User:Macula

I have always loved mythology and folklore but most of the books on the subject had good descriptions but lacked pictures. I have taken on the task of bringing the creatures of legend to life through my own illustrative interpretations. I had an idea to do a series of one hundred mythological paintings to improve my skills in character design and painting.

A letter of endorsment from Richard Freeman Cryptozoologist and Zoological Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology I stumbled on Chris Bonnette’s Macula.tv site quite by chance. I was looking for illustrations of the Australian Aboriginal monster yara-mar-yah-who. I found a wild picture of a red skinned, suction cup fingered monster with a mouth like a rabid Kermit the Frog. I fell in love with Chris’ art instantly and instead of getting on with work I explored his amazing site for the next hour or so.

Chris’ depictions of creatures from ancient mythology and modern day encounters are some of the very best I have ever see. His style is somewhat like the early black and white cartoons of the 1920s (see his Betty Boop style Medusa) mixed with an explosively colourfull streak all of his own.

Not only are Chris’ pictures engaging they are highly important in showing how our perception of monsters and updating there pictorial history. Despite being cartoony in style they are mostly faithful to the original descriptions. Were he has added his own touches he makes this clear in his write ups (as with the fictional white fur on his Yeti).

If you are board of the same old monsters then Macula.tv is a breath of fresh air as a veritable menagerie of critters from all over the globe are on show, from the Kappa of Japan to the Trenti of Spain. Macula.tv is a valuable resource for researchers. Chris has taken time to research his subjects and it shows. Cryptozoologists, folklorists and students of world mythology will all love the site.

As a full time cryptozoologist myself I found Macula.tv to be both madly entertaining and very enlightening. I can hardly wait for Chris’ upcoming book featuring his wacky, wonderful pictures of wacky, wonderful beasts.

Richard Freeman

Cryptozoologist and Zoological Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology


 * (Christopher Bonnette) was born and raised in Los Angeles. Since the age of four he knew he wanted to be an artist. He mostly stayed indoors drawing the cartoons he would watch on television. He was taught at an early age to be "constructive not destructive" by his mother. His father was a hard working machinist who taught him the responsibility of getting a job and providing for your family. Having an older brother who would force him to watch horror movies made him develop a strange fascination for monsters, aliens, robots, and anything that goes bump in the night. He would often suffer from night terrors because of this. His father would also tell him ghost and voodoo stories of the old days when he lived on the farm in Louisiana. In 1984 he suffered a grand mall seizure and was clinically deceased for two minutes. Due to this fact his artistic style tends to be dark and macabre yet still maintain a cute whimsical appearance. It is a balance of shape, line and form along with color that makes his artwork very appealing.
 * Christopher is a true Gemini and never allows he to be pigeon holed into one classification. He can be a graphic designer as well as an illustrator and a fine artist as well as a commercial artist. Right before entering High School he volunteered at John Muir Public Library to teach arts and crafts for the children's summer program. Christopher's dedication to art is representative in even his early childhood years. A High School art teacher saw Christopher's talent and led him to participate in the Otis College summer program. This led him to be accepted at the Otis College of Art and Design. He majored in Illustration and dedicated the four years of his life to further his craft. His hard work and dedication was rewarded after receiving the 1998 Senior Thesis Award.
 * He has participated in five art shows that have been very successful. His art can be seen in galleries, stores, and homes all over the U.S.A., and from Germany to Japan. There is no medium that Christopher's work cannot be adapted to. From apparel, book, toys, and anything that can be imagined Christopher will continue to be happy if many people can enjoy what he enjoys doing. Christopher resides in California along with his lovely wife and two dogs Odin and Tengu.


 * Why mythology and folklore?
 * I have always loved tall tales. I have collected many books on mythology and folklore from all around the world. The one thing I noticed most of the books did not have pictures and if they did they were very old. I want to update the pictorial history of the creatures of legend. I try to create the illustration as accurate as possible but still keep them whimsical, stylish, and modern. If the image is not fully accurate to its original description I will state it as an artists interpretation. Besides know one knows how these creatures may have looked. I am dedicated to keeping the tales of the past known so they are not forgotten. I still hold the hope that mankind has a lot left to discover. This will be a series of 100 paintings that I hope to publish into a book. After seeing the response of my mythological paintings on the site I am sure it will go way past 100 and continue for the rest of my life.

For the book Urban Paper

Official release date for the book is March 24th 2009

Artist: Christopher Bonnette Website: (www.macula.tv)

Interviewed by: Matt Hawkins of Custom Paper Toys (www.custompapertoys.com)

What was it that inspired you to start making paper toys?

A Cub Scout leader introduced me to origami at age 7 by making a flapping paper crane. I carefully deconstructed it and refolded it over and over again. Finally, I learned how to make it on my own. Soon I began to go to the library and get every origami book I could find. My mother was very crafty and my father is technical which is a good combination for a paper engineer. They were happy that I had a quiet hobby so they continued to nurture it. I started with origami but soon found other books on paper crafts. I still have most of my first books that started this fascinating hobby and career, some dating back to the early eighties. My hope is to continue further developing my skills in paper engineering for the enjoyment of others.

As some one who has been into origami and paper crafting for a while, what do you think of the current trend of Designer/Urban paper toys? I think the trend of the Designer/Urban paper toys scene is great. Most artist don't get much of a break. I myself tried really hard to break into the vinyl toy scene. I asked a lot of questions and did all kinds of research. It all boiled down to if you are not an already known profitable artist then we won't work with you. With paper toys it just takes a little time, ink and paper and you have yourself a custom original toy. I think I actually like paper toys better than vinyl because they are more like model kits and you have a hand in building them yourself. Paper Toys have really caught on thanks to the internet. All kinds of artists and designers with like minds from all over the world are having so much fun swapping templates and making new custom paper toys. It is very nice to see people taking there time to build one of your creations and being so proud they made it themselves that they have to share it with all of there friends.

''I love the mouths on your Squealer paper toy it's almost puppet like. What was your inspiration for the squealer project?''

Many different things inspired me in the design of the Squealer paper toy. I researched and looked at many other designers vinyl and paper toys because I wanted to make something different. I knew I did not want the head to be square so I started from there and sketched many different shapes until I came up with the final version. The body is a relatively simple trapezoid which makes for a nice body shape. The arms are triangular shaped with round mitten like hands. I thought it was a nice ice cream cone shape that many people would find cute. I definitely had a moving mouth in mind from the beginning. I have a few themes that appear in many of my illustrations, and big mouths with many teeth is one of them so I had to add that. I wanted to create a paper toy that was well thought out in construction so many people could build it without to much difficulty. I always wanted to create a paper toy but never got around to making one until I joined the styl.us website. It is a collective and collaborative art blog and forum created by Ray Frenden. Ray and I, along with many other talented artist got to talking and I volunteered to design a paper toy template and that is how the Squealer Project was born. I am amazed I have not really made my own paper toys until now, I am having so much fun with it that I will never stop designing them.

''So what's next? You have anything cool in the hopper?''

I have many projects planned for the near future. You should see the lists to keep me organized! I do not have any solid dates on my projects. I like to take my time and not rush things. I do this for fun and I think it really shows. It might be best to just give a brief break down of the master list: -100 Mythological Paintings (Currently 36 out of 100 complete) For art show and book -More additions to the Squealer Paper Toy Project -New Paper Toy Models -Keeping up with my blog -Updates to website (Lots more fun to download) -Book collaborations -A few gallery shows I am also working on an animated short with my friend and web master Joseph Bartlett. There are many things in the hopper, enough to keep me busy for the next couple of years at least.

'' A lot of your paper toys and art are based around Mythology and folklore. Can you tell us a little about your fascination with these topics?''

I have always loved tall tales. I have collected many books on mythology and folklore from all around the world. The one thing I noticed was that most of the books did not have pictures and if they did they were very old. I want to update the pictorial history of the creatures of legend. I try to create the illustration as accurate as possible but still keep them whimsical, stylish, and modern. If the image is not fully accurate to its original description I will state it as an artists interpretation. I have also been lucky enough to make new friends due to this project. Richard Freeman a real cryptozoologist came across the website and we have become friends. He is part of The Centre for Fortean Zoology. With his help and knowledge I try to get the facts on odd creatures as accurate as possible. No one truly knows how these creatures may have looked. I am dedicated to keeping the tales of the past known so they are not forgotten. I still hold the hope that mankind has a lot left to discover. Aside from a series of 100 paintings that I hope to publish into a book, I will also try to turn all of them into paper toys. After seeing the response on the site I am sure it will go way past 100 and continue for the rest of my life.

Do you have a favorite myth or legend?

That is a tough question. I love monsters in general, especially big monsters. Zombie movies are great. Bigfoot is cool because versions of him have been spotted all around the world. Dragons are fun too! I really don't have one favorite, but zombies appear in my sketchbooks the most.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to design their own paper toy?

Always sketch it out first. Do what makes you happy. Make sure you are having fun. Take your time. Adobe Illustrator, a see through ruler with a grid, and sharp craft knife blades are essential.