Tony Cipriano GALLERY

Influences: Soooo many. It would be too long of a list. But probably, if you trace it all the way back to childhood....the first exposure I had to any kind of sculpture were the great Aurora model kits from the 1960's. ( Sculpted by a guy named Bill Lemon) I can remember holding the MUMMY's face in my hands and turning it over and over wondering "HOW THE $#&* did they do this??" About twenty years, and a lot of comic books later, I saw some of Ruben Procopio's Disney maquettes and I knew that I had to do this for a living..... no choice. Two current sculptors that come to mind are Kent Melton and Tony McVey. Oy vey...these guys are brilliant. DC Direct has assembled a stable of sculptors that have all become my friends and main sourse of inspiration lately. I've also been on a Frazetta kick in recent months. How can you not be inspired by this guy's art? The human body is my favorite thing to sculpt...so my Frazetta books are a bottomless well of inspiration.
Companies: DC Direct, Bowen Designs, Marvel Comics, Disney Feature Animation, Dreamworks Feature Animation, Warner Bros Consumer Products., Diamond Select, Dynamic Forces, Cartoon Books, Cartoon Network, Scholastic, Spimasters, Hasbro, Corgi Classics, Mad Magazine, Playing Mantis, New York Knicks.
Advice to new or amateur sculptors: LEARNING TO SCULPT: The best way for me was to sit and watch someone I respected. I sat near Ruben Procopio and Kent Melton and watched them work and I learned more in that short time than I did in all my years in school. Ask people whose work you love to help you. (Most are nice and will be more than willing to help out in any way they can. You WILL run into the occasional butthead....who thinks you are out to take food from his mouth.....or steal all of his brilliant ideas.......But I've found that the good guys outweigh the boneheads, Surround yourself with reference. Books, and most especially sculptures, toys and statues. Look closely at how others handle a pose...a texture....anatomy. It all will come with DOING. You are not going to learn unless you try. THE BUSINESS END: Be a 'mensch'...in other words, be a human being. Be a good guy...smile. Be friendly. Be genuine. Joke...laugh....if you want to make toys for a living, lighten up, for God's sake. Don't take yourself (or others) too seriously. LEARN TO ACCEPT CRITISISM. But, by the same token, learn to weed out the bad advice. Do your best, work hard enough to pay the bills, but don't forget to smell the roses. If the deadlines and the corrections are ruining the love of sculpture for you, find another way to make a living and keep the sculpture as a hobby. Don't let people suck the joy out of it for you. When getting started, send out lots of portfolios. Even after you've established yourself, continue to call people from time to time to stay in touch. A cast sample is always a good idea. A portfolio might go into a drawer, but something sitting on an art director's desk with your name on it is a constant reminder that you are out there. Capiche?
Expectations: Very few. Does that sound pathetic? Maybe, but I just want to keep doing what I'm doing...it's a very nice way to make a living. Very rewarding. I see my neighbors scraping the snow off their windshields at 6 AM and trudging off to an office..and I count my blessings every day. I just want to pay my bills and support my family. I'd like to get better, of course. Maybe have a gallery show someday of bronzes....
I'd like to do a lifesize figure too. Never attempted that. Hopefully I will be able to retire soon and live out my golden years on some tropical island with Heather Locklear.