Dogs is one of the most requested animals since the first series was released and it’s almost here! This time around I’ve tried to make the illustration and building of the toy a little more detailed. I’ve also made some slight changes to the tabs which should help with gluing, I’ve been finding one large tab can get stuck sometimes.

As I mentioned I’ve planned series 4 though 6, worked out their sizes, stats and species. Series 4 you know is dogs, series 5 is the next top request, birds and series 6 will be bears. The release schedule may be a little sporadic, but with good reason. Sure I could knock out all three series really quickly, but toy numbers isn’t why I’m doing this, I want the project to evolve. I’m actively seeking out new paper creation techniques and different directions I can try with each series. I definitely want to give you something more than the same templates with different designs and I want to deliver nine standard series total.

Anyway enough talk, below you’ll find some snippets of my early sketches for the canines. They’ll be out for your scissors and glue soon.

The color your own alternate style designs we’re created as a way for you to expand your toy building experience. Use pencil, paint, pen, crayon or computer to color the toys any way you see fit.

The color your own toys are built using exactly the same process as the standard toys, just remember to color them first!

Download the Series 2 color your own toys

I’ll be the first to admit that January 2010 isn’t the date I was thinking of when I first set out to release the new site. A few hick-ups and moving six thousand miles behind us the project revamp is finally done. Now the day is here, I hope the new toys and extra content can make up for the extra wait.

It doesn’t end there though; The website revamp, new template styles and ‘color your own‘ versions are all part of the grander project. Get ready for more toys, more special versions and more goodies from Deadly Furry Cute.

I hope you’ll all enjoy the new toys, website and Battlestats game. I’d love to hear your comments or feedback on any page.

Since the new templates have been completed for a while now you’re aware that I adjusted the template slightly to allow for three sizes of toy. The first size you’ve seen is Series 1: Cats, a medium toy. Now I’d like to introduce Series 2: Squirrels, a small toy and Series 3: Apes, a large toy.

Series 2: Squirrels

Each squirrel is a distinct type and each is one of the new small size toys. Deadly is the ever propagating Grey squirrel, Furry is the lovable Red squirrel and Cute is a red eyed Albino squirrel.

Download Series 2: Squirrels

Series 3: Apes

Apes are the first series based on the larger template size. Each toy is a different species of ape: Deadly is a Gorilla, Furry is an Orangutan, Cute is a Chimpanzee.

Download Series 3: Apes

A few of these new developments I’m going to keep secret until the site goes live, huge anticlimax there I know.  What I can talk about is new toy designs and licensing.

Let me start by saying that over the last few months I’ve had some inquiries from school teachers, either asking if they can use the toys, or asking how much it would cost to use them.  Let me state, right now, the toys will always be free for schools to use in the class room. If a teacher can find a way to use the toys in class for fun or education, I’m all for it.  What I don’t want is individuals, companies or schools reselling or rebranding my work. To that end I’ll be creating a new ‘license’ page which outlines exactly what can and can not be done in detail, more for clarification than anything else.

Now the fun bit

The new toy designs for Series 2 and 3, yep that’s two new series with the update, have been completed and are awaiting final testing. That testing procedure basically entails a final test run in both thin card and paper, with any updates from previous tests included. Over kill, maybe, but I like to get things right.
I’ve come some way with the illustration style since Series 1 back in 2008, partly because I’ve been doing more illustration work and have getting the practice in, but also I’ve decided to make these toys a little harder to make.  Looking back at Series 1, I realized I was trying to make it too easy, all angular and easy to cut curves, you’ll not get the easy ride this time!  Having said that I’ve not gone overboard, this change is about getting things more life like. While the new Series are more challenging to make, I hope they’ll be just as fun!

Without further ado, here are some screen grabs to wet your appetites. Can you tell what they are? Shout in the comments if you think you can!

This article has been re-posted from designergamergeek.com with permission from the author.

The color your own alternate style designs we’re created as a way for you to expand your toy building experience. Use pencil, paint, pen, crayon or computer to color the toys any way you see fit.

Inspired by a request from an American educator and Deadly Furry Cute user.

The color your own toys are built using exactly the same process as the standard toys, just remember to color them first!

Download the Series 1 color your own toys

OK so the results weren’t that dire – as you can see below – but they weren’t as good as the first run through.

What I was trying to do by changing the illustration style for DFC was speed up my working process and enable me to have some assets that weren’t flat to use for other media types – website, t-shirts etc.  We’ll not talk about how much time I’ve lost ‘trying’ this. Instead we’ll skip ahead. Where in fact the opposite has happened. I’d created illustrations that worked well as a website asset but didn’t at all lend themselves to the flat nature of the toys I was creating.

Now I don’t make these decisions on a whim. I’ve made test toys, printed, cutout and built them as well as shown test audiences the new style. The test group was unanimous: while they did like the design, they didn’t think the toys were as cute or worked as well as the original style.

So I went back to the people who make the toys you and looked at the feedback you gave on the first set of toys. The wording there was also unanimous: you loved them.

So I’m now going to design the new toys the way I did the original first set, flat on the templates. I’ll also be using the same style of illustration as the originals – you liked it, I liked it, my test group liked it. Why ruin a good thing.

I will say this though. Without the process of trying something new, testing it and finding out you were already doing it right I’d have never known – not truly in my heart.  It’s one of the reasons I love design and it’s process: getting things wrong is just as important as getting it right. And it highlights one of my motto’s ‘test, test, test and test again’.

Some examples of the tested illustration style follow. Only one made it from paper to test illustration but I thought you’d like to see the sketches for all three.

Deadly sketch

Furry sketch

Cute sketch

Deadly test illustration

This article has been re-posted from designergamergeek.com with permission from the author.