Hi everyone,
Got really interested in artisan keycap making lately, so I figured I should give it a try. In this post I'll try to describe what I've been doing so far and the reasons behind it.
Motivation
I'm a big fan of swirly designs by doomcaps and horror stuff from KWK/KBK, Brocaps, and Suited Up Caps. I was hoping that somebody would try combining both doomcaps colorways and some of the sick designs I've seen from the artisans listed above, but after seeing that doom is on a hiatus, I decided to take matters in my own hands.
Challenges
I live in Japan, which means I don't have access to the materials everybody else is using, so I had to look for substitutes. (Like seriously, they don't sell OOMOO 30 here, wtf?)
The other thing is that I'm living in a small apartment (like pretty much everybody else in here), so I don't have physical space or funds for a pressure pot or a vacuum pump.
There is also humidity which makes bubble-free keycap production almost impossible (especially without the equipment I mentioned).
Design ideas
I feel like I have a taste of an edgy 14yo schoolgirl, so the topics I'm currently trying to explore in my keycaps are:
- Glitch art – exploiting techniques that would lead to production errors (e.g., bubbles, incomplete pours, gaps, etc) for aesthetic purposes
- Outrun +/- Horror – mostly miami-esque colorways (swirly or not), paired with grotesque monsters, occult symbolics, and other creepy stuff
Progress so far
Here's the designs I've done so far:
(only Topre right now, waiting for Synth to start making MX molds)
Glitch Index
Started with an incomplete pour, I really liked the result, so I've been trying to reproduce that ever since
(http://i.imgur.com/J3Zfewm.jpg)
More
(http://i.imgur.com/IjAJjeD.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/VPvnXh6.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/1sM5UKj.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/v6R7ixQ.jpg)
Swirly blanks
Topre 1st row
(http://i.imgur.com/wYWEgTX.jpg)
More
(http://i.imgur.com/TelfizQ.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ofjRMbC.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/2rPrt62.jpg)
Evil Eye
aka I-was-trying-to-make-a-sandwordm-but-got-a-vagina-with-teeth-instead-I-ain't-even-mad
(http://i.imgur.com/ZGqQ2Yw.jpg)
More
(http://i.imgur.com/6CrC49Y.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/IKxJ8zD.jpg)
Inverted Cross & Pentagram
For when your keyboard is not KVLT enough
(http://i.imgur.com/iC2QtLh.jpg)
More
(http://i.imgur.com/H74HDEV.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/qS9BcZ8.jpg?1)
Future plans, etc
I could really use your comments and suggestions on my keycap design and general interest in such keycaps. Given that there is enough interest, I was hoping to run a small sale of blanks at a super low price to fund more silicon and resin purchases for future keycap designs, and I was wondering what you guys think about that.
Show Image
(http://i.imgur.com/J3Zfewm.jpg)
This is my favorite. But, as you said, it's too hard to do consistently :(
Also is "taking a stab" a pun? :))
Haha it sure is, I'm not sure if it's a long-term commitment just yet, it's mostly me trying to prove that making artisans even with limited supply here is possible.
Thanks for the kind words! I'm still trying to reproduce the design, but it's hard. Partially because I can't bake the sculpey (the anime figure face part would melt), so it's a one-time mold at best.
Tried doing doubleshots today. I messed up A/B proportions for resin though, so I'm planning to invest into proper digital scales before I waste more materials.
Show Image
(http://i.imgur.com/bvfh0El.jpg)
Looks like they survived, if not participated in, a massacre - had you been making cute caps that would have been a disaster but with these it kinda works. Shame about the pink base though... Better luck next time!