DAVE CORTES & THE INU ART COLLECTIVE.

As you all know by now, Cookies n Cream houses two projects – one is our clothing and the other is designer toys. We’ve started working on our first set of limited edition pieces, and in our quest to create pieces of toy art with the greatest quality, we’ll be working with one of the best toy sculptors in the world..yeah you heard me right – one of the best toy sculptors in the world.

His name is Dave Cortes and he runs his studio/company called INU ART out of Brooklyn NYC. You might not know who he is but I am sure you’re familiar with his work. Ironman, Hellboy, Incredible Hulk, Tony Montana (Scarface), Captain America, Venom, Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Carribean) – if you’ve seen any of these pieces, then you know who Dave Cortes is. He’s the mastermind that sculpted all these pieces and these are just a few names from some of the stuff that he’s done. He’s done work for some of the biggest names in the toy industry like Mezco Toyz, McFarlane Toys, Toy Biz and NECA amongst many others. The level of detail in his pieces are unparalleled. From facial expressions to body shapes and curves, every little detail is created to be life-like. This is art at its finest. I was able to secure an interview with Dave and some pics. Enjoy.

C -n- C: First things first, introduce yourself to the people. Name and occupation?
Dave: Dave Cortes, Sculptor, concept artist, Toy Designer and founder of Inu Art.

C -n- C: Did you always want to be a toy sculptor or did you have other aspirations?
Dave: Actually, I stumbled onto sculpture and found that it was the medium for me. The same goes for working in the toy industry.

C -n- C: How did you get into toy sculpting?
Dave: A good friend of mine showed me an ad that was posted in Wizard magazine calling for sculptors by McFarlane Toys. Luckily by that time I had a few sculptures made out of Sculpey (Tupac, Mike Tyson, Denise Rodman) that I could show. Although I didn’t feel good about the work I submitted it anyway. I guess the art director at McFarlane Toys, Ed Frank, saw some potential in my work because 9 months later, when all hope was gone; I got a call from Ed asking me to come in for an interview. Things went well that day and I left with a paying gig, 2 years later, I decided to go freelance from full-time at McFarlane Toys and have been ever since.

C -n- C: How long have you been in the business?
Dave: I’ve been making figures for just less than 10 years now.

C -n- C: Can you walk us through the process of sculpting a toy?
Dave: First there’s this idea, concept, then some artwork is created, sometimes tight, specific artwork or just some quick sketches to further communicate this idea. If it is a movie product like Hellboy or Kill Bill, the images from the movie are used as the reference art and maybe a quick drawing of the pose is included. Then I take it from there and rough out a figure in clay. Establishing the proper proportions (if necessary) pose and weight of the character. Sometimes this process is completely different, for example if it is going to be a super articulated character, it will not be sculpted in a pose and most of the painstaking work will be in trying to make the figure perfectly symmetrical.

C -n- C: You’ve done a lot of really cool toys for a lot of big companies, do you have any special piece that you like most?
Dave: I tend to lean toward the figures that I was able to design along the way. The stylized Scarface figure I did for Mezco was a lot of fun. At first when I got the project I wasn’t excited at all, I was intimidated by the idea of trying to make something stylized out of a movie that is so gritty and dark. And besides all that I was a big fan of Scarface and did not want to make a whacked figure. In the end I had fun with it and some of those concerns that I had were real because not everyone goes for stylized figures, but Mez covered all corners and put out some realistic figures and a bust, all of which I’m proud of.

C -n- C: You’re from Brooklyn and you also run your company out of Red Hook, Brooklyn. In an age where most companies are outsourcing a lot of toy sculpting/production overseas, how does it feel to be a home grown company and also be able to maintain a profit?
Dave: To tell you the truth considering how cheap it is to get something made in China, I’m amazed that I get work at all. In the end there is a difference, huge difference in fact. If you are going for a certain feel on an original design you might want to work closely with someone who can relate to your idea and that’s where the overseas thing becomes a problem, I hear. The other thing is that all Sculptors have their own style, just like comic book artists or painters. So when you choose to pay the extra dough to have it made here, you’re also paying for that sculptor’s style, which might be the reason that the buyer is drawn to it. Now I’m not talking about reputation, that’s totally different, that can sell a piece whether it is good or not. I’m just talking about looking at a piece on the shelf and saying now that’s a cool toy, then picking up the package to find out who sculpted it.

C -n- C: Are you going to be working on your own toys?
Dave: Actually I am finally making an Inu Art original Toy. It’s probably not the kind of work that would be expected from me, but I have a bunch of ideas that I feel like I finally have to try and get off the ground. This first figure is called Pugzee, it will be a stylized roto figure hopefully ready for the New York Comic Con Feb. 2009. I will soon have a website dedicated to the character Pugzee.com, where you will be able to see what it’s all about.

PUGZEE

C -n- C: What kind of things do you like to do outside of work?
Dave: These days I’ve been doing a lot of concept work for animation. I’ve been learning the 3D program Maya so that I can have more control over my designs and even take it further and animate them.

C -n- C: What other plans do you have for your company – Inu Art and where do you see things progressing towards?
Dave: I see things progressing towards digital and I plan to take my company in that direction. I hope to offer concept designs for not just toys, but also film and TV and other visual media. I work with a talented group of guys and we have a wealth of ideas that we do nothing with.

C -n- C: Other than major toy companies, are you open to working with smaller independent start-ups?
Dave: I’m completely open to working with independent companies if the project is right. The independent toy maker is the only one able to take the risk of going with a new radical design. Big companies have too many people to answer to so they won’t take those risks. I played it safe for a while and these days I’m all about trying something new.

C -n- C: For the individual out there who wants to get into toy sculpting, What advice do you have?
Dave: Just sculpt! The details of making a prototype for an action-figure are the part that’s easiest to learn. Sharpen your skills as a sculptor and take your raw talent to the next level. Sculpt everything and try all styles. If you are good at making muscle bound comic characters, try making a female. Same goes for style, if cartoony characters are the only thing that make up your body of work, try some realism. It always helps to show the diversity of your skill. Most importantly, photograph your work. If you’re one of those guys that’s never satisfied and crumbles a sculpture about half way through, make sure you photograph it first. In the end it’ll help to have photographs of those unfinished stages of your work.

C -n- C: Any last words or info for the people?
Dave: Check out www.inuart.com and check up on www.pugzee.com. I hope to soon have that up and running.
The Inu Art studio is,
Dave Cortes Sculptor, founder
Masahiro Ito Sculptor
Brandy Anderson Painter
Evor Guevarra Sculptor, fabricator
Jeff Feligno Sculptor, Digital sculptor
Diomedes Chaverra Molding & Casting
Ken Usanami Sculptor

As a side note, Pugzee will also be available in the Cookies n Cream online store when it’s ready to hit the market. Pieces are limited, so you better get yours once we put them up because these are guaranteed to go like fresh cookies.

by Scrills
The Cookies Mob runs deep.