Monster Monday

This week I'm sharing some monsters that aren't of the soft and squishy variety, but that doesn't deter from the absolute CUTENESS OVERLOAD at all! I've been watching this shop for AGES but everything sells so quickly it wasn't until I got more vigilant in my stalking techniques that I was finally able to bring a couple home for my own collection. ;) I'm not one for 'dust catcher' collections, I got rid of all my figurines of that nature a number of years ago because I HATED having to move them and dust them all the time. Never say never. Because I've made an exception for the Beastlies and I will smile when I dust the top of the bookshelf where they sit now because I am IN LOOOOOOVE!!! Meet my Beastlies...

Dingie

Williby (with my ChapStick for size comparison)

and both Beastlies together... Dingie is kind of a scaredy cat ;)

tell me they are not absolutely painfully adorable!! You should see them in person, the tiny details are just astonishing! Seriously. Some of the spots on Williby's back are smaller than a pin head!! A PIN HEAD PEOPLE! That's tiny!! Even the tiny white spot in the center of each pupil is a dot of clay!! I have no idea how she does it! Not surprisingly, this shop crazy popular! The brilliant artist behind it all posts a few new creatures every couple of days or so and they are usually gone before you can blink! Once I clicked on 'add to cart' and in the few seconds it took my cart to load, it was SOLD to someone else!! Check out some of the other cuties that I am sad to say I missed out on...

Leslie was kind enough to take a few minutes out of her busy day to answer a few questions for us. :) read on to find out more about how the Beastlies came to be...



-Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Leslie and I make the Beastlies! I live in LA with my husband and cats, and I sculpt pretty much all the time. Some friends and I write a webcomic together, which I sculpt when i'm not making Beastlies. 

-What is your shop name and is there a story behind it?
Beastlies.  The story behind it is just that I make small monsters, and wanted a word that sort of conveyed the monster-ness and also small, cute side.  I ended up deciding on Beastlie when I combined "beast" and my first name. 

-How did you get started making monsters?

I sculpted a lot of little characters and animals when I was a kid, but then I gave it up for more "serious" art.  A couple years ago, I had the urge to try it again. I started out making cats and dogs and elephants and such, but they slowly started evolving into the Beastlies.  

-What inspires and motivates you to create?

I love animation and the Muppets. I sell Beastlies at a lot of comic festivals and conventions, and just being around all the amazing, small-press creators is really inspiring.  It's worth going to those events just to be immersed in that many interesting artists.  As for motivation, if you're passionate about something, you have to devote yourself to it and make it the thing you work harder at than anything else.  I quit my day job, which was a job I actually liked, to do Beastlies full time, and it's a ton of work, but I'm so glad I did it.  If you want to be a full-time creator, then you push yourself.  I dunno, is that too self-helpy?  I think people motivate themselves because they are driven to do the thing they love.

-If you could have one super power, what would it be and why?

I would be some kind of super-chef.  Like, if I could make brilliant food just by thinking about it, that would be ideal.  I love cooking, but I don't have time to do it enough to be great at it, and that kind of bums me out.

-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?

Foods: All kinds of cheese. Cake. Tea.  Blueberries. And I kind of love roasted beets right now.  

TV shows: Buffy, Firefly, Arrested Development, Farscape, Lost.  I'm a nerd.  

Bands: Yikes... I've been listening to Janelle Monae a lot lately.  She's great.  I dunno!  While I sculpt, I tend to put on podcasts or film scores.  I've got a playlist with music from Ratatouille, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and How to Train Your Dragon that gets used a lot.  Again, nerd.

-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?
EvaFunderburgh does amazing ceramic creatures 

lwong is a friend of mine whose art I just adore

specimen7 is another lovely artist who also makes small creatures, but with a very different style.  

-One year from now, I hope...

To be farther along in various Beastlie-related endeavors...  If things just keep chugging along like they are now, I'll be a happy camper.

-Where can we find you on the internet? 

Beastlies.com is my main site, and from there you can get to Twitter, FB, Flickr, and Etsy!  (Oh, and the webcomic is at TheAtrox.com.  It's about a former man-eating monster who is trying reform and be civilized. Recently, though, we've been following a quest that some viking bunnies are on.)

 The artist herself at a comic festival, selling Beastlies

and her work space... where the magic happens!! 

You might be able to get your own Beastlie... if you're faster than me that is! Trust me, I've perfected my quick reflexes when it comes to clicking 'add to cart' and 'checkout'! ;) 

Stay tuned for another edition of Monster Monday next week!!