Jon Burgerman is internationally known for adapting his characteristic art style to all sorts of surfaces: canvas, vinyl, sneakers,  windows, or whatever might lay in his path. The esteemed UK doodler has recently adorned a block of New York sidewalk with the whimsical line-work we love.

via zeutch

Earlier this month, I was in SF for some official KR business and while I was there, Frank Kozik let me stop by his studio for a visit. Trekking up from the Mission to Frank’s studio wasn’t too bad. I had a borrowed bicycle and good weather on my side. I got there a bit early and decided to cruise the local area for a while to wait it out. In doing so I walked into a local Goodwill and stumbled upon a 8-inch Pink Dalek Qee sitting on a shelf in perfect condition for $1.00. Total score! After that I sped back over to Frank’s studio and so it began.

Once I got there I locked up the bike and gave Frank a call.  He poked his head out the front door, greeted me, then took me upstairs to his second floor studio. Turns out his studio used to be the site of a tech company before the big crash and housed more than 30+ people at one point. Now it’s home to Frank’s collection of toys, amongst other various objects, and workspace. The building where his office sits atop, houses a garage down below which he previously rented out while re-building his late 60′s Dodge Charger. The same car that his mother-in-law likes him to take her cruising and do burn outs in. His workspace consists of three rooms. One for clean work: computers, drafting table, light box, toy collections, conference table, etc…. one room for dirty work: drill press, saws, sanders, shipping, storage, etc… and one room for painting.

Frank talked about his childhood dreams of becoming a industrial designer and how his work has fulfilled that part of that dream with such projects as the Labbit. Frank’s long list of talents have all come together throughout the years and are evident within his body of work. I feel we are all aware of his poster art and his contributions there, but up until this visit I had no clue that Frank was model builder as a child and carried this passion on into adulthood. He was a commissioned artist in this field and was hired to complete projects that others were to timid to try. With his level of execution that was far beyond which proved to be a profitable side business for him. These talents have carried over into his custom work as we have seen such pieces as his Vader Project helmet and more recently, the custom Labbit stool which was one display last year at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. Be on the lookout for some AT-AT walkers (pictured below).

A seasoned veteran who’s worked with all the top names in the vinyl toy world (Toy2R, Medicom & um… Kidrobot,) Frank always has new projects coming out. He showed me some artwork for an upcoming Skinner project he’ll be releasing soon through his company, Ultraviolence. As shown by the pieces around his office (helemt painted by friend, Dirty Donny, statues by Skinner, massive toy collection by too many artists to mention and even counterfeit Labbit figures found on eBay)  Frank is a fan and will soon champion other artists, such as Skinner to bring their works into three dimensional form. One project that will be coming soon by Frank from Ultraviolence is the Gipper bust (pictured below in magenta). Yep, good ‘ol Ronald gets the Kozik treatment just the same. With the recent passing of certain dictators, Frank is worried that “all the good ones are gone” and we are now left with imitators that lack any style or panache. Don’t worry though, Frank and Kidrobot have something that will fill that void coming soon.

It looks like Frank truly enjoys his life in SF with his wife and time spent on the road or between his studio and home. As grumpy as people make him out to be, he doesn’t have too much to complain about. He’s worked hard doing what he loves and still continues too until this day. I’ve enjoyed all the conversations I’ve had with him throughout the past couple years, be it short or more recently in great length. Frank’s a straight shooter and I wouldn’t expect anything less from him.

Keep in mind that the Choice Cuts 10″ Labbit comes out this Thursday, February 9. To commemorate the occasion, the lovely meat mavens at the Lindey & Grundy butcher shop in Los Angeles will be hosting the release and signing with Frank from 7:30 -9pm. Lindy & Grundy are also making special “Chioce Cuts” sausages that will be given to the first 50 people in line and will be for sale after. Lindy & Grundy are located at 801 N. Fairfax, which is about three blocks away from KRLA.

I caught up with KaNO in his Burbank studio space earlier this week. We talked about upcoming projects, family and collecting. Tomorrow night, KaNO will be appearing at the Kidrobot Los Angeles with Sket One for the exciting new Fatcap Series 3 Release and Trading Party.

I met KaNO a while back when he first arrived to the Golden State from New York. He’s occasionally dropped by KRLA over the past two years, but we’ve been seeing more of him around the store recently and other places like SDCC, NYCC, and Designer Con hanging out with fellow Ya Heard Show! cohorts Sket, Mr. Shane Jessup and Ritzy Periwinkle. He has a day job like the rest of us, but unlike the rest of us he works for the WB, among various other projects which are too hush hush to disclose at this time. KaNO has recently teamed with Kidrobot to create a spent version of MAD’s Bent World Spray Cans plus his new PRIORITY design for Fatcap Series 3.  Also, if you pay close attention to the photos in this article, you may spot a new color way of a figure that has yet to be released. Like the rest of us KaNO was bitten by the collecting bug and showcases some of his most prized pieces around his workspace. Some are from friends, some are from legends, all of which are incredibly inspiring.

Look for more great things to come from KaNO by following him on Twitter or Facebook and if you’re in the LA area this Thursday, swing by our Melrose location between 6-8pm to meet this multi-talented artist and say what’s up.

Welcome once again to Studio Snaps. In this edition, I was allowed safe passage into the mystical and sometimes ominous world of  Gary Baseman, just days before the release of his Toby’s Secret Society mini series.

Gary was nice enough to take a few moments from a busy schedule and show me around his workspace adorned with his collections and varying stages of work. Gary is a collector much like the rest of us and they consist of vintage advertising, artwork by friends, Emmy’s, etc… You know the usual. I was also given the opportunity to glance through flat files and a few of his many sketchbooks (50+) which chronicle his travels, his work and his life. Traces of his life are detailed throughout his work even down to his cat making an appearance in the new mini series. The name Toby is deeply rooted in Gary’s past and was the name of a girl he had a crush on when he was five years old. A current project with band, Nightmare the Cat, has kept Gary busy with album artwork and traveling on occasion for events which entail live painting + live performance. Shows in the upcoming year will have Gary and Toby collecting stamps in their passports from such places as Italy and Taiwan.  But you don’t have to travel too far to see Gary, he’ll be at Kidrobot Los Angeles this Thursday, Ocotober 20 from 6-8pm for the release and signing of Toby’s Secret Society. Next stop after LA, Gary will be at Rotofugi in Chicago on Ocotober 28 from 7-10pm for another signing to celebrate this incredible new mini series.

Toby’s Secret Society will release this Thursday at all Kidrobot stores and kidrobot.com. Can you be trusted.