Battlemouth

In Part 2 we are moving back across “the pond” to more familiar ground for me. Deep in the Mid-western US, in a land more recently only spoken about in conversations of recession or unemployment, a shining light cuts through the darkness that sometimes seems to threaten to engulf the state of Michigan. At the heart of that light you will find the wonderful art of 64 Colors, Eric and Laura, two fantastic, talented people breaking out in a big way. Just earlier this year, after what had surely been a long haul (a wonderful chronicle of Marshalls “puff up” to fame here), 64 Colors released “Marshall” with Rotofugi and Squibbles Ink. Now just a little over 2 months later, Marshall is traveling coast to coast in stores everywhere, not to mention popping up in Internet shops all over! Blind boxed with 19 total designs in Series 1, Marshall is a huge hit!

In addition to Mr. Marshall, 64 Colors also create fantastic custom toys & illustrations that are sure to brighten any wall or shelf lucky enough to hold them. Including a breathtaking commission for Disney Mickey Brand Halo Show that is sure to blow your mind with its detailed wood grain…I love the by-line they created for him “I punch you with my friendly mitts and drool sap on your shoes! Got bees and honey up my nose!”. And one need only take a look at all the fantastic illustrations created by Eric and Laura to see that the future surely will hold some friends for Marshall! Endearing characters like “Cherry Baby”, “Soda Poppy”, and Marshalls dog “Gumdrop” (the gumdrop dog) will hopefully make their way to stores near us all soon! 64 Colors are certainly some talented folks to keep an eye on, I don’t think they will be going anywhere but up from here!

Eric and Laura were swell enough to take part in Round 2 and jump on board for 7 Questions! Check out what they had to say!

ATS- Who is 64 Colors?

64- Two people (Laura + Eric) working (always) on illustrations, design, toys, books, paintings, and various products.

ATS- What pieces would we find in your personal collection(s)?

64- A little bit of everything because we like so many different artists. Our problem is space so we rotate our collection from time to time. It’s like having our own little gallery show full of famous artists work. That’s the beauty of vinyl toys. We do have a Super Malfi which is always on display and in command of the collective. There’s something very comforting about Super Malfi. Maybe like a teddy bear from when we were kids.

ATS- By now everyone knows the glory of your little boy turned mallow, Marshall. What was the inspiration for this wonderful creation that is taking the world by storm?

64- Marshall is the person inside us that never wants to grow up or have to work. He wants to be the life of the party, behave inappropriately and be everyone’s friend. His inspiration comes from vintage cartoons, advertising icons, and love of characters in art. We want our toys and characters to look like they could walk up to you, and strike up a conversation. We’re not sure if that’s what people think when they see our work but, we hope so.

ATS- Now that we have moved the Marshall question out of the way, we can talk about some of your other wonderful works! A lot of your custom vinyl pieces as well as several of your illustrations have a similar theme, nature. What is it about nature that lends itself so well to your work?

64- Living in Michigan, surrounded by woods might have something to do with that. We both love being in a forest or by water. Nature is amazing and full of colors, sounds and textures. We do love cities too, but don’t get away from the studio enough. We’re working on that so maybe that will change some things in our work.

ATS- Is there a certain kind of music that “sets the mood” for work time?

64- Our music rotates like our toy collection constantly adding and subtracting. Our music collection is varied and is always playing.

ATS- Is 64Colors working on any non Marshall related releases?

64- Yes, we are working on some new toys. We also have some things in the works that are not toy specific. Marshall does take up a lot of our time and he’s just developing. Our biggest problem is time. There isn’t enough hours in the day to do everything we want to do.

ATS- What kind of advice would you have for someone looking to have a toy manufactured and distributed?

64- I don’t know if we’re qualified to answer this as we just have Marshall. I think this is a question for a big time name like Huck Gee or David Horvath. In our case we were fortunate to hook up with people who are manufacturers and distributors as the startup costs are expensive. They handled that end and we worked on the toy. We’re just scratching the surface and learning how this all works. What we can say is constantly work on your ideas and keep showing your art to as many people as possible. Enter custom shows and get yourself out there so people can see what you do.

Be sure to check out www.64colors.com for all the latest from our friends Eric and Laura!
Or send them a tweet and tell them what you think using our new tweetboard… @64colors would love to feel the love!

Also be sure to follow @Aaronthestrong and @Battlemouth for all the Indie Artist Series Updates you can handle!