Meet the artist behind the rooster.
Fluff up those feathers! We are excited to hear from Brian Weisz as he tells us about his playful approach to this clucky glimmer.
HeiHei has taken on a bit of a following. Tell us what you wanted to bring to this comical iteration.
Brian: This is a Steel ink glimmer and strength is not usually associated with HeiHei, so this pairing provided a good tension as a starting point for this design. I wanted HeiHei to look stoic by accident or happenstance- somehow he wandered off and got shuffled into the Kakamora clan and came out looking like an island-style court jester! I drew HeiHei standing tall on a small stone with a dramatic brooding sky behind him, not nearly as majestic as Simba on pride rock, but for this hilarious rooster, he almost looks a little tough!
What is your earliest Disney memory?
Brian: In the literal sense I think my earliest Disney memory is giving Pluto a hug at Disneyland when I was about four or five years old. Growing up in Southern California made it easy to visit the park a couple times a year. The overwhelming abundance of pure joy being surrounded by all the Disney characters is something I remember vividly as a kid, and it’s something that remains today when I work! In terms of film, I grew up in the 90’s and was completely obsessed with The Lion King! I remember making a colored pencil drawing of Zazu and framing it for my 4th grade teacher as a gift. I would race home from school and watch The Lion King just about everyday, and would even make sure to rewind the VHS tape when I was done to save time the following day!
What’s one thing you’d like players and fans to know about the work you did on Disney Lorcana?
Brian: I want Disney Lorcana fans to know that even though these illustrations are digitally painted and printed, the art and design that goes into them are all done by hand. Every mark, every line, texture, shadow, color decision and highlight are all 2D hand-drawn by an artist. It’s so easy to forget about the traditional aspects when looking at digital art as opposed to a traditional oil painting on canvas. I have a background in fine art, and a lot of what I can execute on my tablet was developed over years of practice using paints and brushes. For me, it means so much to be a part of a Disney project that keeps the tradition of drawing alive!
You can find Brian on Instagram @weiszlines.
