the exhibit so NO EXCUSES :P

Also, if anyone is interested in one of these mega beasts they are available in my SHOP

If you have any questions about anything, and I mean ANYTHING, please don't hesitate to ask! 

I SEE POOP!

Ah man, I totally let this blog die... So much has been going on lately. Most recent thing to happen was a Show at Art Attack SF. It was an all day event where the artists came and did live sculpting and painting on Munnyworld platforms. The pieces I customized will be up until March 1st, though I'm not sure about everyone else. If you're in the San Francisco bay area stop by and check it out!

Also, a few shows to look out for in the next couple of months. Keep an eye out for details. I'll be jumping back into the fine arts this semester as well, look forward to seeing a bunch of ceramic work...possible some encaustic stuff too...we'll see. 

8 inch "I seeeee poop!"

8 inch Foomi Sketch

Desinger Con...happened

I was really hoping to have a post ready before dcon....so much for that.. Anyway I went and had a great time. I met a bunch of awesome people, made some new friends, and saw a crap ton of amazing work! SpankyStokes was kind enough to let me share his booth along with other great artists such as J Ryu, F+, Sekure D, Tasha Zimich, Carson Catlin, Neb5, and more. You can check out SpankyStokesDotCom for full details regarding the artists and their work  :) 

I sold the labbit and the 8" dunny but The four little guys are available at my Shop for $70 each. Visit ShadoeDelgado.com or click Here for a direct link to the Exclusives. Stop by and check out their little buns! Also.....

This guy is also available for $100 

Thanks To Jesse, Aaron, Palmetto, and Sam for being generous hosts and letting me crash at their houses!

The Polls are over and the votes are in. The winners are as follows..

1st place: Tusk

2nd Place: Roche Muller

3rd Place: Sandie Ly

It was a fun contest and we had a ton of amazing entries. I'm thinking if we left the voting up for another week we may have reached 1000 votes, which would have been amazing! Anyway, if you are one of the winners, keep an eye on your inbox for details about your prizes.

Also, there is going to be a Halloween fanart contest. More details in the week  :)

It's October!

And to start off the month right here's a piece of Shadowling Halloween Fanart! This Piece was done by John Hoopingarner. You can give him a follow on Twitter and  InstaGram @JDHOOPX 

Also voting for the fanart contest has begun! Choose as many as your pieces as you like but vote only once. And if you're a tricky lil bass and you find a way around it, then Ill hate you forever for being unfair to all these awesome artists. You can choose your favorites on the left side of the screen. Check the names of the artists who made your favorite pieces and cast your vote.

Im also thinking about running a contest for the last week of October, any suggestions? THE PRIZE WOULD BE A TOY! and there would only be one winner this time around. Look forward to hearing form you.

Last Day of the Fan Art Contest!

Last chance to enter the fanart contest. At midnight I'll start the poll to choose the winner. The poll will end next sunday so be sure to have your friends and followers vote. And for all of you not involved be sure to vote for your favorites :) I'm allowing multiple votes per voter so you can pick pick your favorites! 

By Tusk

By _emoe_

By Lisa Nguyen

By Roche Muller

By Clown Prince