We have seen Candie at quite a few events and every time she is just a pleasure to speak with about all things art and toys. When she joined the design of the Kidrobot x City Cryptid Dunny Mini Series, we were pumped to have her badass design incorporated into the cast of monsters. (so much in fact that you might* be seeing this item somewhere else) Getting to know Candie a little bit better included asking her the following questions which you can see here…..
I have to know… is Candie your real name? (I’m sure you get that all that time)
It’s technically a nickname. After high school I decided to go by Candie, but everyone I know from high school and prior to that still knows me by my full name, Candace.
What do you think a life without color would be like?
Color is like flavor, you don’t necessarily need it to survive, but it makes life a lot more enjoyable.
When did you start making toys?
I designed my first toy back in 2014 and began painting toys that year as well. The first toy I made was a little sofubi fox character by the name of Kitsura. I always wanted to develop her into human form and had one interpretation of that in my Oh my Youkai! Night Parade gacha series produced by Toy Art Gallery. So in a way my Dunny design for City Cryptids relates back to the first toy I designed, she’s like a grown up version of Kitsura.
What’s it like being a female artist in what is often described to be a male dominated field (vinyl toys)
I think being a female artist in this industry helps you stand out, for better or for worse, but overall it’s been a very positive experience. When I meet another female toy designer it’s easy to become friends with them because we already have so many shared experiences. It’s really great to have girl friends in this industry so that we can support each other and share our frustrations with one another haha. I’ve been seeing more female artists and collectors join this scene lately, and I hope this trend continues. I hope they all feel welcome in this community!
If you could be any mythological creature, what would you be and why?
When I was a little kid I used to say I wanted to grow up to be a unicorn (and I still vividly remember how painful it was when I realized that was impossible) so I think I’ll have to say unicorn for the sake of my childhood.
What is your art known for?
This is actually a tough question for me to answer because I feel like I’m always changing my style. I get bored really easily and I can only do the same paint app so many times before I feel like it’s been overdone. So right now I’m doing lots of rainbow colorways, stars, clouds, cherry blossoms, and sparkles, but who knows if I’ll still be doing any of that a year from now.
Tell us three words to describe your Art?
Rainbow, sparkle, ethereal
What was life like growing up?
I grew up in a small town in the foothills on what most people would call a farm because of all the animals we had. I spent my time drawing, playing video games, reading books, and catching lizards. I was really nerdy, incredibly shy, and super awkward. So I guess not much has changed.
What kind of books or films were you influenced by?
Books I was influenced by: Jurassic Park, Redwall, and pretty much any fantasy novel written by Anne McCaffrey and Tamora Pierce. Movies I was influenced by: Jurassic Park, The Neverending story, The Last Unicorn, Princess Mononoke, and Akira.
Your bio says you are a “self taught” artist, what does that mean?
Self taught artist means I didn’t go to art school, but in this case it more specifically means “I don’t know what else to write about myself for my bio.” I honestly would love to go back to school and take painting classes or figure drawing, I seriously need to brush up on my fine art skills.
What’s one project you are extremely proud of?
Probably the Medicom Vinyl Artist Gacha Bake-Kujira. Just the thought of those being in gacha machines right now across Japan makes me so happy. Whenever I go to Japan I’m always checking out all the gacha machines and hunting down the ones I want to collect. I remember when I saw my first Vinyl Artist Gacha and I thought they were so ridiculously cool! I still can’t believe that I’m a part of this series, it almost doesn’t feel real.
This isn’t your only toy with KIDROBOT, what’s one of your favorite projects you have done with Kidrobot?
Actually, this is my first Kidrobot project. I have a few more in the works right now, all in different stages of production, but I don’t think I can talk about any of them yet, right? Can I talk about them yet?
Tell us about KITSUNE. Where might this creature want to live if we decided to accept “monsters” into society?
Since she’s a shapeshifter I think she would probably make a great actress. Kitsune could literally play every role in an entire movie.
If you could go back to any time period what would it be and why?
Late Jurassic period, I want to see what dinosaurs actually looked like and nothing would make me happier than to see those big boys stomping around. Eocene era would also be crazy! I really want to see a living, breathing, giant sloth and all the other wonderfully weird megafauna alive during this time.
Why did Scott Tolleson say to you to get you to be a part of the City Cryptid Mini Series?
Scott sent me an email and the first sentence was ” Would you be interested in being a part of a Dunny Series for next year?” He had me at Dunny.
What are other projects that you have the rest of the year and beginning of 2019 that we should keep an eye out for (and possibly support!)
I have a new sculpt of Bake-Kujira waiting to be turned into wax right now that I’m super excited about. This new design is cuter and smaller but has more moveable joints and an alternate head. She’s sculpted by James Sizemore (Wonder Goblin) I hope everyone likes it!
