As Anderson continues to hone his skills as a
Star Wars artist, he says that the legendary artists Ralph McQuarrie, Joe Johnson and Drew Struzan are continual inspirations. "My introduction to the art in the
Star Wars world was Ralph McQuarrie," Anderson says. "When I started working on that first
Star Wars calendar in 1993, I had access to all of his concept drawings and paintings. His and Joe Johnson's artistic talent brought George Lucas's ideas to life. They gave the classic trilogy a look and feel that we could relate to -- a world that has been lived in just as it is here on Earth."
"However, by far the most influential in my career was Drew Struzan," Anderson continues. "In the mid-'90s, while doing the early
Star Wars calendars and puzzles, I would walk across the street for lunch and, afterwards, stop at the book store to look at and admire Struzan's beautiful book covers. Another strong influence from that time was Mathieu Lauffray who illustrated the Dark Horse comic covers series
The Last Command and the series
Dark Force Rising. Hugh Fleming, who illustrated the Dark Horse comic cover series
Tales of the Jedi also impressed me. It was that initial
Star Wars calendar work and the influence of those three artists that seemed to light a fire within me and take me professionally in a new direction."
With a seemingly endless list of projects, Anderson says he deals with many of the same challenges other artists face. "Having multiple deadlines in the same week or, on the flip side, days when I have completed all jobs and don't know when the next job will come is something that can be rather stressful," Anderson explains. "Working from home with three kids isn't easy either, especially when my six-year-old son wants to play Lego
Star Wars with me. Trying to make clients happy at all costs often means working until 3 or 4 A.M. and not doing much of anything other than work for weeks on end. As an artist I don't have job security so the quality of the most recent work I do determines future work -- so I work
hard!"
When Anderson begins a new project -- whether it's a book cover or collectible coin album -- his process always begins the same way. "I usually start with some kind of neutral color background color in Photoshop, then I'll paint a texture to scan in or use part from an existing texture just to give the background a little dimension and interest," Anderson explains. "Most of the background that I start with gets covered with new background and characters as I continue to work. Then I just start trying different combinations of characters requested for the piece. I may spend hours posing the characters in different positions and sizes until suddenly something clicks into place. To me, establishing a good composition, a good interaction between the characters, is the most important and time-consuming part of whole process. I have a kind of love/hate relationship with the composition phase."
"Once I get the composition down, the fun part begins," Anderson smiles. "I'll bring the main character of the piece to life with lighting, shading, coloring and so on. Next I'll work on the area surrounding him, building it up around them and maybe a color to get whatever feeling I'm trying to convey. Slowly I'll continue in this manner as I work my way outward from the central character until everything feels right and balanced. When it's 95 percent done, I'll leave the piece for a day and do something totally different, then come back to it, take a look at it from about 10 feet back with fresh eyes. Instantly, I'll see things that I need to change. That kind of process works best for me."
While artists have their own system that works best for them, Anderson says that he hopes people let their muses guide their projects, instead of the pressure to make money. "Do artwork involving a subject matter that you really love and that inspires you," Anderson says. "If you don't feel inspired, you'll never create a good piece. Once you can consistently create art that pleases you, move on to subject matters that will actually get you work. As an artist, I really feel like I've just scratched the surface of what I want to do. I'd love to keep creating Star Wars art forever."
To read more about upcoming projects from Anderson, visit his official site here.
