Paper &...: Interview with Sillof

I recently had the chance to pick Sillof's brain. For those of you who don't know who Sillof is, he is a toy customizer as well as a stop-action short film creator. Sillof is pronounced "Si" (like Psi or Sci-fi ) and "llof" (like cough or pilaf).

Sillof is the creator of many great custom figures. His lines include West Wars, Gaslight Justice League, Star Wars 1942 and many more.

Here is the interview first then a small gallery of my favorites to follow.

________________________________________________________________________

1) Do you have a real name? Or are you like a masked hero who doesn’t want to reveal his identity to the world?

I do have a real name but I keep it secret. But, not for any noble reason. I am a high school teacher and when my students found out about this hobby years ago it was all they wanted to talk about. They thought it was cool but I decided to keep these 2 aspects of my life separate

2) Where does the name Sillof come from? Does it mean something?

The name was actually a name I used to use in class in examples or on tests as a generic king, default deity, or culture.

3) Who is your favorite artist?

I have no formal art training so my interest all over the place. If you mean traditional artists they would range from Mucha, Van Gogh, Dali, Titian, El Greco, Goya, and tons more. I am also influenced heavily by pulp art and film production design.

4) Of all of the customs you have made which of your artwork pieces is your favorite?

It is hard to choose my favorite. My top 5 would be

Steam Wars: R2, 3P0, Vader, & Boba Fett

Brazil: Harry Tutle

Western Boba Fett & Obi Wan

Victorian Iron Man

WWII: R2 & 3PO

5) How long does it normally take you take to complete custom figure?

The process is very long, drawn out, and separated. I have an idea, I think about it for a while, I list some aspects, collect some parts, put them together, sculpt new pieces, paint them and then finish them. The actual construction can be very quick. But it really depends on how into the idea I am and how much free time I have. I generally do this when my daughter naps or after my wife goes to sleep for the night.

6) What steps do you normally take when making a custom?

See above response

7) You've started doing stop action movies. What was the inspiration behind that?

I have a production company and we make films on the side. I would love do production design for films professionally. The new stop motion movies is what I started doing originally. When I was a kid I made figures for stop motion films I made with my parents 8mm and later VHS cameras. The recent films were just fun return to a child hood interest.

8) Your Toy Wars movies are all between 4 and 4.5 minutes. How long does it normally take to make one?

If you don’t count slowly making customs and dioramas for years they actually came together quickly. Like with most things I do a lot of my process in my head. Therefore, I knew exactly what I wanted before I started. Once I sat down to shoot the film I could knock out the shooting of a chapter in a couple days. But the stop motion is a little rough and involves cheating, but it looks like what I used to do when I was a kid – just with better figures and dioramas. The editing might have taken another day.

9) Growing up did you watch Star Wars and read comic books? Do you have a favorite superhero?

Yes and Yes, but quietly. I have been a lifelong fan of Star Wars, films, and comics. My favorite comic book characters would be Daredevil. I am also a fan of Hellboy, Dr. Strange, Planetary, and Swamp Thing.

10) You being a history teacher and all, if you could meet any body in history who would it be and why?

That is tough. Apparently I can’t answer simple questions. I would say I would like to meet Voltaire, Tesla, Da Vinci, Churchill, Twain, and others. I admire them, their accomplishments, and find them fascinating.

11) If you could do this for a living would you? Would you like to see your toys massed produced or is there a satisfaction in making a one-of-a-kind toy?

I love teaching, but I would love to do this for a living. Really, I would love to do anything creative - making toys, designing films, making props, making movies, writing comics. There is a satisfaction of 1 of kind toys but there are restrictions to that market. Obviously, they are limited and more expensive. I would love for more people to be able to have my stuff.

12) So what’s next on your plate?

I just opened a For Sale page on my site that offers some of the most popular lines I have done.

I have 2 new custom lines that are already completed. They will be coming out in the next few months. They are without a doubt the best lines I have done.

I plan on finishing some of the stop motion film and starting a few scenes from ESB (Empire Strikes Back) and ROTJ (Return of the Jedi.)

I have begun an art exchange with artist I like. We are exchanging a custom figure of their design for a painting of my design. Prints will be available of their work.

I have been approached about the possibility adapting some of my ideas for films. But, that is in the very early stages.

I also might be making props for a few upcoming films.

I have written a comic of an original character and we are in the process of looking for a penciller.

13) What would you tell aspiring customizers?

Personally, I would say 2 things.

1) Just keep makings stuff. I have been doing this for over 15 years. I feel that my stuff is still evolving and getting better each time.

2)Just do what makes you happy. I don’t really do commissions. I enjoy doing my own designs, some like to create traditional interpretations. In the end, I make what I want. Maybe I sell it, maybe I keep it, but I did what I wanted to do and it made me happy.

________________________________________________________________________