Tanya Davis at Art Show Vinyl Thoughts 6

Cup of Groot

Austin-based Artist Tanya Davis has been invited to participate for the Third Year in a Row!

Dallas- Thursday, Sept. 17 marks the Sixth Annual Vinyl Thoughts Art Show group exhibition. This show brings together some of the best local, national and international custom toy art in the world for just one night. The theme for all participating artists is “Cinematic.”  Vinyl art toys custom-made for this event will be on display and for sale from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m. at The Quixotic World in Deep Ellum, Dallas. Free Admission, plus free drinks, giveaways and raffles.

 Creatures for Kids will have a silent auction of custom art pieces benefiting Children at Risk.org at this show. Davis has donated various figurines to be auctioned to help raise needed funds and awareness for the organization. Children at Risk is a Texas-based non-profit that focuses on using the tools of advocacy, collaboration, awareness, and research to provide a better future for kids.

“Tanya Davis Art is busy creating phantasmagorical Steampunk artwork and sculpture.” - THE STEAMPUNK WORLD’S FAIR

A gift for you! :D Feel free to use and distribute as you wish. :)
Posted by Lisa Ralston Turner on Sunday, August 30, 2015

Davis is a multi-medium visual artist specializing in figurines. Over the past three years, Davis has customized vinyl forms made by Munnyworld, LittleHouseDesigns, Google’s Android and others. Each figurine by Tanya Davis is shaped and detailed by hand. She uses acrylic paints and mica powder pigments to add color to her work with which she creates a brilliant metallic effect. The pieces are finished with glaze that protects and enhances the details. People sometimes request paintings or high-quality marker drawings based on the figurine characters she has created and vice versa. Davis welcomes commission work.

“Stop in and check out the amazingly detailed pieces she’s got on display!” – Monkey See Monkey Do! Shop on South Congress, Austin, TX.

For more information about Tanya Davis and her artwork you can visit her website: TanyaDavisArt.com or email her at tanyadavisart@gmail.com.

Charlie Chaplin, Metropolis Robot and Felix the Cat getting ready for Dallas.
Come out and see the final reveal at the show.

Official Press Release for Devil Duck Blind-Box Series Debut

http://iouart.tumblr.com/post/118825818866/artist-tanya-davis-announces-worldwide-release

The Art Scam

3/22/2015

This week I was contacted by potential customer via my website.

When I first began reading it I was flattered that someone likes my work and is interested in possibly buying a piece. As I continued to read the message it somehow felt 'a bit fake.' But I responded giving this person the benefit of the doubt. Below is the email I received. A red flag for me was the $5000 budget this person said they had. IF he had viewed my website and bothered to check out the store he would have seen that none of my pieces come anywhere near that kind of price. Again though, gave them the benefit of being lazy and answered back.

Greetings! My name is Steve Strickland. I actually observed my wife has been viewing your website on my laptop and i guess she likes your piece of work,

I'm also impressed and amazed to have seen your various works too, : ) You are doing a great job. I must tell you I plan on purchasing some gifts for my

 wife as  a surprise for our 20th anniversary. Please I would greatly appreciate if you could possibly recommend few completed pieces ready for immediate

 sale within my budget $5000 (I can be flexible with price though). So you will be hearing from me lots more. Email is totally fine with me but if you want to

talk to me over the phone, please feel free to call me (323) 374-5218, although not sure how the phone reception will be as am on training voyage (offshore

the North Atlantic Ocean) to Russia and won't be back for another couple of weeks. Thanks and best regards, Steve.

I included the link to my store and gave him the range of prices and said that he could purchase them there. Easy right? Well, that is what I thought too. I mean if you really want to buy something then being given the online way to do it would be exactly what you want since you say that you are in Russia and definitely can't do a hand to hand transaction in Austin, Texas.

He writes back and continues to be vague.

Repeating the bit about his anniversary and could I pick some ready to purchase pieces and send pictures. Alright fine, I'll do more of the work for you. I send nine pictures and the price list for these items.

               Thanks for the message, I would greatly appreciate if you can recommend a few completed works ready for immediate sale that can serve as a gift for a

20th wedding anniversary.

I really need something for a surprise to my wife (can tell she likes your work). I would appreciate if you can figure out a piece of work that would serve

that purpose. Kindly email images and prices of your available works ready for immediate sale.

  

Thanks and blessing,

Steve.

            

This morning, 3/21/2015, I get a response. Again vague. Not even telling me which pieces he likes. He says that he plans to be all five pieces, remember I sent nine. He wants this to be a surprise for his wife and wants to buy them super quick AND he is moving to the Philippines and will have some sort of agent pick up the pieces from me. OH and PS: wants my info so that he can send me a check.

Thanks for the message, I must tell you I intend to give my wife a surprise with the immediate purchase of all five pieces. If you'd like to know,

I'm relocating to the Philippines soon and our wedding anniversary is fast approaching. So I'm trying to gather some good stuff to

make this event a surprise one. I am buying yours as part of gifts to her (quickly before someone else grabs it). Kindly email me the total price asap.

As regarding shipping, you don't have to worry about that in order not to ruin the surprise. as soon as you receive and cash the check, my shipping

 agent (who is also moving my personal effect) will contact you to arrange pick-up.

Regards,

Steve.

  

PS: In the meantime, kindly get back to me with your full name (you want the check payable to) cell phone no. and contact address

(preferably for fedEx not P.O box) where a check can be mailed to, so I can get the check prepared and have it mailed out to you right away.

Really? Why are you making this so hard? If you really want to buy them just buy it online right? By this time I already know it is a scam, but I am playing along to see what else they say. I have googled the number and the art scam has been around for a while. Apparently they like the name Steven. Currently he is Steven Strickland but also sometimes Steve Borgatti. And sometimes it seems he is Paul Newman.

I responded back that I need to know which pieces he wants and that I will send an invoice and he can pay electronically because I don't accept checks. I should get a response early tomorrow morning. I am guessing that he is going to say he wants it to be a secret and that is the reason for using a check. Really? The money still comes from your bank, right? 

To my fellow artists. Be cautious out there. Trust your gut. Don't accept checks and never pay money to get money. 

Tanya 

Armadillos, Cthulhu, Mad*Ls and Geeks

July 2014 marks the first time that I participated in a convention. I shared a table with my uncle, Gorg Huff, at the 36th Armadillo Con. He is an author and it was a Science Fiction/Fantasy convention. It was hosted at the Omni Southpark Hotel in Austin, Texas. I learned a lot those three days and met some really great artists.

Those of you that attended may have seen me working on a

Cthulhu 2014 

 new drawing of Cthulhu. It was the most detailed drawing that I have done in a long time. In all it took about a week to finish. I just picked up. The prints on Monday. I will only have 20 printed and I have signed and numbered each of them. Cthulhu Print

In other news, I will be participating in this year's Vinyl Thoughts Art Show #5 : Mad*L Makers. This year there is a theme and it is the MadL blank which was created by JEREMY MADL and promises to be a very fun night.

Mad*L

I have bought three 5 inch ones to customize and I am halfway through the first one. I hope to customize a second one soon so that I can include a non-Mad*L piece.  The creator of the Mad*L will also be at the show this year. I have already asked for the day off from work so I will be able to go as well. I missed it last year and from the pictures it looks like it is so much fun.

I will also be at another small vending event at the end of August. It is the first Geek Market and it will be in Round Rock, Texas at the Wingate Williamson Convention Center. It is a two day event.  I won't be able to be there Saturday because of work, but two of my friends will be working the table for me.

I am also keeping an eye on the Staple Independent Expo site so that I can get a table next year. It will be here in Austin in March 2015. I will keep you posted.

Until next time
T

Product Review: Foldio by Orange Monkie

Since I began making my Steampunk Buddies three years ago taking pictures of them has always been a challenge. I would take pictures outside when I could, but honestly that is not always an option. Taking pictures inside was always a challenge too because of the lighting. The best spot was at the stove and I would set up to white sheets of paper or some black foam core for the background. Such a pain.

Back in November I came across a Kickstarter project by Orange Monkie. They wanted to create a foldable light box that was easy to store and transport and could be used with a smart phone. When I saw their project I had already been looking for a light box option but the reviews on the lights were always crap. 

Here is the video for the project. I decided to take a chance and go in on it. They were successfully funded on Jan 2, 2014. Their goal was $10,000 and they raised over $170,000! 

It took a long time to get the Foldio because first it had to be made and they had some slight kinks during that process. I JUST got it this month (April 2014). 

And you know what? I don't even care how long it took to get mine. The thing is awesome. I upgraded for the two LED lights. They are slim and run on 9 volt batteries. There is no off switch for them you just unhook it from the battery. The LEDs stick to the Foldio. I am a little worried about replacement lights, but I will cross that bridge when I get to it. Hopefully by the time I have that problem Orange Monkie will be selling these directly from their site with replacement lights if needed.

Here are some pictures of my set up and the resulting pictures. It came with a white,black,grey and bright green backdrop. For now I have only used the grey. It easily clips in the back. The backdrops are made from a foam like substance so they don't wrinkle like cloth does. I love that I can set it up anywhere. Here it is on the kitchen counter/bar. The box itself is made from a thick plastic and feels very durable. 

The first picture here is of the Foldio in it's bag. It is easy to store anywhere. The backdrops do not fit in the bag unless you want to crease them. The back drops measure 11 x 17 inches. 

I was taking pictures of a small painting I had just finished. I used both my iPhone and my small Cannon camera. The LEDs provided plenty of light. 

Here you can see the 4 x 6 block of my Robo Poe in the Foldio against the grey backdrop. The Foldio is held together by magnets. The batteries for each light are also held in place by the magnet. It's pretty awesome. My lights are placed on the upper lip of the Foldio. 

The final picture of the painting was taken with my point and shoot Cannon camera. The photo set of the yellow Foomi was taken with my iPhone. Both came out great and I am very happy with this. The total cost for me to go in on the Kickstarter was $45. I suggest you keep an eye out for when these things are sold directly to the public. 

 

Staple!, Free Art Friday and Other Stuff

What's been up?

Staple! 2014

Well, I have been super busy being sick, working on a commission, going to the day job and then getting sick again. BUT it looks like all is well again. 

Earlier this month I checked out the Staple! Independent Media Expo.

It was really great. It was focused on independent artists and there were over 150 vendors. I bought quite a bit of art and made some new contacts. I think I will try to have a table at it next year. I just have to get some inventory together for it. Right after the Expo I was inspired and worked on a new illustration.

Steampunk Penguin Engineer

You can see the progress from sketch to finished piece on my Instagram. The original was done on a 5 x 7 inch illustration board. I had some watercolor prints made that are 6 x 9 inches and will be signed. They are available at my Storenvy shop.   

I also uploaded the image to Society6. There you can order prints at different sizes and framed, but these will not be signed. Other available products are cards, phone skins, phone cases, mugs, pillows, totes, canvas prints and shower curtains. The shower curtains are brand spankin new as of this week!

And this past Friday I participated in Free Art Friday here in Austin. It is when local artists hide a piece of their art in the city and post picture clues on Instagram. Others go on a hunt to find it. It is a great way for people to see your work and it's just plain fun. The tag on instagram is #atxfreeartfriday. You can use that to pull up all clues. You can also follow Spratx on instagram (@spratx) and see which artists are playing that day and some of the clues. Spratx is a collective of street artists that have opened a shop and gallery. It is definitely worth a look. 

I hid my piece at one of my favorite places, a comic book store. Below is my clue. It was found within the hour. I will be hiding something different this coming Friday. I will have to do it before or after work. 

That's it for now! Back to work.

T.

Zukie Time!

The Zukie

To start the new year off I tried a new vinyl platform,The Zukie. It was created by Alison Perez. She has a store at Storenvy that offers the blanks and some other great art. 

I had been watching her work with the Zukies on Instagram and had been wanting to try one out. They are about 4 inches tall and consist of the body and head. 

I bought two and then had to figure out what to do with them. They seemed perfect for a bear don't you think? Me too. I started playing around with the idea (at work) and came up with The Duke.  
  

          

Meet The Duke, my first new character of the year. I imagine him to be a wealthy Panda that is an inventor and adventurer. As for his name I am leaning towards Sebastian. I am working on a larger sketch with him piloting some sort of airship, but I have no idea how that is going to turn out. 

Indiegogo Campaign and RAWards Recap

The Indiegogo Campaign was a success. I am thankful to everyone that participated by contributing and spreading the word. I was able to meet my goal and fund the RAWards show.

I was able to get a banner purchased, much needed supplies and got some printing done. I love the banner it came out great!

My very first banner!

The show was originally scheduled for 12/6/2013. It had to be rescheduled because Austin got some seriously cold weather. I was relieved that they rescheduled it. The venue is mostly outdoors and I was definitely not looking forward to being outside in the cold.

16-Day Campaign for My Director's Highlight Showcase

Hello! I need help funding my entry into the RAWards Semi-Final Art Show in Austin, Texas, United States. This is a show I was invited to do with only one month to prepare. Please click on the photo above to see all the details for the crowd-funding campaign. 

Friday, December 6th, 2013 is the date of the show, which will run from 8pm-12am CST. This is the grand show of the year where we find out who the finalists are for the RAWards. RAW Artists in over 50 cities across the nation will be competing to represent their city in the final ceremony for the chance to win RAWards Artist of the Year!

 If you would like to attend, you may Purchase a Ticket Here, just look for where it says "Buy a Ticket for this Artist." Event details are on This Page.

There are perks of the artsy kind for contributors. If you would rather show support anonymously you can do that as well, minus the perks. No money? - No worry, if you can spread the word by simply sharing the link with others that is fantastic as well ! Thank you in advance for all your support.

RAWards VOTING!!!!!! VOTE FOR ME

It's that time! The annual RAWards are just around the corner. I know what you are thinking. The what?

Well let me tell you. RAW Artsits is a national organization that supports and promotes artists in the first ten years of their career. It is really a great organization to get involved with if you want to meet other artists, participate in group shows and get hooked up with great resources.

I particpated in my first show in February and will be doing another this month. BUT in the mean time there is the RAWards public voting. This will move the selected nominees up to the next judging cycle. I would love to represent Austin as a visual artist.

NOW, here is how YOU can help. Voting began today Oct 1 and will go through Oct 8th. You can vote once a day. That's 8 votes, Hopefully for me. 

Earlier today the servers crashed and that was a bit annoying, but it looks like they are up and running again.

See that nifty VOTE FOR ME pic up there? Click on it and it will take you to my RAW profile where you can vote. I still need to sell tickets too, so if you feel like supporting the arts please buy one. They are $15 and in November I will send a piece of art your way to show my thanks. 

Thanks!!!!

It's time for the big Reveal!

The Vinyl Thoughts Show in Dallas went well. I did not get to go but I was able to follow it via Instagram. There were so many awesome looking figures. One of the most popular was a Munny Miley Cyrus at the MTV awards. I don't know who made it, but it is pretty awesome. I was able to see that the author title was B.O.G. I haven't been able to find anything else out about them.  To see more pictures from the show you can click HERE.

My First Super Hero/Heroine

This is Aya. She is from the Green Lantern Animated Series that was briefly on the Cartoon Network. It was an awesome show, but it only had one season. 

She is the Artificial Intelligence that helps Hal Jordan save the universe and all that jazz. She quickly became one of my favorite characters. I won't ruin it for you but her story is very good. It isn't ground breaking, but engaging and well done. 

I decided that she would be the perfect character for my first superhero Munny. I used a 4" doll. I had to cut off the ears first because they would stick out too far. They would have looked very odd and way too big for the head. I drew the face so that I could shape the helmet in the right place. 

Busy Busy and Now my Hands Hurt...A Lot

Clay is tough on the hands. It doesn't always seem like it at the time, but later when you have stopped kneading and rolling and smoothing you realize, Damn my hands HURT! 

So that is where I am today. Three days no sculpting. I won't lie; it has been hard not to move on to the next project. But I will give my hands a full 7 days then back to work. For now I am just sketching.

This month I finished 7 droids and a custom order duck.  Most of my WIP pictures have either Dr. Pepper or Grey's Anatomy in the background, sometimes both. I THINK you can actually see a bit of blue from some scrubs there at the corner of the screen. 

I watch that show a lot. Mainly because I don't have to play attention too closely. I just tune in for the good bits. You may be wondering, 'Well why don't you listen to music  then?' 

Sometimes I do, but I tend to day dream to music, so I end up just sitting at my desk staring into space. 

FINALLY...

I completed my first combination of Munny and Steampunk'd duck last night. I am quite happy with how it came out. They will be going to their new home soon. 

I definitely learned many things that I would and would not do next time. I am already toying with a different idea. BUT, that must wait. 
Time to make this month's androids. I have a couple of new ideas that I think I will try out. 

Here are the pictures of the completed 'Professor and Duck.'

As June Comes to a Close

Some exciting things have come to be this month. I am getting prints and sticker made of my Steampunk Cthulhu character. I should get the stickers in a couple of weeks. I will order 5 prints from a local shop here in Austin. 

The Sticker Image

Steampunk Cthulhu Print

I am also working on my first Munny and Steampunk Duck combo. 

I drew a sketch of a 'Dapper Dude' with a bit of Steampunky flair to him. I am thinking I might make him into a sticker too.

Jerry's Had a Show

Munny Show at Jerry's

Earlier this month one of my favorite art stores decided to have a Munny Art Show. The store is called Jerry's Artarama and it is a super cool place for many of your art needs. 

They just recently began selling the Munny Vinyl Figures by Kidrobot, which is really great because then I can use a Groupon to get some there. 

Anyway, lets get back to the show. I took my Steampunk'd Trikky, mainly because it was the only one I had and there was no time to make another. 

It was loads of fun. I was able to see more great 
custom work and meet some interesting people. 

Three days after the show this piece sold. There is talk that the Munny Show may become a seasonal event. They are toying with a dinosaur theme. I am okay with that, but I think I would prefer have it open to see what people come up with. Plus my current idea won't fit with the dinosaur theme. 

Check out the work from the other artists at the Jerry's Artarama Facebook Page. 

YO!

YO!

 I tend to work on several projects at a time. One of the bigger ones at the moment has to do with these little guys. Well, they really aren't THAT little. They measure 7" tall. They are a vinyl blank that was created by LittlehouseDesigns , and they are call the YO!

How did I get into these? Well, it all started with Instagram. 

Back in February of this year, 2013, I decided to join Instagram and start posting WIP (work in progress) pictures of my art. LittleHouseDesigns began following me and liked my work on the vinyls and my own Steampunk Buddy creations. 

They offered me a chance to customize four of the YOs for their 'Blind Box' sale at the upcoming Designer Con in California. 

The Google Droid - My New Passion

This year has just been filled with new discoveries. First it was the Munny vinyl dolls. Now I have discovered that the Google Mascot comes as a blank vinyl. 

PLUS there is a whole underground of Google Droid collectors and customizers. I had to try it. And well...I'm hooked. 

Copper Droid April 2013

This copper one was my very first go at customizing a droid. They consist of four pieces, the head, the arms and the body and it's only about three inches tall. 

The first was a custom order. I had a blank droid just sitting on the shelf waiting for me to come up with an idea. The buyer was a fan of my Steampunk Buddies and requested a similar style. There was the idea I had been waiting for!  

I learned a few DOs and Do Nots in the process. Let's start with what you should NOT do. It is much shorter.