Welcome to those of you joining me from Disney with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the 3rd stop on our Magical Blogorail.
For those of you that dabble in graphic design, scrapbook, or just like Disney then looking at the art of Disney is always inspirational.
When I am designing a scrapbook kit or page I love to look at some of the Vintage Disney work and use bits of it in my creations. Let me share with you some of my favorites…
MAGIC, COLOR, FLAIR: The World of Mary Blair
One of the most well know artists from Disney’s past is Mary Blair. She introduce a modernist style to Walt Disney and his studio, and for nearly 30 years, you saw her work in Disney films and in the theme parks.
Her most famous contributions are It’s a Small World and the mural on the 4th floor of Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Some of her work is currently on exhibit through September at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco.
As part of this exhibit they release MAGIC, COLOR, FLAIR: The World of Mary Blair, a catalog of her work including her precocious early paintings, concept art from her Disney days, and the wildly wonderful artistic innovations of her later life.
Designing Disney – Imagineering and the Art of the Show
Another wonderful place to look for inspiration is with the Imagineers themselves. The concept artwork they create show not only what might be possible in our imaginations.
Designing Disney – Imagineering and the Art of the Show focuses on the extraordinary contributions of the late John Hench, who, at the age of 94, still came into his office at Imagineering each day.
His principles of theme park design, character design, and use of color made him a legendary figure, not only for Disney fans but also for students and aficionados of architecture, engineering, and design.
Tomorrowland by John Hench
Tomorrowland by John Hench
Poster Art of the Disney Parks
Something that always brings back the Magic of the Disney Parks are those vintage posters created for teh guests by Imagineering. You can see many of them still hanging along the entrance to the Magic Kingdom.
Poster Art of the Disney Parks is a tribute to those posters that go back to when Disneyland was displaying them in 1956. Not only are they eye-catching pieces of artwork that adorn the Parks with flair and style, they are also displayed to build excitement and disseminate information about the newest additions to the Disney landscape.
Even today they still create these works of art. In 2012 at Disney California Adventure, a poster announced the grand opening of Cars Land-the newest thrill-filled destination at the Disneyland Resort. Both of those posters are reproduced within this book, along with posters from every decade in between.
In addition to books I do want to point out a couple of interesting sites for getting inspiration.
Tom Whalen Illustrations
Tom Whalen creates posters much in the style of the old Disney Imagineers. He does not just focus on Disney but when he does it is amazing. You can find his work on his blog – StongStuff :Tom Whalen Illustration + Design
DesignerLand
I have been following Richard and his blog forever. He created one of kid tee-shirt designs and delved into the study of font usage in the Disney parks. Richard has a dream to work for as a Disney Imagineer designing r-shirts.
And he did it! His Dole Whip shirt got picked up and now he is officially relocating to Disney to fulfill his dream.
I hope he does not take down his blog because DesignerLand is still full of great graphic and font inspiration.
I hope this gave you some inspiration for your next next creation or just gave you a fill of Vintage Disney for the day.
Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is Love Our Disney.
Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:
- 1st Stop ~ I Am a Mommy Nerd
- 2nd Stop ~ Disney with Babies, Toddlers, & Preschoolers
- 3rd Stop ~ Capturing Magical Memories (you are here)
- 4th Stop ~ Love Our Disney
- Final Stop ~ Manda’s Disney Blog
[…] Stop ~ I Am a Mommy Nerd 2nd Stop ~ Disney with Babies, Toddlers, & Preschoolers 3rd Stop ~ Capturing Magical Memories 4th Stop ~ Love Our Disney Final Stop ~ Manda’s Disney […]
Brilliant post Mary! I’ve wanted the Poster Art book for a while now but I wanted to know if it included posters from Disneyland Paris? Maybe someone here know! 😀
I haven’t heard of Tom Whalen before but I just checked out his website and wow! I love it! I would put those posters on my walls! Do you have a favourite work if his?? Mine is the Dumbo one! 🙂 x
Mary Blair is my favorite Disney artist, I love her work because it really transports me back to a time in History when Disney was REALLY awesome and her designs are fantastic. When I see her images no matter what it is of I instantly think of Small World. The John Hench book is on my list of “must buy soon”. Thank you for sharing your top picks!
Great post Mary! I’m not sure where to begin, as I haven’t read any of these books, but I think if I had to start with one it would be the Mary Blair book. She was so incredibly talented and worked with so many different Disney projects that I think she is where I would go to. What book is your favorite?
Mickey_MDOD Definitely the Posters. I love it’s inspiration and it makes me want to head to Disney immediately.
I love all of your choices and learned a lot. My sister went to school for illustration and would love one of these books. Which one would make the best gift? I really like the Mary Blair one.
These all look great. I have never really thought about looking into all the design and art inspired by Disney. Lately I have started becoming interested in it though. Which book would you suggest for someone interested in being inspired for decorating a room in a Disney style?
mandadisneyblog Just flipped through the pages and they have posters from ALL the parks…
LisaDiDomenicoCameron You really can’t go wrong with any of them. I might lean towards Mary Blair because it shows how she evolved over her career and that may be interesting for someone in the same career.
CapMagicalMem mandadisneyblog Really?? 😀 What about Phantom Manor? It’s my fav! 😀 x
Yep. There are a couple
You can’t go wrong with Mary Blair! I think these would make awesome coffee table books, right? Certainly the poster book – that’s awesome! Thanks for sharing.
This is a terrific line-up for a vintage Disney junkie like myself. I loved recently researching Mary Blair’s life and “pioneer” efforts; this book and the exhibit at the Walt Disney Museum are fitting and timely tributes. I think I need to research John Hench next!
I love the creativity of all of these. Awesome lineup. Thanks.
Great choices! I have heard of them all, but forgot how much I would enjoy the posters book. The Mary Blair book I hope to purchase when I see the exhibit this summer…one of the perks of living in Northern California as a Disney fan is the WDFM! You are right, they are all very inspiring!
what a great list!! I love the vintage posters. So, do you have examples of your work inspired by these books?
What great choices! I have the Poster Art book but that Mary Blaire book looks incredible!
I have the Poster Art of the Disney Parks and I absolutely love it. The illustrations are so beautiful. I am also a big fan of Designerland. I have to get my hands on that Mary Blair book now. 🙂
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I want to be a graphic designer.These books are really needed for me. Thanks a lot.