Author: Magen Mitchell

Magen Mitchell is the artist and designer behind Obake Style. She’s a lifelong illustrator with a passion for all things cute and scary. She’s inspired by both traditional folk art and modern pop art and this duality is mirrored in her lowbrow artwork and her commercial illustrations. Magen’s been a nerd since before it was cool. Her earliest inspirations to draw came from comic books, Dungeons & Dragons, and untranslated anime. She’s never really moved away from those subjects, but she’s added landscapes, cats, and demons to her repertoire. The obake in Obake Style roughly translates as “changeling” in Japanese. It implies the concept of illusion, of something different just below the surface. It’s also a catch all term for monsters, spooks, and other scary things. Magen felt it was a good thematic symbol of her body of work. She hopes you agree.

Posted on July 1, 2014July 2, 2014 by Magen Mitchell — Leave a comment

Neapolitan Negora

Last week, we blogged about being invited to the Konyatsu Dai Kaiju show at Q Pop. We had a chance to look at the preview photos and it looks amazing. The problem with participating in shows like these is you spend more money than you make! This is the toy we created for it:

It’s Neapolitan Negora, the candy cat! We knew the sprinkles on the back would really bring this piece together so we bought some polymer sprinkles (no time to make them) and sealed them on using Mod Podge. The Mod Podge gave the brown a shiny, melted chocolate look that became a happy accident.

Posted on June 24, 2014July 2, 2014 by Magen Mitchell — Leave a comment

Konatsu at Qpop

We’re big fans of Konatsu’s Negora toys. They’re super cute kaiju cats! We own both a Negora and micro Negora, shown here. Our dreams came true when our friends at Q Pop told us they are hosting a US show for Konatsu and they invited Magen to paint one of the Negoras!

Konatsu’s toys are based on a series of paintings she made about monster animals enjoying some outdoor recreation. See more of her work here.

Posted on June 23, 2014July 2, 2014 by Magen Mitchell — Leave a comment

Fugu Necklace

Quick, name the cutest fish you can think of. Yeah, we had a hard time with that one, too. Eventually, we decided that the Pufferfish is about as cute as a fish can get. Just look at those bulging eyes! They’re like the poisonous Chihuahuas of the sea. We made these Fugu Necklaces so you can wear the second-deadliest vertebrate as a cute charm!

Fugus (Pufferfish, Balloonfish, etc.) have long been a delicacy of Asian cooking. Fugu bones have been recovered from 2300 year-old, Jomon-era middens in Japan. Fugu chefs have to be specially licensed to prepare and serve this dangerous fish, resulting in a few deaths every year. Recently, scientists discovered that puffer toxin is created by the poisonous bacteria puffers eat. Several aquaculture companies now sell poison-less puffers by farm-raising Fugus with strict diets.

Kawaii desu ne?

Whether you like marine biology, exotic gastronomy, or you just like cute animals in wearable formats, this Fugu Necklace is for you!

Posted on May 14, 2014May 15, 2014 by Magen Mitchell — Leave a comment

Debris Japan

When we first saw Restore’s Debris Japan figure, we knew we had to have it. It’s such a great oni sculpt and the talismans are a really nice touch. Unfortunately, we were a little broke during the release of the initial figure so we waited for a re-release. We were finally able to get our hands on a blue colorway from Lulubell Toys. While it may not have the same fun talismans, we’re pretty happy with our acquisition.

Posted on April 27, 2014April 27, 2014 by Magen Mitchell — Leave a comment

Friends at FanX

We weren’t the only ones who had a great time at the Fan Xperience. We saw a lot of local friends out hustling the floor.

Amy of Steampunk Bijou, looking great as always. Check out her handmade hair ornament!

The guys at Big Shiny Robot love symbiotes. We look forward to working with them again. We hope our brains are not eaten. Caleb of Blonde Grizzly, feeling super, making money.

Dave of Geekleetist insisted these were not his friends. They insisted they were.

Shirley Jackson has a really fun art style and a wonderful smile. Mate Page also has a fun style, but he is less congenial.