We caught up with artist Deanne “Kim” Dychinco (aka. Tiny Kim) who makes tiny things out of paper when she's not working her retail job. We chat about attention to detail, her love of Dexters Lab and Anime, and how her photoshoots sometimes take up to 6 hours!
Any hilarious stories about you as a kid being creative?
As a kid I have always been very particular to little details. I literally wouldn’t eat if I see that my spoon and fork don’t have the same flower pattern on them. They always have to match.
I was also a huge fan of the 90's kid show on Cartoon Network called Dexters Lab. I dreamt of becoming a scientist like Dexter but I guess chemistry and I didn’t click and I decided that I wanted to be an artist/designer instead.
When I was 5 years old, I wanted to be a scientist and I formed a group called the Science Club with my cousins. All we did was mix shampoos with cooking ingredients and make random things using objects we had at home. I remember I made this “Time Travelling Machine” with my niece using an old electric fan as the motor and attached it infront of a chair with some wires. I had to tell my niece to close her eyes and hold on tight to the chairs so she can go to a different time and she believed it and cried because she missed home.
Did you have a plan for graduation and what actually happened?
Long before I dreamt of becoming a fashion designer, I wanted to be a mangaka because I liked anime and reading manga but I thought I was gonna end up cosplaying a lot and I didn’t like it so my dad suggested fashion and I liked it. I graduated with a degree in fashion design in the Philippines. I originally wanted to study fashion with a specialisation in menswear either in Japan or New York but things didn’t go as planned and I ended up studying Textile Design in New Zealand. After finishing Textile Design, I felt that neither fashion nor textiles were something I wanted to pursue anymore. I was becoming more interested in film, art direction, and graphic design because most of my friends were from visual communication design and film.
How did you name your practice and what does the name represent to you?
I originally thought of naming my brand “Awkward Kim” because I’m awkward but my sister helped me decide on “Tiny Kim” because I’m tiny and I make miniature things out of paper and other stuff like pins, toothpicks, and clay.
Give us the elevator pitch on what you do.
I make tiny things out of paper and I take photos of each movement frame by frame. The photoshoot sometimes takes 6 hours because moving the miniature objects are quite challenging. Sometimes my arms would hurt because I would have probably been holding a certain pose for about about 2 minutes. If I make mistakes, I have to redo the whole thing from the start sometimes because it would lack continuity. Most of the time, I would record the background sound effects on my own using my voice and random things I can find that would sound similar to what I’m making. Then I edit the lighting or the colours in Lightroom. Afterward, I edit them on premiere pro or after-effects.
Don’t let lack of money get to you because there’s always alternatives.
Talk us through a typical working day include for you right now.
I am currently working at retail, not exactly the most creative and exciting job but I guess what I most like about it is that it allows me to understand people more and basically knowing their stories. It also allows me to crave for making something creative because it’s a job that requires so much physical effort that during breaks I try to draw or write down ideas I have had during my shifts. And when I get home I start conceptualising on the next videos I’ll be making for Tiny Kim.
What's the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
If there’s something you wanna do, just do it. Don’t let lack of money get to you because there are always alternatives. If you can’t afford to buy the materials you wanted, find alternatives, that way you’re gonna make something new.
