Recently we received some cool looking art from a custom artist named Aaralyn. We tracked her down and asked her a few questions about her vinylmation artwork.
DV: Fantasia has so much material to draw from, yet we have seen very little in the way of Disney Vinylmation. What drew you to the Spring Sprite from Fantasia 2000?
Aaralyn: In addition to my love of Disney, ever since middle school I also enjoyed the art of anime. The Spring Sprite’s artwork is a great blend of the art of Disney and the art of anime. I was most drawn to her beautiful eyes and very detailed hair. As far as art goes, it was love at first sight.
DV: The detail is amazing and it looks so true to the film. What was the hardest part of the figure to get just right?
A: Thank you! The lines were definitely the hardest part of the Spring Sprite figure. I spent hours trying to get the lines as straight as possible. It took over 30 hours of drawing and painting time to complete her.
DV: Was the plan always to put her on a 9″?
A: Yes, I love the 9” form because I have the space to add intricate details. I loved the details in her artwork and wanted to be able to capture all those details on my custom.
DV: That is a really fun design for Beast. What went into the design and did you have any challenges applying it to the 3D form?
A: My main goal for the cutie-pie series is for people to look at the custom and get warm fuzzy feelings. I always loved Beauty and the Beast, so I decided to make the Beast look less menacing. I started by sketching out the design on paper. After I got most of the design kinks out on paper, I then drew the design on the 3” form. I think my main challenge was once again the lines. I had to use a very small brush to get them straight. He was a lot of fun to create; he’s my favorite 3” I have created at the moment.
DV: What other characters might we see in your “cutie-pie” series down the road?
A: I have a huge list of cutie-pie custom candidates. I don’t want to give away too much, but some of them are main characters, while others, like the Spring Sprite, are supporting characters that I love.
DV: Is your work for sale?
A: Yes, I have a store on my website where anyone can view the customs I currently have available. I also take commission work as well.
DV: I see you also accept trades for Disney figures you want as well?
A: Yes, my vinylmation want list can be found under my about page on my website. Since I just started collecting and customizing vinylmations recently in December of 2011, my collection is quite small and I would love to add some of my favorite pieces to it.
DV: Where can people go to view your work and contact you?
A: My work can be viewed on my Facebook Fanpage as well as my website:
www.facebook.com/customsbyaaralyn
www.customsbyaaralyn.com
I can also be contacted by email at: customsbyaaralyn@aol.com
DV: Thank you. Your work is amazing and we look forward to seeing your next round of customs.
A: Thanks so much for featuring my customs!
Aaralyn you make some awesome pieces, I love your fantasia one the best. I am also glad to know you as a fellow custom artist and friend. Keep up the good work and keep creating some wonderful pieces, it’s a feast for the eyes!
Aaralyn has only been customizing figures a few months, but she’s already one of my personal favorite artists. She’s a super nice person as well.
Great work! That Sprite looks particularly fantastic :)
Beautiful job……love your work!
Thanks so much for the comments! And thanks to everyone in the vinylmation/custom community who has been so welcoming. Creating customs and art is fast becoming my passion, and I am very lucky to share my art with others, as well as see some of the amazing customs that others create. :)
I always look forward to seeing your pieces. You bring a level of skill and finish to them that leaves me humbled. Beautiful work. Keep making more!
Wow!!! I love the sprite!
Hi there, they look very “legit”, what kind of paint did you use on those? :D