I ask fwooshmembers questions.
They answer them
Glorbes – "Customizing is my primary pastime."
Such a distinct customizing style. What would you call it?
I don’t really have a name for my style. Every customizer has their own unique style and approach to some degree. Bratpop and Liquidisk, among others, have sort of coined the term “glorbified” which has been used by some when they comment on my thread.
It’s dark yet playful.
It seems like you are constantly customizing.
How do you find the time?
I think the size of my thread is probably indicative of an obsessive and alarming mental state on my part. I was unemployed for sixth months between 2005 and 2006. That was by far my most prolific period. I was in university as well, but I tended to do as little homework as possible. And when I’m not spending time with my lady or my friends, my leisure time is consumed by customizing. I guess I just find the time. Customizing has become my primary creative outlet, and I don’t sleep very much.
How many customs do you average per year?
Probably around 30 or 40 a year.
How do you view your own work?
I think many of my customs are unfinished. They’re always a little rougher in appearance than I would like, but I usually reach a point where I just want to move on. I also know that within a couple of months I’ll barely be able to look at the custom without cringing.
I remember a Muppet dio. that you had at your work and everyone at your job contributed a little bit to complete it.
What is going on at work where this is possible?
The Muppet Stage was made when I was a custom picture framer a few years ago. The whole diorama was encased in a stackable shadowbox frame and was behind glass. It came about when all the people in the workshop where I worked wanted to create something special for a showcase to draw attention to our company…the idea was that we wanted to show that anything can be framed. One of my fellow framers off-handedly suggested that we frame my Gonzo figure. I kept him in a place of honor at my work desk. The idea sort of ballooned from there, and I got to keep the diorama itself. The frame and glass were dismantled and used for other projects. I loved the job, but the pay was terrible.
I also remember a rant against student loans in the Bar With No Name.
Yet you don’t sell your customs very often. Do you have a personal
philosophy on the money/customs?
I occasionally accept commissions, but I tend to be pretty picky about the characters I choose to make, and try to only make a character once. I sort of adopted this rule from Actorjez. The characters are not my property to profit from, and I figure that I’m making something that may not be available otherwise. I also want the customer to feel that they have a one of a kind item, and that I’m not simply reproducing that figure multiple times for other people. Also, if I like the character, but wouldn’t necessarily make them myself, I’ll consider making them as a commissioned piece. As for student loans…well…I don’t begrudge paying them back, but I do begrudge being put through the ringer by the bureaucracy involved.
The scale you use, sometimes you go smaller what is the smallest
custom you have made? Ever think of going to a larger size?
The smallest custom…hmmm…probably my Rocketeer sculpture or my Lockheed. Scale-wise, I guess my bi-plane model. Larger sizes would be an amazing challenge, but the fodder is just too pricey. Though I’ve got big plans for the BAF Pitt figure.
What is the availability of Marvel Legends and other fodder?
It used to be plentiful, and I’d occasionally be able to pick up figures on clearance. But the Hasbro Legends have really taken a jump in price over the Toy Biz ones, and Wal Mart seems to have completely dropped the usual fodder figures that I bought. It’s actually been a while since I could afford fodder. My supply is dwindling, but I plan on buying Legendary Heroes and customizing the non-Judge Dredd and Madman figures.
You were apart of the first Children’s hospital charity fwoosh custom project.
What was your experience there? And do you plan on doing more?
It was a good experience. I would definitely contribute to such an event again. It was a custom that I had made previously, and I chose one that I was proud of. It didn’t net quite as much as some other customs that were part of that event, so next time I would probably try to make a more comic-accurate and popular character to raise more money.
I don’t particularly agree with this line of thought. I think a more
"glorbified" character would go for more money. I think your
reputation precedes you and you should capitalize on that.
That’s very nice of you to say. I think people may like some of my customs or appreciate my approach to the hobby, but they wouldn’t necessarily want to own one of them for their own collection.
Who influences your style?
A lot of people inspire me style-wise. My initial inspiration/influence would have to be Iron-Cow’s Angst stuff. That was what really got me into customizing. Joshua Izzo certainly influenced my embracing of historical themes and retro style and a million other customziers have demonstrated time and again with their own work how much better my customs could be with more practice.
You do the custom cons with Joshua Izzo, what is your relationship
with him? How do the idea tradeoffs work?
Joshua is a fantastic collaborator. I really can’t stress that enough. He’s also one of the nicest guys I’ve encountered through this rather bizarre hobby. The whole League of Marvels concept was his idea initially. Both of us developed the story more fully, and we basically just figured out which characters we wanted to do and then went from there. We also shared ideas and made suggestions for certain character-specific elements on each other’s customs. He basically worked out the design for Spider-Man, even though I made the final custom, and I shared some of my visual resources and research for Samurai weaponry, which he incorporated into his Ghan-Lo (Wolverine) custom. He’s extremely easy-going, but is also more than capable of offering critique when it’s needed…like I said, an excellent collaborator.
You like the group projects?
Yeah, the group project is a tricky thing. I tend to prefer working with one other person and keeping a tight focus…the exception to this was my first collaboration with Actorjez, Cin320, and Zombihamma on The Hobbit…that was an excellent and satisfying experience. Joshua has proven more than patient with me, and is also very much into the same sort of aesthetic as I am, so I feel comfortable with him. My next three potential collaborations are in the works, one of which is, again, with Joshua, and is actually completed. The other two are with two people I’ve never worked with before, but I think with some more brainstorming will work out quite well.
How do you know Mr. Atomic?
Mr. Atomic is a member of another board where I post my customs. Apart from Joshua, he’s one of the nicest guys I’ve encountered through this hobby. I can honestly say he has the most textured and in-depth knowledge of popular culture that I’ve ever encountered. He also has an excellent critical eye, and is very honest. If I could, I’d love to meet the guy in person one of these days.
Is there a coat factory behind your house? The use of leather,
does that make customizing easier? Or more difficult?
In the entire time that I’ve posted on the Fwoosh, I’ve only used two leather jackets. I just bought a third coat two weeks ago. Each one I paid no more than $12 for…seriously; it’s extremely cheap to get material this way. I find that it makes customizing easier, because I don’t have to sculpt bulky clothing, straps, or belts…I can just make them with leather. Also, because leather doesn’t fray when it cuts, it works perfectly for customizing. It’s also easy to prime and paint, and works with pretty much every adhesive and air-drying epoxy sculpting compound I’ve used. The only drawback that I can really see is that a cow died to dress my dollies.
When you start an idea do you keep going until finished?
Usually, yes. I’m not very systematic. I tend to work on a custom from start to finish. I will return to a custom if I’m unsatisfied with the final product, or if someone makes a critique in my thread that I feel would improve the figure.
Recently someone laid claims to your work. What was that all about?
I wish I knew. It was weird…I can only assume it was a kid who wanted some attention, but I also felt pretty angry about the whole thing. I kind of had a knee-jerk reaction when it happened, and ended up drawing too much attention to myself rather than commenting in a more general way on taking certain precautions when posting one’s own work. I think that theme did eventually emerge through the
discussion, though.
I also noticed you take time to remark in the galleries.
Do you only post when you have a new custom and is that fun for you or is it a burden?
I find myself less and less online these days. I’m nearly finished all of my formal schooling and I’ve been working constantly, which means that my social time has been devoted more and more to the immediate people in my life. The Galleries have become such a labyrinth, constantly fluctuating and constantly being updated that I just can’t keep up anymore. As a result, I really only post when I have the time and I feel compelled for one reason or another to comment on a custom. I definitely would not call commenting a burden though…I do this for fun, and I enjoy seeing what other people are up to, and when I do have the time and the inclination, I will post.
You go into detail about the fodder and the techniques you useto get the results.
It’s like looking over your shoulder in a personalized tutorial.
I’m sure a lot of people appreciate the effort.
Are you this inviting and informative in your real life?
I find that I enjoy the write-ups from other customizers that breaks down their process, be it with WIP images or with how they decided to approach making the character. While I think my write-ups are not as sophisticated as GrownNerd’s, Actorjez’s, or Maxx’s, I certainly wanted to emulate how they present their customs. I’m pretty sure that if someone in "real life" asked me about my customs with genuine interest, I’d probably bend their ear out of shape.
Did you go through a dry spell? Did you think all your imagination was
dried up at one point? How did you get back on the horse?
I’m going through one right now, actually. My last custom was Flash Gordon, and I’m fresh out ideas at the moment. I have a major joint project for Fall Custom Con lined up that I’m enthusiastic about, but really I have no ideas and no drive to customize at the moment. I find that dry spells have to sort themselves out. I can’t force myself to be creative. I just have to be inspired to do it.
Do you have a social life outside of making
customs? Do you have other hobbies?
Yeah, I have a social life. I live with my fiancé, and my oldest buddy lives down the hall from my apartment. As for other hobbies, well, I suppose I read books and comics and watch movies too,
but those are more passive forms of leisure. Customizing is my primary pastime.
Is your fiancé supportive? Do your friends and family associate
you with making customs?
Yeah she’s pretty good about it…we live in a small one-bedroom apartment, and I’ve claimed a corner of our room for customizing. When I’m really focused on customs, she says that I “lose time” and six hours will go by without my even noticing. That doesn’t happen as much as it used to occur. School and work tend to put a cramp on things. I think my friends find the whole customizing/Fwoosh thing bizarre, but I’ve made a few customs for them and they tend to think that’s pretty cool.
Why so much love for the Rocketeer?
It’s a childhood thing. I saw the movie in the theatre when I was nine or ten, and I was totally into the whole retro look of the setting, and I still think that the design of the character is among the best hero costumes of all times. When I finally got the comics, I realized that they were even better than the movie. Dave Stevens has such a clean style, and really seems to have a genuine love for the period and for pulp and serial characters. This is also a big area of interest for me as well.
What is a comfortable temperature for you?
I prefer sub-zero temperatures. I hate the summer…give me the cold dead dark of winter any day
What is Nova Scotia like climate-wise and the landscape?
The different seasons?
Unpredictable. It’s on the east coast of Canada, and our weather is constantly in a state of flux, no matter what the season. There is some beautiful rugged scenery here though…the best thing that I can say about it is that its home.
I found a Citadel in Halifax that was over run with abandoned cannons.
Is there a correlation between your work and old war machines
and new world histories?
I do love the fact that Halifax is an old port city. It’s been an official city since 1749, and has all kinds of great museums. The Citadel is pretty cool, but there are a number of other fortifications that line the harbor that are just as interesting. It may not have the artifacts and ruins that Europe has, but it has enough history to keep me interested. I do love outmoded technologies, especially aircraft from the World Wars, and I have a soft spot for steam punk and older sci-fi aesthetics and design.
What comics do you like to read?
I’m heavily weighted towards DC, but that doesn’t mean I’m limited to that. Batman is my favorite big name superhero, and as cliché as it sounds, I still hold Frank Miller’s eighties Batman stuff as the pinnacle of the character. I just recently finished a tear through some early Judge Dredd, Invincible, which was a lot of fun, and my buddy lent me a collection of EC’s Weird Science comics, which I’ll be reading next. I also love Jack Kirby’s New Gods stuff, and frequently re-read my trade paperback collections of them. And of course, The Rocketeer by Dave Stevens is an endless source of delight for me, as is Hellboy I have yet to pick up the latest series.
Favorite movie?
Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Have you seen PotC 3 with the Davy Jones’ locker and stuff?
Yep…the special effects were amazing, and I thought there were some really inventive sequences in it. It was too bloody long, though.
How can Spongebob take bathes if the environment he is in is completely underwater?
I seem to remember seeing him eating a bar of soap and sticking a hose in the top of his head. That worked well for him.
Any curious insects or animals near you?
There was a spider that lived in my shower for nearly a week. I managed to capture him in a jar and put him outside…he was making me uncomfortable. I also own two weird cats
Are there a lot of fish canneries in Nova Scotia?
Is there a peer pressure to go fishing all the time?
The whole east coast fish monger thing is a mere stereotype/fantasy. The fishery is a fraction of what it used to be…it’s pretty much relegated to a few small towns and commercial licenses are worth more than a house. I’ve never fished a day in my life (Though I honestly wouldn’t mind making bundles of money being a commercial fisher.)
Is there a local nomenclature for describing people?
What’s the language there? I heard the NS women are hot.
I think my lady’s very beautiful! The language is very much English. Not too many French speakers in NS. There are some wealthy Germans on the South Shore of the province. People from Halifax are known as Haligonians
How do you pronounce Mi ‘maq? Who are those people?
Who are you descendants? Are you even from the area?
Mi’qmaq is pronounced “MeegMao”. They’re the largest aboriginal group in this region of the country. My descendents are Swedish and English. My father was born from Swedish parents but was adopted by Scottish relatives. My mother’s side is pretty much all English.
How do you deal with fog?
I tend to go on vigorous fog walks. I’ve been making record time lately.
What are your eating habits like?
Terrible. I love Fish and Chips and Clubhouse sandwiches, and I’m also a big fan of beans and wieners. I also enjoy a good hamburger. My lady and I tend to eat pretty healthy when we cook meals together. I recently discovered a really good Sun-Dried Tomato and Oregano salad dressing, but by the middle of the week we just want something easy and greasy.
Where do you go on vacations?
I don’t go on many vacations…ain’t got no money.
What would you consider an ultimate achievement?
Getting a full time, steady job in my field of study, and moving beyond the standard of barely living that I’ve had since graduating high school. I think I’m getting close to that now.
If you had endless money what would you do with it?
I’d make sure my mother and my siblings were taken care of financially for the rest of their lives. I’d also take my lady to the Galapagos Islands. And I might consider, as a frivolous purchase, converting a life-size replica of Han Solo in Carbonite into a coffee table.
Thanks Glorbes
Glorbes’ Gallery
http://www.thefwoosh.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12823
Discussion thread
http://www.thefwoosh.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=38391&start=150
