Not every kid can boast about coming home from school one day to see Han Solo and Chewbacca stuck to his refrigerator. But for Minnesota-based artist Grant Gould, his childhood was full of Star Wars memories like these thanks to his Jedi-friendly parents.
"I was three years old in 1977, and I remember seeing Star Wars at the drive-in theater," Gould recalls. "All I remember from that are snippets, because I had no idea what was going on. I just knew there were these droids walking around in the sand, and spaceships, and explosions. Fortunately, my parents were quick to feed my addiction and they'd buy me Star Wars sheets, posters, pillowcases, action figures, etc. Any time a birthday or Christmas rolled around, I'd know I was getting some cool, new Star Wars toys. One of my earliest Star Wars memories was when I got my first two action figures: Han Solo and Chewbacca. My parents stuck them to the refrigerator with magnets to surprise me when I got home. Shortly after that, I remember getting C-3PO and then a Tusken Raider, and after that it's all a blur. Five million action figures later, I can't keep track."
When he wasn't planning battles with his action figures, Gould could be found outside twirling his lightsaber toy around snow banks. "My main memory of seeing Empire in the theater was the Hoth scene where the wampa attacks the tauntaun, and then where Luke uses the Force to get his lightsaber in the ice cave. For some reason those scenes really stuck with me. I'd go out in the snow and pretend I was on Hoth, swinging around a plastic lightsaber. Later when I saw Return of the Jedi on opening night with my dad -- I remember the long lines, of course, and the movie had everyone at the edge of their seats. Star Wars has been a staple in my life, no doubt about it. When the special editions came out, my friends and I lined up, and of course when the prequels came out, my friends and I camped out. I'm a lifer."
The droids, Jedi and the fantastical creatures of Star Wars would soon join the rest of Gould's muses as his artistic talent began to take shape. "I've always had the urge to create, ever since I was a little kid trying to draw pictures of Roadrunner and Popeye. I doodled all the time, in school, at work -- my mind was always wandering. There was always some imaginary world to preoccupy my thoughts. As a child it was all about cartoons and action figures. As a teenager it was comic books and roleplaying. Now as an adult I have movies -- the Star Wars saga and The Lord of the Rings trilogy have been hugely inspirational to me. I've always been a kid at heart, and the idea of being part of those fantasy worlds that have entertained me, or to create my own -- that's what's inspiring about being an artist."
In high school, Gould drew a regular cartoon strip, in addition to illustrating various news articles. His drawing assignments followed him to Brown College in Minnesota, where he earned a degree in Visual Communications, winning awards for editorial layout, video editing and post-production work, and graphic design.
"Even though college was a great experience and it got me out of the retail world and into a graphics-related career, I feel that most of my actual drawing skills have been self-taught," Gould says. "I've always known that I could draw, but I don't think I really tried to push myself or improve as an artist until recent years, and as a result I think I'm a much better illustrator today than I was even a year ago. It took me awhile to realize that in order to grow as an artist, I have to evolve and open myself to new ideas, techniques and challenges."
After college, Gould designed logos and offered his artistic expertise to such clients as The Future Leaders of America, Target Corporation and Marshall Field's. But it wasn't until 2005 that Gould attracted the attention of Topps that he soon earned a coveted spot as a licensed Star Wars artist.
"I have starwars.com webstrip artist Tom Hodges to thank for getting my foot in the door," Gould says. "He'd seen some of my artwork and knew I was a big fan of the saga, so when Topps went looking for new talent for their Revenge of the Sith card set, Tom gave them my name. They liked my art and set the wheels in motion, and shortly after, Lucasfilm gave me the thumbs-up. It's been an amazing experience and I'm really looking forward to seeing what the future holds. I feel like I'm part of a Star Wars family now, even if in some small way, and that's an awesome feeling."
