6 Women Disney Artists Collaborate On “Lovely,” An Anthology Of Personal Work

When six women from Disney Feature’s visual development department wanted to create a companion book for an upcoming exhibition of personal work at Galerie Arludik in Paris, they turned to Kickstarter as a means of funding the publishing costs. The book, titled Lovely, is a 136-page, hardcover anthology showcasing the work from the art show as well as other personal collected works.

Contributors Lorelay Bove (The Princess and the Frog, Winnie the Pooh), Helen Mingjue Chen (Frankenweenie, Paperman), Claire Keane (Tangled, Enchanted), Lisa Keene (The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Winnie the Pooh), Brittney Lee and Victoria Ying (Wreck-It Ralph, Paperman) set their original goal at a low $7,000; just enough to cover half of the printing fees. The project has raised over $50,000 in its first seven days, prompting the artists to sweeten the already overflowing pot of original artwork with exclusive accessories and a sketchbook in hopes of attaining their stretch goal of $100,000.

“As a professional, you always are answering some sort of criteria,” said Lisa Keene, who is the most experienced of the artists and whose credits stretch back to The Black Cauldron. “You’re focusing on the project, you’ve got a director who’s asking you to do certain things, so, your work is really not your own.” “When you do your own work it comes from the soul…you can turn off the cacophony of voices in your head from all the projects and people you’ve ever worked with and it’s just the opportunity to get your vision—your personal artist’s expression—out.”

The campaign, which runs until November 22nd, offers twelve different pledge levels with a variety of rewards that include signed sketches, prints, paintings, artist specific book bundles, Iphone cases and stickers. To date, 965 backers have donated $52,963.