Dear Readers,

Today was all about Minimates! Not only did DSTEsti and I give a shout-out to the folks over at Minimate Multiverse for giving us props on our packaging designs, but I also got to start working on the Secret Invasion set!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Secret Invasion comic these little guys are from let me put it in a nut shell for you. Plot: Everyone is a Skrull… The End! Just kidding… sort of. So the Secret Invasion 4 pack had to be photographed, which I did (got some cool action shots for you guys). I also spent the great part of the day clipping and cleaning them. For those non-designers out there please allow me to shed some light on this for you.

Clipping and cleaning 101.

1. All Minimates that you see in the magazines and on the boxes and all over the internet are pre-production pieces and paint masters. The normally have their joints painted shut and are bumpy to the touch as well as occasionally looking like they were dragged behind a bus before they arrive with us designers.

2. After photographing, I need to Photoshop all the paint that is missing from posing since sometimes it flakes and chips off once we move the painted-closed joints. This can sometimes take hours depending on how bad they are. I also need to smooth out the look of the paint, this is done with a mask and a filter (covered in the 200 level class).

3. After the Minimates look nice and smooth I have to clip them out so they have no background and can be used in ads, boxes and general design goodness.

Well that’s your lesson! Next time you look at a Minimate box you’re going to think how much you love the DST designers and all the work we put into them, right? Maybe not.. I think most people rip the boxes open and toss them, but I can dream that you hug and kiss my awesomely-designed package before you carefully cut the tape and remove the Minimates so you can save the box and encase it in glass as the center piece for your home.

Mini-DST Jen OUT!