Spotlight On: Disney Store Artist Marcella Lau

All this week, we are taking a look at the Disney artists behind the Robots Vinylmation series. Make sure to check out Robots ExplainedRobots Uncovered and Podcast Ep. 30 for more Robots coverage.

Marcella Lau
Senior Manager, Design
Photo Copyright Disney

The daughter of a Southern California native, Marcella Lau was born and raised in Pasadena, California (the home of Disney Store Headquarters!). After graduating from Art Center College of Design with a degree in graphic design, Marcella joined the Walt Disney Company in 1997 and created everything from album covers for Disney Records to video game graphics for Disney Interactive. In 2006, Marcella joined the Disney Store team and since then she’s been designing all sorts of things… like Silly Bot from Vinylmation Robots.

Silly Bot 9″

Marcella’s favorite Vinylmation series is Villains because she loves all the characters. When Marcella isn’t at Disney Store, she loves being a great Mom to her two young children.

What are some other Vinylmation Marcella Lau has designed?

I “Mickey Head” NY
NYC Exclusive

Spotlight On: Disney Store Artist Gerald Mendez

All this week, we are taking a look at the Disney artists behind the Robots Vinylmation series. Make sure to check out Robots Explained, Robots Uncovered and Podcast Ep. 30 for more Robots coverage.

Gereld Mendez
Senior Designer
Photo Copyright Disney

After his graphic design education in Mexico City, Mexico, Gerald Mendez came to the US in 1986 where he undertook the challenge to master as many techniques as possible to improve the quality of his work, including Professional Airbrush and Digital Illustration. In 2006, Gerald joined the Disney Store team and recent he created Ignition Bot, Security Bot and Steampunk Bot from the Vinylmation Robots series.

Ignition Bot 3″

A fan of fantasy art of all kinds, Gerald has an extensive collection of unique collectible figurines including custom airbrushed Vinylmation. He even airbrushed an amazing snowboard with all the Disney Villains! In his spare time, Gerald operates his art studio called “Aerografika” in Chino, CA.

What are some other Vinylmation Gerald Mendez has designed?

NYC Graffiti
NYC Exclusive
Old Witch
Villains 1
Julius 9″
Villains 1
Minnie Mouse Jr.
Villains 1

Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artist DisneyMozart

One of our readers made a very special custom for his Dad this past Father’s Day. Custom artist Jason Adler, aka DisneyMozart, from Birmingham, AL made an Alabama Crimson Tide custom. Here are the pictures.

Front View
Can you spot the Hidden Mickey in the room?
Roll Tide Roll!

Spotlight On: Vinylmation Custom Artist Keith Lapinig

“Quick” Editorial: We don’t want to take the spotlight off Keith’s customs below, but must mention a word about yesterday’s post with custom artist Justin Marshall. Justin sent us pictures of a custom Vinylmation Claw Machine he made, but it quickly came to our attention there was another claw machine out there, done by Keith Lapinig. This “original” Claw Machine” was made back in 2009. Now although original idea can be debated in many ways, credit must be given where it is due. Our first inclination was not to pull the post, but after talking with both Justin and Keith yesterday and getting the full story, we mutually decided it best for everyone to pull that post. There was, a now deleted, great comment on yesterday’s post. It basically said that a man named Walt took classic Fairytales and enhanced them for our entertainment. It also pointed out of course that even Keith’s Claw Machine is based upon someone at Pixar’s idea. And that was based upon an idea that’s in every arcade. It goes on and on, but that’s a subject for a different time. It all came down to a lack of acknowledgement. One other quick note, with these Spotlight On articles, we are not endorsing any custom figure, custom artist or choosing one over another, it is only a platform to share artist’s work. We don’t have a weeding out process. Anyone who contacts us eventually gets an article. We may feature other customs by Justin in the future, but today is Keith’s spotlight.
Keith Lapinig is a custom artist born and raised in Queens, New York. He has created many fantastic custom Vinylmation that we would like to share with you today.
Destination Vinylmation: As an artist, what mediums have you worked with before Vinylmation?
Keith Lapinig: I’ve actually never painted before Vinylmation. I’m a computer graphics person, so I deal more with video editing, animation, and graphic design. I think my background in vector art actually came in handy since I became obsessed with mathematically-accurate smooth curves in my paint jobs. Sorry, that sounds really nerdy of me.

DV: Don’t worry, at Disney, Nerds Rock! So, what turned you on to working with Vinylmation?
Keith: I first heard about Vinylmation when I was a Cast Member at the World of Disney NYC. In a gallery meeting, only the name of it was brought up since it was still in development, but I immediately knew what to expect since my friend had been obsessed with the KidRobot vinyl toys. He actually tried to get me into collecting those, but I told him I will only collect vinyls if Disney starts making their own since I have to keep to the theme of my bedroom. Sure enough… it happened, and I have been collecting and creating since the first day of Vinylmation in 2008.

DV: Describe the features of your Claw Machine Custom?
Keith: The body is pretty much just a solid paint job, but the head consists of a custom plastic window, alien toys, and a claw model I made myself using PVC, clay, and aluminum. The final result isn’t actually how I originally planned it. I had planned on making the PRIZE chute to be a working door with another alien toy inside. I also wanted the back hatch to be another working door where a mini-Woody and Buzz could be found. I have grown a lot as an artist since then and actually implemented those techniques in some of my customs over time.
One example is the Snow White custom in my Fairytale Females series, so I just may get around to a second refurb of the custom if I ever have the time!
DV: Are those real toy aliens?
Keith: Yes! However, those are the only pieces of the custom that I did not create myself. I thank the Disney Theme Parks for making and selling the Bucket of Aliens!
DV: You have many great designs on your website, but my eye, as a gamer, was drawn to the Kingdom Hearts custom.
Keith: My Kingdom Hearts Vinylmation is definitely one of my favorite customs I have made. It came out exactly how I imagined it, and that is very rare for me. This was another big “first” experiment for me since I decided to use oil paints for the planets. I didn’t know what to expect nor did I really know what I was doing. I also decided to add a caved space to the Vinylmation with the keyhole in the back.
DV: You have a lot of designs under your belt now, what have you learned while creating custom Vinylmation?
Keith: Practice is essential. I actually have a couple of early customs that I no longer have up on my site because they’re just embarrassing. Ha. I definitely don’t think I’m the best artist out there and I continue working on my craft because I love learning new techniques and aspire for that artistic growth. Although I am now embarrassed of some of my early work, I know I wouldn’t be the artist that I am today without taking those beginning steps.

DV: What is the biggest challenge in creating a custom Vinylmation?
Keith: I think the biggest challenge for me is solidifying an idea. I don’t like wasting my time with customs that other people might make. For example, a character Vinylmation. I will always try to come up with a unique approach at translating a fresh design to the Vinylmation platform. While I have made many character Vinylmations in the past due to commissions, I prefer making fun designs that one wouldn’t normally think of when looking at a Vinylmation.

DV: Do you have any advice for custom artists?
Keith: The internet can be your best friend. For every single one of my designs that break the mold in a unique way, I thought of the idea first. I didn’t know how I would do it, but I knew I wanted to do it. Once I had my extremely far fetched idea, I Googled various ways I could accomplish exactly what I wanted. Sure enough, I found a technique that allowed me to do so without breaking the bank (completely)! Just like Walt said – If you can dream it, you can do it!

DV: Where can people go to view and purchase your work?
Keith: My official website is www.mametchi.com. I’m actually going to have a Facebook page soon. Keep an eye out for that! As far as customs for purchase, I do have a waiting list going on right now, but I am open for commissions.

Spotlight On: Vinylmation Custom Artist Cesilie

Today we feature a new custum artist from Modesto, California. Cesilie caught our attention when she started her Facebook page for Mo Doodle Designs and posted a picture of her Ken from Toy Story 3 custom.

Destination Vinylmation: How long have you been creating custom vinylmation?

Cesilie: A few months, Ken was the first vinyl I created after holding onto the blank vinyl for about a year! I was super nervous to start and my friend Nat told me to just jump in.

DV: Do you create other forms of art besides vinylmation?

Cesilie: My parents had a craft business growing up so painting and being artsy has always been something I’ve done. I can usually be found drawing (Hence the nickname I was given, “Mo Doodle”), painting, or creating mini-comic adventures of my pets!

DV: Your custom Ken looks amazing, just like the character from Toy Story 3. How did you decide to create a Ken?

Cesilie: Thank you! I can’t believe how well he turned out In fact, he came out exactly how I envisioned him! As one of the many kids today that have grown up with Toy Story I was super excited to see the Toy Story vinyl set come out. I was very happy to see a Lotso but not so happy to see Big Baby. I was hoping for more of my new found favorite characters to be included and I couldn’t help but wonder what Ken would look like as a vinyl. For me Ken stole the show in TS3 and I just felt like I needed to add to my Toy Story set!

DV: Talk about the process of creating this custom. Did you sketch out concept art? Do you pencil the design on first?

Cesilie: With Ken I had a hard time debating which outfit I wanted to put him in… There were SO many in the movie that I had to take a vote on which outfit to make. My family and friends voted to just do Animal Lovin’ Ken since he was the first version of Ken we met in the movie. I started sketching him on a vinyl outline and sorta just went from there. I’m pretty good at free-handing things and don’t really sketch them out first. I’ve found with a few other vinyls I’ve worked on that penciling onto the plastic is not something I’m good at, plus I like the challenge of eye-balling it. I also knew I wanted him to have a real ascot, so fabric that matched my paint colors was a must!

DV: What was the biggest challenge in creating the Ken custom?

Cesilie: The biggest challenge I think was the leopard spots. I wanted them to be super accurate and I was really worried about starting to work on them. I ended up using a toothpick and spent about 3 hours trying to get them right on the first ear! After I got that done I was really relieved to see they turned out exactly how I wanted and the the other ear and shirt were much easier and way less time consuming to finish. I also had a little trouble with the highlights in his hair, so I had my expert crafty mom help me out with that one!

DV: Great use of the ears! Was that your original idea or did have other thoughts for them as well?

Cesilie: At first I didn’t know what to do with the ears. I thought about painting them brown but as I talked to my mom about it she said it would look funny to have brown hair and then brown ears. Then I considered leaving them blue and just writing “Ken” in pink text (like on the barbie boxes) on his ear…. It wasn’t  until after I had sketched most of him out on the coloring page that I decided to try the leopard spots on the ears šŸ™‚

DV: Where is barbie?

Cesilie: Barbie is in the works… I didn’t expect Ken to turn out as well as he did. This was my first custom afterall, not to mention my first 3D art piece ever! so I never thought about making his counter part. However, after taking Ken to Disneyland for the pirates event and getting a great response with him I’ve been working on a Barbie sketch to finish off the duo.

DV: It looks like you have a couple nice looking sports figure customs in the concept phase.

Cesilie: Totally! They are actually my first official commissioned pieces! The guy I’m doing them for is a fan of New York teams (Yankees and the Jets) and asked me to create two figures based off of these teams. The one you can see actual paint progress of so far is the Yankee’s player šŸ™‚ I’m waiting for a special little item to come in before I start the football player šŸ™‚

DV: Two New York teams? What would happen if I commishioned you to create a Boston Red Sox or Patiots custom?

Cesilie: I would totally be down to do both! I personally am not very in-the-know when it comes to sports teams as far as who is who, I just know I’m a Dallas fan šŸ˜‰

DV: Can people purchase any of your customs?

Cesilie: YES! As of right now I take custom orders of whatever you’d like me to do! I have a cute old-fashioned Minnie in the works as well as the two lil sports guys. I make pretty much whatever your heart desires! If anyone would like to inquire about a possible custom (or to even purchase a Ken/Ken outfit varient) you can contact me on Facebook.

DV: Thank you for your time and keep in touch about your future customs.

Cesilie: Thanks SO much for featuring me!

Spotlight On: Vinylmation Custom Artist Tayner

Custom artist Tayner sent us some pictures of his 3″ designs. He also describes them in his own words. Enjoy.
Jack Jack from The Incredibles
Now don’t get fooled by his basic design or cuteness… he was a lot of work to make, and caused me a few problems. I drew out a rough sketch, as usual, and he looked pretty good! As I actually painted him, he started looking really weird! I decided to re-sketch his face, and make it look better!
Frozone from The Incredibles
I really want to design custom figures that I haven’t seen done before, so I started going through my favorite movies by Disney.
Chuckles The Clown from Toy Story 3

I was sitting down, in my room, with a black Create-Your-Own, and was looking around my room. I saw my TS3 Poster, and thought to myself “Which of these characters didn’t they do in the Toy Story Vinylmation Series?”. Then it hit me! Chuckles! So I sketched him out on a sketch pad, and he looked pretty good… So here is the final result!

Finaly, here is Tayners Monsters Inc. 3″ Custom

Spotlight On: Noah

Copyright Disney
On Saturday, June 11th world renown artist Noah will be appearing at Treasures in Paradise in Disney’s California Adventure park for the release of his Vinylmation inspired by Ariel from Disney’s The Little Mermaid. He created 12 hand painted 9″ ($595) and 12 hand painted 3″ ($150) figures. He recently sat and talked with us about Vinylmation, his art and his inspirations.

Destination Vinylmation: Tell us about these amazing 9″ Ariel Limited Edition Vinylmations.

Noah: I chose to make this a two part art piece. I wanted the stand to be complimentary to the vinyl and for them to work together. The painting of Ariel was created for the opening of the attraction and a Noah collection of merchandise. Its a huge honor and privilege. Total dream come true.

Noah’s 9″ The Little Mermaid LE 12 ($595)
Copyright Disney

DV: When you make a piece like this, how much pre planning goes into it?

Noah: I see all designs done in my head. Its a visual thing. I cant describe it but see it done in my head sitting in the resort on the shelf and on the guests shelves at home. I’ve been creating like this over 25 years. You tend to figure out quickly what you can do and can’t do quicker and quicker each time. More than anything, I want to always take risks and think way outside the box. Trying to keep it really fun to look forward to.

DV: When designing a vinylmation, are you always able to accurately translate your concept onto the canvas?

Noah: Yes. They are tricky and a challenge though. I won’t deny that. However, using the airbrush helps when painting on 3D objects. The key for me isn’t just the concept, its the finishes and quality of products that I really research and get into. Such as the World of Color pearl colors and clearcoat. I love creating those new ideas and color pallets.

Noah’s World of Color Vinylmation
Copyright Disney

DV: What have you learned about designing a vinylmation since your first piece to now?

Noah: Sky is the limit. each one reveals another step as to how far out I can go. Metal Mickey was mass release for D23 two years ago and was fun to design but things really changed when I started painting the one of a kinds.

Metal Mickey
Copyright Disney

DV: A lot of your work seems to be inspired from old-school Disneyland. Talk to us about your Disney inspirations.

Noah: I grew up going to the park 1-3 times a week during the Summers spent with my Aunt and Grandparents. A lot of my family were cast members in the resort. Later on, once the partnership happened with Disney I really wanted to herald the legacy of what Walt was about. I love making sure we remember the foundations of Walt’s dreams and ideas. I love the old vintage black and white cartoons and designs. I just really care for the true essence of Walt’s vision and motives. It was all for other people and families. He really created something special.

Noah’s Pirates of the Caribbean Painting
Copyright Disney

DV: Do you make it to Disneyland often for fun? What are you favorite attractions?

Noah: My wife and I take the kids as much as possible. Great place to let the kids walk and run. Great exercise. Building connection with them not just memories. Favorite area is Casey Jr. and Storybook Land. Although, time spent in Club 33 is hard to beat. Sitting on the terrace watching Fireworks, the sounds of the park and the train. Its really awesome. I have to thank my Aunt Barbara who was key in the time we spent there as kids. I remember being there at 12am when the park was closing and we would be hittin the rides, as many as possible in a row. Hours spent in the arcade under space mountain. When we spent summers at my grandparents in Anaheim I’d climb the roof of their house and watch the fireworks. As I watched them I’d be thinking what was happening in the park and all the good that was happening there.

Noah Working on a Mickey Painting
Copyright Disney

DV: What is your favorite Disney character to work with?

Noah: Hmmmm. don’t know if I have a favorite. I love portraits. So obviously I love taking the characters to a new reality but keeping them rooted in their identity and story. However, painting Walt’s portrait is my favorite. I’m humbled every time.

DV: How about the newer Disney films, and any chance we’ll see some art based on them? (Tangled, Princess and the Frog, Pixar films)

Noah: Your’re funny. Keep a look out. I have some ideas.

DV: Tron Legacy vs the original Tron.. which is better?

Noah: Yes. šŸ™‚

Noah’s 9″ Tron
Copyright Disney

DV: There has been a lot of talk of bringing Mickey Mouse back to his more “mischevious” roots from his early cartoons, instead of the do-gooder we know today, as evidenced in the Epic Mickey videogame. How do you feel about Mickey being a bit darker, and does that influence your work at all?

Noah: I would say that there has been a lot of interpretations and variations and there are some I like more than others. I am currently working on some things that I’ve never been this excited about. Super pumped and excited.

DV: A lot of our readers know you through Vinylmation and Disney, but that’s only a small part of your work. Outside of Disney, what inspires your art?

Noah: Good grief… How long do you have!!? My sole purpose for being here on earth is to bring glory to my heavenly Father for giving me this gift and opportunity to paint. My main priority is to serve my wife and kids and others. I have a great deal of styles I love painting: Disney, Angels, Mermaids, Fairies, Florals etc. They are all different parts of me and have different meanings for different seasons of my life. If I painted just one thing I think I’d go nuts.

A Sample of Some of Noah’s non-Disney Work
Copyright Disney

DV: Any advice for create-your-own Vinylmation artists out there?

Noah: Risk. Risk. Risk. Don’t do what ā€œanyoneā€ can do. It has to be ā€œyouā€. Go waaaaay outside the box and give us something that we haven’t seen. Tell a story. Let us inside your head and create something that you don’t care what ā€œother people thinkā€ matters.

DV: Ninja vs. Pirate – who wins?

Noah: Jedi. Everytime.

DV: You have a lot of fans in the Vinylmation world that cannot afford to spend hundreds on one of your amazing, yet very limited, custom products. Have you ever asked Disney, or been offered by Disney to design a Vinylmation for a mass release?

Noah: Yes. It’s talked about all the time however I get excited about pouring my time and passion into one of a kind creations. I know its a premium price but I’ve worked as hard as I can to keep these original works down in cost. The mass releases seem most appropriate for really large events. We will see.

DV: Any plans or wishes to make it to Walt Disney World on the East Coast?

Noah: We have some ideas brewing. Keep a look out on our Facebook and Blog.

“Flippin’ Switches” by Noah
Copyright Disney

DV: Anything else you would like to add for the Vinylmation and Disney audience?

To be creating and being a part of Disney is truly a blessing. I’m so grateful. There isn’t a day that goes by without me thinking about this honor. I think about the Vinylmation and Disney fans that have used their super hard earned dollars to collect the work and it drives me to keep creating something special. It’s so much fun to collect and I want to stoke everyone out with something to look forward to. Thank you so much for your loyalty and support. The fans span the globe and I hear each one of you and appreciate your communication on facebook and twitter. I’ve heard stories of them flying from great distances and that means the world to me. Blessings to each of you and your families.

Copyright Disney
You can contact and find more about Noah here:

pictures from Noah’s blog and the Disney Parks Blog

Spotlight On: Vinylmation Custom Artist Heather

We were browsing some of our friend’s Facebook pages and came across an amazing new set of customs from Heather at Vinylmation Customations. Take a look:

Fig #1 – Ursula Business Card Holder

This is the design that started it all for me! I needed a business card holder but wanted something “Vinalymation” – it snowballed from there!Ā I’ve always loved Ursula, but felt she really needed some awesome tentacles that sculpting allows for. This is one of the anchors for the Desk Set and may be purchase individually for $99.

Fig #2 – Old Hag Paper Clip Holder

Probably the most surprising piece for me; I love this one! In her cauldron, there is a magnet for the paper clip holder. To purchase this individually, the price is $89.

Fig #3 – Cruella – Note Paper Holder


Capturing Pongo in the 101 Dalmatians scene was fantastic! Easily one of my favorite movies, this piece was so fun to create! I especially love the living room with the rug & TV. One of my last-minute decisions was to add the paw prints around the bottom. In this piece I really change Cruella by re-painting her coat & dress and of course by adding dalmatian print wrap. This item is available for $89.

Fig #4 – Prince John Pencil Cup & Clock


Certainly the largest piece in the desk set and wow, what a lot of sculpting went into this one! Everyone love coins & jewels, especially Prince John and he just didn’t seem complete without his throne šŸ™‚ This piece is also available an individual purchase for $119.

Fig #5 – Kaa Stapler


Bringing together the art concept while keeping “functionality” in mind was challenged on this one. I really wanted the stapler to be able to be used without taking away any of a traditional stapler’s capability as some many other desk set staplers have. You can easily add staples and release & open to staple flat against a surface. Kaa can be ordered for $69 as an individual piece.

Complete Desk Set (5pcs) $389

I’ve been asked about creating these as individual dioramas with out the desk set function; I happy to create these as well for the “Villains-Lover” that doesn’t need a Desk Set. Prices are similar to those of the office set, but contact me directly for specific details.

My custom creations may be found at Vinylmation Customations as well as order information. We do LOTS of fun things here! I just gave-away a free 3″ Custom to one of my lucky “Fans” and we have a few more surprises coming very soon!

I can also be contacted directly via email at HKattelman@gmail.com

Spotlight On: Custom Vinylmation Artist Joseph

We previously talked to Custom Artist Joseph about his BioShock 9″, now he is back with Anatomical Vinylmation.
In his own words from his Joe of War Customs Blog, Joseph talks about his newest creation:
This custom Vinylmation started out as just fooling around with a 3″ white blank figure. I wanted to see how easy it would be to chop one in half, so I took a hair dryer to soften the vinyl, and a very big knife and boom! Easy as that. Next was coming up with something interesting to actually do with the vinyl. I stewed around with some ideas for a few days and finally settled on making an anatomical Mickey.
I thought it would be cool to show the insides of a Mickey without being too gross and graphic. I think I pulled it off with some cute details and only a few dabs of blood on the brain.





The lungs, intestines, brain, ear brain, cartoony heart, and realistic heart were sculpted with Aves Apoxie. Rare earth magnets about 1/16 of an inch can be used to interchange the cartoony and realistic heart like an accessory.
I painted the outside muscles in patterns so they would look like they could move independantly. My girlfriend thought it would be cool to do part of the head as a skull and the other part as muscle tissue. I took Val’s advice and love how it turned out thanks babe!!!
For the skull half, I painted the pie eye with some brain seen through it. The only marker I used was for the teeth and the crack on the top of the skull. I made the crack in the skull so that the ear would look like it was brain sort of coming out of the skull just for a cool effect.
Finally for a base I tried to give it a rusty metal feel, so I gave a McFarlane Halo helmet display a full repaint. Added more magnets to the top of the base, and Mickey’s head stays on easily (even weighing as much as it does with all that Apoxie brain!)

Spotlight On: Vinylmation Soap

Today we feature a special custom Vinylmation. Remember those Ice Cube trays released awhile back? Well one Vinylmation Collector is using those trays to make Vinylmation Soap. Her name is Claudia (not the Claudia with the Mickey and Minnie Customs). We caught up with Claudia  at the last event and she told us all about it. And if your interested in purchasing some, her contact info can be found below.

Destination Vinylmation: How did you come up with the idea for making Vinylmation Soap?
Claudia: The idea was born because I love Vinylmations, and one day I was looking at them and thought that it would be cool if they could be used for something else, like soap. I found the right molding and gave it a try, they came out looking so cute, that I decided to offer them to all the Vinylmation collectors out there.

DV: That’s a really cool idea. A nice conversation starter at the house.

Claudia: I believe they can be a great item for the house or even for party favors.

DV: I see you have different kinds. What are the colors and fragrances available?

Claudia: The colors are based on the primary colors, I adjust the tones or mix them to have a nice variety of colors to match every taste. As for the fragrances, I use any of the following: tropical, citrus, lemon, vanilla, cucumber, lavender, orange, coconut, almond, green apple. If I don’t have it, I can try to find it. I can make any color and fragrance combination. The bases available are: Ultra Clear, Goats Milk or White glycerin.

DV: I see some of them are even sparkling.

Claudia: Glitter can be added by request to the clear soap, or jojoba spheres for exfoliating.

DV: How can people order your Vinylmation Soap?

Claudia: The price is 6 pieces for $5.00 plus $2.50 for shipping and handling. I also make discounts on bulk orders. I send the items via USPS first class or USPS Priority (in bigger orders) and only accept payments with paypal. For orders please contact me via email: vinylmationcreations@yahoo.com
or by Phone: 321-278-9252.