Inside the Disney Villains Designer Collection Artwork

Happy Friday, Buzz Readers! 

I have a very special inside look into the Disney Villains Designer Collection for you today! Principal Designer Steve Thompson is one of the main creative masterminds behind the stunning designs of the six villains in the new Designer Collection coming to Disney Store in early fall, and he has written about his inspiration for the fabulous artwork.

Steve Thompson’s career with The Walt Disney Company began at age 19. While attending CalArts, Disney Consumer Products offered him a job as a Senior Character Artist. He jumped at the opportunity and moved up in the company, eventually spending 10 years working for Disney Feature Animation and Disney Toon Studios as a Clean-up Artist and Character Designer. He currently works as a Principal Designer for Disney Store North America, where he has been since 2005.

Steve Thompson at Disney Store's Fahion Night Out Event in 2011 with the Disney Princess Designer Collection.

Check out this excerpt about the Disney Villains Designer Collection from Steve’s personal blog, where he posts awesome examples of his work and inspiration.

Something wicked this way comes…….  

So excited about finally being able to talk about these! It’s the second outing for myself and fellow designer Sang Plumlee for the Disney Store’s “Designer Collection” series, whom I was lucky enough to work with on the princess designer series as well.   

Six dolls in all, the villains were a whole different challenge than the princesses. The princesses were inspired by fashion illustrations from the 50’s and 60’s. The villains were inspired by something all together different. I wanted them to be more modern. So, I looked at art, architecture, texture, theatrical costumes and of course fashion by some of today’s more avant-garde designers. These villains are “inspired” by the film characters through a designer’s eye. We didn’t want to just take a doll and put it in a fancy dress. We wanted them to look like a fashion sketch come to life. I wanted to capture the essence and attitude of each character, but represent them in an unexpected way. For example, Maleficent in the film is very angular in design. So, I keep that same feeling with the structure of her dress. Also, since in the story she becomes a dragon, so we used a leather-like fabric and the lower half of her bodice looks like scales. Even the dresses are storytelling! There will be much more info to come, but for now I hope you like our new girls.

Be sure to follow Steve’s blog for more great inside information about his designs for Disney Store!

And as an added treat, take a look at another product from the Disney Villains Designer Collection—the absolutely exquisite ceramic mugs. With the claw foot base and serpent tail-like handle, these mugs are perfect for enjoying a delightfully delicious cup of tea, coffee, and hot chocolate!

Which one is your favorite?

Comments

[Christina]

Interesting! I'd love to learn more about each dress and the stories they tell. Hmm my favorite mugs are Mother Gothel and Cruella. Though I'm a headstrong Gothel fan, Cruella wields that fur coat like a true villain! I can't wait for more info on these villainous beauties, keep the blog posts coming! :)

[andy]

Love the Queen of Hearts mug :]

WIll the mugs be available online?

[Georgia]

OMG where can we buy this????? I really hope they do this for the Disney males/villains, I'd sooo buy Hades, John smith, gaston, the beast (as the human version of course;so hot) alladin, Hercules,Tarzan, Eric, and captain hook in sharp sleek Tom ford suits or trench coats. ;) mmmm

[Michael]

I want these sooo bad. I missed out on the Designer Princess Mugs so I definitely want to be sure to get these. I hope these will be available to purchase as well and not only at the D23 Expo. Do you know the suggested retail price? I would like to make an estimate of how much money I will be needing to save for the doll release as well as these mugs. ALSO PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Let us know if there will be a limited edition pin set too! I would love to get the pin set since I missed out on those too from the princess collection. D23 member here and I definitely can't afford the trip to California's Disneyland every year for that event. Its kind of unfair! I also prefer Disney World any day of Disneyland. Help us out! Let us know the mugs retail cost? Will there be pins? How much will the pin set cost? Is it limited as well? Are these mugs limited?
Thanks

[Irene]

These mugs are amazing and so is this Villians Designer Collection. Thank you for introducing us to the designer Steve, he does great work!

[Tina]

i am thrilled. i cannot wait for this line.

[Lizzie]

Does Disney sell a poster with all the princesses on it, that's what i really want. Someone from Disney please let me know.

[Michael]

Do we know when these will be released yet? Is it the same date as the dolls Steve?
Thanks