Drilone
Contents
Biography
DrilOne is a New Yorker at heart and a San Franciscan by location. On the East Coast, he painted only 2d work; on the west coast, toys are his preferred canvas. He began working with vinyl in 2005, and soon after stumbled upon the formula that would serve as his signature style. By taking a playful object and distressing it to, quite literally, its breaking point, Dril comments on oblivion, transience, and re-birth. Dril says simply: “I love rust, decay, history, ruins, military, skulls, vintage, and all this makes me who I am.” Art is in Dril’s blood. The son of a painter, he cannot imagine or remember life without drawing. He is a veteran of the New York City public school system and spent most of his life amidst the city’s chaos and creativity. His upbringing and admiration for contemporary, pop and graffiti artists are reflected in his work. The many inspirations that inform his art include abandoned amusement parks, insane asylums and old military bunkers. In addition to his work as a toy artist, Dril is an accomplished graphic and web designer. While he has yet to mass-produce his own original designs, he has made a name for himself with his one-of-a-kind customs in the art toy community. In 2009, his entry in Gallery 1:AM’s Shop Wars won the top honour. His pieces can be seen in group shows across the country and are sought after by collectors. Not only is he a customizer, a collaborator and generally a co-conspirator, but Dril also added curator to his hat rack last year. He remains very active in putting together and promoting custom gallery shows. Dril is a regular at shows, conventions and events. Wherever there are blank toys to be destroyed and reborn, you are likely to find him. In between, you can always reach out to him on Twitter.
Solo Shows
- Greetings From Hell, Dragatomi 2011
- To A Life Consumed By Slow Decay, Kidrobot Miami 09.20.2012
Designed Toy Releases
These are toys designed by Drilone.
Toy Series Participation
These are toys that Drilone has lent their design skills to.
- Dunny - 3" "A-10 Tank Destroyer (Camo)" for the Art of War series, 2014
- Dunny - 3" "A-10 Tank Destroyer (Silver)" for the Art of War series, 2014
- Dunny - 3" "A-10 Tank Destroyer (Olive)" for the Art of War series, 2014
- Dunny - 3" "A-10 Tank Destroyer (Soviet)" for the Art of War series, 2014
- Dunny - 3" Dunny Series 2011, 2011
- Qee - 2.5" Designer Collection Series 6, 2010
Customs
These are one-off, or very limited, pieces.
- Drone - custom for the Drone Blank Show, 2018
- Piece(s) for The Painters Show, 2018
- Heart Skull - custom for I Heart Skull!, 2018
- Piece(s) for Robots Will Kill and Friends, 2017
- Night King - "Retro Night King" custom for Bats in the Belfry, 2017
- Piece(s) for Robots Will Kill 15th Anniversary Show, 2016
- Bunnyvan - "NYC BunnyVan"
- "RWK" sculpture
- Piece(s) for Silent Wonderment, 2016
- Piece(s) for Crazy4Cult 9, 2015
- Dunny - 3" "Hold Your Breath" custom for the series with various artists including The Bots, 2015
- Geekwok - custom for the Custom Geekwok Show, 2015
- Vader Helmet - "Boss Vaderus Maximus" for DesignerCon, 2015
- Sleepwalker - custom for Lucid Dream, 2015
- Vader Helmet - "90's Vader" custom for SDCC, 2015
- Piece(s) for Brodarrfest US, 2015
- Picklebaby - "Pickle Pug" custom for Little Green Men, 2015
- Nohwitz - "Unmasked" custom for Nohwitz All, 2015
- Piece(s) for Skullbrainer, 2015
- Junior - "Mecha Crab" custom for When Hell Freezes Over 2, 2015
- Piece(s) for Winter Salon, 2014
- Piece(s) for Crazy4Cult 8, 2014
- Pieces for Bewitching, 2014
- "1973" for Tenebrous, 2014
- Milton - "Gasmask Cream" for The Art of Love, 2014
- Piece(s) for Adventure Time x G1988, 2014
- Piece(s) for Crazy4Cult 7, 2013
- Pieces for Bewitching, 2013
- Wandering Misfits - "Vintage Misfits" custom set, for SDCC, 2014
- Piece(s) for One of One, 2014
- Skelve - "Tank Skelve No.2" custom for Conjuring Mischief, 2014
- Toyconosaurus - "Vintage" custom for the Custom T-Con Show, 2013
- Ice Scream Man - custom for Día del Helado Muerto, 2013
- Billy - custom for Blamo 5th Annual Custom Show, 2013
- YHWH - custom for the YHWH Group Custom Show, 2013
- Fonzo - custom for Fonzo Loves California, 2013
- Pollen Kaiser - custom for the 2013 Anniversary Custom Show, 2013
- Deadbeet - custom for The Deadbeet Show, 2013
- Fonzo - custom for Fonzo Loves the UK, 2013
- Cavey - custom for Cavey’s 3rd Birthday, 2013
- Hug - custom for the Hug Custom Show, 2012
- Piece(s) for Winter Salon, 2012
- Chipster - 9x customs, collaborations with Scott Tolleson & Leecifer for SDCC, 2012
- "The Witches Tasty House" for Tales, 2012
- Piece(s) for the Old School Video Game Show 2, 2012
- Cavey - for Cavey's American Cousins, 2012
- Bunnyvan - "This Didn't Escape From NY" for Crazy4Cult, 2012
- SUG - "USSR 2156-SUG Radiation Trooper" for Signs of the Apocalypse, 2012
- Android - customs for the Dragatomi SDCC Edition Custom Android Blind Box Series, 2012
- Lil'g Mini Boombox - custom for the Boombox-tastic Custom Show, 2012
- Playsam custom for The Playsam 500, 2012
- Munny - custom for They Came From The Streets II, 2012
- Fonzo - 6" custom for the Fonzo Custom Show, 2012
- Garuru - Vintage Garuru custom, 2012
- Rose Vampire - Vintage Rose Vampire custom, 2012
- Bossy Bear - Vintage Bossy Bear custom, 2012
- BUD - "AWOL Bomb No.2030" custom for SDCC'12, 2012
- Smogun - Vintage Smogun custom, 2012
- Smogun - Military Smogun custom, 2012
- Piece(s) for Year Of The Dragon, 2012
- Piece(s) for Winter Salon, 2011/2012
- Swampy McSwamperton - custom for The Epic Adventures of Swampy McSwamperton, 2011
- Custom for I Am Legion, 2011
- Bearbrick - 1000% "RAF 2870 Pilot" for Icons, 2011
- Gumpy - custom for The Gumpy Show, 2011
- Customs for the One-Offs Show, 2011
- Pieces for Bewitching, 2011
- Jumping Brain - Custom for the Brain Evolution Exhibit, 2011
- Wood Rayola - custom for Shades of Ray, 2011
- Ghost Girl - "GKS-66 Blackwidow" custom for Ghost In The Machine, 2011
- Quasimoto - Vintage Quasimoto, 2011
- Mini Lunartik in A Cup of Tea - custom for Lunartik Mini-Tea Tour, 2011
- Customs for When Worlds Collide, 2011
- Mongolion - "Vintage" custom, 2011
- Jouwe - custom for Jouwe Custom Show (Holland), 2011
- Leroy C - 4" Vintage Leroy, commission, 2011
- Pieces for Metallic Machinations, 2010/2011
- Fatima - "US FIM06 - Iron Maiden", custom
- Dunny - 8" custom for Kidrobot - King of the Boards, 2010
- Nimbus - custom for the Nimbus Custom Show, 2010
- 10-Doh! - custom for the So Analog Group Custom Show, 2010
- T-Boy/Danke Schoen - custom for Love Movement, 2010
- Ojo Rojo - custom for Little Monsters, 2010
- Qee - custom for 15th Anniversary DIY Qee Celebration, 2010
- Jouwe - custom for the Jouwe Custom Show (Germany), 2010
- Piece(s) for Crazy4Cult, 2010
- MadL - collaboration custom with Jeremiah Ketner, 2010
- Jaws - "SGT-7734 Sergeant Pain" custom, 2010
- Qee - 10" Homer Simpson custom, for the online Simpsons Qee Gallery, 2010
- Bambaboss - "A3W-B1 IRON HELL" custom, 2010
- Celsius - custom for Ganmetall Celsius Custom Show, 2010
- Qee - custom for Qeeology 2point5, 2010
- Piece for the Not Vinyl show, 2010
- Piece for Monsters In The Mangroves, 2010
- Sketchbot - "SK-180" custom for Sketchbot Custom Show, 2010
- Bic Buddies - 8" Custom for the Buddy Custom Show, 2010
- Billy - custom for Welcome to Blamoville, 2009
- Station Wagon - custom for the Filth Wagon Show, 2009
- Piece(s) for Vivisect Playset Show, 2009
- Piece for Multiple Personalities 2, 2009
- IWG - custom for Humans Beware, 2009
- MUTT - custom for the Custom Mutt Show, 2009
- Mad L - 10" custom for the MadL Citizens show, 2008
- Sharky - "UW80V Iron Mako" custom for ToyQube's 4th Anniversary Show, 2008
- Piece for the Multiple Personalities show, 2008
- Qee - 10" DIY Bart Qee for the DIY Bart Qee World Tour, 2007
- Gwin - custom for the Mega Gwin Custom Show, 2007
- Munny - 8" for the Winter Munny Show, 2007
- Munny - 8" "Rusted to Death" Custom Munny for The Detroit Munny Show, 2007
- Piece for Sadly Beautiful, 2007
- Pillsbury Doughboy for Yeast Infection, 2006
- BUD - for The Bomb Project, 2006