Incredible Silhouettes Bring Disney Parks To Life
If you have never seen the amazing artwork of Keith Lapinig, you are certainly missing out! Keith has been able to combine intricately cut designs of favorite Disney characters with iconic Disney park locations. By holding these incredible silhouettes in just the right place, he is able to create total magic!
Early On
Keith, an Interactive Design Manager at the Walt Disney Company, grew up with a love of Disney, drawing and learning new creative art techniques. He began his Disney career in New York City at World of Disney on 5th Avenue. Also during this time, he picked up an airbrush and began creating custom Vinylmations. Between that and 3D printing, Keith created an entire Big Hero 6 Hiro Hamada costume. The paper art came later.
On a recently trip to Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom park, Keith was able to bring his creations to life in a whole new way.
His first stop was none other than the iconic Cinderella Castle at the end of Main Street U.S.A. Tinkerbell was found flying around, spreading Pixie Dust as only she can while Fairy Godmother was transforming Cinderella for her magical evening.
Briar Rose (also known as everyone’s favorite Sleeping Beauty, Aurora) explored a stream. Pretty amazing, right?
Inspiration
Keith was asked about what inspired him to create these incredible works of art. “In terms of inspiration, I’ve seen many people bring photographs of Walt Disney walking around Disneyland park [in Anaheim, Calif.] and try to match up the photograph in their exact locations. I’ve also seen artists draw characters, in various poses like they’re playing tug-of-war, and cut them out.
It’s not until they take a photograph of their hand with the paper in the scene when you realize it’s a cute setup of their hand playing tug-of-war with their art. Those were some of my inspirations that made me take my paper art to the Disney Parks.”
Keith also took his silhouettes to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in Fantasyland. Snow White was giving Dopey a kiss on the top of his head in the attraction queue. He then hopped over to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
Pooh Bear himself, along with his pal Piglet looked right at home.
That’s a Long Time
How long would you think one of these silhouettes takes Keith to make? From the initial research of theme park attractions to creating the actual design, one silhouette could take anywhere from 3 to 6 hours. Then he can cut the photo out and take it into the park for photos. Can you imagine trying to get one of these great pictures on a very crowded park day? Talk about dedication!
Research
“That research is either done in person with a fun day at the parks, or I use the internet to scour through people’s unique shots around the Disney Parks,” he said. “Once I have a location in mind, I can decide which Disney characters would go great in that scene. The hardest part of the process is taking a character and trying to maintain their integrity that the viewer will still recognize the character in silhouette.”
His first ever creation was one of Maleficent at Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland. Following that, he has released dozens of shots of various Disney characters in both Disneyland and Walt Disney World parks.
“I’m only getting better and better at this craft as I, admittedly, am new to the world of photography,” Keith said. “I’ve seen myself improve in just a few months, and that’s what I love about being an artist. I’ll never get complacent with my talents – I always see room for growth and aspire for it. I hope everyone stays tuned for more!”
We can not wait to see what else Keith can come up with! If you’d like to see more of Keith Lapinig’s magical artwork, you can find him on YouTube, Instagram, and many other platforms.
Would you like a Disney destination vacation? Did you know that I can book and plan your entire trip for FREE? Contact me today at MickeyTravels for your FREE, no obligation quote for a Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line or Adventures By Disney vacation! My magical planning services are included at no extra cost. You can find me on Facebook or via email at brooke@mickeytravels.com.