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John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.

In 2005, upon rediscovering old Japanese toys from my childhood, an internet search led me to a site where I discovered “designer vinyl toys”, and a new world opened up. As an artist, this was an exciting new discovery. My illustration work was nearing a dead end, and I had lost interest in designing 1/6th scale military toys. This new genre of art and design was just what I needed to channel my creativity. The experience I’ve had in the toy industry and all the inside contacts I’ve established through the years made it easy to research the complexities of producing limited edition toys. My passion for Japanese pop culture made it clear what kind of toys I wanted to produce for our newly named company, Atomic Mushroom. As I mentioned earlier, I love robots and since few designer are doing robots, it was pretty much a no brainer. So after long sessions on my drawing table I came up with my first design. Combat-R Zero is a commixture of childhood memories of giant superhero robots and the pop culture that shadows it. http://www.atomicmushroomtoys.com/

John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.

John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.

Check out all the fun and excitement at this year’s Maker Faire in San Mateo, California. It is the world’s largest do-it-yourself celebration. People from all over the world came to experience this amazing event. Take a look at some of the highlights.

As his father’s apprentice Brian Kidwell was exposed to the Fine Arts at an early age. His father at the Corcoran Institute of Art in Washington D.C. workong with Brian at his side.   Brian was born in New Mexico and now resides in Texas.  While most sculptors work in traditional materials of bronze or stone Brian uses a variety of found and recycled objects.  He has an amazing talent to perceive a finished design in fragments of antique metals, pieces of toys and wood.  Highly creative toys and dolls are fashioned from hand carved wood, copper, shiny brass, and faux furs and fabrics. Every toy is sculpted, sewn and embellished then carefully melded together into one of a kind creations. http://www.eclecticgallery.net/The_Toy_Maker.htm

Posted by John W. Lewman toy designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.

This video clip is from ”The Vinyl Frontier” Spotlight.  It is a revealing conversation with Tara McPherson, an artist featured in the upcoming documentary by Daniel Zana. Tara is known for her rock posters,  fine art & sculpture and a group of highly styled designer toys. See more of her creations at http://www.taramcpherson.com/Posted by John W. Lewman toy designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.

Fantastic artist Neil Winn skillfully teaches us how to make a quality mold for a clay toy scupture. The video is over 9 minutes long and is full of detailed instructions on how to make the finished silicone mold. It is worth watching if you are into mold making. Neil has a new website that is still under construction but the site is pretty interesting even though it is not completed. The artwork posted below is from his site and is representative of his artistic style. www.neilwinn.com .

Posted by John W. Lewman toy designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.

This is Mimushi’s most daring personality to date.  The artist says that the character has multiplied itself into an army of gatekeepers that protect the psychic barriers between each of Mimushi’s personalities and are here to keep him safe from himself.

Each toy is hand crafted and only 80 can be produced each month. This series is being offered in a quantity of 119. The wood and wheat straw used in fashioning the characters are from renewable sources in the Amazon jungle. The toys have a pleasant aroma that comes from the exotic materials.

John Lewman, toy designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.

Matt Albanese creates unusual and original designer toys. The Death Penoso version by MCA is sold blind boxed with 2 possible color varients. The standard version is shown here. Blind boxed means you do not know which of the 2 possible varients you have until you open the box. In the video he discusses the joys of the toy designer life.

Posted by John Lewman, toy designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.

Noferin is a unique new toy company that is producing interesting and innovative toys and art that is refreshing and of excellent quality. Noferin is the creation of Candy and Nick. Candy’s artwork offers a unique view of  playful design and she weaves this understanding into her paintings. Nick  develops the charming toys of Noferin using wooden sculpture as his medium. Together they create the whimsical world of Carrara Island and its inhabitants. It is a meshing of fine art, design and literary worlds into a unique package. http://www.noferin.com

Posted by John Lewman, toy designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans.

Artist Nemo Gould creates toy-like sculpture with junk he collects from a variety of sources. His work is both popular and profound. Check out his website at for an adventure in playful sculpting. You might be pleasantly surprised by the quality, volume and creativity of his work. http://nemomatic.com/nemomatic/home.html

Posted by John Lewman, toy designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make toy projects and plans.