For our readers who aren't familiar with TesseToys can you please briefly explain who's behind it and what it's all about?
Well Tessetoys is the name I use for my tiny toy production company. At the moment it only produces figures of my own design, but I do hope to expand that in the future.
What inspires you when you're making new toys?
It's hard to pin down, it can be anything from a colour I see, to a shape I've see on the window of a bus, it's very hard to pin down. I try and keep my mind quite empty of influences.
A lot of the time it's just a starting from nothing procedure, just an empty page in a pad and a pen, and maybe a slight idea of something, and just sketching some ideas out.
On your website you have some interesting guides / tutorials. Do you have any advice for newcomers?
I'd recommend just doing it. Before I worked on my tutorials etc I was online myself looking for guides on molding and casting. It did seem like it was a bit out of my league as there weren't many designers 'doing it themselves', but after just having a go it wasn't that hard at all.
I have had loads of positive comments regarding my tutorials, people saying it was good to see someone making their own figures at home, and not in an expensive workshop/studio etc. I hope it has inspired people to get making!
Do you have a toy collection and if so is there any you'd like to mention?
Well this is the weird bit, I don't really collect toys at all. I probably have about 2/3 actual figures I may have purchased at random intervals. I did once a few years back have a few QEE eggs, but I got bored of them pretty quickly and sold them on.
I do see a lot of designs I really like, but I think I'd get bored of seeing them everyday. Maybe if I locked them in a box and got them out once in a while that would be best :)
Any future collaborations / commisions you'd like to mention?
I've got a few ideas planned, not much info for them at the moment, but they should be cool, and of course anyone who fancies collaborating on some projects, gimme a shout :)
We'd like to say a BIG thanks to Sam for the interview.
For more info and enquiries please visit the Tessetoys website by clicking HERE.
