natsu ramen
Genesis
This commission came from the owner of Natsu, a ramen restaurant with locations in Alicante, Murcia and Valencia. He is a collector of Art Toys, anime figures and manga statues. The starting point was a mural he had painted on the wall of one of the restaurants, showing a geisha holding a machine gun. That illustration became the base of the project.
Process
From the beginning I wanted the geisha to be standing on a very tiny area, to make her look delicate. Finding the figure's balance was challenging but also stimulating.
To bring it into the Art Toy universe, I reinterpreted the character and added elements connected to both the food and the visual language of ramen culture.
Although geishas are traditionally dark-haired, I turned her blonde so the hair could read visually as rice noodles. I modeled the entire hairstyle with curves and strands inspired by that texture.
For the kimono, I wanted something striking but with my own twist. I took it to a 70’s-inspired pattern, full of rounded shapes, and integrated soft-boiled egg halves into the circular motifs, keeping the aesthetic playful but still elegant.
One of my favourite parts of this piece was building the base. I wanted her to stand on a Japanese street, on wet stone pavement. To create that effect, I added a poured layer of slightly blue-tinted resin, forming a puddle with reflections and a sense of recent rain. I also sculpted a sake bottle and cup to complete the scene.
Piglet
There was a second piece included in the commission: the restaurant’s little piglet mascot, relaxing in a ramen bowl.
For that sculpture, I created all the ramen ingredients (noodles, naruto, toppings) and then poured a semi-transparent resin to mimic the broth. It turned into a cute, warm and very satisfying piece.
Outcome
Both figures were delivered for the opening of the Valencia restaurant.
This project allowed me to merge food culture, Japanese visual references and the expressive language of Art Toys in a playful way, while keeping the craftsmanship and level of detail that define my work.
