EW: I had always done this as a hobby, and Bill Mancuso, sculptor extraordinaire - and my hetero-life mate - encouraged me to put together a portfolio of my work, hit the San Diego Comic Con, and show it around to the different companies that would be there.

The first time I went, everyone told me “No”. I was distraught, but Bill encouraged me to spend a year really focusing on a new portfolio, and then try it again the following year. So that is what I did, and I got my toe in the door with a little toy company and everything just took off from there…

Figures.com: What type of education do you have and what type of education would you recommend for a person trying to do what you do?

EW: I am completely self-taught as far as what I do in the toy industry. Even though I have an affinity to art, I didn’t even really take many art classes in college. A lot of my informal education is a lot of trial and error; years of finding what works, and making mistakes, and doing things over and over again…on my own time, of course.

I read a lot of the modeler magazines and I follow a lot of the “garage kit” sites and such, because there is always something interesting that I can hope to incorporate into my tool box of tricks, whether it is a technique article, or a new tool. As far as formal training, I know FIT in New York has a dedicated toy program, but I think anything you can learn – from Photoshop to still-life painting – can help you along. But at the end of the day, it’s all about being able to deliver what the client wants. So I guess the best advice I can give, is to practice, practice, practice.

Figures.com: What's the first step you take when you’re made aware of your next project?

EW: The first thing I do is jump around all giddy like a pre-pubescent boy standing in line to see Star Wars for the first time. Then I gather research materials; whether it’s comics, books, DVDs, other toys, etc. For something like Marvel or DC, I go to my own collection and hope I have the reference I need already. If it is another property – say, Battlestar Galactica or Star Wars – I search the web, videos and the like to gather as much information as I can. At least so I can understand the project. Sometimes, reference is provided once the project is ready, but then at least I’ve formulated a “game plan” for flesh and hair tones, costume colors, etc.

Figures.com: You paint products intended for both the specialty and mass markets and sometimes for companies in direct competition with one another. Is it difficult navigating the toy industry in this way?

EW: It’s not really super difficult. Unless there is a written agreement or contract that restricts me – which has never happened to me personally – because I am free-lance, I can pretty much work on anything I can get my hands on. Whether it’s Marvel or Lord of the Rings or what have you, I’ve worked on product for several different companies at the same time for those types of properties. It really is about making sure I hit all of my deadlines…

Figures.com: What are some of the differences in working with the specialty versus the mass market manufacturers?

EW: Specialty market tends to have a little more freedom in terms of interpretation and application. Those items tend to cost a little more to produce because production numbers are smaller, but they tend to put a little more money into the deco; hence things like extra washes and deco work. They tend to take more chances.

Not always the case, but most of the time, mass market (manufacturers) tend to be very structured and budgeted before a piece is even finished in the design stages. Only so many joints and so many paint applications and a lot of times, the colors are already chosen due to plastic colors and such.

Don’t get me wrong, either way is fine with me. I just love to do the work, and a lot of times, by the time the project reaches me, all of that has been worked out, so I already know which direction to go.

Figures.com: What's the hardest part of your job?

EW: The hardest part is the juggling; deadlines are ever-changing, sometimes hourly, (and) slack projects become priority. We can be in the middle of a project and suddenly it is put on hold. What’s coming in, what has to go out, it’s not always first in-first out…

Then there is simply running the shop. Phone calls, emails, invoices, photography, following up on payments, keeping track of supplies, keeping track of shipped packages, going to and from FedEx and UPS. You have to be an artist, a business manager, a public relations rep, and an accountant all at the same time.

And then of course, being married and finding quality time with my better half. She puts up with a lot, especially in the busy seasons. I work at home, and some days I only get to see her for a few minutes. Time management is a big challenge with the ever changing landscape because no matter what you set your workweek out to be, it will invariably change throughout the week. I end up working a lot of late nights and weekends, even though I don’t plan on it because of the “shuffle.”

Figures.com: What's been the most difficult piece you've had to paint and why?

EW: Lord of the Rings (above) was a big challenge in the beginning as a whole, because it was a whole new realm to me. There were fabric samples and wig samples and photographs and a whole new approach than anything I was used to. Nothing like this had ever been done before. Three movies over three years, with a one year lead time, and there were hundreds and hundreds of figures. And we had to have stuff done for the third movie before the second movie even came out so that shipping schedules could stay on track.

I could probably write a book just on the adventures during the Lord of the Rings toys phase of my career. It wasn’t really so much difficulty, as getting accustomed to a new way of doing things…and then trying to do some different things on top of that. Some of the other stuff, I don’t really think I can contractually get into…and everything would pale in comparison to Lord of the Rings (anyhow)...