I have a confession to make . . . I'm wholeheartedly, heads-over-heels in love with any and all Disney-related artwork. It has a way of giving me all the nostalgic feels that bring me right back to my childhood days of watching The Little Mermaid on repeat. This obsession was only further fueled by my recent discovery of the gorgeous artwork of Maxx Stephen. A Disney enthusiast and insanely talented artist, Maxx sketches and colors his pieces by hand, and the results are breathtaking. Though he occasionally draws some of his own characters, he mostly focuses on all things Disney — especially princesses, with a few villains here and there.
"I'm a doll collector, and a lot of my drawings are of those princesses wearing that outfit," Maxx told us. "The dolls have so much detail, and I love to challenge myself and try to recreate that with a little of my style mixed in with it, which is very colorful and sparkly."
How does Maxx achieve these beautiful masterpieces? He starts by sketching each character with pencil, and then fills each sketch in with colored pencils or markers. But no piece is complete without his signature shiny finish, which he applies with Spica Glitter Pens or Gelly Roll Pens (hello, '90s throwback!).
Maxx told us he doesn't have any plans to profit from his artwork, but we may secretly be crossing our fingers that he starts his own Etsy shop soon! Keep reading to see some of our favorite pieces from his Instagram, and check out his YouTube channel for cool time-lapse videos of his creating his artwork.