Like many of you, it didn't take me long to get completely hooked on the craze that is Vinylmation. For me, it all started back during our Disney World trip in late 2011. At that point, I had never even heard of them and, when I arrived at the parks, I remember thinking "what are these Vinylmations and why are people going nuts for them?" However, with all the hype, I couldn't resist but get a couple once I saw the original Toy Story series one blind box set. What started out as "oh I'll just get one or two" has turned into "I need every single Pixar related release."
There's something just so thrilling about opening that "blind box", having no idea which character is inside. Who's behind the foil? Is it "the chaser" or the elusive "variant?" You never know…and that's the fun of it!
Vinylmations are designed by a variety of talented artists. For years now though, I have seen the name of Ron Cohee attached to many of my favorite Vinylmations and his work has continued to stand out to me even more than the rest. His amazing stye has become something I now always look forward to seeing more of. His latest work, featured in the upcoming Toy Story series two, will be available at D-Street locations & at the DisneyStore.com on September 12th and at Disney Stores on September 15th.
Within the last couple weeks, I've had the fantastic opportunity to be in contact with Ron and he was kind enough to take part in this interview about the making of Vinylmations and his career as a Disney Design Group artist.
Lets get to it!
Ron, it's an absolute honor to have you here on my blog. Thank you very much for taking the time to answer a few questions!
Thanks so much for the opportunity, Dan! I really enjoy your blog; the enthusiasm you convey is so inspiring.
First
off, for those who aren't familiar, what exactly is the Disney Design Group (DDG)? Is there any relationship with Disney Consumer Products (DCP)?
The
Disney Design Group is a talented team of graphic designers and
character artists located here in Central Florida, begun in large part
by a man Walt Disney himself hired, named Ralph Kent (he has a window on
Main Street at the Magic Kingdom). Our products - which range from
toys, collectibles and gallery art to clothing, hats and even shower
curtains - are exclusively designed for the Disney Parks and Resorts.
Our colleagues at DCP - in Glendale, CA - create incredible and thorough
style guides surrounding a new film property, for example, and will
provide that art for licensees around the world to follow. Consistency
being of utmost importance, we will also follow these guides in our
product designs. We do, however, strive to make our products unique in
order to differentiate them from what you can find "outside the berm" of
the parks. So whenever possible and appropriate, we go to great lengths
to incorporate the various characters into the settings and attractions
found in the theme parks, as well as continually create fresh and
original style guides of our own.
In
regards to the Toy Story Series Two Vinylmations coming out soon, I
have to say, I was very impressed with the selection of characters
chosen. Most, if not all, were on my shortlist of ones I had hoped would
be included. With so many characters within a franchise such as Toy
Story to choose from, how are they ultimately narrowed down and chosen
to be made? Are you involved in that decision making process?
The Vinylmation program, much like Disney pins, is a broad and collaborative effort that involves a great deal of strategy and long-term planning. Our Principle Graphic Designer, Thomas Scott, has been passionately guiding this line of collectibles since its infancy, and he works with us (along with our team of merchandisers and planners) to carefully determine the characters and properties that will be represented over the course of many years. Strategically, it’s best to release a good mix of both primary and secondary characters in each series, to keep from running through all the most popular or obvious ones too soon; of equal importance is the overall design and balance of the set as a whole.
You work along side many other Disney Vinylmation artists, how is it decided as to who gets what assignment?
The Vinylmation program, much like Disney pins, is a broad and collaborative effort that involves a great deal of strategy and long-term planning. Our Principle Graphic Designer, Thomas Scott, has been passionately guiding this line of collectibles since its infancy, and he works with us (along with our team of merchandisers and planners) to carefully determine the characters and properties that will be represented over the course of many years. Strategically, it’s best to release a good mix of both primary and secondary characters in each series, to keep from running through all the most popular or obvious ones too soon; of equal importance is the overall design and balance of the set as a whole.
You work along side many other Disney Vinylmation artists, how is it decided as to who gets what assignment?
Great
question! We each have our passions and strengths, and as we’ve come to
know each other better over the years, it’s become more obvious which
characters or subjects are the most fun for particular artists (certain
artists are especially knowledgeable about Marvel properties, for
example, and can provide a higher level of attention and authority to
those items). That being said, it is desirable to get a fresh approach
now and then, and so people often get a chance to try new and surprising
things.
After
the artist is determined and the selection of characters in a series is
finalized, what is the remaining process from concept art to final
product? What's a standard time frame in order to complete a series?
I like to quickly paint rough digital concepts first in order to see how they look together. The next step is creating vector art on a digital Vinylmation template, showing all angles and calling out every color. After the designs are approved by Thomas (and Pixar, in this case) they are sent to the factory, where the art is carefully applied one detail at a time - the entire process from concept to shelf usually takes several months to a year.
I like to quickly paint rough digital concepts first in order to see how they look together. The next step is creating vector art on a digital Vinylmation template, showing all angles and calling out every color. After the designs are approved by Thomas (and Pixar, in this case) they are sent to the factory, where the art is carefully applied one detail at a time - the entire process from concept to shelf usually takes several months to a year.
On
average, how many versions of a character's design do you feel you
typically go through before reaching a look that you and your team are
happy with?
Since
we work in tight collaboration on these, there isn’t much that goes by
the wayside. Occasionally, there will be some that don’t make it into a
series for one reason or another - but you never know when they might
fit in later, so no design is forgotten or disposed of. When samples
start coming in from the factory, each artist is responsible for
checking the details and making any notes or corrections necessary for
complete accuracy. I know you've designed a LOT of Vinylmations, but if you had to choose one (or a series) that you had the most fun with and/or connected with the most, what would it be and why? Which do you remember being the most challenging?
I’ve
certainly had the privilege of working on quite a few - though I’m not
nearly as prolific as some of the other artists. I would have to say the
ones I enjoyed the most were probably Carl and Ellie, just because of
the sheer emotional power of their sequence together in Up; I also
loved working on the Haunted Mansion Stretching Portraits, as a big Marc
Davis fan. I’d say the Hydra from Hercules was as challenging as it
was fun, due to the twisting necks and tricky negative space.
Designing Vinylmations is not the only thing keeping you busy. You have quite the impressive online portfolio! I've had a blast exploring it and seeing all the work you've done for the Disney over the years. Can you talk about some of your other projects that you've been involved with?
Designing Vinylmations is not the only thing keeping you busy. You have quite the impressive online portfolio! I've had a blast exploring it and seeing all the work you've done for the Disney over the years. Can you talk about some of your other projects that you've been involved with?
Thanks
so much! Working as a character artist at DDG, I’ve been given so many
opportunities over the past few years to work with the most amazing
artists on such wonderful products. Presently, I’m part of the Softlines
team, so I design a lot of art used on clothing and other apparel - you
may have seen a shirt I designed with the characters from Monsters,
Inc. opening doors into our theme parks, for example. I’ve also been
involved in some larger storybook programs, so called because they
involve a visual celebration of our characters, parks and attractions in
one large image. We work on all different kinds of items, though, no
matter what team you belong to, and we often get to collaborate with the
creators of the original content at the studios. For example, we’ve
worked with both Pixar and Lucasfilm to create the “Cars as Star Wars”
line of die-cast toys [series one & two]- I basically did the rough designs, and with help
from Ben Butcher and Jay Ward, helped steer them in the right
direction. As a matter of fact, any chance to work with our friends at
Pixar is always a joy. They have a genuine and vested interest in
helping us to be good stewards of their characters in merchandise, as do
all our partners. (Note: I also found out that Ron designed a favorite of mine in my collection, the Pixar "Disney Heroes" figure pack. Such great work!)
Switching
gears just a little, I'm interested in getting to know more about you
and your success story. What was your path to Disney and how did it
eventually lead you to where you are today designing merchandise?
Long story, but I’ll keep it short! I attended the California Institute of the Arts from 1992-1994, and then worked at Disney Feature Animation for ten years, transferring to the Florida studio at one point along the way. After the studio closed in 2004, I worked at a smaller studio started by former Disney artists and added to my skills. I also kept busy freelancing for Disney Publishing and Walt Disney Imagineering; some of the buses at Walt Disney World are wrapped with my art, as is much of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. DDG graciously added me to their team in 2011.
Long story, but I’ll keep it short! I attended the California Institute of the Arts from 1992-1994, and then worked at Disney Feature Animation for ten years, transferring to the Florida studio at one point along the way. After the studio closed in 2004, I worked at a smaller studio started by former Disney artists and added to my skills. I also kept busy freelancing for Disney Publishing and Walt Disney Imagineering; some of the buses at Walt Disney World are wrapped with my art, as is much of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. DDG graciously added me to their team in 2011.
Lastly,
for those possibly interested in finding a career in Disney
merchandising (with the Disney Design Group and/or Disney Consumer
Products), do you have any advice on how to get started?
I
would advise anyone to get as much artistic education and life
experience as possible; try to observe and capture as much from real
life as you can, filling your sketchbook with people, animals and
structures - anything that propels you forward and helps you grow as an
artist. Study the masterpieces of the past - fine art and sculpture as
well as film, animation and caricature. Gesture, life drawing, anatomy
and composition are a must, especially for a character artist. Learn as
much as you can about color and design, and learn how to paint and
sculpt digitally. Above all, never give up. I still have my rejection
letters to remind myself that perseverance and faith make all the
difference in the world! If you'd like to learn more about Ron and his stunning body of work, visit his online portfolio at www.roncohee.blogspot.com.
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