S- Please explain who Geek Freeks are for our readers.
GF- Geek Freeks are the little critters we make out of felt, polar fleece and stuffing.
They are designed by Xander and then sewn together by Karla.
S- How did you get interested in the plush medium?
GF- Through our many many hours of blog exploring we'd discovered lots of talented
people out there who were producing really cool styley and original plush toys and thought "We can do that!"
S- You both have other full time jobs, what do you do and how do you
balance plush making with your day jobs?
GF- Karla is a Tattoo Artist here in Auckland (www.artofkarla.blogspot.com) and Xander is an animator/character designer (www.mukpuddy.blogspot.com)
The balancing part can be really hard, especially with our day jobs being so involving. It does help that those jobs are also creative so we're bringing different influences to the table. There's definietly alot of late nights and weekends taken up sewing and cutting out toys, it can be very tiring but thankfully we still enjoy it, and it's very rewarding when people want to buy your stuff!
S- How is the craft/art community in New Zealand?
GF- Well, as you'd imagine it is pretty small but there seems to be a resurgencence in craft making worldwide recently, especially with young people and we, as well as, a bunch of others down here in NZ, are definitely trying our best to do our bit. Karla and her friend City have just started organising a craft market here in Auckland, Kraftbomb (www.kraftbomb.blogspot.com) to help launch and showcase local crafters...It's gonna be huge!
S- As you are both surrounded with art, what are some of the most
inspiring things you encounter?
GF- As the designer behind the plushies Xander derives alot of his inspiration from cartoons and things from his childhood like "The Muppet Show" and the awesome toys he grew up playing with in the 80's.
As for Karla, she gets inspiration from her day job as a tattoo artist (you will be able to see this in our latest Plush You entry!)
S- Where would you like to see Geek Freeks in the next 2 years?
GF- That's a hard one, obviously we want to be successful in whatever we set out to do. But it's a really hard thing to do part-time, especially when everything is completely hand stitched (that's right, no machines are used in the making of our toys) I think the main thing is we just hope to still have fun doing it! If it stops being fun then I think we'll find something else to do!
S- If your guys could give advice to the world, what might they say?
GF- "Don't judge a plush by its cover!"
S- Where would you guys go on holiday if you could go anywhere in the world?
GF- Right now it's the middle of a miserable winter here in NZ (it's been raining almost every day since May) so we've been dreaming of going to a tropical island somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and just lying on the beach for weeks sipping cocktails! Yum!
S- What are some of your favorite plush artists?
GF- Geez, there are so many, but here are a few off the top of our heads: Lauren Faust, Jared Deal, Jen Rarey, Heidi Kenny, Anna Chambers, Cutesypoo.......
S- Any places our readers might be able to see your work?
GF- Geek Freeks blog
Geek Freeks website
Geek Freeks on Myspace
2 comments:
ive been out of the loop for a bit---moving---i love the little turtle! he is adorable---thanks for turning me on to freaks and geeks!
These people are brain wired to play Star Wars and they literally belong to some other world of high end technology. Thus they do not find joy in gifts which normal people would enjoy; their instant gratification lies in the tech gifts. Therefore at Computer Virus Dolls, we bring to you the vast assortment of technology gifts which are specifically designed for such geeks. The collection comprises Computer Virus Digits keychain versions of our first 4 CVD Doll designs.
geeky toys
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