While some artists stick to one medium, Detroit-based artist Matt Busch doesn't have time for the one-project-at-a-time theory. He's not only provided countless illustrations for
Star Wars licensed products over the last decade, he's also written comics and roleplaying games, optioned screenplays and filmed his own horror film. Busch says George Lucas' vision of a galaxy full of quirky droids, mysterious Sith, brave Jedi and magnificent creatures had a deep impact on why he chose art and illustration as a career path.
"I know this sounds clichéd, but I knew what I wanted to do ever since I first saw
Star Wars as a child," Busch confesses. "You hear almost every artist say that these days, but it's true. These films changed everyone, but to many kids my age, we were filled with wonderment and the only way we could express our excitement was to draw imagery from the galaxy far, far away."
"My parents saw
Star Wars and felt it would be too emotionally impacting for me to see at four years old, (i.e. Luke's aunt and uncle burned to a crisp, and Obi-Wan finding his fate with Darth Vader's lightsaber, etc.)," Busch remembers. "So one afternoon when my grandparents were watching me, I talked them into taking me to see it. It changed my life. However, many of my early
Star Wars memories weren't just with the movies, but with all of the books, comics, and the toys. A huge portion of my childhood was spent dreaming up new adventures with Han, Luke, and Leia."
Busch began his formal art training at in the Media and Communication Arts Department at Macomb Community College in Michigan. He later received his Bachelor of Arts from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California (studying illustration with a minor in film), and continued his studies at the Los Angeles Art Academy.
"Much of what I do I learned the hard way and created for myself," Busch says. "When I look back at what I learned and how I got to this place (wherever that is) I feel that most of my learning was from trial and error. It's been an exciting career, but it was a long hard road with years of struggle."
Some of Busch's inspiration comes from legendary Star Wars illustrator Drew Struzan as well as other comic book artists and illustrators.
"I've been trying to take my illustration in different directions, and I find a lot of inspiration from artists like Dave McKean and Bill Sienkiewicz," Busch adds. "Once you've done everything you can with narrative illustration, the only thing left to do is start breaking the rules and lean more evocative with your imagery. So in a lot of ways I'm starting back at square one and trying out some new ways of communicating visually that I haven't been as open to in the past."
