natsu ramen
Genesis
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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 the Alicante restaurant: a geisha holding a machine gun. That illustration became the base of the project.
Process
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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
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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
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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.
