Spotlight On: Cesar's Marvel Disney Villains Customs

"I was commissioned by a fan of my work to make a 3 piece villains set for the event "13 Reflections of Evil" that will take place in September. What better way to portray villains than with Marvel ones. Donald as Doctor Doom has to be the hardest carded custom to date. Donald's beak was sculpted and that added more weight to the figure."

"Mounting it is more of a challenge because the plastic bubble has to be able to support that extra weight. But in the end it worked out. So for the people attending the event in Florida, be sure to check out these Marvel Disney Villains in person."

Cesar Diaz
mycustomations.com
customations@gmail.com
Twitter: mycustomations
Facebook: http://goo.gl/szY27
Instagram: customations

Star Wars with Style: A Cesar Diaz Custom Vinylmation Series

Wow. As a Star Wars fan, this is one the coolest custom Vinylmation series I have seen. Cesar Diaz is known for great quality customs and this Saturday, July 6th he will release his latest series... Star Wars with Style.

Here are the details. Each figure in this 12 figure series was created by Cesar Diaz. Based on well known Star Wars characters, Cesar has designed each one wearing some stylish threads. Each figure is then placed in custom "action figure" like bubble card and encased in a plastic clam shell for protection. The card itself is a work of art. Here is a closer look at the ten known figures, but we will have to wait to see the two chasers.

$110 gets you one of these customs, but you are buying it blind... meaning you do not choose the figure you want. It is randomly chosen for you after purchase. Here is the sale link. Remember, these do not go on sale until 7pm PST/10pm EST on Saturday, July 6th, but you may want to bookmark that... these are sure to go quick.

You can also follow Cesar Diaz on Facebook to get updates on his latest creations and contact him.

Spotlight On: Cesar Diaz's Custom Iron Man with Packaging

Destination Vinylmation: What inspired this custom creation?
Cesar Diaz: Iron Man 3 of course. For me this is the most anticipated movie this year. I've always been a big Star Wars toy collector. I have hundreds of carded figures and I love the look the toy brings when it's carded. I knew I wanted to do a Iron Man Mark 42 suit in honor of the movie but I felt it wasn't enough just making a custom vinyl, I had to step it up a notch. So I started researching how to make custom card backs and to my surprise I found out that a lot of people do Star Wars toy restoration. I got very fascinated how they do this and hence began my journey to make my own card back.

DV: Was the packaging difficult to create?
CD: 90% of the work is done in Photoshop  Luckily I know Photoshop pretty well so no problem there. The challenge was to find a bubble blister that would fit a Vinylmation. I never realized how chubby Vinylmations are until I actually tried to make it fit in the bubble. I did a a lot of trial and error until I got it just right.

DV: Are you excited about the results?
CD: I'm really happy how this piece turned out and this has to be one of my favorites. I've received so many PMs to buy this piece so to make things fair I've decided to post it on Vinylmation Exchange: Bid Wars. Later in the week I will post on my FB page www.facebook.com/mycustomations when it will go up for auction.

Cesar Diaz
mycustomations.com
customations@gmail.com
Twitter: @mycustomations
Facebook: http://goo.gl/szY27
Instagram: customations

New Giveaway by artist Cesar Diaz

In the words of artist Cesar Diaz:

Giveaway time! This week I'm giving away a custom 3" LGM wearing his Mickey ears.

To win this little green guy you have to do the following...

1. You must like the Customations by Cesar Diaz Facebook page to be eligible for the giveaway
2. You must leave a comment under the picture on the Customations by Cesar Diaz Facebook page. Any comment will do BUT remember only one comment per person please.

Giveaway starts now and will end next Saturday Jan 26th at 10am PST. I will then use a random generator to pick one winner. Good luck everyone!

Artist Cesar Diaz Giveaway!

Before we get to the free stuff, Cesar wanted to share this custom with everyone.

It is Mr. Incredible and his car! People sure are doing amazing things with that Vinylmation 95 platform. OK, Giveaway time! This week Cesar is giving away a custom 3D pin of Stitch disguised as Mickey.

To win this little guy you have to do the following...

1. You must like his Facebook page to be eligible for the giveaway
2. You must leave a comment under the picture that says....
"I would like to win a Stitch 3D pin" (one comment per person please)

Giveaway starts now and will end next Saturday Jan 5th at 10am PST. Cesar will then use a random generator to pick one winner. Good luck everyone!

Artist Cesar Diaz Custom Vinylmation Giveaway

A message from artist Cesar Diaz:

GIVEAWAY TIME! This week I'm giving away Agent 626.

But as you can see on this picture 626 is missing a title for his next big adventure. Thats where you come in. To win this little guy you have to do the following...

1. You must like my Facebook page to be eligible for the giveaway
2. You must come up with a title name for 626 next adventure (one title name per person please. Once a title has been used, you cant use it again)

Not only will the random winner win Agent 626, but they will also win a mini poster with his/her's title name printed on the poster. Giveaway starts now and will end next Saturday DEC. 8th at 10am PST. I will then use a random generator to pick one winner. Good luck!

www.facebook.com/mycustomations

Cesar is Giving Away a Custom Vinylmation!

Artist Cesar is Giving Away a Custom Vinylmation! Here are the details:


This week's giveaway will be Mickey Skellington. Mickey is ready for Halloween and is dressed up as everyone's favorite bone daddy.

To win, you must do the following:

1. You must like my Facebook page to be eligible for the giveaway
2. You must leave a comment under this picture that says "Bone Daddy Mickey for me"

Giveaway starts now and will end next Sunday Oct 14th at 10am PST. I will then use a random generator to pick one winner. Good luck!

Custom Star Wars by Cesar

On the eve of Star Wars Celebration VI in Orlando, we take a look at a great deal by a wonderful custom artist Cesar Diaz on his latest Star Wars creations.

I was a bit surprised that there are no Jawas or Cantina Band members in the Star Wars 2 set. So I decided to sell a few customs of my own for a special price of $28 per vinyl with shipping. Please can visit my Facebook page to purchase at www.facebook.com/mycustomations. - Cesar Diaz

$28 for a 3" custom is a great price and Cesar's work is always top notch. Checks these and all his other customs out at his Facebook page. 

Avenger's Assemble

MC went to the midnight showing of Marvel's The Avengers late last night and well, he really thought it rocked. So if you want to see a kick butt movie with great effects and a fun script check it out. It opened today. And just remember that it's a Disney property now that they own Marvel, so you're supporting your favorite mouse.

Above is a look at Cesar Diaz' Captain America that we spotlighted a while ago. Check out that post here:

Spotlight On: Cesar's Cap

Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artist Cesar Diaz

Cesar Diaz, one of our frequent spotlighted artists, is holding a contest. Visit his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mycustomations and LIKE it. Once he reaches 50 LIKES, he will give away this Vinylmation:

it's Marvin from the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. Cesar also gave us a look at his latest creations.

He has produced five bounty hunters from Empire Strikes Back.

He also has designed a Star Wars iPhone case.

Good work as always Cesar! Please support him by visiting his Facebook page where you can view his other customs and contact him about purchases.

Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artist Cesar Diaz

Destination Vinylmation: Why was captain america chosen as the subject for this custom?
Cesar: I made this custom for a friend of mine who I asked to help me advertise The Customation Project last year. In return I would make him a 9" vinyl of his choice. And so Captain America was the chosen one.

DV: I find one of the hardest part of really taking a custom to the next level are the details. I understand that a majority of it has to do with practice and artistic ability, but can you give some tips for beginners trying to add details like shading and clothing ripples as well as how best to apply such lines?
Cesar: The best tip I can give is spend the extra cash to get some good quality brushes and paints. It makes all the difference with the end result. Plus practice, practice, practice.

DV: OK, the shield is awesome! How did you go about making that accessory?
Cesar: The shield was a challenge. I basically said to myself, if I can't get the shield to work I might as well not even make the vinyl. I experimented with different ideas on how I can make a decent shield for such a big vinyl. I ended up using a frisbee and some craft foam. I'm pretty satisfied with the end result.

DV: We know you were a huge LOST fan. Are you into J.J. Abrams new TV show Alcatraz? Already planning any vinyls for it yet?
Cesar: I first heard about Alcatraz last year at the San Diego Comic Con and I was very excited for the show. When I finally saw the 2 hour premiere I was actually very disappointed. I found the show slow and boring. By the second half of the premiere I was already asleep. So unfortunately I have no vinyls planed for Alcatraz.

DV: Any plans yet for a second Vinylmation custom artist show?
Cesar: I actually do plan to have a second show this year if time allows it. My brother and I have been talking about it and we both agree that we want to have it somewhere in LA.

Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artist Cesar

Update: 10/30/11 Remember, Cesar's custom Zombie Vinylmation go on sale Monday, October 31! There will be 31 different Zombies to choose from. See more info at MyCustomations.com. And check out the interview below for details.

DV: If someone is new to the site, could you review who you are and how long you've been making customs?
Cesar: For those of you that don’t know who I am, my name is Cesar Diaz and I’ve been creating custom Vinylmations for a good year and a half now. Recently I organized and put together The Customation Project with the help of Proxart, Toi and Romo. It was an art show displaying custom vinyl work by six talented artists.

DV: This is a special release, tell us more about the details?
Cesar: The Zombie vinyl’s will be sold on my website (mycustomations.com) on Halloween morning for $40 each plus $8 shipping. There will be a total of 31 unique, one of a kind Zombies; basically one Zombie per day for the month of October. Each Zombie will be signed and dated according to the day it was made. They will be sold at random and are limited to one Zombie per person, per household. You don’t know who you’re going to get, but your guaranteed an original design.

DV: Zombies, eh? Where did you come up with the idea for a whole set of Zombies?
Cesar: The idea for the Zombie set has been floating around in my head since last year. To be exact it was when I saw the premiere of the TV show The Walking Dead on Halloween night. At the time it was obviously too late to start any Zombie customs. Plus I was still experimenting with techniques on creating custom Vinylmations so the project was put on hold. Months later when I created the LOST set, the idea of the Zombies came back to me. Originally I was going to make 12 Zombies, but unfortunately I had to put the idea on hold again because I got so busy making 9” customs for the Customation Project. Now that the show is over I went back to the Zombie idea. I rethought how I was going to make them and the quantity. 12 Zombies is just not enough! You need an army of them! Then I came up with the idea of making 31 Zombies for 31 days of October.

DV: We know you're not finished with all of them yet, but which ones are your favorite so far?
Cesar: I'm having so much fun making my version of Zombies. So far they're all my favorite.

DV: Where there any challenges involved with these characters?
Cesar: I haven't encountered any problems as of yet. From the start I knew I wanted to make the ears the night sky with the moon, clouds and the stars.

DV: What's your favorite Zombie movie?
Cesar: George Romero's Night of the Living Dead of course!

DV: If this is successful, will you do another set for next year's Halloween or other holidays?
Cesar: I would love to keep doing Zombie sets. They don't necessarily have to be for Halloween. I would love to do a Walking Dead set.

DV: Will any of the Zombies come with a brain accessory?
Cesar: Sorry Nick, no accessories this time around. Maybe next time.

DV: Thanks for your time, and once again, great figures. We hope the sale goes well!
Cesar: Thank you very much. Your readers can follow me on twitter at @mycustomations to see up to the minute info and pics of upcoming Zombies.

Teaser- Cesar's Newest Creations

Our buddy Cesar over at mycustomations.com is getting ready to announce the release of his latest vinylmation creations. This Friday, he should be letting everyone know more about his special Halloween release. Check out mycustomations.com this Friday and then come back here for an interview with the creator himself.

The Customation Project Wrap Up

Congratulations to Cesar and all the artists involved in The Customation Project. It was an event held in California on September 24 showcasing the talents of custom Vinylmation artists. We would like to share some pictures and a video from the event. The full photo album, and believe me, you MUST see it, can be viewed here.

The Customation Project from Antonio Diaz on Vimeo.

Spawn by Celeste

Dia des los Mickey by Lucas Yoshida

Batman and Joker by Cesar

Marty McFly and Disneyland by Angie Annett

Epic Donald by Chelsey Zhang

The Faries Den by Celeste

Soldier by Chelsey Zhang

Dr. Jones and Dharma Mickey by Cesar

From left to right: Jesus Paez, Chelsey Zhang, Celeste Villanueva, Lucas Yoshida, Cesar Diaz, Angie Annett.

The Customation Project

Destination Vinylmation supports custom artists in the community with our Spotlight On articles, so we are really excited about this upcoming art show put together by one of our featured artists Cesar Diaz. This event will take place on September 24th in Newhall, CA. If you are in the area, be sure to stop by and check it out. Details can be found below and at www.MyCustomations.com. We are also happy to announce we will be Spotlighting the artists involved in the event soon.

Unofficial Vinylmation Art Show Announced

Vinylmation Custom Artist Cesar Diaz has a very special announcement:

For a while now I’ve had this idea where I want to put together a custom Vinylmation art show. Well that idea is now becoming a reality. I’ve already booked an art gallery to display the custom vinyls I make. But I didn’t stop there! I have invited 5 more custom artists to join me and display their work as well. The artists that are involved are Celeste Villanueva, Chelsey Zhang, Lucas Yoshida, Jesus Paez and Angie Annett. I’m calling the show “The Customation Project” It will be hosted my PROXART. Check out their website proxart.org to find out more info on them. The show will be on September 24th from 7pm-10pm  in the city of Newhall CA. I think this vinyl show will be a great way to bring art fans, vinyl fans, Disney fans all together.

Thanks for your time
-Cesar Diaz

For more information on this event, visit www.mycustomations.com. We will have more information about this event in the coming weeks.

Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artist Cesar Diaz

Cesar is becoming a staple of our Spotlight On segment. This prolific custom artist has put out another great piece... Syndrome, the villain from Pixar's The Incredibles.

Syndrome was a request from a buddy of mine. I had a load of fun making him. I specially like working with his hair.
My original plan was to paint his cape. But I thought it would look so much better if it was fabric.

I am now thinking of characters that have hair because I want to start making more 9" vinyls with hair.

Spotlight On: Vinylmation Custom Artist Cesar Diaz

As part of today's Star Wars celebration we have a very special Star Wars themed custom to show! Custom Vinylmation Cesar Diaz from California, who created a great looking LOST set, just finished a 9” Star Wars Tusken Raider. We talked to him recently about this design.

Destination Vinylmation: Tell us about the process of conceptualizing a figure like this? Does it start with a 2D drawing, or do you pencil right onto the Vinylmation?

Cesar: All the vinyls I create always start off as a drawing on paper. The final vinyl always ends up looking a tad different than the 2D version. More detail it seems.

DV: There is a ton of detail in this figure. Was the idea always to add accessories, such as the horns and the weapon?

Cesar: Oh of course! In my head I always saw him that way. What's a Tusken without his staff?

DV: What is the staff made out of?

Cesar: The weapon is a combination of wood, super sculpey and craft foam. Oh and a old black t-shirt for wrapping the staff.

DV: Why did you choose the Tusken Raider and do you have plans for more characters from the Star Wars universe?

Cesar: My original plan was to do a Sand Trooper. When I told my friend the idea he said a Tusken Raider would look so much better. And you know what? He was right! As for more Star Wars characters, I do plan to make more 9" ones. I already made a 3" Greedo to go with Han Solo.

DV: Even going back to the LOST series, you always seem to make fantastic use out of the Vinylmation's ears. Was that part of the canvas ever a challenge for you, or do you enjoy using your creativity to make the ears work?

Cesar: I'm the kind of artist that believes in making things work with what you got. I will never alter the vinyl in anyway. If I ever do, it stops becoming a vinylmation. The ears are always a challenge. Part of creating something is solving the problems it comes with.

DV: As an artist, what are your first impressions of the new Vinylmation 3" mold and do you want to see that form come to create your owns?

Cesar: I'm actually a bit disappointed in the new mold. I really hate the fact that the new mold has no nose and no buttons. It is now a semi looking Mickey. If they changed the hands but kept the same body, I wouldn't have a problem with it. But I also believe in "Don't judge a book by it's cover". I understand why they did it. And I am curious to try the new mold.

DV: What's next for Cesar?

Cesar: Well....I have a grip of vinyls lined up to create. My next 9", which I'm creating right now is going to be pretty cool. I wish I could create vinylmations for a living. But for now, customizing will do just fine.

DV: Cesar, thank you for you time today. Where can people see more of your customs?

Cesar: If anyone is interested in seeing the rest of my work, please visit my website at mycustomations.com