David Landis, founder of Kooky Craftables
For Richmond native David Landis, the idea for his paper craft projects, Kooky Craftables, came to him almost as a dream about 10 years ago. As he was drifting off to sleep, the image of an octopus popped into his head, and he thought about how the paper could be curled to make it a 3D illusion. And thus, his paper crafts were born, originally under the name Desktop Gremlins. Landis rebranded to Kooky Craftables in 2020, offering free, downloadable projects at kookycraftables.com.
The crafts are simple to build; all that’s needed is a printer, scissors and occasionally some glue. There are many free designs available, from the “Star Wars” character Grogu (aka Baby Yoda) to Marvel’s Scarlet Witch. For the holidays, Landis offers designs such as The Gabby Gobbler, a turkey with an attachable speech bubble that you can fill in yourself. There’s also Construct-a-Kringle, a Santa Claus design with a blank list where you decide who is naughty or nice. Some of his newer creations include Pencil Pals, pencil-shaped desk buddies. Instructions are included with each project, and video tutorials are available at youtube.com/kookycraftables.
The designs are for all ages. Landis wants the projects to be approachable, unlike some of the more complicated paper crafts on the market. He also wants them to be accessible, hence the free downloads. “There’s that magic moment when young people or even older people that are afraid, they don’t think they can do it, and they put something together, and you just see them light up because they’ve actually accomplished something,” Landis says.
Kooky Craftables owner David Landis surrounded by some of his paper creations, including his original octopus design
For those who have no home printer or who want better-quality material, Landis has released two books featuring paper crafts. His first, “Desktop Gremlins,” which includes his original octopus, was self-published, and the second, “Papercuttables,” was published by Scholastic. Landis is also finishing a third book, with plans to publish in 2023.
Landis is a graphic designer and freelance art director via his business Landis Productions, which he founded in 1994. He says Kooky Craftables is his passion project. A father of three and a creative at heart, Landis says that the joy the crafts have brought him and his family and the feedback he has received from customers have inspired him to continue growing the side business. Ultimately, he wants families and individuals to have a great time building what he calls “a designer art toy.”
