Community is the concept among humans that if you bring the right people together, they benefit from one another and are better for it. Artists often cite one city or country that drew them in, inspired them, fueled their creativity. It might be the flowers in Japan or the canals of Venice: something about a place or its peoples that help an artist channel their inner vision.
I’d like to think that’s happened with the Star Wars fan community. It certainly seems to be the case for today’s featured artist: Marietta Ivanova, who has both elevated and been elevated by her time in the 501st Legion Costuming Group. She came onto the scene by storm and rocked it with her paintings and her impressive craftsmanship in armor and other mediums of costuming.
Marietta is an illustrator and graphic designer from Finland. She loves making Star Wars fan art, comics and stories, and building Star Wars costumes. One look at her pieces and you realize they come from a special place. Dark hues intermingle with precisely placed illumination to create a very real sense that you are face to face with some of the most powerful figures from another galaxy.
“I make my art in highly realistic style with meticulous details. I often spend hours upon hours researching background material to give a very screen-faithful look to the subject of my art. However I love to mix it up by choosing unexpected topics and highlighting characters that don’t get that much attention. I really enjoy making stories, comics and art about stormtroopers, for example.”
What drew you to illustrating Star Wars as a subject?
“To me Star Wars is the perfect escape to a world of creativity and endless stories to visualize. Nothing inspires me like science fiction, especially the galaxy far far away. Many don’t know that before joining this community, I had been struggling with an “art block” – I didn’t make any art for almost seven years. That period ended when I was so inspired by Star Wars fan fiction by a fellow fan that I wanted to illustrate it. The creativity just caught on like fire and everything else followed.”
“Now I am endlessly lucky to be surrounded by all you wonderful people. In this community we keep on inspiring each other to be creative, to build, to laugh, to go to events and to have unforgettable time, to be international and make new friends, to support each other and to look for new challenges. It is a wonderful feeling to be able to give back to the community in the form of art. Thank you fellow fans and creators for the chance to share this wonderful adventure with you.”
“I am creating only Star Wars fan art, not licensed Disney products. This is why the art that I make is not for sale. But you can view all of them on my webpage and social media. People who like my art style can also contact me to commission a single custom piece of art with the subject of their choosing.“
Website: https://marietta.artstation.com
Email: marietta@cannonfodder.net
Instagram: @mariettaart
Facebook: facebook.com/marietta.ivanova.501
Facebook: facebook.com/artofmarietta
Many thanks to our partners at Jedi News, Fantha Tracks, Rebel Scum, Force.Net, and Bantha Bricks for supporting SWAM 2020 and sharing our posts. What a great way to share the magic of the art community! Check them out and see just how big the galaxy really is!
