If you are new to the designer vinyl toy scene, you might want to sit back and think about the precautions of proceeding. I purchased my first Kidrobot vinly toy (dunny series 5) a few months back and I’ve been hooked on vinyl since. There are a lot of inspirational vinyl toy artists out there that create amazing works of art. But what better way to become inspired than creating your very own piece of art?

In this write up, I’m going to explain how I went about customizing my first 7″ do-it-yourself Munny. The entire process, from conception to completion, took about 2 weeks since this was sort of a trial run. I think it came out great and was a total blast to do, so I hope this inspires others to go out and try it themselves.

I apologize in advance for the crappy photos I took with my iPhone. I was on a tight time schedule and didn’t get to borrow a decent camera in time, as this was a birthday gift for someone :)

Supplies

1. DIY Munny
2. Pencil and Paper
3. Masking Tape
4. Krylon Spray On Primer
5. Krylon Crystal Clear
6. Acrylic Paint and/or Spray Paint
7. Various Sized Paint Brushes
8. Permanent Paint Markers
9. Large Foam Base
10. Sticks or Dowls of some sort

DIY Munny Instructions

1. Purchase you choice of size & color Munny. They come in small (4″) & large (7″) sizes, and several colors including white, black, pink, blue, and glow in the dark.
2. Download a Munny Template so you can sketch your idea out on paper. Very much like designing things for online, if you sketch out your ideas first you can pick and choose your best ideas without having to come up with things on the fly.

   

3. Now that you’ve created a personality for your Munny, it’s time to prep him by giving him a good rinse off with soap and warm water to remove any remaining oil and grease.
4. Carefully remove the head and arms of your Munny and mask off both parts of where the joints meet with your masking tape. This will keep primer and paint off the moving parts and to make it easier to put him back together when you’re finished.

   

5. Having a foam base to stick your Munny parts makes it a lot easier to handle your Munny while you prime and paint. It keeps you from handling the pieces directly and smudging your coats.
6. To begin with, spray on a light coat of primer and wait for it to completely dry. Spray on a couple more heavier coats of primer and be sure to allow enough time to dry between coats to avoid drips. This will allow your paint to stick better and make your top coat look even nicer. I used gray Krylon spray on primer and like it a lot. It dried quickly and smoothly with no runs. Others have also used Gesso primer paint or even auto primer with success. Also do this outside in a well ventilated area please!

   

7. Now that your primed Munny is nice and dry, it’s time to bring him to life! With a pencil, begin to sketch out the design you mocked up directly onto your Munny. With masking tape, mask off any parts for a straight clean edge.

   

8. I used student grade acrylic paints as my medium and they worked fine for the design I created. For finer details people use a variety of mediums including oil based paints and air brush. I learned quickly that patience and a steady hand is they key when painting your Munny. Consider using 3 – 5 coats of paint to ensure that your Munny is coated evenly. It’s better to use a bigger brush with long strokes over large areas to avoid uneven brush strokes. You shouldn’t worry too much about minor unevenness and ridges because it should even out after you spray the clear coat on. I also used a Sharpie paint marker to make outlines and accent smaller details.

   

   

   

   

9. Now your Munny is all painted and dry, so it’s ready for its protective clear coat. Several coats of clear coat will keep your paint from chipping and will keep it from being sticky. Krylon spray on clear coat comes in a variety of finishes depending on how shiny or matte you want it to look. Since the original toys have a satin non-shiny finish, I opted to use the Krylon Satin Crystal Clear finish. To start out, it’s best to cover your Munny with a couple of light coats first to seal the paint. It is important that you wait for it to dry and very gradually apply heavier coats to avoid running and spots. If you apply the coats too heavily to being with, it will cause discoloration with your paint. Also note that if you used any sort of markers avoid any clear coat that contains Acetone because it will cause it to bleed. Again do this step in a well ventilated area, preferably outside.
10. Allow a day for your Munny to completely dry, and after that he should be ready to share and enjoy!

    

    

    

    

This is just one of many ways to customize your Munny. Depending on how crazy you want to get, you can completely overhaul the base and use modeling clay or even cut out parts of it you want to change. There’s a lot of really cool examples out there done by really talented people. I’m sure my example doesn’t stack up anywhere near the better artists out there. So I’m sure this won’t be my last Munny, because it was just too much fun creating my very first custom vinyl toy. Please feel free to share any of your newest creations!

More Munny Resources

• Kidrobot MUNNY Forum
• Munny Template
• Munny Flickr Pool
• 30+ Incredibly Beautiful Custom Designer Toys
• Amazing Toy Art: Munny
• Mega Roundup of 60 Cool Custom Designer Toys
• Custom Toy Lab Munny Category