Interview by Evilos

In a world of endless talent emerges the light and it appears to be unusually animated. Bright with reflected light bouncing off chrome at 187,000 miles a second; the world of shinex. Better known as Jshine, his talent for hand drawn madness is uncanny. The incomprehensively depth of his soul is untold; but I dare to explore:

First off I must say I love your hand drawn stuff, very clean and original. Ok everyone wants to know. What does your artist handle mean or stand for?

Thank you ST - much appreciated. Artist handle = JShine / Actual name = Josh Sunshine. Minimal riddles to this one =)!

Does your skull character have a name? or meaning? How did you come up with this guy?

Indeed he does = Shiz is the skull characters name and he is of the chubbyskull breed. The creation of this character was somewhat influenced by character simplicity and replication ability by some other active artists. Once the character was established, its entire universe was born.

You have done a shit load of colab’s, how many do you think you have done and what is the best thing that comes out of it?

Yessss a metric ton of collabs or at least a kilo. I would guess at approx 80-100 collabs in the past year or so - on various items using various mediums. The best thing to materialize from these collaborations is 100% exclusive, beyond imaginative, totally outrageous, stunningly insane originality. Once two or more humans begin to embellish the same item, it takes on new form and allows it to be accepted from many angles.

*image from POE

Whats up with the Tarot cards? are you a wizard of some sort?

The tarot cards are one of my ongoing projects that I began as a test to increase my digital drawing abilities. I located all different types of card designs and thought - “…hmmm why not take one group of these and hook them up shinestyle tripto ???” And so now they are in the makings. Honestly I knew nothing of the tarot before I began this project, but the concept is quite intriguing.
Once i graduate from tarot school I will be known as Shinex the Stylus Wizard.

You put up alot of combos, how you do complete this task? Any prep work involved?

Combos Yess. Always a very very beautiful thing. Completing this task is not easy - And to anyone attempting such tasks = preperation is a must. I cannot divulge any shinex industry secrets as to application, but do know that one rule always remains no matter what the task at hand = dont get caught =)

Whats the craziest thing you ever saw?

Ive seen a few crazy crazy things - but from what I can remember, The craziest thing ive ever seen was while waiting in line for an IMAX movie at Pointe Orlando. I witnessed a dead woman buying a ticket for the 3d IMAX Simpsons themed movie back in the day. (Homer goes into a worm hole feat. Steven Hawking) She appeared to be wearing a black nomad-esque cloak - and she had all grey straightened hair. She appeared extremely frail - and didnt appear to have feet or even legs. Perhaps she was afloat.There was a 2 foot radius of forcefield around here where no humans could stand. I looked for her reflection in the ticket window as I stood back, but saw only blur. The ticket taker acted totally normally as if this dead woman was a regular paying customer.Finally I got a glimpse of her face - and I can say I have seen the face of death.

You draw some colorful creations all the time. Everyone has there favorite markers in the sticker making process, whats yours?

Yes colors are key to life. I really dig sharpies - spefivally black and red sharpies. I totally think I should be sponsered by sharpie and get sharpie sweatshirts and stuff.
I also really dig the decos for certain things - they smell all nice and flowery.
there are these refillable woodpaint pens that are about an inch thick - they are pretty pretty good.

Any hand drawn tips for the puppies?

Tips and Tricks - shinex style = I would reccomend to only go with the flow. I usually have an idea for what I want to create before I even uncap the ink. Sketch books or any kinda book with pages you wish to embellish is an awesome way to practice designs, texts, and linework techniques before u begin inking a piece you wish to be released.

What do you hate the most?

Above all things, as of right now, I hate headaches the most.

What kinds of things push you as an artist to come up with new ideas or projects?

The things that push me are simple feelings that come from within that enable me to continue doing what im doing. I try to make it so that everyday, I come up with something new or original, an idea or a sketch, something or anything for my collection. Also, I am occasionaly inspired by other artists and their actions and expressions.

How did you hear about PEEL Magazine?

I heard of Peel Mag on the net - And until then, I’d not heard of the magazine. I learned quickly of the magazine’s strength in the stickering community- I was honored I was chosen by Mister BKB to have our collab sticker grace the glossy pages of PEEL 8 along with a little interview by J&K on collabing.

Do you have any crazy sticker stories?

The craziest sticker story has to be the ‘travel thousands of miles to the other side of the world and embellish the streets’ sticker story. Recently I went to Israel to chill with Inspire and Poe, and get a tour of the art covered streets of Jerusalem. We took part in a solution through stickering workshop at a homeless protest camp. This was a really really great experience and I am so glad I was able to partake!

Sometimes I just want to punch Rosie O’doughnuthead in the face, do you ever get this feeling too?

Sure ST this is a natural feeling. Usually I just want to slap her face with a postal tho.

I just got into making shirts this year with Evilos, have you ever thought about making some tee’s with your art on it?

Indeed friend..Indeed! I have thought of it for a long time - and acting upong it only recently. Currently I have capabilities of creating 100% custom threads no matter the garmet. I dabbled in screening and other methods - and Im fond of a few methods moreso than others. Screening is dope but I never want so many of a design - I try to keep everything ultra limited , and exclusive 1/1 style.

Tell us something we might not know about you.

Piano for 10+ years at all kinds of performances and competitions. Also, I took a single art class post Highschool … I got a C.

As an artist what kinds of goals do you want to achive?

For me - Its about notoriety = For gen. pop. to know your name whether they want to or not, is a pretty honest goal. Since life can sometimes rest on who you know, I think that notoriety could be key.

Any last words before the death card comes up?

Haaa the death card is complete - and actually has tons of detail that remains unseen untill the Tarots go to print. My final words here are short and sweet= ENJOY YOUR LIFE - do things that make you feel good - and never stop persuing your goals no matter what anyone says. Shine.

Thank u ST for the opportunity to do this interview!

More at: joshsunshine.com

by Dave Combs

StickerTraders Big Sticker Board

Going to the mailbox and finding an envelope filled with cool stickers is one of those little joys in life that always brings a smile. As much fun as it can be to trade stickers through the mail, the down side is that artists are notorious for being forgetful and disorganized. For this reason many trades are never completed when one artist misplaces an envelope, or simply forgets to send their stickers in return. StickerTraders has found a solution to this problem by creating a central trading point where artists can send and receive stickers. StickerTraders has been down with PEEL for a while now, so it seemed a good time to dig a little deeper and find out more about this great concept…

Why did you start StickerTraders.com?

I started the project because of my love of stickers. I’ve been trading for awhile and was not truly happy with the path I was going down, so I re-invented who I was as a sticker artist. I started checking out different sticker sites. Came across sticker switch, then the ideas started to flow. I wanted to provide a dependable medium for artists to send in their stickers into a central hub, where their stickers could be distributed all over the world. So I picked up where stickerswitch.com left off and here I am. I feel so blessed with all the support and friendships that have developed in this time frame.

How long have you been doing it?

I bought the dot com name in September 2005, so a year and a half we have been trading with the global sticker community. I enjoy every piece of adhesive that comes through my door.

Have there been many surprises so far along the way, things you didn’t expect?

Many, but there has been a great amount of diversity among the stickers that we have received. But the most surprising things would be the amount of well known artists that have sent in their stickers. I’m excited by this fact. This makes me more motivated to become better and push my own art to the next level.

How many trades have you done so far?

I wish I keep track of everything that came in from the beginning, but I only started to document stuff some months after we started. But I would say we have completed over 500 trades and around 300 or more artists. Anyone could check out my flickr.com page to see the 500 photos of stickers we have received. http://flickr.com/photos/maddstickers

Where’s the most remote location with which you’ve traded stickers?
(furthest away/most obscure)

At one point I thought it was insane to get stuff from Italy or Spain, but I would have to say the most obscure would have to be some little town in Africa, I can’t even remember the name. But it was fun getting some twigs and berries.

Does the postage get expensive? How do you finance it? Can people help with the cost by sending stamps or donations when they send their stickers?

Postage does add up very fast. I started this project with the notion of paying for all the shipping, But I have implemented a guideline where if someone does not send postage with their stickers, it might take a month for stickers to get back to them. I still will pay the shipping, it just might take longer than artists may like. If you want to help, just throw some stamps in there or buy some sticker packs from the PEEL shop.

What is it for you personally that makes sticker art so interesting?

The fact that we live in a world so rich in culture and diversity. Then seeing what artists create on stickers from their own unique environments. Then seeing that creativity on a daily basis from the packs and stickers I receive.

What are some of your favorite stickers that have been traded through StickerTraders.com?

There has been a lot, I really don’t want to say or talk about my favorites. It’s just unfair to the people I don’t mention that do incredible work. I will say I prefer vinyl stickers over any other kind out there. If you have the extra $20, get some vinyl stickers printed.

Besides documenting trades on Flickr, do you have plans to document your trades in print? Maybe a StickerTraders zine or book?

Some day I would like to have my blackbook printed. I put almost one sticker out of all the 500+ packs I have received in. It’s something to see, I’ve only posted a few pages of it on flickr. This is something I will be looking into in the next year or two.

Pages From StickerTraders Blackbook

In addition to trading stickers, you’ve also organized some multi-artist sticker packs. Do you want to talk about those projects, and do you have plans for more packs?

I have to start by saying when the first pack was completed (Artist Pack #1), I felt like stickertraders really reached a milestone with the creation of this sticker pack. It also validated in my eyes that stickertraders.com was serious in its goals of spreading others sticker art all over the world. These packs were also created to help raise funds to help with the costs of postage to send stickers all over the world. I really owe a lot of thanks to the artists who provided images for these packs. A lot of thanks to Bytedust who made the header designs for all the stickertraders packs.

StickerTraders Artist Pack #1
http://peelmagazine.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=86

Where do you see StickerTraders going in the future?

I want to produce more artist sticker packs; I love to bring different artists together on themes or general ideas. The Posse Pack was an example of how diverse artists could get together with an idea and put out some designs with their own perspectives. I also just want to keep everything fresh with the project and always to come up with different idea’s on how to spread sticker art for others to enjoy.

StickerTraders OYCFUMF Shirt

Get your trade on at: www.stickertraders.com

by Evilos

Please tell us what the heck “Eyeformation” is.

In simple terms eyeformation is just a studio. I like to complicate it’s meaning by referring to it as an umbrella that houses a variety of art related projects. I have been working at and as eyeformation for the past six years. In this time the meaning has often changed for me and that’s the way
I like.

Tell us some background eyeformation on yourself as an artist.

I have been doing art for as long as I can remember. I was always told that every artist needs to do one thing that they are recognized for. I do everything I can to defy that logic. Why limit the potential or possibilities? It seems to go against the very nature of creativity. These beliefs have led me down paths that I never would have found. My work history is all over the place. A few stops along the way include, Pulse, XXL, Elemental Magazine and Tower Records. My adhesives have appeared in PEEL #2 and The Stencil Pirates Book. I have participated in mostly group shows such as The Wurst Gallery’s “Vintage Vandals”, The Independent Arts Festival and “Sticker Throw”, with some personal exhibits mixed in.

You sent me some of the best black, red and white vinyl designs ive
Seen in a while. How many designs did you have printed?

First off I have to say I love stickers! I have had over 50 different design printed in the past few years. I really enjoy creating sets. Things that work in a series have always appealed to me.

Who do you have print your vinyls?

I have utilized the services of Sticker Guy, With Remote and a few local printers. Recently I have settled into using 123-stickers.com I feel they have the best deals with a fine balance of quality, quantity and price. The turn around on a job is pretty quick.

Your site looks killer, how long have you been working on it?

The site was developed over the past few months. It’s a rather simple format and I like to think that anyone can navigate it with ease. The products were designed during the past winter and then packaged in the spring.

You sell all kinds of goodies, what is your favorite item you have for sale?

I’d have to say it’s the Sleep Walkers line. Seeing a concept develop from it’s first stages to store shelves is quite cool.

I saw a prototype foam robot on there, tell me some more about those?

The foam prototypes are models, created for the Tripod stickers. I wanted to take a random approach to designing these characters. I sculpted them into foam with a hot knife and then painted them with acrylic. After this, I scan and redraw them as vectors. It’s sort of a backwards manner for a character design.

Do you have a vinyl toy collection?

Nope, the only toys I have are one’s that survived from my childhood. I enjoy every element of the current toy industry, with the exception of collecting.

What do you have planned for in the future?

I’m working with ReMind Studio on the production of a plush line called “Sleep Walkers”. These will be available in the summer. In the future,
we plan on developing a line of inflatable characters and vinyl designs. We are currently sourcing full color stickers and KING SIZED di-cuts.

Any last words before you walk the plank?

Live life the way you want…. And thanks for the opportunity.

Check out Eyeformation’s site here: eyeformation.net

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