Fanmade Friday is here again and I’m so jealous of our guest’s talent, I could spit. Don’t worry, I won’t. Because spitting’s gross. Why do we say ‘I’m so fill in the blank, I could spit!’ anyway? What would spitting accomplish, really? I stay up late pondering these things, you know.
Sorry, my brain wondered off there for a minute, and my fingers decided to follow. You know, I used to stop and censor what I wrote, but I don’t now. I’m sorry. I know its torture. But I no longer have the luxury of proof reading anymore, now that I’m homeschooling my kids and trying to run a home business. See, there I go wandering again.
My apologies to this week’s fantastic guest for my disjointed intro. I’m so excited to introduce you to Karl, who joins us all the way from Korea! I just love the interweb, don’t you? It really has brought people together. So, with out further ado, here’s Karl, or Kreepy Karl, as he’s know on the Doombuggies forum. Where ever did he come up with that name, I wonder? 
I was born in Scarborough Ontario on October 22. I’m sure the proximity of my birth to Halloween instilled my love for all things creepy and spooky. As a child, I loved the Saturday Monster Matinee and watching the Hilarious House of Frightenstein. I read anything about ghosts, myths, and monsters. I used to draw quite a lot of monsters when I was little. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. I spent hours of my youth playing out stories with my toys. But one of the problems I had was they never made toys of all the things I really wanted. Because of that, I started making toys, accessories, clothes, vehicles and monsters to play with. As far as I can remember, I’ve always loved making crafts. I used clay, toothpicks, wood, fabric, paper and metal. I made some conventional models, but I always preferred to make my own. I stopped doing crafts in High school, but I still had the urge to make “something”. I was even lucky enough to be a Stained Glass Artist for a couple of years. These days, I’m working in Korea as an English teacher. It is a lot of fun, and it is both rewarding and challenging. I also get to spread the meaning of Halloween to a different country. I also have time to make crafts.
When was your first trip to Disneyland?
I first went to Disneyland when I was 3 or 4. I immediately fell in love with the Haunted Mansion, POTC, Space Mountain, Dumbo and Mr. Toad. I don’t think I liked Snow White (a girley ride) until after I went on it.
Do you remember riding the Haunted Mansion for the first time?
I remember sitting between my parents shivering in fear throughout the Haunted Mansion. I especially remember the shadowy hands on the 13 hour clock. Ezra was my favorite character. I always wanted him to be in my doombuggy. Afterwards, I loved seeing the masks and Randotti skulls in the magic shop or at Leota’s cart in WDW. My family had a Lakeside Haunted Mansion game which I played all the time until it was damaged in a basement flood. So last year I got some images of the game and built one.
What is your favorite model you’ve created?
What’s my favorite HM model? Hmmm. That’s really hard to answer. I love my Walt Disney World Paper Mansion. It is one of Ray’s wonderful models. I have space reserved on my shelf for his Disneyland and Phantom Manor models. My Corridor of Doors is also cool and is mostly my own creation. Well, I did borrow Ray’s Door template, and photos I got from the net. I also really love my Graveyard. If I had to choose, I’d have to say my favorite one is whatever I will do next! I think about it, make it, and then move on to the next project. Another crafter, Marie (Darker Image) who you’ve interviewed before (great HM themed bags and maid costume) refers to this obsession as (Mr.) “Toad Mania”. That’s a good description.
As much as I love my Haunted Mansion models, my true pride and joy is my Halloween town. I’m a huge Nightmare Before Christmas Fan. It always bugged me to see Christmas stuff before November. So the movie really struck a cord with me. I loved the characters and the sets. I first started making it in September 2001. But it was only in the last 4 years that I got serious with it. It’s still not finished, nor is it ever likely to be finished. Just like Walt’s idea of Disneyland. Eventually I intend to make all the characters from the movie that there aren’t already toys for. I’ve also got dozens of characters of my own imagination that I want to make.
Do you like the Nightmare Before Christmas Haunted Mansion overlay?
What could be better than marrying Nightmare Before Christmas and the Haunted Mansion? I love the idea of it, and I was lucky to see it once in Tokyo. I look forward to seeing the Disneyland version someday. I printed out the Tarot cards to hang on my Halloween tree. I liked Oogie’s Wheel of Misfortune so much that I just had to make one (or 2!)
My version spins and Oogie’s platform can also rotate.
Do you have any tips for making models?
My first tip would be to believe in yourself. Most people look at a project and think “I could never do that!”. I’ve found this to rarely be the case. It is also wise to start small. Which is advice I’ve never been able to follow. Ray’s Crypts should have been my first paper projects, not my last.
Color outside the lines. When I first made my Walt Disney World Mansion, I want everything to be accurate. However, finding the right plants and the sheer amount of space needed to do that made it impractical, to say the least. People will recognize elements taken from elsewhere. In the end, my projects are unique, and fill with the aspects of the rides (all 3 mansions) that I love best. Who care if the crypt arm-torches weren’t in the Corridor of doors? I don’t have the space to make the entire mansion (but I’d like to!).
Find a community of hobbyists. When I saw all the great creations on the Doombuggies forum, I was really inspired to make my own. It was also great getting praise, advice and feedback on my projects. It is also nice to meet really cool people who share my obsessions. It’s good to have a network of like minded people. They kept me inspired and it was fun to share tips.
Mistakes are just another way to make it look original. Some of the world’s greatest inventions were accidents. I’ve heard time and time again when an artist admitted that that cool effect was an attempt to cover up a mistake. I believe that some of the Haunted Mansion effects (like the staring busts) were happy accidents.
Using your hands to make things reduces stress. One of the biggest reasons for stress is our lack of control. Crafting offers absolute control over your environment. Also, it forces you to slow down. While you make crafts, your subconscious is filing things away and sorting things out. Crafting reenergizes! I have a long list of things I’d like to make. It gives me something to look forward to.
Wow! Thank you, Karl, for giving us a peak into your miniature kingdom. I’m blown away by the amount of detail you add to each little vignette. I could spend all day looking at ‘em!
Your insight and advice is something I truly needed to hear right now. I couldn’t agree with you more about the energizing qualities of crafting. I’m at my happiest when I’m creating.
To see more of Karl’s creations, browse thru the pages of the Doombuggies forums here.
Also, since he has trouble procuring specific items for his craft in Korea, Karl is interested in trading. Learn more about that here.
Here’s Karl’s display in all its spooktacular glory!
Now, you know how much I love it when a guest offers up a prize! It makes my day, and winning one of Karl’s miniatures will surely make yours! So don’t be shy. You know how this works, right? All you have to do is enter some feedback love in the comment section to be entered into a random drawing for his handmade Oogie’s Wheel of Misfortune miniature.
The Fine Print
One entry per boil or ghoul, please…no matter how spirited you are.
No entries after the witching hour (12:01am, pacific time) Tuesday, November 3rd.
Winner will be announced Wednesday!
One last thing, Happy Belated Birthday, Karl! I hope you had a spooktacular day! Thanks again for sharing with us!
by Carrie
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