Meet Colin Coviello | Illustrator and Toy Sculptor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Colin Coviello and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Colin, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
The first thing that comes to mind is curiosity. I first started playing around with 3D programs in college and we clicked instantly. They felt like games to me that I could spend hours “playing”. The learning curves can be intense but the more I learned the more I felt I could successfully express my ideas. With each piece I make I try and use a new technique or tool to help form the piece and further my knowledge. Even though it isn’t a habit, my curiosity about how these programs worked became the backbone of my work and it unintentionally has formed a lot of my work habits. I thought working until the labs closed would only exist in college, but I often still stay up into the early mornings tinkering with programs. It is a familiar feeling I have come to love.

I have also found that staying curious about life and diving into other subjects and hobbies helps expand my worldview which in turn benefits my art.

Other essential habits I have include exercise, socializing and studying. I have come to find that these aspects of life are essential to keeping my work output fully effective.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My work is a party that everyone is invited to. I explore with shapes to make characters that I would want to be or hangout with. My perception of art is always changing, but recently I have been creating with the idea that art is all about the viewer’s experience. I want people to be happy when they see my work and I also want them to feel my character’s personalities.

Currently I primarily freelance as a toy sculptor. Hasbro runs workshop recruitment programs through my college which is how I was able to land my first interview with them. for the interview I brought a mockup cereal box of “Cosmic Crunch” and a shoebox full of five 3D printed “Cosmic Characters” that acted as collectable toys. That summer I interned for them followed by a year contract post graduation in 2020. A big lesson I learned in college is the value of finding and knowing yourself. The first half of college was a technical and academic process, but when I found my style the second half was full of creativity. The hard work was a lot less hard when I found who I was. The creative field is extremely difficult at times but there is nothing that can replace that special feeling of creating.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am always a fan of showing visitors the classic tourist spots, but outside of that it depends on the friend. If my ideal personal life were a music genre it would be ambience. So most of my choices and plans would be towards the calmer side of the spectrum. For food, currently Cracker Barrel is one of my favorite spots. Combining the food, gift shop and commercial abundance it is a romantic depiction of an America I love. There is nothing more American than a franchise off of the interstate. I tend to only drink out of social necessity, so if they were thirsty I would choose any establishment with music at a volume that allows comfortable conversation. The activities I would choose to entertain them with are situational. You can never go wrong with the great outdoors, movies or museums. I have also found that driving around with an open mind can lead to a great deal of fun.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have always had admiration for educators. There is a Kurt Vonnegut speech where he talks about teachers that make people happier to be alive than they had previously been. I love asking people about those teachers because usually they instantly have a name that comes to mind. My professor Katy Betz is that teacher for me. I took her my Junior year of college and her classroom was a space for growth, introspection and exploration. She taught us how to have passion and an emotional connection with our work. It seemed like she understood that special feeling of creating and wanted to allow others to feel it as well. Her class felt like therapy where she helped us figure out who we were so that we could create something honest. That is where my art got its soul.

Website: www.colincovie.com

Instagram: colincoviello