Tuesday, August 27, 2013

STGCC 2013: Whips And Chains On The Horizon (Toysetc Exclusive!)


This year's STGCC is set to be a pretty WILD one!

Red Dot Diva says that you cannot deny that compared to last year, the balance toward Western comics or pop-culture is at a more respectable squee-worthy level, with guests like Joe Madureira, David Mack and Adi Granov. Plus, the toy folks are probably still trying to unravel their minds (and purse strings) over a slew of designer guests which include the guys from Army of Snipers, Luke Chueh and Nathan Hamill in addition to regular guests like Simone Legno from Tokidoki and DevilRobots.

So, in order to get as much convention coverage as possible, Red Dot Diva (and Dude) have formed an alliance with Toysetc and SGCollect Forum to share their interviews and still have Geek-Hot Fun this weekend.

This piece by Toysetc is Red Dot Diva's first article Kope (Note: Singlish for "steal or pilfer").

It is about something Evilicious (*slurp* coz EVIL PEOPLE are TASTY!!) found under the umbrella of a cheeky Malaysian-based merchandizing setup called Monkeys & Minions (STGCC booth F44)!

----------------------

With STGCC 2013 a mere 5 days away, it's time to really buckle up and sit tight for what could possible be the wildest convention for the year. Amidst the glitzy lineup of stellar guests, I found this little gem tucked away on the Exclusives listing. Evilyn? Evilicious? Who needs squeaky clean superheroes! I know I don't. The general trend is to stain the whites just a little, adding that touch of vulnerability. Just look at Christian Bale's Batman and the latest remake of The Man of Steel. Evidently invulnerability is a thing of the 80s and 90s.

I touched base with Mistress of Darkness Soefara, who happens to be illustrator, artist, art director and designer as well, and got dirty with her.

Initial sketches of Evilyn

TE: What's the concept behind Evilicious and Evilyn ?
SF: Evilicious girls are inspired by pin up art and the likes of Vargas girls, Bettie Page and Dita Von Teese. Drawing these girls is a never ending inspiration for me. There is always a pose, gesture, facial expression to explore.

Evilyn is just one of the many femme-fatale girls I have been drawing. Having started with prints & t-shirts under the Monkeys and Minions brand, it became a natural progression that one of the Evilicious girls will transmute into a sculpture.

What inspired Evilyn. And proof that good can inspire evil.

TE: That explains the -licious portion. What's with the dominatrix cosplay? Are you showcasing your libido? Why can't it be Goodlicious and Goodlyn?
SF: She could be a more risqué extension of me. She can’t possibly be all Goodilicious as that wouldn't be very attractive. It’s like how girls gravitate towards bad boys. Evilyn has the sexy, haughty taboo appearance that men & women want.

Her pose is very telling too. Clad in leather and lace, she exudes dominance, yet her pose is demure and inviting. Like she’s about to hand you her chain, and you can have your very own dominatrix.

TE: If you were to come up with a narrative for her, what would her life story be? Despite her cold smouldering exterior, does she love kittens and all things soft and furry?

SF: Kittens don’t whet her appetite. Men do!

She used to be a Goodlyn, in her younger days until society broke her. She now lives in the heart of town with her other ‘evil’ girlfriends. Having men easily eating out of her hands can be quite tiresome sometimes. That’s when she heads out with the girls, painting the town red, in their high fashion, chains, whips & leather garb.


TE: It must be thrilling for your design to manifest into a 3D product. How has the whole experience been?

SF: Conceptualizing Evilyn, is one of the best experiences for me, as sculpting is a whole different ball game from what I had done previously. I had to consider many new elements, such as putting together a pose that appealed from all angles, finding suitable references, colour schemes and treatments for Evilyn. On top of that, we had to ensure that the sculpt was balanced.

And right at end of the Q&A, Soefara adds, 'I'd also like to add Barbarella & Adventures of Jodelle as part of her inspiration ' I really really doubt that. :P

-------------------------

Evilyn of the Evilicious series will be making her debut appearance at STGCC. It is sculpted by Mufizal, a highly talented sculptor and a full time Art Director at Ubisoft. He's been been perfecting his craft for the past 8 years and after winning first prize for Comiquet challenge on conceptart.org which was paneled by the renowned Tim Bruckner, Ruben Procopio and Zach Oat, he quickly garnered legions of fans and many more commissions. Currently he’s busy sculpting characters under a Marvel license. He's also not evil enough for this interview :P

You can find Soefara's designs and illustrations online and on site. Her clients include, KFC, Jacobs, Maxis, GE, Heineken, Nandos, iproperty, Johnson’s & Johnson’s, Quaker, Nestle, Olympus, among many others. Currently, she's waiting for her first children’s book to be out on the bookshelves.

You can pre-order at monkeysminions@gmail.com or at STGCC for $200.

----------------------------

Toysetc original article here!

----------------------------

Monkey & Minions website: http://www.monkeysandminions.com
Soefara's website: http://soefara.carbonmade.com
Soefara's Devianart: http://soefara.deviantart.com

No comments:

Post a Comment