Keith Lapinig is a master at cutting silhouettes of Disney characters and superimposing them on objects and structures in Disneyland and other locales. His incredible imagination and technical expertise make it seem part of the photo.
Lapinig explains what he does on his website, “A favorite initiative of mine is visiting Disney Parks and other travel destinations prepared with paper cutouts and composing them in photographs to give the illusion that they belong to the scene.” If you think this is easy, think again. The real challenge for him is to fit the silhouette properly on objects that are far off in the background, such as Chernabog or the Skyway with the Matterhorn behind them.
To those who accuse Lapinig of digitally drawing a black silhouette around his hands in a photo, he has posted his reply on Good Morning America, thus, “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.”
Lapinig fell in love with Disney at an early age by getting hooked to the Disney movies. His love grew stronger when he took up a job at the World of Disney NYC store. This gave him a chance to study the characters in minute details that he retained and now regularly uses in his works.
What’s surprising is Lapinig is not full time into silhouette art, he holds a job as Interactive Design Manager with ABC News in Burbank, California, USA. He finds time to design and create his cutouts of Disney characters.
Keith Lapinig: Website | Instagram | Art Instagram