Silhouette Artist Brings Detailed Disney Inspired Designs to the Parks

With so many art mediums out there it’s no surprise that Disney inspired art can be found everywhere. We’re all used to seeing paintings, prints, drawings, even needlework featuring our favorite characters, but something that pops up far less often are silhouettes.

Artistic expression:

Keith Lapinig is Interactive Design Manager for ABC by day and a silhouette artist any other time. He designs beautiful silhouettes of iconic locations and characters and then photographs his work at Disneyland. Contrary to some suggestions that he simply Photoshops the silhouettes into existing pictures, Lapinig creates and cuts out his designs using black card stock. He proudly displays his detailed craftsmanship on Instagram where silhouettes range from Snow White to the Chernabog. In a recent interview with Good Morning America, Lapinig discussed his unique hobby, how social media inspired his work, and his love for Disney.

In his words:

His artwork is not Photoshopped: “I get those who think I’m just digitally drawing a black silhouette around my hands in a photograph. In a way, it’s flattering that they think it’s a digital illustration. However, they were all taken on location with a physical piece of paper; you can even see the shadows on my hand! I believe the presence of my hand is a big part of the final piece, to show that I didn’t just Photoshop a black silhouette into any photograph.”
On his love for Disney: “I think it blossomed into a bigger love when I started to work for the World of Disney NYC store and realized a lot of the minuscule details of the films remained in my head; I used that retention to go on to win our annual Disney Trivia tournament. The quest to soak up more Disney knowledge just continued from there.”
On social media inspiring his hobby and designs: “This style with its interaction between the paper illustration and the environment intrigued me. When translating to my art, I wanted the cutouts to interact with an entire environment, but a detailed illustration would get lost in the composition so I resorted to using a solid color.”
His first silhouette was Maleficent on Sleeping Beauty Castle: “It was my test subject to see if I was even capable of making this series. Once I realized it was, I’ve been pumping out more and more because they’re so much fun to make.”