ToyCyte sale!
We've slashed our prices for a lot of our toys to make room for more customs! Go get some amazing deals today at our store !
<-->
Mon, Dec 15, 2008
Leslie Levings is an artist and writer living in Los Angeles and working at a comic book shop. I first came across 50 of her Beastlies at a San Francisco group art show. They were new to me then, but the Beastlies are legion (see below). What I like most about these is how much personality she crafts into 1-inch polymer clay critters. She also takes great photos of the Beastlies (peep her Flickr). You can see Leslie’s comics at Atrox Comics and you can buy her Beastlies at her Etsy shop. But for something a little more personalized, you could win…
Leslie does a weekly live web show that can be seen here. During the show, she makes Beastlies before your very eyes, and you can text/talk to her as she does it. Leslie has offered to make one ToyCyte reader his/her own custom Beastlie on the show. To win, submit two starting points as a comment below: name and color. Leslie will choose one winner and make the Beastlie next Monday on the show. All comments must be logged by Sunday at midnight. Exact time of next Monday’s show TBD and announced here. Today’s show will begin at 5:30PM PST today, so check it out and say hello (to Leslie, me and other Beastlies fans).
How long have you been creating the Beastlies and how did they come about?
I started making little creatures with Sculpey when I was about 10 or so. I made animals, a lot of holiday-themed stuff, mermaids, that kind of thing. For years I was that kid who sculpted tiny things, but then in middle school I dropped it. When I’d come home from college, friends of my parents would always ask “Remember those cute little things you used to make? Do you still do those?” And I’d get all snippy and say, “Uh, no, I do REAL ART now, thankyouverymuch.” Ha. Anyway, I didn’t pick it up again until after college, when I wanted to make the diorama for the mainpage of the webcomic I do with some friends. This was about three years ago? I started making little animals again, but pretty soon they sort of naturally evolved into imaginary monsters, which I called the Beastlies.
Approximately how many Beastlies have been unleashed into the world?
Let’s see… Close to six hundred on Etsy (some before I opened the Beastlie-brand-name shop), and then there’s all the comic conventions I do: APE, Stumptown, and San Diego… So I’d say a little more than a thousand?
When you’re not rolling polymer clay, what are you up to?
I work at a comic book store in LA, (Meltdown! We even sell some of my Beastlies there), and I contribute art, writing and occasionally bad acting to the Atrox website. That’s just about it. Beastlies sort of take up all my free time these days.
Who are some artists you admire?
A couple of my friends are fantastic artists: Web-cartoonist Erika Moen makes the comic “DAR,” and Lauren Wong (who has an etsy store under the name LWong) is one of my favorite painters. Let’s see…I’ve been a fan of James Jean for a while. I enjoy work by Stuntkid, Miss Monster. Hmmm… there are a lot I’m forgetting. Kozyndan.
Do you collect toys, and if so, please describe…
I do, in loosest sense of the word “collect.” When I see something that really strikes me, I might pick it up, but I frequently then forget what it is or where it came from. I do really like the adorable plush work from Sewing Stars. I’m not sure if she’s still making her owls, but they’re my favorite. I have one on my desk. I have a couple of the little Joe Ledbetter animals. Finders Keepers, I think? I have the Julie West designed Kaniza figure (I had to look that name up just now. I’d just picked it up because it was pretty). I like my Ghost Rider Mighty Mugg, because I am a big nerd.
Don’t forget: tune in today at 5:30PM PST here to watch Beastlies being made. Next week, Leslie will create the winning Beastlie on the show, same place, different time (TBD).
Jeremy Brautman - who has written 1965 posts on ToyCyte: Toy Culture Collected.
Jeremy Brautman joined ToyCyte in 2008 and has been writing about toy culture ever since. You can currently find him contributing to a variety of blogs, artkiving doodles at Doodlesplatter.com and cataloging artistic ephemera at ARTkivers.com.
[...] ToyCyte’s blog post led me to Leslie Levings and her polymer clay beasties (pictured here). She’s been making these charming characters since fourth grade and all that practice has made her very good at bringing the clay to life. Check out her videos and her Monday night show and be sure to read the site’s interview of Leslie here. [...]
December 15th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Example: “Nigel, black.”
December 15th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Hank, short for Henry. Pink. Yes, pink. Pale pink. Like bubblegum.
December 15th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Polyphemus, Purple
December 15th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Glorffleton, Red.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Tinky Winkles, Orange.
These guys are awesome
December 15th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Show’s on now! Check it: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-beastlies-show
December 15th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Iffington, chartreuse
December 15th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Pip, teal
December 15th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Name: Mulburry Color: maroon
December 15th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Morty, brick red
December 15th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
barskey, orange
December 15th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Sebas, dark dark blue
December 15th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
Chuck, apricot.
December 16th, 2008 at 12:00 am
Astrid, pink
December 16th, 2008 at 4:06 am
Billabus, baby blue
December 16th, 2008 at 6:05 am
Phineas, black
I haven’t seen a black Beastlie before, so I figured I’d pick something different!
December 16th, 2008 at 6:52 am
Kaye, blue and orange
December 16th, 2008 at 7:21 am
Michael, the color of royalty: purple.
December 16th, 2008 at 7:28 am
Hogarth, blue.
December 16th, 2008 at 7:34 am
Oliver copper
December 16th, 2008 at 7:45 am
Grungleburp-Purple
December 16th, 2008 at 8:32 am
Name: Kalabrack Colours: black and pink
December 16th, 2008 at 8:38 am
ernie, yellow
December 16th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Name: Pomegranate
Colour: Purple
Whoo!
December 16th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Horatio, Dark Blue
December 16th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Kim, grey.
December 16th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Name- Fooz
Color- Green and Purple with magenta spots
BTW, these little guys are fantastic
December 16th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Name: Snugglerump
Color: Neon Green
December 16th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Finlay O’Shaughnessy; dark, rusty copper and blueish, olive green
December 16th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Murray – Lilac
I love your ability to convey complex emotions in them. Each one looks as though it has a fascinating story to tell.
Thank you for sharing them.
December 17th, 2008 at 1:03 am
Clyde, Dark Grey
December 17th, 2008 at 1:06 am
Clyde, Dark Grey & White
December 17th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Name: Quest, Colors: Indigo Blue and Black!
December 17th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Name: Hubert
Color: Cerulean with a touch of Jazzberry Jam (check Crayola’s color list if you’re not familiar with the delicious color made of fresh jazzberries)
December 17th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Arbuthnot – brick red and copper
However, if you see him differently, you may make him any color you like.
December 18th, 2008 at 3:47 am
Templeton. A rich terra-cotta red brown.
December 18th, 2008 at 5:17 am
Grumpelegries. A nice Middle blue and some Grey.
December 18th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Euphemia, Goldenrod
December 18th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Dewblery, Maroon
Please cast some of these characters.
They are exceptional.
December 18th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
name : GLOOFY
color : Orange
December 19th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Mathilda, light lime green and white
December 19th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Keep the names and colors coming in through Sunday. Leslie says her next show will be Monday at 12PM (noon) PST–at which time she will announce the winner and make the winning Beastlie live! http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-beastlies-show
December 19th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
NAME:Liam (lie-uhm)
COLOR: red and white
December 20th, 2008 at 10:58 am
ratchum
gray
December 20th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Rawrbly
Purple.
Rawrbly loves rolling around and looking at things with his cute eyes.
December 22nd, 2008 at 9:26 am
Tipsy…. light blue with wide eyes
December 22nd, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Tune in now to find out who won!