So what it take to create a killer canvas like this? Well,
it takes time, talent and a friend who really knows their way around a train.
“Right on Time” by Maggie Parr. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
Luckily, artist & designer Maggie Parr has all three of
those things. But when she was working on the two pieces that will be showcased
at this Saturday’s “A Grand Circle Tour of the Disney Trains” event (which will
be held from 9 – 11 a.m. at the Disney Gallery in the Main Street, U.S.A.
section of Disneyland Park), the thing that Maggie valued the most was having a
train expert with which she could then consult while Ms. Parr was working on
these particular paintings.
“My friend Jeff Remy is actually one of the engineers who
works on the Disneyland Railroad. So it ‘s been great to be able to run the work-in-progress
versions of these paintings by him, make sure that I’d gotten all of the
details – like the running lights on these trains — just right,” Ms. Parr
explained.
Thumbnail sketch of Maggie Parr’s “Heading West.” Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved
Mind you, when she tackles a project like this, Maggie
always likes to have some photo reference. Which is why – once she was
recruited to create a painting for this train-themed show – Ms. Parr immediately
headed out for the Disney Parks with camera in hand.
“Whenever I’m composing my shots for photo reference, I always
try and stand in the Guests shoes. Make sure that the angles that I’m choosing
actually reflect what the Guests see & experience whenever they visit the Disney
theme parks,” Maggie continued. “That way … Well, hopefully the image that I’m trying
to create with my painting can then remind them of a fond memory or a
particularly special time that they had at the Parks.”
Parr works on her character poses & perspective before she then begins painting.
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
Once she’s done all of the necessary research, Parr creates
a thumbnail of the proposed painting which she then sends off the Disney
Gallery Group for approval.
“It’s kind of an involved process. Disney Legal has to get involved,
make sure that it’s okay to depict the characters doing what I’d like them to
do in each painting,” Maggie continued. “But once they sign off of it, I then
try and regularly send them shots of my work-in-progress. Plus – of course –
the Disney Gallery Group has to approve the final version of each painting.”
Here’s an early color comp. Notice how Mickey’s no longer driving the train. More to the
point, Parr’s decided to put the Disney characters in period costume for this particular
piece. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
And – of course – because Ms. Parr like to work in oils
(which can sometimes take upwards of 5 hours to dry between applications), each
of these individual paintings is a fairly lengthy project.
“These particular paintings – due to getting all of the
train-related stuff just right – took me forever. I must have put in 50 hours
on the Disneyland one and 40 hours of the Walt Disney World canvas,” Ms. Parr said.
“I wish that I were like George Scribner. Who can knock out a great train
painting in his sleep.”
George Scribner’s “Like Clockwork.” Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved
Speaking of Mr. Scribner, Maggie was amused when she saw the
canvas that George had created for Saturday’s “A Grand Circle Tour of the
Disney Trains” event, “Like Clockwork.” Which placed Walt Disney World’s No. 1
train in a very similar position to the one that Ms. Parr used in her “Right On
Time” painting.
“We all have our own individual painting styles. George is
kind of impressionistic whereas Larry Nikolai’s work is more whimsical. And
Noah just does amazing stuff with his airbrush,” Maggie said. “That’s half the
fun of taking part in a theme show like this. Getting to see what each of my
friends does, seeing how they bring the theme of that particular show to life
with their latest painting.”
Noah’s “Walt in Train.” Copyright Disney Enterprises,
Inc. All rights reserved
In a lot of ways, that’s the very best part of these Disney
Gallery theme shows. At least as far as Ms. Parr is concerned.
“You have to remember that – when you work as an artist –
you spend a lot of time alone in your studio. So when you get the chance to
hang out with your contemporaries and talk shop, that’s great,” Maggie
explained. “Plus Disneyland always treats us to lunch right after the signing.
So we then get to talk about how the event went, the reaction that our
paintings got from the fans.”
Larry Nikolai’s “Casey Jr. – Whistle Stop in Storybook Land.”
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
Though given that Saturday’s “Grand Circle Tour of the
Disney Trains” event is being held at Disneyland Park, one wonders if – after the
signing & lunch are over – Ms. Parr’s then going to take a moment to head
up to Fantasyland and take some time to check out Sleeping Beauty Castle &
the King Arthur Carousel.
“And why would she want to do that?,” you ask. Because Maggie
might just be looking for some additional inspiration for her latest assignment.
Which is to serve as a consultant on the castle and the carousel that the
Imagineers are creating for Shanghai Disneyland.
Concept art for Shanghai Disneyland’s castle. Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
“Obviously I can’t talk about what WDI has planned for that
theme park,” Ms. Parr stated. “But what I can say is that the Imagineers are
looking to make this castle the crown jewel of Shanghai Disneyland. They’ve got
some very ambitious plans for this building. They’re going to do things with
Shanghai Disneyland’s castle that they’ve never ever done with any of the other
Disney theme park castles.”
But while she’s working on that project, Maggie’s going to
continue on with her work for the Disney Gallery Group. And maybe even try and
do another train painting or two.
Parr enters the final phase of working on “Heading West,” as she continues to
experiment with her color choices. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved
“I’ve painted one of Disneyland’s trains now as well as one
of Walt Disney World’s,” Ms. Parr concluded. “It might be interesting now to try
and paint all of the trains for the stateside parks. Find fun new ways to fold
the characters in. Show them really enjoying riding the rails just as the
Guests do each time they visit these theme parks.”
And if you’re a train enthusiast and/or a Disney art fan,
then you really owe it to yourself to get Disneyland Park this Saturday between
9 – 11 a.m. So that you can then meet Maggie Parr and all of the other artists
who created paintings to the Disney Gallery’s latest themed event, “A Grand
Circle Tour of the Disney Trains.”
The final, finished version of Maggie Parr’s “Heading West.” Copyright Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
Your thoughts?