JPapasso

Phew, Ok folks, First off I want to apologize for my absence here. I just recieved the pictures from Fujis this morning, and I intend to begin on the cards tonight. While this is a slight longshot, and Im sure not everyone will read this today, but I would appreciate it if each customizer would create a short bio (a few sentances) for their creature. This should really help simplify creating the cards, and hopefully speed the process up. If I dont get a bio for a certian 'Mate I can go ahead and create one myself... I hesitate to do this because no one is going to know more about a certian creature than the person who created it. The auctions for wave 1 are sitting at 5 days now, and I will take me no more than a few hours to create the cards. Once the cards are completed, I will send the digital files to Luke to be printed. Once they are printed, however, they need to be mailed (either to Fujis or the winning bidder) so I would like to have them completed by Thursday of this week (the 27th of Sept). The most important cards to be completed are obviously the ones already listed, as their deadline has come... MINI-MYTE's ZOMBIE Luke's MINOTAUR Shamrock's MUMMY antacost's FRANKENSTEIN boyd's MAD SCIENTIST punisher's INVISIBLE MAN jcastick's CYCLOPS newaddict's GHOST So, if each customizer could possibly send me a short blurb about their character, I will have the cards done in no time (and hopefully to Luke and printed before the auctions end). Thanks for the opportunity to participate on this project, Ill be sure to post the completed cards up here when Im done. Joe

TBT, You bring up interesting points. So far, I have just done the Swords suits, mostly because that was my assignment, I was to create a full suit of cards to accompany my class's Major Arcana. In a nutshell, I shouldnt have even taken that class because of my skill level with Photoshop, but the way school beauracracy works, my credits didnt transfer so I sat in as basically a teachers aid. My instructor saddled me with 14 cards to everyone elses 2. Now sweat off my back, I was able to knock them out faster than most people did their two. Im actually working on my own tarot deck using my first love (if I can call it that), Photography. I shoot Fashion, Glamour, and Fine Art as my profession (when I can get work) and I have a score of models that want to help out, but getting them into my studio is a trick all of its own. Thus why I turned to Minimates for my class project. I have tossed around the idea of making a full Minimate deck, but Im not sure how far it will go. I thought what can I do for the other 3 suits and the Major Arcana... I did think of making a license per suit, but I dont know if there are enough to go around... DC, Marvel, and LoTR seem to be the biggest liscenses... since the others are either still new or only boxes sets. Not to mention, a 5th license would be needed for the Major Arcana. Then once I iron out the licenses/suits I would have to go through and find characters that fit the proper symbolism (which took me the longest on this project... Yes for those of you who dont know, the characters were chosen specifically for that card, not at random). Maybe in time this could happen, but Im not holding my breath just yet. Its definately an idea I am toying with but unsure if I can pull off with the 'Mates available. But, heck there was a full deck made of Lego, so anything is really possible. Since you are familiar with Tarot (and I assume most characters in 'Mate form), Im open for suggestions if you have any. Since I am looking to sell my personal deck, once it is completed, I would have to do some leg work for the 'Mate deck to be available for purchase, especially if it includes more than one license. All in all, this is yet another school project that has become a long term project for me (Like my 'Mate comic book covers, and a few other projects I started while in my previous school). I hope to be able to create both decks at some point, even if the 'Mate deck is just for me personally, Im not against it. Thanks for the interest, and feel free to PM me with any suggestions, Joe

Thanks Antacost, I was just worried about the paint chipping of or not adhering at all. I guess it cant hurt to try. If it gets messed up, it wasnt too difficult to make in the first place.

Ok thanks... so far, I have been successful using a desk lamp to harden my sculptey... though it took the better part of a full day to harden the entire piece. Anyone have any luck painting scupltey once it has hardened? The piece I made was the hat for my Gandalf the Grey in my tarot card (also attached here again). But all I had was black sculptey. I changed the color and saturation in Photoshop just like I did for Gandalf's clothes and beard. Though Im actually working on making this a real custom (working on his staff now... hence why Im looking for Milliput). But I dont know how well paint will work on the sculptey. Anyone ever try to paint it? Joe

Ok... I know I saw this info somewhere here or MMHQ, but I didnt bookmark it, and now I cant find it again. Whats a good time/temperture to cook scupltey if it is on a Mate and cant be removed while soft? Also, can scupltey be painted once hardened? On a different note... anyone suggest a place where I can get some milliput online... none of my local retailers stock it. Joe

Welp, first off, this final is two part... these cards, and a 2-5 page paper on how we made the cards (symbolism and photoshop methods). Secondly, its not actually due until Tuesday, though Im pretty sure I'll do good... Just hope the instructor see the symbolism I saw when making these... Hes really into Tarot, a bit more than I couldve learned in the few weeks I spent researching them.

Well for my final project in a class Im taking, we were instructed to create (as a class) a Tarot Card deck (our instructor has a fetish for collecting Tarot decks). Due to my knowledge in Photoshop my final was changed from the class norm of creating two cards and a card back to creating an entire suit and a card back. No problem for me, the only issue I had was coming up with a theme for my cards (and then picking one of the four suits: Cups, Pentacles, Wands, and Swords). I chose to use Lord of the Rings as my theme and use my Minimates as my muses. Below are my created cards, all 14 cards in the suit and the card back. If I would've come up with this theme sooner I probably could've done a bit better, but I was restricted to the figures I owned (or pictures of those missing figures from the web). Each card's character was chosen due to the cards symbolism. Some cards are the negative symbolism attached to the card when it is read upside down... those cards have an inverted colored border. And there is one card (the Queen) that has inverted colors in its text due to the fact that the card would be read upside down as a male figure (though the character still fits the positive symbolism).

Here here! If half of the customs for this project come out as nice as the few I have seen, Im certian the Trading cards Im working on will be Top-Notch! Speaking of which... once Im finished with my current project (which should be in a few hours), Ill upload my most recent one sided Trading card... right now its still in its .PSD form and I dont have the resources on my computer to open another large file right this second. Joe

Now theres a Minimate I would pay for. I was born about 15mins from the Pine Barrens in S. NJ. The Jersey Devil is still feared around there by locals. My dad actually spend a good deal of time and effort researching it. Maybe I can see what I can whip up myself (though I have never customized a 'Mate before... guess I can give it a shot. Even if for myself.

Ok, I dropped the Power ratings off the 1 sided card mostly because I was unsure of how to use the ratings for this project. I can put it back on, so I doubt that would be an issue, Either I will make up some ratings, or the customizer can suggest how their characters will rate. I will modify the ratings so they are not a duplicate of Marvel's Power Grid. With this being said... will the addition of the Power ratings affect anyone's vote?? So far, if I counted right, we have 3 votes for single sided, and 2 votes for double sided. Joe

Ok, after talking to Fujis and Luke, I think the single sided card will work better, but I will leave the decision up to the project team. With that being said, I took the card I made using Mini Myte's Zombie and rearranged it a bit to fit on a single side. The resulting image will be about 3x5" in size. This time I used Luke's Minotaur custom. Keep in mind, that these will be more fleshed out in areas of information, spelling errors (after all, these were just quick mock ups ), the images will be of better resolution, and the final card will not have my watermark on it. So, now the comparision... the 2 sided card vs the 1 sided card...

Thanks Fujis, Im really excited to be onboard. Luke, that would be awesome. Ill be sure to compile them in a print ready form and send you the final copies once I can get them completed. Mini Myte, it was a pleasure working with your images. I hope to be able to everyone's customs justice. Now that I have more sleep under my belt, I can actually concentrate on my work, Ill go about refining the card I slapped together last night/this morning. When Im done, Ill post the result up here for all to see. This question goes out to all participants, but I guess its focused to Luke. So far, the way I envisoned these cards is really similar to the Marvel cards. Though I present them in a single image, the cards are really front and back (front is the left side, back is the right). Would this be a good idea, or would it be better to create a single side card? Either would be just as easy for me, but Im more worried about how they would be printed out, etc. Which ever works best for the project would be fine for me. Joe

Ok, I figured Id do a quick mock up of a possible card for the customs. I used Mini Mytes Zombie as an example. It took me about 30 mins tops to create this. Im thinking maybe somewhere on the back, I will put something about the person who did the customization, as well as maybe a disclaimer that this is done for a charity drive and not for profit. Let me know if you guys think it fits the project. Joe

Fujis I apologize for reaching this thread so late, but in my defense, I did just join I was reading along, and I really took an interest in this project, however I have not attempted to do a full customization yet. I got really excited when I read about the trading card idea, as this is a project I just started working on myself (as a side project to my comic book posters). I was going to volunteer my services for the trading cards but didnt want to step on hyejinx's toes, but since he had to drop the project, I guess the opportunitu has presented itsself to me again. As a testament to my skills in this area, I have attached three files below... the first is a scan of a marvel trading card, the second is my Minimate version of said card - as an exact duplicate, the third is my recreated template for these cards (since I wanted something a little more "mine" as opposed to using Marvel's template). All in all, I can pump out these cards in as little as a few hours. The only carch would be I would need high resolutions images of each and every custom (this may have to wait until Fujis has received the lot prior to listing). If the trading card idea is still available, Id be more than happy to take on this task, especially since I havent even begun to try customizing. Im not sure how we would go about printing these, but I was tossing the idea around about printing my own when I was completed (which wont be for a good while). However, something like this would probably end up costing me a decent amount to print, regarding cost of ink and paper... but I havent actually calculated it yet. Just thought Id throw my services out here. Joe

Thanks, Thats a good question... I took a picture of Powerhouse Thing and brought it into Photoshop. Placing a layer over it I filled that layer with white and dropped the opacity down so I could see Thing below it. Then on a second layer I traced it with the brush tool and a very small brush. Then when all was complete, I traced the outer black line on the white layer using the eraser tool, then removed the excess white outside the face. I created a Thing face, a Wolverine face, Spidey face and Captain America face this way for use on these covers. I wasnt sure if it was gonna work, but I liked the outcome so I kept them.

No Problem at all. If anyone else would like a wallpaper, just let me know which cover and what resolution and Ill see what I can do. Thanks for the support on my work here.

Ask and ye shall receive. I had to play around with the locations of everything to fit the wider format, but I still think it works for the overall image. Let me know what you think.

Well, After a bit of discussion in my poster thread, I decided to post some pictures of the quick customs I have been working on. It actually takes a great deal for me to alter an existing figure beyond changing parts. Im just crazy like that. But I am starting to play around with the idea of real customs. Below are my quick customs. Just a few figures I created by changing pieces from existing figures. Recipies (see pictures below): Name: Astonishing X-Men Wolverine Hair: Giant-sized Wolverine (recolored) Head: no change Torso: no change Arms: no change Hands: no change Crotch: no change Legs: no change Feet: no change Other: n/a Name: Johnny Storm Hair: Phasing Johnny Storm Head: Phasing Johnny Storm Torso: Mr. Fantastic Arms: Mr. Fantastic Hands: Mr. Fantastic Crotch: Mr. Fantastic Legs: Mr. Fantastic Feet: Mr. Fantastic Other: n/a Name: New X-Men Beast Hair: Astonishing X-Men Beast Head: SDCC Exclusive Cyclops Torso: New X-Men Wolverine Arms: New X-Men Wolverine Hands: New X-Men Wolverine Crotch: New X-Men Wolverine Legs: New X-Men Wolverine Feet: New X-Men Wolverine Other: New X-Men Wolverine Jacket & Belt Name: New X-Men Gambit Hair: Juggernaut Head: SDCC Cyclops (accents from Black Sharpie) Torso: New X-Men Cyclops Arms: New X-Men Cyclops Hands: New X-Men Cyclops Crotch: New X-Men Cyclops Legs: New X-Men Cyclops Feet: New X-Men Cyclops Other: Luke Cage Jacket / New X-Men Cyclops Belt Name: New X-Men Kitty Pride Hair: Astonishing X-Men Kitty Pride Head: Astonishing X-Men Kitty Pride Torso: New X-Men Jean Grey Arms: New X-Men Jean Grey Hands: New X-Men Jean Grey Crotch: New X-Men Jean Grey Legs: New X-Men Jean Grey Feet: New X-Men Jean Grey Other: New X-Men Jean Grey Jacket & Belt Name: New X-Men Rogue Hair: Rogue Head: Rogue Torso: New X-Men Jean Grey Arms: New X-Men Jean Grey Hands: New X-Men Jean Grey Crotch: New X-Men Jean Grey Legs: New X-Men Jean Grey Feet: New X-Men Jean Grey Other: New X-Men Wolverine Jacket & New X-Men Jean Grey Belt Name: New X-Men Storm Hair: Ultimate X-Men Storm Head: Ultimate X-Men Storm Torso: New X-Men Jean Grey Arms: New X-Men Jean Grey Hands: New X-Men Jean Grey Crotch: New X-Men Jean Grey Legs: New X-Men Jean Grey Feet: Ultimate X-Men Storm Other: New X-Men Jean Grey Jacket & Belt Name: Pheonix Hair: Dark Pheonix Head: New X-Men Jean Grey Torso: Dark Pheonix Arms: Dark Pheonix Hands: Dark Pheonix Crotch: Dark Pheonix Legs: Dark Pheonix Feet: Dark Pheonix Other: Dark Pheonix Belt Name: Red Skull Hair: n/a Head: Grey Ghost Rider Torso: Patch (colored lt blue) Arms: Patch Hands: Patch Crotch: Patch Legs: Patch Feet: Patch Other: Patch Jacket Name: Unmasked Captain America Hair: Sentry Head: no change Torso: no change Arms: no change Hands: no change Crotch: no change Legs: no change Feet: no change Other: Name: Non-Phasing Kitty Pride Hair: Astonishing X-Men Kitty Pride Head: Astonishing X-Men Kitty Pride Torso: Astonishing X-Men Kitty Pride Arms: Astonishing X-Men Cyclops Hands: Astonishing X-Men Cyclops Crotch: Astonishing X-Men Kitty Pride Legs: Astonishing X-Men Cyclops Feet: Astonishing X-Men Cyclops Other: Astonishing X-Men Kitty Pride Belt Name: Kryptonite Batman Hair: Chemical Wherehouse Batman Head: Gamma Hulk Torso: Gamma Hulk Arms: Gamma Hulk Hands: Chemical Wherehouse Batman & Gauntlets Crotch: Gamma Hulk Legs: Gamma Hulk Feet: Chemical Wherehouse Batman & Boot Other: Chemical Wherehouse Batman Belt & Cape Name: Quick Change Batman Hair: Quick Change Batman Head: New X-Men Cyclops Torso: Luke Cage (sides colored with black sharpie) Arms: Luke Cage Hands: Quick Change Batman Crotch: Luke Cage Legs: Luke Cage Feet: Luke Cage & Quick Change Batman Boots Other: Quick Change Batman Torso Covering &Cape Name: Bruce Wayne Hair: Wave 1 Batman Head: Wave 1 Batman Torso: C3 Stealth Batwing Bruce Wayne Arms: C3 Stealth Batwing Bruce Wayne Hands: QuC3 Stealth Batwing Bruce Wayne Crotch: C3 Stealth Batwing Bruce Wayne Legs: C3 Stealth Batwing Bruce Wayne Feet: C3 Stealth Batwing Bruce Wayne Other: n/a

Ok, so I was able to dig up the scans I used for the few recreations. There were really only three that I completely recreated, those being the Astonishing X-Men, the New Avengers, and the one Captain America. I used some covers as a reference / inspiration and I also included the originals here as well. The rest were just ideas that popped into my head and they kind of fleshed themselves out as I was posing the figures and/or as I was working in Photoshop. There are a few exceptions to this though. The X-Men with Jean Grey / Pheonix was thought up as an entry for a contest on deviantART.com. Only to find out prior to starting that the contest holder was looking for work to be done with her stock. The contest was entitled Good Girl vs Bad Girl. I immediately thought up that design, since I couldnt enter it into the contest, I decided to do the cover anyhow. Another exception is the B&W Hulk. That was actually shot with a Large Format 4x5 view camera as an assignment in my Large Format & Lighting class at AiC. I really liked how it turned out, but I couldnt leave well enough alone, so I added the title and other stuff to make it a cover. The orange/red Ghost Rider cover was inspired by the movie (and the 2007 release of the black costumed GR), the Silver Surfer cover was always a cover I wanted to do, so I followed a Photoshop tutorial on how to make planets and such, then threw the surfer in front of it all. Likewise the Hell-Cycle shown in the black Ghost Rider cover is a Marvel Legends Showdown cycle resized in Photoshop with the figure posed to fit on it. Since this was brought up, I guess Ill make a thread in the quick customs section showing my work, since most of my figures are quick customs. Luke... I dont really have higher res versions hosted anywhere. The largest you will find is a 900x600 px version on my deviantART page (http://deviantart.jpapasso.com)... Though these are extremely large files, resized for the web. When I make a cover I start out at 24"x36" at 300ppi (10800x7200 px). If anyone wanted a Wallpaper, I could probably make one (especially since most would require a bit of shifting around of stuff to fit a monitor resolution). Just let me know which one and what resolution and Ill throw one up here. Dan... Thanks for noticing the Gambit custom. Im on the wagon with all those who saw the gambit on the poster and have been waiting for him to be released. My gambit is actually a partial custom... He is the SDCC exclusive Cyclops head (the one that came with Dk Pheonix), with Juggernaut's hair, on gray Ghost Rider's body, with Jean Grey's jacket. Oh and Robin's staff with a piece of thick paper for his card. The reason I call him a partial custom is the colors of his clothes (including the accents on the side of his face and details on the card) were added in Photoshop. Im actually working on an actual Gambit custom, so far using the same head/hair combo (with the accents sharpied in) but so far I just have a new cyclops body (sans jacket). I also created a few other partial customs for these covers. Redskull was gray Ghosty (sans shoulder armor) with color added in Pshop. Beast was SDCC cyclops's chest, new wolverine's jacket, arms and legs, and yellow wolverine's face with Civiliam logan's hair recolored in Pshop. This custom was made prior to the release of Astonishing beast, which I prompty bought two of and actually made my new x-men beast that I intended in that cover.

Thanks for the comment Dan. Some of these I tried to duplicate an existing cover... for those, Ill try to locate my scan and post them up here, but others I came up with myself.

Hello all, Im pretty new to the Multiverse, but not to the world of Minimates. Ive been collecting Minimates for about a year now. My obsession began with the work I am displaying on this page, but my ideas have since grown by leaps and bounds in regards to what it capable with Minimates. Well, I did not find the Minimate Multiverse in time to compete in the Minimate Movie Poster Contest, although I really would have liked to. But I still felt I would like to share some of my work with other Minimate lovers out here. The basis of my posters here started in a Photoshop class I was attending at the Art Institute of Colorado when I was there in the Photography BA program. We were to create a CD cover for our final project in the class. There were enough people in the class that wanted the option to do a book cover that the instructor allowed it. I had just purchased the Darktide set and thought about doing an X-Men cover, but realized I didnt have enough of the X-Men to pull it off. Upon searching ebay, I came across the TRU 4pk of the Fantastic Four, so I bought them. After finding a Dr. Doom and a few different Fantastic Four figs at a local Target, I decided to do a Fantastic Four cover. After the class I began my collection (which now totals over 200 Minimates) and the ideas for more covers came to me in floods. Below are the result of most of these ideas. I currently have 5 covers in the works and a few new ideas Im working on running with. Im even thinking of implimenting customization into my Minimate projects. Id love to hear from the community here in regards to my covers. If anyone would be curious as to how these were completed, Id be glad to share my methods. I have had a few friends of mine master Photoshop just from the techniques I showed them when asked how I did these posters. Joe