Dan Brodzik Customs (and what they mean for the rest of us)

What's that familiar shape?  Roll on deodorant.  For reals.

Dan Brodzik paints customs like most people wish they could.  Like some sort of...professional.  In a field littered with Johnny-Come-Latelys trying to ride the wave and one trick amateurs, it is refreshing to see someone with a depth of technique and variety of application.

Dan got started doing f/x painting then moved on to painting toy prototypes freelance in 1999.  There are a bunch of great examples of production toys on his site.  A few of his customs are pictured below BUT before we get to the customs (and before I start getting hate mail), I want to address something.

Some people might object to my statement above about "Johnny-Come-Latelys trying to ride the wave and one trick amateurs" but I stand by it.  Every artistic field has these, there is nothing unique about custom toys in that respect.  I'm not calling anyone out and I have no interest in "naming names" so don't bother asking.  (However, if you read that sentence and got bent out of shape, maybe that is a sign that you know you need to step up your game.)

So, what does that mean for the rest of us?  Let me be clear here: my point in contrasting those people with someone like Dan (and there are plenty of others) isn't meant to be derogatory.  It is meant to be inspirational.  Talented, hard working people in any field help show us what is possible and provide inspiration for what might be next or even the next next thing.  My view is that we should all be constantly improving our techniques through practice and helping each other by providing honest feedback and suggestions.  And this goes double for Johnny-Come-Latelys and amateurs.  Welcome to this big messy world, now get to work!

Back to our regularly scheduled article:

- Ahren