“Peskimo is a happy,colourful world of monsters and made up creatures”
I discovered the wonderful world of Peskimos last year at their Monster Mash exhibition in Bristol, that was sometime ago so I thought I would catch up with them now to discover what they’ve been up to.
Faesthetic Magazine
Angel: Hi how are you doing?
Jodie and David: Good thanks, hows your very scary monster we met last year?!!
A: Yeah the monster is tucked away so it doesn’t scare small children, right lets start at the beginning, tell me about how you first got interested in art? were you creative as a child?
Jodie: I remember always enjoying art at school the most, or the creative parts of projects the most.I’d usually put a lot more effort into making it look nice than into the written bit!
David: I created a character called the Conkersoil when i was at school. it was for a project about the school field…
A: Did you study a creative subject at university? if so tell me about the course did you enjoy it?
Jodie: I studied Graphic Arts and Design at Leeds met uni. i really enjoyed it as i got to try lots of different aspects of art and design, from stop frame animation to screen printing.it was pretty much a free rein to try new things and find out what you like the most.
David: I studied Multi Media Tech at Leeds Met uni. it was a bit of a techy course and i always wanted to be on jodies.. but i always managed to get some design and arty element into the work, even though it wasn’t rewarded, as a result, i’m a bit of a jack of all trades, sound production, video, animation…
A: So did your work have a definite style at uni or has this developed over time? and also how would you describe your now?
Jodie and David: We have our own styles that come together to become the Peskimo style.i think personal style develops over time, its difficult for it not to in some respects,everything around us effects us.
Monster Mash voting box
A: Tell me about what happened when you left university, how did you guys come to set up your own business? and what obstacles did you have to overcome?
Jodie and David: At the moment we are trying to refine our style, such as changing the way we use colour.we’re also experimenting with our new Gocco screen printer, as we love traditional methods as well as contemporary ones.
Peskimo really started properly when we moved in together nearly a year after graduating.prior to that we had gone back home and were doing temp jobs,which was real motivation to start something creative and interesting and stop ourselves going mad!
We were working day jobs for a few years and doing our Peskimo work in the evenings and spare time.then January 06 we were a law unto ourselves and curated the Monster Mash exhibition. then in march we left the UK to go backpacking for a year.
Get Involved Club Night
A: So did you enjoy travelling?
Jodie and David: Yeah travelling has been an amazing experience and very inspirational!
A: Do you guys have a studio/office? if so how long did it take before you got your own premises?
Jodie and David: We got back about a month ago and are trying to find somewhere to live, but are living with family at the moment.we’re not sure about a studio,maybe when we have a home we’ll find out about studio space!
A: Thats cool it shows other people how much you can achieve without loads of overheads, how did you guys get your names known and build your reputations in the toy industry? did you do any pr stunts?
Jodie and David: We started out by doing lots of free work and projects where you can submit artwork, there are so many about now it wasn’t difficult to find them and his helped get our name noticed and led to commissioned work! our main PR self financed project has been the Monster Mash. It was great fun, lots of hard work and got us some coverage in magazines such as Computer Arts which has led to more work.
Artwork from Monster Mash
A: I loved the monster mash show it was fantastic, so what advice would you give other up and coming designers who want their characters developed into urban vinyl
Jodie and David: We’re still finding out ourselves! the are so many exhibitions and custom shows going on all the time. The most important factor is to let your work do the talking, as it has to be strong enough to sell on its own in the vinyl game, and toy stores are getting busier with new stock everyday
Don’t push yourself on the industry too much, the vinyl toys are really just a nice thing to have in addition to the artwork… but they can be a headache and should really happen because there is a need for them in the market
A: Tell more about some of the companies you have worked with doing custom work?
Jodie & David: Do you mean customising vinyl toys?
A: Yes and also design work, what has been your favorite projects?
Jodie & David: We recently did a Gocco print for an exhibition called Monster Burp, at Lazy Oaf on Carnaby st.we love the print we produced for it, and the other artists artwork were great too, it was a fun exhibition!
Monster Burp Gocco Print
Jodie & David: We customised a couple of Circus Punks a few years ago which was lots of fun, it helps when you really like the toy you are customising! also we were in a show called NeighbourWOOD about 6 months ago, the toy was amazing.a handmade wooden figure,really well made and tactile, we like wooden toys!
A: Are you particular about the companies you work with? do you have set rules?
Jodie & David: We haven’t had to question our morals yet! we have no rules!! haa ha!
A: It sounds like you like the handmade process, do you make a lot of your work yourself then rather than have it manufactured?
Jodie & David: Yes,we really like making plush, and we’re going to make some Peskimo jewellery soon! we’re also going to Gocco our own business cards!so definitely,we like the personal touch.
A: I agree with you it makes it far more special, what has been your greatest achievement so far?
Jodie & David: Thats a difficult question! we might have to take the easy way out and say the last project we did!
A: Ok tell me about that project?
Jodie & David: The last piece we did was the Monster Burp print, and the last commissioned job was a Computer Arts piece using photographs and illustrations mixed together.(its not out yet!but we’re very pleased with the finished piece.)
Panorama Tutorial for Computer Arts
A: So for anyone who hasn’t yet discovered the wonders of peskimo describe what they can find on your website, i especially like the peskimos towers.
Jodie & David: Peskimo is a happy,colourful world of monsters and made up creatures, waiting to tickle your tastebuds and brighten up your day!
Depth of Field Tutorial for Computer Arts
Jodie & David: You can find artwork you can use like wallpapers and avatars, look at some pretty pictures or take a stroll around peskimo towers and visit its inhabitants!
A: Finally tell me what projects you are working on at the moment and what plans/events do you have coming up in the future?
Jodie & David: We’re going to be part of an exhibition on Brick Lane in June called Plus Plush. we are working on some more Gocco prints as we’ve caught the printing bug! we’ve got a couple of illustration things on at the moment, but we are essentially trying to find somewhere to live within a month!
For more information and Peskimo goodies
www.peskimo.com
www.myspace.com/peskimo
