Custom Vinyl Figure Artist Spotlight - Lisa Rourke (@ArtistSomeDay)

It’s no secret that The Game of Nerds loves us some Funko. Our founders are avid Funko collectors with pristine collections, and we have members ranging from casual collectors to just fandom lovers desperate for merch related to their under represented shows. That’s what lead me to Lisa Rourke — a full-time custom vinyl figure artist (who is open for commissions!).

Custom “The Magicians” Funko Figures of Margo and Elliot by Lisa Rourke @ArtistSomeDay

I crossed paths with Lisa when The Magicians showrunner Sera Gamble retweeted a pair of custom figures Lisa had made depicting fan favorite characters Margo and Elliot (as seen below). I was instantly in love and had to know more about the artist and who was making these badass figures. So we have a short interview with the artist herself, and select examples of her work. You can comission your own customized figures from Lisa via her etsy shop here, or see more of her work on her instagram and Facebooks.

The interview is a little more survey style than I’d have liked, and that is my fault, but Lisa is lovely to work with and eventhough she isn’t one of the more infampus players in the custom funko landscape we think she’s the hidden treasure worth contacting if you’re looking for a custom figure as a gift or for yourself!

1) Hi Lisa! Please provide a brief introduction, for you and your brand, and anything you’d want people to know outside of making custom pops.

Hi! My name is Lisa Rourke. I live in Connecticut, U.S.A. My Etsy shop is named “ArtistSomeDay” I always loved art growing up but I convinced myself that it wasn’t practical and I wasn’t good enough to make a living at being an artist. As I got older, (we’re talking way older- I’m a grandmother now) I thought wouldn’t it be great to create art and be a true “artist some day”. Well, I kind of got that chance when I lost my long time job a few years ago and starting making custom Funko Pops full time.

2) How did you get into making custom vinyl figures?

I was introduced to the TV show “Supernatural” by my younger daughter and became a big fan. I had never seen or heard of Funko Pops until I saw the Funko Pop Sam and Dean Winchester. At first I thought they were pretty ugly (*lol*) but then they grew on me and so I asked my oldest to get them for me for my birthday. When I got them, I immediately hated the paint job and was determined to repaint them myself. I had only done mostly pencil portraiture before I picked up the paint brushes, but found I really enjoyed it. I repainted my Sam and Dean and posted them on my deviantart site. A friend from the site loved them and suggested that I could sell them on Etsy. I created my shop “ArtistSomeDay” and put a few of my repainted Supernatural Pops up for sale and to my amazement, they sold! Encouraged by my success, I started to experiment with making other characters from the show by switching heads and bodies (kitbashes). After that I started getting request to make other characters from other shows and even personal Pops.

3) what is your favorite piece you’ve worked on? That you’re most proud of?

That’s a really tough question. I’ve been creating custom Funko Pops for over 3 years now, so I have many favorites and all for different reasons. For example, I’m really proud of the first kitbash I made, Chuck, from Supernatural. Creating him really got me into the whole world of creating custom Pops. Then there are the ones that I really enjoyed making that got a shout-out from the actor or actress portraying them- what an amazing feeling that is! I really love what I do. I get a sense of pride and accomplishment every time I mail out a new commission.

4) what fandoms have you created for? What makes a subject fun to work on?

Lets see…Supernatural, Psych, Outlander, The Office, Doctor Who, The Magicians, Teen Wolf, Once Upon A Time, The Flash, Spider-Man, Twilight, WWE, Orange is the new Black, The 100, plus musicians, book characters, and many other misc. TV and movie characters. I honestly have to say I love a challenge. When I first started out I was afraid to take on anything too complicated or detailed because I didn’t feel confident enough but I started moving out of my comfort zone little by little. I also like working on characters from shows I’ve never heard of or watched because then it gets me interested in finding out more about them.

5) What would you want prospective client’s to know about your work? It’s a labor of love, how long does it generally take? Do you have a specific technique you use?

I am willing to work with the client start to finish. I feel the more they are involved with the process of helping me pick out the pieces I need to create their custom Pop, the better it comes out. They come to me with an idea and show me pictures and we look through the Funko Pop collection to get suggestions and then narrow down our possibilities. A custom piece can usually take anywhere from 1 week for a simple Repaint to 3-4 weeks for a custom Kitbash. I don’t have a specific technique I use but I often us Apoxie sculpt to modify and fabricate details.

6) What is the best way to commission you?

The best way to commission me is to contact me at my Etsy shop- https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtistSomeDay

7) Please provide 2 images of your favorite works we may post as a sample!

It was really hard to choose just 2 pictures but I decided on one of my more recent commissions- Burton Guster/Satchel Gizmo and Shawn Spencer/Soup Can Sam from Psych and the kitbash that started it all- Chuck Shurley aka God from Supernatural.