SKETCH UPDATE... DARTH VADER IN COLOR.. Neiman..? 2.10.08

[Stuart Sayger]

While at the conventions I do a lot of sketches that don't see print anywhere! They are drawn on the spot and whisked away to a private collection. I love it that these pieces are given a loving home, but they also need to be shared and enjoyed by everyone!
THAT'S WHAT THIS POST IS ALL ABOUT!
Every few weeks I"ll update the link below to display a different convention drawing! If you have one of my convention sketches, or even a full blown commission, send me a scan and I'll be sure share!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

WHAT THE... This piece is a hard one to explain. I don't know where the style came from...Some how I managed to tap some sort of Leroy Neiman vibe... This nifty guy was created on paper with ink and oil pastels on top with just a li'l bit of digital tweaking of the colors... As a child I did have a set of the Burger Chef Star Wars posters from the 70's... ( They're beautiful! ) and might have been an unconscious influence.. Ya never know! It's weird, but I hope you like this one as much as I do....!

http://users.mw.net/~karza/forum/darth.vader.is.art.sayger.3.jpg

[The New Fate]

I dig it man. Are you working on any more Star Wars stuff?

[Stuart Sayger]

Glad you like the piece 'Fate... This was a piece that I made specifically for myself... I was talking to my girlfriend telling her that I drew Star Wars scenes immeditatly after I first saw the movie as a child... She said that she'd never seen me draw any Star Wars characters... So to quench her curiousity I made this piece...
Frankly I'd love to work on a Star Wars project, and I'd love to bring a style and look like this to their characters, but I doubt that the Lucas people would go for it... In today's world of computer generated images it seems that the Lucas people have forgotten the value of artistic interpretation... There's no room to suggestive mood in their crystal clear computer generated universe. It's a shame to me. I truely think that

Check out this 70's version of Vader...
http://users.mw.net/~karza/forum/Darth-Vader.jpg

and now look at the still photo work we get now...
http://www.poster.net/star-wars/star-wars-episode-iii-anakin-obi-wan-and-darth-vader-4900973.jpg

Darth vader is so stiff as a character visually in film that he needs to have a voice as powerfull and dymanic as james earl jones to bring some life to him... Take that voice away and give me a still PHOTO of Vader and I see a cardboard lifeless character...

ANYONE care to jump in and comment on this...

[babydave]

Stuart, you make a valid point. However, Lucasfilm and more specifically Spielburg and Lucas are practically the only ones with enough clout or interest to use an illustrator for their Official Movie One Sheets (Drew Struzan). You have to at least give them some credit for that. Even Frank Darabont sounded off on the current studio mentality in The Mist when the main character lamented the use of Photoshop over commissioning him to paint their movie posters.

Don't you do a piece for the Heroes Con art auction every year? You should do a Star Wars piece this year.

[Stuart Sayger]

I'm afraid that I just don't feel like I can tip my hat to either Spielberg or Lucas for their "clout" as used to push through "art" rather than photos for use on movie posters... They have the power to do just about what ever they want, and what we get from them is always so very litteral in representation... And i'll be ther first to say that if all they want is a literal represention then why not go ahead and use photos rather than art... I like Drew Struzman's work, but I look at his posters and I see him doing a good deal with design, but the drawings/ paintings look very much like the photos they were created from... To me they've cut him down to little more than a designer.

To be fair, the movie poster as a promotional tool isn't what it used to be. Other forms of advertising have really reduced it's importance. Also, so much of our entertainment seems to be obsessed with showing the audience as much at they possibly can... More details. The audience of movies, t.v., etc is being asked to imagine less and less and simply take in everything at face value... and I guess that must be the way most people want it. I certainly can't argue with Lucas's success...!

It's funny though... When people talk about movie posters that they like, the original "Star Wars D" poster seems to always be brought up as a favorite... (seen below)
http://users.mw.net/~karza/forum/starwarsd.jpg

I too really like this image, it's a great poster... but it's a paiting... It certainly captures "Star Wars" as a concept,... but is a bit removed from "Star Wars" as a movie..

...Here's an interesting related story....

I was at a movie theater where several poeple were waiting in line to see Star Wars episode 2... This was the second day of the movie's release... Some folks from the local comic shop had a table set up and I was helping to give away free copies of the Star Wars "free comic book day" comic that had just come out... When offered a free Star Wars comic book one of the gentlemen standing in line replied, "Why in the world would I want that...?"

hmmm...

I guess this is why I don't watch movies, and why he doesn't read comics.

[Billy Cooper]

star wars is a brand. like coca-cola, nike and camel cigerettes. lucas does not want people monkeying with his brand/money.

as much as i hate star wars i like your vader stuart.

[Stuart Sayger]

yes.. you've hit the nail on the head billy.. star wars is a brand... and with so very many people working on the brand they have to use very tight style guides... the sheer number of posters, t-shirts and toys that were made for the last 3 movies demanded that photo art was used... frankely we're lucky that photo shop was used much at all when you think about it..

Financially speaking, I think that lucas is doing the right thing... But I have to admit that using such tight creative boundries would have denied us such treats as The Animatrix... (Which from my understanding many people believe to be more interesting than the second and third movies of the Matrix series)

The most interesting point in all of this is not that Lucas has adandoned using more artistic images in conjunction with his new movies... But that he has done so and at the same time kept artistic visions of Star Ward, Empire, and Jedi in print... Certainly he sees the value in them when applied to the first three movies, but not there after... ...?...

[babydave]

Stuart, I respect you as an artist, so I won't get into a grueling debate over this with you. I will just say that I disagree with your overly critical viewpoint, paying someone to create paintings and such for promotional purposes is a needless expense now, and I credit Lucas and Spielburg for continuing to do so even if you won't.

About the reaction to the comic book giveaway, what's wrong with that guy.... who argues with free stuff!?

[Stuart Sayger]

It's true to sight "cost" as a major sortcoming of creating art work rather than use photos for promotion... and to be fair, yes Lucas and Spielberg's people do have the MONEY to commission such pieces, but probably can't afford the TIME neccessary to the artist's to create such pieces. Even though there were painted posters promoting the first Star Wars movie, all were in different styles by different artists... Certainly not the best way to come up with a cohesive promotion.

Aside from all that, I've always been very impressed with Lucas for ever being able to have the first Star Wars movie made... I can't imagine walking in to an exec's office and pitching such a crazy sprawling movie... It seems that it would have been very easy for Star Wars to have turned out as a big hard to follow mess.. Instead it's a timeless gem. Pondering the artistic side of Lucas even more, I think that I have to pat Lucas on the back when I think about how much involved and varied design work went in to that movie... When I sit down and think about how much he was biting off, I just can't believe that he even got it made.

As for the fan who didn't want the free comic while waiting in line for episode 2... That moment has always rang in my ears... He surely meant it when he said, "Why in the world would I want that...?" It seemed obvious to me that his interest in Star Wars might have been enough. But to me this pointed out just how deeply disinterested portions of the general population might be towards comic books as a medium... Unfortunately I didn't have the opportunity to offer him a free Star Wars video game, or T-shirt, or animated DVD... I've always been interested to see just where his line of interest lies not as a criticism, but simply as a point of interest.

Also getting back to your comments about these two directors and their use of art... I'm pretty interested to see how the promotion for the new Indiana Jones movie will be received... You certainly do have a strong point when I consider the fact that the new Indiana Jones movie is going to have a painted movie poster under any capacity... How many films these days get such a treatment..? I honestly can't think of the last major movie poster to have been painted... I can't think of one from the last 10 years.. WOW!

This will simmer in my mind for a bit....

[Billy Cooper]

hellboy had one. :D

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/153/826835~Hellboy-Posters.jpg

[Stuart Sayger]

NICE.. ofcourse you would know if hellboy had a poster.. If anyone can think of more i'd be interested..!

[saintsaucey]

http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/27/A70-13704

Looks painted to me.

http://www.canmag.com/images/front/lucas/indianaposter3.jpg

not sure on this one.

[Stuart Sayger]

awww yeah...
this is what im talkin' 'bout!

http://www.bobpeak.com/artwork/movies/0044.jpg

[babydave]

"hellboy had one. "

The Hellboy poster doesn't count as it was a special give-away done for Comic-Con.

"not sure on this one."

That's another Drew Struzan poster for the new Indiana Jones flick, so yes.

Episode 1 had a painted official poster by Drew Struzan.

I could never tell about the 30 Days of Night poster whether it was an illustration or just a heavily Photoshopped picture.

Persepolis is drawn but that's animation so I guess those shouldn't count.

Sideways was drawn.

The poster for The Savages was drawn by Chris Ware.

[Stuart Sayger]

Bady Dave.. you are a fair and even poster... I appreciate that!

You rock man!

[babydave]

Thanks, Stuart.

[Ghostfan4life]

The audience of movies, t.v., etc is being asked to imagine less and less and simply take in everything at face value... and I guess that must be the way most people want it.

I think the main reason for this is time. I remember as a kid we always stopped to look at movie posters outside the theater and marvel at the beauty and creativity of them. These days people won't slow down for anything. If it isn't shoved in their faces/blocking their path or it doesn't hinder them there is no reason to pay any attention to it. I think people have started to forget the benefit of art. I remember standing outside a theater several years ago and overhearing a young couple trying to decide which movie to see... the decision was being based on how long the films were. As they tried to figure out which film lasted the shortest amount of time I constantly heard them say to each other that they just didn't want to waste an entire two hours for a movie. This is also the last time I saw a film in a theater, btw. (it's too expensive)

People used to enjoy escaping to a fantasy world to relax from the real world. Unfortunately these days society feels differently. Book sales are miserable, the film industry is scared to take a chance on anything that wasn't already proven marketable in another medium and I really think music has also been suffering from lack of creativity in the past few years.

When people ask me what I do for a living and I tell them that I'm a writer, most people ask why I don't have a real job or why I waste my time trying to make a living like this when I could have had a successful career doing something else. I wish I could explain to them the joy I get from creating my own world, my own characters and watching their stories develop right in front of my eyes. I love words... I love painting a picture with words. I love comics, novels and music. I love to look at a painting and disappear into the colors and texture of it. Maybe someday I will get a chance to see my writing in comic book form. It is such a setback in this medium to not be an artist as well as a writer. Unfortunately I can't even draw a smiley face without it looking like it's been beat to death. :rolleyes:

I seriously worry about the future of all art. :frown: