Spheric Mickey

Born in London in 1970 and raised on a diet of Richard Scarry, Hergé, Judge Dredd and Albert Camus, Jarvis studied Illustration at the University of Brighton and the Royal College of Art, graduating in 1995. Since then he has gone on to establish himself as a graphic artist of international repute.In 1998 Jarvis designed the iconic toy figure 'Martin', unwittingly helping start the 'designer' toy phenomenon. In 2003 Jarvis, together with Russell Waterman and Sofia Prantera, established a company, Amos, to independently promote Jarvis' designs. To date Amos has released nearly 100 character toys, icluding the iconic King Ken and the mysterious and existential YOD. In 2006 Amos published the comic-book adventure story Vortigern's Machine and the Great Sage of Wisdom, co-written with Waterman. In 2007 Amos published a collection, James Jarvis Selected Drawings. Self-produced art toys are designer collectibles created and manufactured independently by the artist or small teams without the backing of a large toy company or mass-market brand. These toys are often highly personal, artistic expressions and are usually made in limited runs. Key Characteristics include independent creation where the artist is in control of the entire process from concept, sculpting, and painting to production and packaging. These are usually made in small batches, often 10–100 pieces, which adds to their rarity, made using materials like resin, sofubi (Japanese soft vinyl), or 3D-printed components.