That’s right, true believers! This week, I sit down with Fwoosh’s very own master thespian/master customizer, ActorJez! Somehow, I don’t think the usual "he had a lot to say" will cover it this week. Want to know what I mean? Read the interview!
CTV: What inspired you to get into customizing?
ActorJez: One of my best friends in college was a guy named Ed. He was a few years older than me, a big fanboy like myself, and was part of the gang that got me into RPGs (the old fashioned kind, with paper and dice). He showed me how to paint metal miniatures, the basic fundamentals of drybrushing, washes, etc, and I got into that for a few years. At the same time I had begun collecting and displaying the old Super Powers figures, then the Toy Biz 5" X-Men line was introduced and my collection grew. I was complaining to Ed at one point that the Super Powers line didn’t exist anymore, and he said, “Why don’t you just make your own?” Then, as if on cue, he shows me a handful of Spiral Zone figures he customized into superheroes; my jaw hit the floor, he spent the next few hours talking me through the process, and sent me back to my dorm with a boxful of fodder. The rest is history! (Ed’s work can be seen on the ICP Forums, under the forum name Edgaar).
CTV: That was awfully nice of him. Are there any tools that you couldn’t live without?
ActorJez: My favorite brushes, I guess. I have a cupful of brushes in different sizes, but 90% of the time I’m using only three specific ones: An 18/0 Size Liner for detailing, a medium size sable watercolor for basic painting, and a big fluffy sable for drybrushing. I’m reeeeaaalllll-ly picky about ‘em; Two of them are over three years old.
CTV: Have you ever customized for family/friends? What do they think of your hobby?
ActorJez: I’ve made a couple of customs as gifts for friends of mine; they were big fanboys as well, so they really loved it. Mostly original characters, action figure versions of their RPG character. Friends from my professional world seem to find it really interesting as well, since it fills a niche of income between acting gigs; and every actor alive knows how important that is. They like seeing one of their own find something better than waiting tables or answering phones, and I had a string of even crappier jobs before I found this. Honestly, the crappiest jobs EVER. I tell people about some of them but they don’t believe me. But my acting friends are really happy for me now. I had one actor tell me recently, “You have the coolest day job AND the coolest night job…” As for family: My wife is a Fangirl and True Believer in her own right, so she loves it, and has given me a lot of help and ideas; even sewed the costume for one of my early ML customs, Shang Chi. My extended family, brothers and sisters…they don’t get it. But they smile and nod, just happy that I’m not starving or on drugs.
CTV: What would you say your specialty is?
ActorJez: …Writing really, reaalll-ly long-winded write-ups. (Laughs)
CTV: How do you choose which character to make?
ActorJez: Depends on who I’m making it for. If it’s for myself, I try to choose relatively simple designs, and B- or C-list characters that the company will probably never make. Most likely Bronze Age characters, since those were the magical formative years of my comic book reading. If it’s for eBay, I try to alternate between popular heavy-hitters and riskier, more obscure B-listers. My goal is to try to keep it balanced between the obvious and the surprising. Although to be honest, sometimes it’s just a matter of thinking, “Well, what the hell else can I use this Ultimate Magneto head for–?”
CTV: What is your favorite custom (that you’ve done)?
ActorJez: Quite often it’s the last one I’ve done, because once I stare at my past work for too long I start to critique the heck out of it. But if I had to narrow it down, I’d probably say Mojo. Or maybe the Living Mummy, with Doc Savage coming in a close second. None of the trio are perfect by any means, but I cringe less when I look at their pictures.
CTV: I don’t see anything cringeworthy in those pics, ha. Where did you learn to paint?
ActorJez: Edgaar started me off, as I said before…but in recent years I can honestly say I learned from the Fwoosh. Anytime people like mmaker, Kat, Hemble or Robokillah post an update I tear into it like a hungry tiger, trying to absorb everything I can from it. Any recent improvements I’ve made are most likely because I’m trying to replicate Robo’s airbrush effects with a standard brush. I know I’ll never achieve it, but it keeps me growing. I experiment a lot, too. Like realizing if I drybrushed white over a dark red first, then drybrushed light red, the light red would be more vibrant; that was just a happy little accident while goofing off with whatever comes to mind. I’ll bet half the time these “accidents” are techniques real painters have been doing for years…but I’ve never found that magic textbook.
CTV: Accidents will happen! How do you decide which parts to use?
ActorJez: I think the face, specifically the eyes and the emotion behind the expression, are the most important element to a good custom, so head choice is my #1 priority. If I can’t find a good head for the character, I don’t make the custom. I try to base the body on the character’s general physique. I’m not a scale nazi to the extent that some collectors are, but I’m into relative scale and overall aesthetic. I try to picture the body in silhouette, then find the fodder that matches it.
CTV: That’s a very practical way of selecting. How many commissions do you receive on a weekly basis? Monthly?
ActorJez: Man, that’s been a real issue with me over the last year or two. When I first started taking commissions, I could finish two figures in a week; one auction, one commission. My commission list filled up, so as new requests would come in I’d just put them on a Waiting List, mathematically figuring how long it would take me to get to that figure. But, as with everything else, life got in the way. Acting jobs, Fight Choreography jobs, family crises and responsibilities really set me back. So I cancelled a lot of orders. Some customers understood, others didn’t; one in particular was really upset and justifiably so. I vowed to never do that again, so now I’ve got a shortlist of regulars that I work for, just trying to catch up on their lists. Currently I’m at about 2 commissions per month, but I hope to be back up to 3-4 by the Fall. (Long answer to a short question! Told you I was long-winded…)
CTV: Don’t think I mind, it makes for a better interview! Speaking of commissions, how do you decide how much to charge?
ActorJez: I have a minimum starting price that’s a low average of my auction sales. The price goes up or down depending on difficulty.
CTV: Once again, very practical. What’s the craziest commission you ever received?
ActorJez: Ah, (laughs)…I wish I had a fun answer for you! I haven’t really gotten any of those bizarre requests you always hear about. I’ll bet the guys like hobbymaster and Flobbo, who specialize in sexy female customs, have some stories to tell. My experience is much more vanilla.
My secret fear is that one day Craarl will commission a Ron Jeremy; at that point, I’m quitting the internet altogether…
CTV: Let’s hope that doesn’t happen! Do you listen to music while you customize?
ActorJez: Yep, WMMR in Philly. A mix of classic and new Rock, and the best morning show in the country with Preston and Steve. I hope my acting career someday makes me famous just long enough to get interviewed by them. (Laughs)
CTV: I’ll cross my fingers for you. Do you have any kooky customizing habits?
ActorJez: I’m normally pretty easy-going, but when I’m painting fine detail I get really, really zoned in…and can’t abide distraction or interruption. My wife knows not to talk to me. If the phone rings I’ll scream curse words and throw a tantrum. My cat, Frodo, has courted death countless times by leaping into my lap while I’m painting pupils. I can get really angry at the stupidest things…
CTV: Hah, maybe your next custom should be Hulk! What do you like most about customizing? What do you like least?
ActorJez: My favorite is definitely the painting. Watching the figure slowly deepen in tones to a recognizable form, then finally adding the finishes, is just thrilling to me. Least favorite is protecting joints against paint rub. I hate it. HateitHateitHateit. It literally accounts for 75% of the time I spend on a given custom.
CTV: You’d think that’d be a more common response, but this is the first time I’ve heard it. What type of process do you go through as you create a custom?
ActorJez: The planning stage, where I figure what the Top Three are. More specifically, the top three specific traits of the character that I need to nail, the three things that are most iconic and unique about the character. Then print up some reference shots and choose my fodder. Boil and pop the fodder, disassembling it completely. Sculpt each piece individually. Paint each piece individually. Carefully re-assemble with a hairdryer, then spray with a sealant. I can’t do it the way most folks do, sculpting and painting on a complete, assembled figure.
CTV: What does your workspace look like?
ActorJez:…Like an elf from Santa’s workshop got hooked on cocaine.
CTV: That’s not as bad as some of the others I’ve seen. So, what was the first custom you ever made? Do you have any pics?
ActorJez: A Super Powers Captain Atom. Looked like I melted silver and red crayons in a pot and dipped the figure in it. And Hell, no, I don’t have pictures!!! (Laughing)
CTV: Is there one thing about your own style of customizing you’d like to change?
ActorJez: I’d love to be able to do artist-specific customs like The Bruce. Iron Cow is also a master of that, being able to shift from Neal Adams to Mike Mignola to John Byrne, and all of them look like they stepped off the page. The best I can usually hope for is a subtle suggestion of an artist’s style.
I’d also love to be able to come up with my own unique style, like Kirk, who takes the muscles of Ed McG and combines it with the proportions of a John Byrne… or redesign characters, ala Glorbes. Even re-engineer joints and structure like GrownNerd. But all these things are way beyond me.
CTV: I guess I don’t need to ask who your favorites are! Do you consider yourself, "One of the greats?"
ActorJez: Ha! Not even a little bit. I think that’s one of the greatest things about the Fwoosh, being in the presence of all this talent can’t help but humble you. The customizers who allow themselves to be humbled learn, and grow, and get better…the ones who don’t either quit or cause trouble! (Laughs) No, if I ever start to get too happy with myself all I need to do is check out Levit’s thread, for example. Brings me right back down to earth. In Benty’s interview he said he admire “Doubledealer, Glorbes, Zomibihamma, Actorjez”…I was really flattered, and really grateful, but in my mind that’s like saying your favorite legends of comedy are Jackie Gleason, Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby…and Carrot Top. (Seriously, thanks Benty!) As for favorites, I have favorites based on specific things: Glorbes for design, Pablolobo for sculpted proportions, Robokillah for paint, Cal for his unified style, etc. But I guess if I had to pick one overall guy, it’d be Zombihamma. Even if you look past his technical brilliance, his work has a seething, intense sense of power that’s just so cool. Heck of a nice guy, too, humble and helpful. I can’t wait until he’s working in the industry and we can say we “knew him when”.
CTV: Since we’re naming names, do you own anyone else’s customs?
ActorJez: Yeah, two: The Comet by Kraftywerks and Korg by ChurchofZod. Both are fantastic, and are the centerpieces of my collection. I hope to own more.
CTV: Do you have an ultimate goal in regards to your customizing?
ActorJez: Just to keep getting better. I don’t have any real aspirations to break into the toy industry; I’ve seen the work of the guys who are right at that brink, the Doubledealers and Robokillahs of the world, and I know I’ll never achieve those levels. But I’d like to keep improving my craft, at least on the level that I perform it at. The challenge is what it’s all about for me, the journey of self-improvement.
CTV: If this were Family Feud, I’m sure someone would be screaming "Good answer!" right about now. Do you have any words for customizers who are just starting out?
ActorJez: Walk before you can run. If that Green Lantern you made isn’t perfect, don’t get frustrated, put it on your shelf and enjoy what YOU did, with your own two hands. You’ll improve quicker than you think, and you can always remake a better GL in six months or a year…but enjoy it now. It’s yours, not available in any store, one-of-a-kind.
CTV: Thanks a lot for the interview.
ActorJez: Thanks a lot for having me.
CTV: Because ActorJez is such a nice guy, he left us a sneak peak!
Discuss this interview here: http://www.thefwoosh.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=39349