How to Create a Vinyl Sculpture Toy

Urban vinyl art toys were introduced to the American market by Hong Kong artist Michael Lau at a toy convention. His creations were G.I. Joe dolls souped-up in hip-hop fashions. Following Lau was a wave of graffiti artists, graphic designers, and sculptors putting their own spins on urban vinyl dolls. In 2002, Robert Budnitz opened a store specializing in urban vinyl toys, in Los Angeles. He immediately began commissioning artists to create original vinyl toys for his Melrose Avenue store. The toys styles were influenced by the lowbrow art movement popularized by underground artist Robert Williams. Also at his store, Budnitz introduced “munnys”, a vinyl toy doll made specifically for do-it-yourself customization. Note that artists of the caliber of Gary Baseman and Tim Biskup have customized their own munnys, and so can you!

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Munny
• Krylon Fusion Spray Paint for Plastic
• Masking Tape
• Sandpaper
• Gesso Primer Paint (optional)
• Elmer’s Wood Glue (optional)
• X-Acto Knife
• Computer
• Internet Connection
• Pencil, Pen, or Sharpie-style Marker
• Sculpey (optional)

How to Create a Vinyl Sculpture Toy

1. While there are hard vinyl munny toys of different sizes, the standard munny doll size is 7” tall. Made by KidRobot, it’s available in white, black, or glow-in-the-dark colors. Visit the KidRobot web site, or visit the store if you live near Los Angeles. Buy a munny or two. Note that, at $24.99 each, they’re not cheap.
2. Take the munny out of its box and wash it with soap and water to remove any excess oils. While this is an optional step, many artists lightly sandpaper the munny’s surface to assure that there are no rough spots particularly in design areas that will be painted. Another optional step that some artists take is to apply Gesso primer paint to the doll’s surface as another safety measure.
3. Sketch the design on the munny with a pencil, pen, or Sharpie-style marker. I prefer Rapidograph technical pens.
4. Use masking tape to prevent painting over certain parts of your character’s design.
5. Spray Krylon Fusion Paint for Plastic (or brush on acrylic paint) in designated areas on your munny.
6. Use an X-Acto blade if you plan on cutting into the munny. This is optional, as is using Sculpey bake-on clay as an add-on element. If you plan on adding wood pieces to your munny, Elmer’s wood glue may come in handy.
7. Use clear coat fixative to prevent paint, ink, and other applied media from smearing.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also make clothes for your munny.
• There are two ways to apply Sculpey to your munny. You can boil the clay in water for three minutes and it will fuse to the toy, or you can put the munny with applied Sculpey into an oven and bake at 270-degrees for 15 minutes. While I’ve found many sources claiming that the munny won’t melt in the oven at this temperature, keep a close watch as it bakes.
• You may also want to make clothes for your munny.

Who Can Help:

• Find Decorators & Designers Here. Compare Up to 4 Quotes, Free Service & No Obligation.