Top Hat Sasquatch

Last year I came across a post on Strange Kids Club about some TMNT art by an artist named Christopher Lee. I quickly reposted his work here and ordered some prints. Fast forward one year and I have more than eighteen square feet of wall space with Chris’s work, including prints of his TMNT, Star Wars, and Ghostbusters art.

You’ve probably seen Chris’s work even if you haven’t read about him online. Chris is an independent designer and illustrator and his client list includes Target, Disney, and Hasbro. If you’ve seen the cool 3D Adventure Book gift card at Target, you’ve seen Chris’s art.

Along with his girlfriend he runs the shop The Birds & the Beasts, and also happens to have a truly amazing collection of 80s and 90s toys.

After a year of buying his art, blogging about it, and stalking following him on Instagram, I thought it would be fun to interview him for the site. So, read on to learn more about Chris’s work, influences, and his amazing toy collection.

Special thanks to Tim and Rob for contributing some of the questions!

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Metalhead. He was one of my favorite TMNT toys when I was a kid, I don’t even remember him from the cartoon, and I was insanely pumped when I heard they were using him in the new Nickelodeon cartoon. Unlike Nick’s rebooted versions of Rat King and Leatherhead, Metalhead looked to be a more direct homage to the 80s toys. After a couple weeks of searching the toy aisles looking for him I finally found him, along with Dogpound and Fishface.

I love this guy.

The 2012 version of Metalhead is divisive among TMNT fans. Some, like me, love it, and others seem to think he’s too simple and boxy. I think he fits in great with the style of the new show and is a damn cool action figure.

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I love love love pixel art. I also love massively detailed illustrations. Artist “Jimmy Something” combined both of these to perfection. When the image rose to the top of Reddit on Friday morning, I pored over every square inch.

The artist, going by jimmypewpew on Twitter, drew the floor of a his own “Pxl Con,” a thriving geek convention filled with an enormous variety of cosplayers and celebrities. The full illustration is 1200 x 848 pixels in size and took Jimmy over a year to create.

Take a detailed look at his intense work. You’ll see all your favorites and a few nods to various aspects of geek culture. On the large image I’ve added a map-like letter and number grid to help you find and share the location of interesting vignettes. For instance, check out the Mythbusters’ verdict on director Michael Bay’s (now dormant) re-imagining of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. You’ll find it at coordinates A-1.

I also love the scene where Dorothy, the Lion, and the Tin Man watch was their friend the Scarecrow is welcomed by fellow Batman villains Two-Face, Poison Ivy, the Riddler, and the Penguin. That’s at J-6.

There are also many obscure references which make this piece true amazing: Bronies at G-7, Flight of the Conchords in their Robot costumes at I-6, and an evil purple tentacle from the 1993 video game “Day of the Tentacle” at F-8.

Share your favorite parts in the comments below. Check out the rest of Jimmy’s fabulous work at jimmysomething.com.

No, I’m not talking about the (hopefully) awesome actual-movie that comes out in 2014, I’m talking about a direct-to-Blu-ray movie in the same vein as the LEGO Star Wars: The Padawan Menace thing that was way better than it needed to be.

I didn’t recognize many voice actors but Clancy Brown was definitely Lex Luthor, which makes me happy. This comes out in early 2013 and I can’t wait.

Seeing Superman be a dick in LEGO form sounds fun.

Via The Mary Sue

Do you want a chance to win this awesome new poster by artist, toy collector, and friend of the site Christopher Lee? The ink has barely dried on his latest masterpiece but he’s letting me give three posters away to coincide with an interview I’ll be running later this week. Read on for details on the contest; this will be a special one for you TMNT fans!

If you follow Chris on Instagram (and you should), you’ve been lucky enough to see him post these TMNT characters over the last few months. Every day I would open it up waiting to see what action figures he had tackled next, and now it’s finished. From Chris:
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