I've written about one of my favorite Bay Area graffiti artists, Girafa, before. Many years ago I reached out to him via a hidden email on his website and was able to buy a custom Girafa painting, and ever since I've periodically kept in touch via email. One of my first points of contact was sharing a crude 3d model of his character I made. Later he ended up making a first-generation Girafa keychain, and I bought one immediately.
But, a few years later he wanted to make another run, but this time reached out to me for a potential 3D model. He send me some sketches including a front, side, and 3/4 view and I got cooking. While I was happy with my initial 3d model, he had lots of feedback. For a few weeks we went back and fourth where I would adjust the model & the would send me notes like these:
After awhile it became evident that the back and fourth flow was not sustainable, so we schedule some time to do some zoom calls, and he was able to guide me to perfecting the model while watching me work live. It was really fun! The whole process sped up and we got the perfect sculpt. It's interesting to work with another artist who has a very strong vision for their character. While I thought my first take was pretty good, his eyes saw all kinds of little things I missed.
Here is the final doodle vs model output:
Before long he had some samples back from China, and they looked fantastic:
With the model being finalized the manufacturing order was placed and we got to see some some of it in action:
Overall the project was a success and it was really cool to see something I helped work on not just 3D printed, but actually manufactured and sold!
As a thanks, Girafa painted and extremely awesome miniature U-Haul truck for me:
