When did you first start customizing Funko figures?

My very first custom was of a character from a very popular YA series called Throne of Glass. Her name is Manon Blackbeak and she’s a human-killing, heartless, witch-coven leader and naturally my favorite character of the series. I think I made her in November of 2016. The community I’m a passionate member of (besides the Funko community) on Instagram is called ‘Bookstagram’ and when I started       photographing the few customs I had made at that point, things just took off from there. I ended up doing several customs of my favorite characters and then decided to start doing it full time.

What has been the most difficult custom so far?

The one I’m working on now. It’s the main character, Kvothe, from The Kingkiller Chronicles. It’s very detailed and I’m making a case on his back with a removable lute, and also trying to sculpt a wind funnel of leaves. It involves a lot of different materials which can sometimes be difficult but I think always make for really interesting figures.

Since most of the characters that I create are from books, I do a lot of reading (no complaints here).

Do you have a particular piece that you’re especially proud of?

Link. He turned out even better than what I had pictured in my head which is always a good feeling. It probably also helps that The Legend of Zelda is my favorite video game series. I love all of the little details like his chain mail, his sword, and shield. The same customer commissioned Zelda which I can’t wait to get started on.

Where do you draw inspiration from to create your customs?

Since most of the characters that I create are from books, I do a lot of reading (no complaints here). I also look at a ton of fan art for characters that have been depicted previously, but sometimes it’s just up to my own imagination. I’ll write down key elements of each character (clothing, hairstyle, eye color, personality, tokens they carry, their weapons, etc.) as I’m reading (or more often than not listening on audio) then make a quick sketch of what I think they should look like in pop form. Thankfully most authors are kind enough to go into great detail about clothing choices otherwise my life might be a little more difficult.

Are there any characters you would like to attempt to create in the future?

I have a few that I’m dying to do! I want to tackle a few more beasts from Harry Potter like Fawkes, a swooping evil, one of the merpeople, or a cornish pixie, the Hocus Pocus trio, and two from different scenes in Friends that just make me happy.

Which of your customs (or series) that Funko hasn’t yet produced would you like to see on shelves someday?

My first instinct is to say they need to make Pop! Books but then I might be out of a job! But hey if Funko wants to hire me for that I’d be first in line. Really though, they NEED to make the Mario collection of characters. Or I guess I should say Nintendo NEEDS to give up that license already. I know myself and about a million+ others would love them, especially since most of us Pop collectors grew up with those games.

There have been times I wanted to flip my table over when I first started

Do you have any advice for aspiring customisers? 

Research, don’t give up, and don’t steal others work. There have been times I wanted to flip my table over when I first started because my sealant was sticky from underbaked clay or incompatibility with paint. Learn from mistakes and strive to make the next one better. Also, make friends in the community! Even a small amount of outside support can make a really bad day so much better and I’ve found the customizer community to be so supportive!

What is the best place for people to approach you for customs? 

Either my Etsy storefront or through email (dustandpagescustoms@gmail.com) are the best places, but I also have an Instagram (@dustandpages) and a Facebook page which I am on regularly.

So there you have it! Thanks to Ruthie for taking the time to answer our questions. Don’t be shy, go check out her social media pages to see more of her wonderful creations!

The post Custom Corner with DustAndPages! appeared first on Pop Price Guide.

These guys have produced some incredible pieces ranging from DC Comics characters, Earthworm Jim, Captain Planet and many more.

We asked them a few questions to learn a little bit more about them and their work which you can check out below.

How did you first get into customizing Pops?

We first started making customs as personal projects.  Certain characters that we wanted, were simply not made, so we decided to make our own.  We posted our customs online and got a lot of positive feedback and people wanting to buy them.  So, we decided to do limited numbers of each custom that we create!  Most of them are between 10 and 20 pieces and once we are sold out, we never make any more.

Do you both share the work load, do you each have different tasks when it comes to creating these customs?

We basically share the workload, when we get some free time we work on them.  When we learn a new technique, we both make sure to take the time to learn it.  We usually take a day or two to learn new things together, it’s just more fun like that, rather than getting stuck only being good at certain things.

Can you tell us a little about the tools you use or the process before you tackle a new design?

One of our biggest tools would have to be that we both have a bachelor’s degree in digital media.  This allowed us to jump right into 3D printing with little learning curve.  We recently purchased a 3D printer and now we can make our ideas on the computer and print them out.  This is a lot faster for us than using clay/sculpting material. When creating a design on the computer, we can go back and edit it if we aren’t happy with the design.  If we had to do that with clay, we would have to start over.

If you had to choose one, what is your favorite custom you have made so far?

Choosing one is a tough choice, since we don’t accept commissions and make ones we want personally.  We’re going to choose two though, since there are two of us.

The first one would have to be Earthworm Jim, he was one of the most fun to do, and he brings back a lot of good childhood memories we have together.  He had a unique design, and transferring that to pop form was a fun task.

The second is Turnip Head, we only made one of him, and he was the most difficult custom that we had to do.  He is 50% 3D printed and the rest are Pop parts pieced together.

You are clearly huge DC fans, can you tell us how that began?

It stemmed from our childhood.  Every week we would watch Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League Animated Series, and Superman The Animated Series.  It just snowballed from there.  We enjoy Marvel too, though. They both have their pros and cons.

Are there any characters you’d love to create in the future or any teases for upcoming projects you can give?

We have a lot of characters planned, we’re not sure when we will get around to them, though.  We’re working on a few right now that are going to be gifts for friends, so we don’t want to ruin the surprise. Here is one teaser though, we will be making a set that will be posted on Black Friday!

What advice would you give to those looking to dabble in customs?
Take your time on the design of the Pop and look for the perfect Pop pieces.  Always try to get a second opinion of an honest person when you are making it.  It is always good to get feedback on a design.  We have a group of friends that give us input and they let us know when things don’t look great, and we can change the design. One of the main things we learned in school was that you need to be able to take criticism if you are going to improve.
Where is the best place for people to contact you regarding your customs?

The best place to contact us would be on Instagram @theegamertwins.
You can also look us up on Facebook under Twin Customs, we don’t post on Facebook as often though.

You can check out several customs from @theegamertwins in the gallery below! And be sure to check out their Instagram page.

The post Custom Corner with TheeGamerTwins appeared first on Pop Price Guide.