It takes a team of very talented Cast Members to bring Disney Store Magic to life each and every day. I had the great pleasure to sit down and chat with one such talented Cast Member— designer and artist Quincy Sutton. Read on to learn about all the awesome work Quincy does for Disney Store!
The Buzz: Greetings, Quincy! Thanks for taking the time to interview with us! Can you tell our readers a little about what you do here at Disney Store?
Hey, Liz! I’m a Senior Character Artist for the Disney Store. As a designer, I focus on designing tees and Vinylmation.
The Buzz: Very cool! So what are the projects you’ve worked on for Disney Store so far?
I’ve done so many! Most recently I helped design and create figurines for the latest Vinylmation series, Tunes. For the tees, I focus primarily on Disney Princesses, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and classic characters, like Goofy, Donald Duck and Pluto.
The Buzz: Can you give us any sneak peeks into what you have planned for future projects?
Of course, I can’t give away too much, but there are some awesome Vinylmation series to look forward to! I’m also continuing work on a new line of adult Disney Princess and Minnie Mouse tees.
The Buzz: If you could design any product for Disney Store, what would it be?
I would definitely choose to work with my favorite character, John Worthington Foulfellow, better known as Honest John, from Pinocchio. I would like to design a fashion forward tee for Disney Store with Honest John. Ideally, I could help create a men’s fashion line based around his character- with pieces that reflect Honest John’s villainous persona and dressy style. Perhaps pieces like a top hat, ties, cuff links, etc.
The Buzz: Of course, I have to ask, why is Honest John your favorite Disney character?
I love his style, especially his top hat! In Pinocchio Honest John always found a way to look good!
The Buzz: Let’s talk some more about your Vinylmation work. How long does it take to design a piece for a new series?
The whole process starts out as a concept. We come up with an idea of what a series will be
about and the next step is to choose characters that are relatable to Guests and relevant to the series. The characters in the series should be a mix of popular and classic characters. We then figure out how to design the selected characters to fit on the Vinylmation form. Sometimes a particular character may fit better on the form than others, but we never give up on a character, we always try our best to make it work. Our initial concepts then go through a series of approvals, and once approved, we complete the illustrations. These designs are then sent out to be painted onto the forms. It takes a few months to see the first pieces and usually about a year of work before the whole series is released.
The Buzz: Where does your inspiration come from when you’re designing Disney Store products?
When I’m doing character designs I go straight to the original source—the animated films! I look at the actual footage to capture the characters’ expression and personality, rather than using still artwork for reference. As for my personal inspiration, it comes from everywhere—music, paintings, fashion… and sometimes I put a little bit of pop culture inside the artwork.
Thank you, Quincy! We love all the fantastic designs you’re creating for Disney Store! Check out DisneyStore.com for our Vinylmation Series and collection of tees for the entire family.
Liz
Disneystore.co.uk
