OCTOBER 31 - NOVEMBER 2: Coming off my last article, I was left with one thought….What next? In the world of minis, there are literally thousands of items out there. My mini world is very small at the moment. Sure I’ll buy my son Lego mini-figures, myself a My Little Pony blind bag, or even a blind box from Funko. So again…What Next? As I’m formulating a topic for this article, I realize it’s Day of the Dead. This holiday is surrounded by the use of minis. Minis that are seen in alters. Typically seen are items such as bottles, food and foliage, such as cactus. I decide to walk to the one place in my area that sells such items. The place is called El Mercado de Los Angeles. Or as I simply call it, The Market Place. The Market Place is a two story building with 50+ vendors that sell clothing, tapestries, food and other types of items.
The place is filled with an array of color and an armada of smells, such as leather and spices. There are a handful of vendors that sell scaled down versions of everyday items. Items such as, clay pots, comals, serapes’, food, toys, cowboy hats. Almost anything really. You ever eat at your local Mexican restaurant? At times these restaurants will have Mexican diorama folk art on the walls that have a mini hutch with pots and pans. Or a mine table decorated with tequila bottles and food. This place sells these type of minis a display artist may need to use in this type of folk art.
As I’m struggling to think of a topic for this article. The answer was literally in my backyard. With minimal money in my pocket I was able to grab a couple of items to create a scene or display.
Now, as a display artist that uses action figures and dolls in the scenes that I create. The Market Place is a very important resource that I use to help me find my props. In short, use your neighborhood, use your surroundings as a tool to find props and backdrops for your display art.