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R2-KT cameo in SIMS 4 Journey to Batuu

August 27, 2020
Official reveal for the SIMS 4 expansion: Star Wars Journey to Batuu. Along with Kylo and Rey making appearances, there’s a certain droid front and center that they doubtless knew would appeal to the SIMS audience. I asked KT if that is her. She never told me about the gig. She said she’s just doing what all stars do: use their fabulous looks to make a good story look even better. And she does it quite well! Way to go, KT!

Star Wars Artist Month – Bobby Henley

As Star Wars Artist Month wraps up, we salute all the artists who have agreed to be featured in our first year of festivities. Today we showcase a true workhorse of design, Bobby Henley. Ever since he saw lasers and robots and wizards he was hooked. His work is a bold expression of his love of all things Star Wars. His work for the 501st Legion and its members have made him ubiquitous in the fan community. Sharp, dazzling designs make every member feel as if they are a brand name. It takes a real heart to capture the magic of Star Wars and Bobby really does that and more!

Tell us a little about yourself:

“I’m your basic geeky nerd with dreams of robots and spaceships, so I was immediately hooked when SW debuted in ’77. (I’m as old as the Falcon. LOL) Star Wars for me, started this lifelong crush that was constantly reveling new ships, characters, (Empire Rules), and just a world that for as beat up and flawed as it was, I would love to be part of. You just felt like part of the family was there as soon as Luke, Leia and Han showed up. Ready to kick in the lightspeed and off to another world. I still can’t get enough.”

“So for me, drawing and illustrating just progressed into Star Wars. So many comics and toys and novels to broaden my imagination, and it made it so much fun. Meeting and becoming a Stormtrooper later in 2001 with the 501st, was just the icing on the cake. I haven’t looked back since. The people I’ve met, and collaborated and worked with are some of the greatest fans and friends I’ve ever known, and that makes it just so much more fun to have that type of excitement. I truly love doing what I do, and I couldn’t imagine any other life I would rather live. Thanks everyone for your support over the years and the lifelong friends I’ve made. The Force is with us Always!”

“My personal favorite SW achievements so far, was having my Droid Hunt cards accepted into the Lucasfilm archives by Steve Sansweet, and having one of my Star Garrison logos fly into space and orbit the Earth! When I found out I was just speechless.”

Tell us a little about your process:

“My process normally takes someones sketch if possible, or even some ideas they’d like to see and I will come up with a proof to show them. Sometimes, it’s right on the money, and that’s awesome. But everyone has their own vision of how their design should be and I respect that and work with them until it’s ready to go. It’s truly a collaborate effort and I’m happy when the design is loved and ready to go. I am a traditional pen and ink style Comic Book cartoon style artist, so taking rough sketches to final inks is my favorite palce to be. Digital is your friend to clean everything up and see color & effects. It’s just as fun for me to see the final outcome when it’s colored and finished. I just love it!”

For more of Bobby’s work check out the links below:

https://bobbyhenley.portfoliobox.net/

https://www.teepublic.com/user/bobhenley

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!

http://www.banthabricks.com/

Star Wars Artist Month – Jasmin Schröder

Have you ever wondered if destiny had a present for you right around the next corner? Does it ever puzzle you how often people give account of a moment that changed their lives and rarely is it a predictable event?

Some say the trick to happiness is just to be open to destiny and seize what it gives you. Nothing could be more true for our artist of the day, Jasmin Schröder. Ever since her eyes were re-opened seeing Star Wars characters in person, it rekindled the original love she had for the movies. And a random act that followed led to a life’s calling.

Artists know this path: the one of intuition and embracing what unfolds. Like a lot of artists, Jasmin draws what she likes. But already she is seizing on style choices and following a theme in her works. This is the future of art, and the reason why so many artists enjoy seeing the next generation come up. Because their art, like the events that may have led to it, are now pleasant surprises of destiny to our imaginative minds.

Jasmin, how did you get into art?

“Hi! I‘m Jasmin from German Garrison, 29 years old and a proud Sandtrooper! I watched my first Star Wars movie when I was 9 years old and I loved it!
Especially the Storm- and Sandtroopers. In 2017 I saw a lot of them trooping in a Legoland Park. This was really a special day! All the characters I’ve seen on screen were in front of me in real life. This was breathtaking and a big fangirl moment for me. That’s also the reason why I‘m in the 501st (since January 2019).”

“Days later I found a really cool watercolor painting on the internet and I wanted to draw it. It turned out to be easier than I thought. This was the beginning of my new and beloved hobby: to be an artist.”

“I mainly draw cosplayers from the 501st or something that they want, like a city with a star destroyer in the sky. Every Artwork with a cosplayer on it is unique, it doesn’t exist a copy of them. If I have time enough, I draw things ‘for fun’: for me, for you. For example: Mando with Child, the Armorer and Cara Dune with pencils. It will be a series of 4, one is missing: IG-88.”

“Greetings to all the great artists out there!”

You can find more of Jasmin’s work on IG: www.instagram.com/jasmini_artwork“

http://www.banthabricks.com/

Star Wars Artist Month – Brian Deguire

Art comes from a place close to the heart. It would be over-simplified to just say a fun place, some art comes from sadness, outrage, fear… but just like the Force there is a light side: fun, wonderment, nostalgia, hope.

Today’s artist is Brian Deguire, who has chosen the path of the light side and channeled all the fun from his childhood. His whimsical styling is birthed from wide eyes staring up at a silver screen. He’s taken this and infused his creations with a Gestalt geometry that tickles the eye with amusement and delight. And his subjects become a story of their own as he invests in touches that create their own narrative. We love to see his work and hope to see much, much more!

“I am a freelance artist and illustrator from Indiana. I have worked on illustrations for various properties over the years like Marvel, Rick and Morty, and Adventure Time; but drawing things from the Star Wars universe will always be my favorite. Like many other artists I grew up with the original trilogy. Those movies really drove my imagination and creativity.”

“Return of the Jedi was the first movie I remember seeing in the theater. The opening in Jabba’s Palace was the moment I was hooked. Seeing Jabba, Bib, Salacious, the Gammorean Guards, the Rancor, the Max Rebo band…it blew my young mind!”

“I was lucky enough to have Star Wars Celebration 2 and 3 close to home in Indianapolis. Attending these conventions really reignited my love of collecting. It also opened my eyes to the many collectibles beyond the toys including all the amazing art prints. After years of collecting I decided to dust off my art supplies and start drawing again after a very long hiatus. I was fortunate enough to meet the people at Topps at Celebration in Orlando, which eventually led to my first opportunity to draw Star Wars sketch cards in 2010. I got to work on numerous Star Wars card sets over the years.”

“My first Celebration print came in 2016 in London. It was a dream come true to have an official Stat Wars print. The following year in 2017 I finally got to revisit the subject that started it all with a print dedicated to Jabba and the gang! Most of my prints have fallen into the realm of in-universe advertisements. I really love the idea of making a poster that could be seen hanging somewhere in the background of my favorite Star Wars movie or show. I was able to keep that trend going at Celebration Chicago with a Podracing print that celebrated the 20th anniversary of The Phantom Menace.”

“I would probably describe my style as fun. I have really been influenced by all the Star Wars animated shows from over the years. I also really enjoy adding references and “inside jokes” into my prints whenever I can. I love making stuff that fans can appreciate on different levels. My favorite thing is when someone notices something on one of my prints that makes them smile!”

Links to more of Brian’s work:

www.facebook.com/briandeguireart

www.etsy.com/shop/BrianDeGuireArt

www.instagram.com/briandeguireart

www.twitter.com/briandeguireart

http://www.banthabricks.com/

Star Wars Artist Month – Dan Bergren

Artist Henryk Ptasiewicz once said, “If you can paint the real world, then you have a chance to illustrate another one.” Photo realism and the abstract operate on opposite extremes, with artists selecting where their style sits on the spectrum. No answer is the correct answer for this, an artist follows their heart and we the public follow their work and are offered a wide selection of new visions.

Today’s artist has pondered this balance and arrived at his own unique style. Dan Bergren creates evocative images straight from our subconscious memory. They are bathed in a soft glow and a color palette that frames and informs the subject. The connection you feel is real, because he’s working from a similar connection. His portraits invite you to see a familiar character in a new light, but still in the wheelhouse of what made you love them to begin with. The product is sublime.

Dan began his professional art career in the mid ‘90s, when a friend commissioned him to draw a photorealistic family portrait in charcoal. For more than ten years after that, he focused mainly on nature and sea-life-themed art.

Dan’s first officially licensed art project came in 2008, with Topps taking him on to create sketch art cards for their Indiana Jones Masterpieces trading card set. That was followed by many other card sets, for a wide array of properties like Star Wars, Star Trek, Game of Thrones, Mars Attacks, The Walking Dead, Stranger Things, The Hobbit, Major League Baseball, WWE, DC Comics, Doctor Who and even Bettie Page.

In 2019 Dan was tapped to create one hundred “oversized” 5×7 inch art cards for Topps’ Star Wars Stellar release, their most high-end Star Wars set. He’s also had the honor of having his artwork reproduced as patches and coins for R2-KT and Rancho Obi-Wan.

Being a life-long Star Wars fan, the chance to create officially licensed Star Wars art was too good to pass up.

“When I begin a piece I try to see the composition in a new way, not exactly like something I’ve seen before. The position and arrangement of the character or characters is just as important as the likenesses, so a lot of planning goes into it. I will sketch it out in pencil, sometimes adding a bit of texture that will show through the multiple layers of paint when it’s completed. I like to give a hand drawn and colored look to my art, so that it’s easily recognizable as that, as opposed to a digital rendering or a photographic composite. “

“Most of my favorite art is work that leans more toward a visually interesting style, rather than photographic realism. So I try to always create art that looks interesting to me, personally.”

Dan’s work can be found on Instagram at danbergrenart

https://www.instagram.com/danbergrenart/

https://www.facebook.com/Dan.Bergren.Artist/

http://www.banthabricks.com/

Star Wars Artist Month – Alex Buechel

Picasso was once quoted to say, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist when we grow up.”

Artists come from all walks of life, answering a call only they can understand. Today’s artist is Alex Buechel, an up and coming talent that figured out how to remain an artist and hold onto that wonderment that leads to beautiful creation. His color palette and style are reminiscent of the wildly creative styles of the seventies and it lends his subjects a very cool look. We love what he’s doing and look forward to a bright future full of more magic!

“I’m Alex, an artist, graphic designer, father, husband, nerd, and general pop culture fan. I grew up drawing my whole life. When I was young I would constantly draw as a hobby and one lucky day as a profession, but always a passion. I was that kid in school always sitting somewhere drawing every minute. From small doodles to my best fully rendered pieces I was always glued to paper and a pencil.”

“In high school and early college, I lost my way a bit. I found myself worrying about what my talents could offer and decided to go into architecture in an effort to keep a level of art involved in my trade. However, in a required class I stumbled across an instructor that would change my path and life.“

“I got my first professional gig in 2006 with Topps drawing trading cards for Star Wars. As a kid, I was always a fan and this was the icing on the cake. After many sets, I found myself lucky to grow a part of the SW community and art world. Now, many years later I am proud to have a small portfolio of SW pieces including a Helmet I made for the As You Wish project and three Star Wars Celebration Exclusive art prints.”

What drew you to illustrating Star Wars?

“I always admired the movies growing up. From the amazing story to the props, costumes, to the ships, and especially the light sabers. It was all magical. Lucky for me it happened to also be my first professional gig.”

Check out more of Alex’ work on the web:

https://www.alexbuechel.com/

https://www.facebook.com/TheArtOfAlexBuechel/

https://www.instagram.com/alexbuechel/

http://www.banthabricks.com/

Star Wars Artist Month – Chris Trevas

Art is not just about capturing what you see. Sometimes it’s transforming it into a different style or perspective. Even more, it can be about seeing with a third eye. For something you’ve seen a thousand times, the mind inevitably wanders to what else is possible.

Such is the case for today’s featured artist. Chris Trevas dares to imagine what happens between the frames of celluloid. His mind craves the unseen mysteries. If you’ve ever wondered just how an X-Wing is put together, he’s worked on that. If you’ve ever imagined the moment Han first had his sight restored and just what he thought of that little metal bikini Leia was wearing? He’s got that covered. Chris’ gorgeous brushstrokes and lush colors serve not only to elevate the majesty of the story, they create more of it. It is a wonder to behold and we feel privileged as fans to have a fly-on-the-wall perspective on events we never saw happen but wanted to see.

Chris Trevas is celebrating 25 years as a Star Wars artist. Over his long freelance career he has worked directly with Lucasfilm as well as many of their licensees including Hasbro, Mattel, Disney Interactive, Randomhouse, DK Publishing, becker&mayer!, Haynes Publishing, Scholastic, and Topps. His art is featured in dozens of Star Wars books and magazines, and can be found on everything from toys to art prints, trading cards, t-shirts and puzzles.

Chris is known for his series of Star Wars Celebration art prints featuring off-screen movie moments from the classic trilogy. Some pieces in this series like Boba Fett watching the Millennium Falcon’s arrival on Cloud City (The Hunter and His Prey) and Han Solo’s first look at Leia’s metal bikini (His Vision Returns) have even made it onto other official products.

Trevas has been a lifelong fan since seeing Star Wars during it’s original theatrical run in 1977 with his dad and uncle. In 1980, when The Empire Strikes Back was released, he discovered the work of Ralph McQuarrie through the series of ‘Space Paintings’ featured on Topps trading cards. The art of Star Wars was a continuous inspiration throughout school and into college when he attended the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. Around this time, in the mid-nineties, Star Wars was experiencing a resurgence and Trevas longed to be a part of it.

His chance came when he connected with the editors of West End Games at a summer convention before his final year of college. A few months later he was officially published in his first book for Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. More opportunities followed as he became the official artist of Star Wars Kids magazine, contributed art to Star Wars Insider magazine, and illustrated two kids books among several other projects in the galaxy. Today he continues to work on Star Wars more than any other property and his art can be seen on numerous products both credited and uncredited.

Chris Trevas and fellow artist Chris Reiff are the illustration team behind the Haynes’ Star Wars Owner’s Workshop Manuals (Rebel Starfighters, TIE Fighter, Millennium Falcon, and Imperial Death Star). Prop and costume fans may also know Trevas and Reiff from their website The Parts of Star Wars where they research the real world parts used to make the props and costumes seen on screen. While busy with their real world Star Wars focused jobs, they use their fan focused Facebook page to report recent discoveries.

Find Chris on social media:
www.facebook.com/PartsofSW/

Chris Trevas’ artwork can be found online at:
www.facebook.com/trevasillustration/
www.instagram.com/chris_trevas/
www.christrevas.com (website under reconstruction, but the store is open)

http://www.banthabricks.com/

Star Wars Artist Month – Brady Miller

The path to the Force is a long and winding one. So too is the pursuit of the arts. Some Jedi attend the Temple to learn, others study far from Coruscant on their home worlds. The analogy holds true in this sense: once you are on the path of artistry, forever will it hold your passions.

Such is true for today’s artist, Brady Miller. Brady hasn’t spent all his time in a studio: he’s been a part of a larger world, including being a prominent member of the fan community. His experiences have informed his art, which have opened him up to everything from pop culture. His work has ranged from the traditional to the digital, and in it all he has crafted a style with a penchant for clean lines in his designs, beautiful blended colors in his paintings, clever perspectives, and works that capture the true spirit of his subjects. Fans delight in his work and with good reason: he captures the magic seen by fan because he has the heart of the fan. It is beautiful to behold.

Brady is a proud husband (22 years) and father of three and currently resides In SW Ohio. He studied illustration and graphic design at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Trained in traditional mediums, the digital age began to catch fire which forced him to also learn digital illustration and design.

What drew you to Star Wars?

“In 1977 my father took me to a movie called “Star Wars”. That would spark my passion for art and design. From the very opening sequence I was hooked. As soon as I got back home from the movies, I immediately began to draw Star Wars related subject matter and still do to this very day. Some of my main influences have been Ralph McQuarrie, Drew Struzan, Dave Dorman, and Bob Ross to name a few.”

“In 2004 I joined the 501st Legion. After becoming fast friends with a number of Legion members, many had seen my art and asked if I would do a design for the Ohio Garrison. I agreed and from there I have designed logos, various PR media and art for many of the groups within the 501st over the years. The opportunity given to me by the Ohio Garrison allowed me advanced my knowledge and skill level in the digital art realm and I will always be eternally grateful for those who believed in and encouraged me to get my art “out there”. Almost all of my Star Wars art (other than fan art) has been for 501st Legion’s Garrisons, detachments, and the like.”

“Currently, I am the manager of the Weights & Research department for a major motor carrier, and I do freelance illustratration/graphic design as a second income/hobby. I recently have begun to paint landscapes in oils after about a 22 year hiatus (little kids and oil paints laying around doesn’t make for a happy wife). Very soon I will be opening commission work and an online store where my oils on canvas can be purchased.“

Weblinks and contact info: https://www.facebook.com/BAMdesignsolutions/

https://www.deviantart.com/search?q=LordMaul1971

Also find Brady’s work on Teepublic and Redbubble

http://www.banthabricks.com/

Star Wars Artist Month – Jamie Follis

We’ve covered a wide array of artists who work in pencil, acrylic, water color, pastels, and digital media. But one area of the visual arts we haven’t touched on is sculpture. Sculpture, like the graphic arts, comes in many media and ranges from colossal structures to mini installations.

Today’s artist has found unearthed treasures in the world of action figures. To the general public, perhaps they are seen as just toys. But to any Star Wars fans action figures are the sculpture of the Saga, the tools we used as kids to channel our love of adventure, the real-world embodiment of our heroes and villains. Now imagine someone with a keen enough eye to take these sacred icons and gift them with just the right touches to radically shift our view of them.

Jamie Follis does just that: delving into the wide world of figures to custom sculpt brilliant works of art that do more than just look cool. His collections invite us to an entirely different universe, time after time. Star Wars in the Wild West? Here it is! What would Vader look like as a WWI field marshal? Well step right up and see. Over and over, this modern day Michelangelo does what real artists do: break down preconceptions, draw off of collective unconscious, and breathe entirely new life into story telling.

Star Wars fans may remember his work at Celebration events, where he’s helped 1500 fans and kids build dioramas, gave away over 1000 toys to kids, and oversaw the completion of over 400 dioramas to recreate cloud city! His work is staggering and we salute him for letting us go on the ride with him.

“My name is Jamie Follis I am a full-time high school history teacher. I also have a side business as an artist/sculptor. I have been doing this professionally for 20 years. I am most known for my redesigns of Star Wars. I have helped run every Diorama Workshop at Star Wars Celebration since C2 way back in 2002 and been a panelist for my custom sculptures twice as well as offering classes on the showroom floor for the last 3. I also work as a film/maker and production designer and serve as one of the art commissioners for my city. I have also been a guest speaker at a variety of conventions usually discussing my work or the historical, religions, or cinematic influences of Star Wars.”

What drew you to Star Wars?

“I saw Star Wars in 1977 and it dominated my childhood. Birthdays, holidays, playtime were all Star Wars themed. My father was a maker before that was a term and I emulated him as a kid in making my own toys, props, and play sets. Today I teach college level world history, European history, comparative religions, and film making and on some level Star Wars exposed me at a young age to everything I teach today.”

“I first had in interest in World War 2, medieval fantasy, eastern religions, westerns cinema and Kurosawa all from interviews and things I read about Star Wars as a child. In college in the mid 90’s I wrote papers that explored the historical, mythological and religious influences of Star Wars before there were books and entire YouTube channels exploring them. So, as I began from to move from making toys to trying to express my ideas artistically the logical first place was my primary passion, Star Wars.”

“I began to take every aspect that influenced the creation of Star Wars and isolate that influence and explore it visually in my work. I believe these explorations are part of desire on my part to continually recapture the wonder Star Wars held over my imagination as a child. I try to explore the universal and timeless themes of Star Wars by constantly reinterpreting it through the lens of all the film genres and eras that influenced the original films.“

“My work fuses discarded toys with my own sculpting to make new creations and as I redesign all of Star Wars in a new way. The goal with each line is to make wholly unique creations that are all still recognizable as Star Wars. This really took off in the early 2000’s before mash ups and such things were commonplace. Before I would begin a line, I would apply my historical research skills for months and make sure this was not an avenue that had been explored visually before. Each line is basically me answering a fundamental question of “What would a Wild West Star Wars look like?”, when I complete the line I know.”

“Then the filmmaker takes over as part of my process includes me writing out an entire backstory or plot with new names and story elements and then I approach it like a production designer. Then I create the figures using a combination of kit bashing and hand sculpting. To celebrate my site’s 20 years anniversary, I just completed a new line called “Once Upon a Time in Space” that attempts to recombine all the various elements I have spent the last 20 years unraveling and dissecting. I have chosen over the years to keep this as a side profession, I love teaching, but I also love creating these new ideas and putting them out in the world for fans to enjoy.”

Jamie’s works are one-of-a-kind. Visit his site to see his amazing work: http://sillof.com/

Auctions currently on can also be found on his eBay page: https://www.ebay.com/sch/darewook/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=

Also check out his Instagram page for other items that go up for sale: https://www.instagram.com/sillof/?hl=en