Andrew Bell (born October 27, 1978, in Guildford, England) is a British-born American artist and founder of Dead Zebra Inc. He specializes in creating collectible

designer toys Art toys, also called designer toys, are toys and collectibles created by artists and designers that are either self-produced or made by small, independent toy companies, typically in very limited editions. Artists use a variety of materials, such ...

. Bell also works in a variety of other mediums from illustrations and paintings to sculptures. Much of his work is brought together by a sense of humor that often belies a more serious and sombre message. His company and toys have been featured in publications such as the New York Times. In addition to his extensive toy and art catalog, he has also published three books of drawings.

Career

Bell began his

graphic arts A category of fine art, graphic art covers a broad range of visual artistic expression, typically two-dimensional, i.e. produced on a flat surface.

career as an intern at

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

while attending the

School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by ...

in New York. After completing his internship, he continued to work there for another two years as a freelance designer. From 2000 to 2005, he worked for

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

as a senior designer. Bell left Nickelodeon in 2005 in order to focus on his own projects and his company, Dead Zebra.

Artwork

Bell has produced many forms of art, including

drawings Drawing is a form of Visual arts, visual art in which an artist uses instruments to mark paper or other two-dimensional surface. Drawing instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, various kinds of paints, inked brushes, colored pencils, ...

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

sculptures Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

and toys which have all been featured in a variety of exhibitions. His art exhibitions have been produced for national and international audiences and showcase some of his more intricate pieces. In a 2009 exhibition he presented his

Darth Vader Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...

Helmet at

The Andy Warhol Museum The Andy Warhol Museum is located on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is the largest museum in North America dedicated to a single artist. The museum holds an extensive permanent collection of art and archive ...

Toy production

In the realm of

Bell has contributed to expanding what was once a small coterie, into a more mainstream audience. His collaboration with companies such as

Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...

have opened up awareness of

to new audiences. His collaboration with Google resulted in a set of vinyl collectible figurines based on the mascot for the popular

Android operating system Android is a mobile operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open-source software, designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Android is developed by a consortium of deve ...

. These figurines have become very popular with enthusiasts. To date, there is a 12-piece series 1, 3 special edition figurines, and one

DIY "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and semi ...

blank model. A series 2 set of figurines was released in early March 2011. Bell also collaborated with MyPlasticHeart which resulted in a limited special edition vinyl toy inspired by the site's logo. This toy was aimed more at long time urban vinyl collectors who have an affinity to the site. The toy was entitled A-Type - Rai Red Edition. The name A-Type has a number of different connotations that helped describe the design of the toy. In addition to his collaborations Bell has produced some platform and original designs. His first toy, produced in 2005, was entitled Groob. He produced a custom

kidrobot Kidrobot is a producer and retailer of designer toys, vinyl art toys and collectibles founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Paul Budnitz. The company was one of the earliest creators of designer art toys in America. The company was acquired in November ...

in 2009 entitled Kidreaper15. This piece featured a glow in the dark skeleton and included a fabric cloak and a scythe. Another example of Bell's original designs is the O-No Sushi series of toys, based on Japanese food.

Publications

Bell has published three books of drawings. The first book was a small softcover book entitled ''You've Gone Too Far''. This was a limited run of only 666 copies. Bell's second book was entitled ''Now You've Done It : A Collection of Creatures''. His latest book is entitled ''Do Not Eat! : A Collection of Creatures by Andrew Bell''. His work has been featured in two other books by

Paul Budnitz Paul Budnitz (born September 14, 1967) is an American entrepreneur. He is the founder of retailer Kidrobot, and the social network Ello (social network), Ello. He also owns Budnitz Bicycles in Burlington, Vermont. Biography Early life and educati ...

about

, '' I Am Plastic'' by

, and '' I Am Plastic Too: The Next Generation of Designer Toys''.

References

External links

Dead Zebra Inc.

Creatures In My Head
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Andrew Living people 1978 births