SDCC EXCLUSIVE SUPER POWER PRINT PACK

so, even way back when i started this project, i wanted to showcase the artwork as much as possible. the prints were supposed to be limited to the 1st 100 figures in each style, but i wanted to make some available to the people that can't afford a bunch of figures.

these are the 6 prints that come in our SDCC Exclusive Super Power Print Pack. it includes So Analog, Hyperactive Monkey Kong, Super Nightmare Princess III, So Analog GOLD, KnockOut!, and Super Double Ninja Battle Bros. i only made 50 print packs and they'll only set you back 10 bucks for the whole set. so, make sure to get them before they're all gone.

this is the header card for the print pack.

this print pack doesn't include the prints for Smash the State or Double Kraken. those 2 figures are limited to 100 each and you can only get the prints with those figures.

special thanks to the artists for putting even more time and effort into doing extra artwork for the prints.

NEW BUSINESS CARDS

here are some of my new business cards. i kinda went overboard with the varieties, but i still printed them all.

this is the first one i finished and printed. then i realized it looked like a card for a musician. i also don't have many B-Side figures available, so i felt like i should additional business cards.

the label areas worked great for my info on the B-Side card. the A-Drive label still worked ok.

this card is based on our current postcard that we started handing out at AX 2011. it was even more difficult to get normal business card info on there, but it worked out well enough.

so none of the cards above had anything to do with Squibs. which up until now was our mostly widely known brand. so, i decided i should make a business card that had both Squibs and So Analog represented.

i scanned in these 2 sketches from our last Wonder Con banner. Jerome and i sketch something on each one of the name banners that the conventions provide. we then hang them up on the front of our tables.

i designed this one to look like it came from my sketchbook and put the list of products we make. it also has spot UV on all of the ink to give it extra contrast.

apparently, i like spending lots of money on things i just give away. then again, i don't hand them out to everyone. they mainly go out to people that are interested in doing business together. i also give them out to people that buy DIY figures. so, if you buy a A-Drive, you get an A-Drive card. Buy a Squib or a Squib Kid and you'll get the sketchbook card, and so on.

OUR 1ST SO ANALOG SHIRT WOOHOO!!

so, i've been sketching these So Analog tombstones for a while and i finally had time to turn some of them into a new Tshirt

these were the first rough sketches in my note book. i always ended up drawing a bunch of boxy graves and that never worked well. i actually had to plan it out a bit better, because all of the shapes couldn't just be boxes.

i ended up just redrawing all of the graves separately. then i retraced everything in Illustrator. it seemed to take forever.

i rescaled and rearranged all of the sketches into a decent composition, but like everything, it continued to evolve while i was coloring everything.

it took a long time to get this shirt down to a 3 color shirt. i haven't done many Tshirts and this was my 1st 3 color shirt. i added in some logos and icons so the tombstones weren't toooo plain.

this is how they ended up. they'll be available for the first time at SDCC 2011 next week, and as always, they'll only be 15 bucks.

we used Jakprints for these shirts, and we should have most sizes from XS all the way to XXXL. unfortunately, it wasn't the best experience. they weren't able to get certain sizes in every color. that happened twice and it also took at least 3 weeks to get them in. we've already moved on to a local shirt vendor.

EXCLUSIVE GEEK OUT!!!

so, i've been buyin SDCC exclusives since i first went to SDCC back in 2003. that's not gonna change anytime soon. but what did change is that i actually have my very own SDCC 2011 exclusive this year. woohoo!!

it just really sunk in once i saw this on the SDCC website. it's not like it's front page news for them. you have to click on exclusives, then click on "Squid Kids Ink", but damn it's cool for me to see it on this site.

so, here he is again.


i've had customs and other products that i've helped with, on display at SDCC before. but this i did from start to finish and all self funded. there was a pretty steep learning curve, so hopefully the next project goes a bit smoother.

i also want to thank Spanky from http://www.spankystokes.com/ and Andy from http://toysrevil.blogspot.com/ for also helping get the word out for my new stuff.

SQUID KIDS INK on DODGE THIS!.. WOOHOO!!

so, early last month i was asked if i would be interested in doing an interview on Dodge This! for The Game Station. i'm not a fan of doin interviews, but i gotta get better at gettin the word out there. the interview was over in a flash, but now i can relive it over, and over, and over, and over again. woohoo?????

special thanks to Jerome and Will Lu for settin it up for me. you can click on the link below to watch me in my awkward mumbly glory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA_MTgQlBck

and for those 15 people (and i'm sure there will be more) that didn't like the interview.....suckit.

SO ANALOG PREMIER at COMIC CON 2011

so, it's been a challenge, but my very first really real "Designer Toy" is about to debut. this is an image of the 1st 8 figures that will be available at San Diego Comic Con 2011.

these bad boys stand 7" tall. the bodies are made of ABS while the hands and feet are made of PVC. the blank white figures are gonna go for the low low price of 3o bucks.


SO ANALOG "the game"
i guess this guy would be considered our mascot/main figure. all of the figures with artist labels will be sold for 35 bucks. the 1st 100 of each style will also include a bonus 5x7 mini print. these prints aren't exclusive to SDCC, and 6 of the prints will also be available in a print pack for 10 bucks. i'll post more on that soon.

SUPER NIGHTMARE PRINCESS III
i've been a big fan of Andrew Wilson's artwork for years now. he was kind enough to do a custom figure for our D-Con 2010 10-Doh! custom show. after that went well i bugged him to see if he would be interested in doing a label for me. aaaand...he was.

KNOCKOUT!!
this lovely lady label was done by Kwestone a.k.a. Chito A-word.

HYPERACTIVE MONKEY KONG!!
we've been sharing convention booths with Jerome Lu for 2 years now. so, i had plenty of time to convince him to help me out.

SUPER DOUBLE NINJA BATTLE BROS.
the world famous Tracy Tubera was kind enough to take the time to relive and mash up some childhood memories.

DOUBLE KRAKEN
i've been friends with Andy Poon since 2006 when he worked on the Storm Hawks show and i worked on the Storm Hawk toys.

SMASH THE STATE!
i contacted several artists that i admire, Kozik was one of the few that replied and agreed to do a label. ended up that he was the only one that would actually deliver.

SO ANALOG GOLD
who looks like a million buck? this guy does. and he would cost that, if he were actually made out of solid gold. thankfully, he's affordable at the amazingly reasonable price of 50 bucks. this version is our "convention exclusive", so he won't be available online or in stores. we only made 300. if we don't sell out of them at SDCC 2011 we will have them available at other conventions like D-Con, Wonder Con, and Anime Expo.

this is pretty much a dream come true. i was able to do this as a self designed and self funded project. it was a huge risk on my part, but hopefully that pays off. the whole shipment is still on the water, but should be arriving soon. i got my fingers crossed that they arrive and clear customs in time for SDCC. of course the big question is "will people buy them?" i can only hope, because i have a lot more planned for this year and next year.

of course i didn't do it all alone. thanks to all of the artists. they really came through with great artwork. Jay and the Mana Studios gang kept the resin flowin long enough to get the production figures finished. Frankie and his guys at CDP in China did a great job with the engineering of the figures. my good friend Cavour dealt with all of my nervous and nagging emails. he also introduced me to Emily at Concept Garden, who found a factory willing to do the project. Wilson for taking the time to accompany me to the factory for a visit. Terence from the factory for gettin it all do in a very short period of time. special thanks to Linda, Jerome, and Chito for workin a long sweatshop style day to prep and crank out all of the label art. also, Anthony Nex for take photos for me, again. and of course, as super special thanks to my Linda Hong. she has been understanding and amazingly supportive of my goals and dreams. i only hope that i'll be able to do the same for her someday.

SQUID KIDS INK at AX 2011

this was our 3rd time having a booth at Anime Expo. we had our 1st ever booth at AX 2009. we've come a long way in 2 years. of course, we still have a long way to go.

move in was a breeze this time. we didn't have to carry anything at all. definitely our quickest move in yet. that giant 10-Doh! was our big addition for this show.

the convention had a pretty good turnout. saturday was pretty hectic.

we spend 97% of our time behind the booth, so it's tough to see all of the costumes running around. it's even more difficult to get good photos.

here's Jerome devaluing some of his artwork. unfortunately, that line wasn't for him. the blue mats were a life saver, or at least foot savers.

one of the best parts of AX is the crowd. there is always something to look at, even while sitting behind a booth the whole time.

a fan's husband had a balloon booth in artist alley, she stopped by and gave us this squid balloon animal. i tried to stop by and say hello, but he was super busy when walked by. we saw some amazing balloon creations like Gir, Darth Vader, and Charizard. now he's sittin on my desk at work.

i've never been a huge Gundam fan, but i like this version. one day i hope to actually watch Full Metal Alchemist. and we finally got a slightly new setup with more levels and display cases.

unfortunately, the whole show wasn't great. some cheapskate chump decided to snag one of our blank 10-Doh! figures. funny thing is that they left the right foot. apparently, they had no morals and they're stupid. my new sign got a few laughs and eased the pain a bit.

the 4 day show flew by. over all it was a great show for us. we had tons of repeat customers and lots of new ones as well. move out was a bit chaotic and the people weren't nearly as friendly as they were during move in.

special thanks goes out to all of our fans and supporters. we weren't planning on doing the show next year due to the fact that it's so close to SDCC. as long as the AX fans keep supporting us, we'll keep showing up.

so, as we were entering the convention center on the last day of the show, i realized i had lost my little grey Squib. i retraced my steps back to the car with no luck. so, it was a long day, hoping that he was safe at home.

as we pulled up to our apartment, i saw my little buddy sittin on the back steps. i had to jump out of the car and get him, while Linda parked the car.

this little guy has been all over the world with me, along with my other 2 little buddies. they are the prototypes for our plush figures. so, that means they are high dollar and not replaceable. i'm amazed that no one left our apartment building the whole day. or, they didn't want to disturb his nap, and i'm very thankful for that.