Drawing Plo Koon

With his face hidden behind a forked face mask, Jedi Master Plo Koon sat on the Jedi Council when Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn first presented young Anakin Skywalker as a possible Padawan learner. He also fought alongside his fellow Jedi against Geonosians and battle droids in the Geonosian execution arena. Unfortunately, even with his battlefront experience in the Clone Wars, he had no idea of the fatal casualty that awaited him once Order 66 was in play.

Star Wars illustrator Russell Walks explains with easy-to-follow steps (in the form of a fun poem!) on how to draw Jedi Master Plo Koon.

Steps 1-7 are to be drawn lightly with a pencil. No pen, no dark lines. Finished lines and details will come at the end.

Step One: Plo Koon is the Jedi who's hardest to draw, with those tubes on his head that connect to his jaw. Nevertheless, why not give it a shot? For with us the Force is, though Yoda we're not. The "O"s in Plo Koon are the keys to this art. There's one in his head shape, so that's where we'll start. Then add another one on the right side. There's one on the left, too -- See it trying to hide?		Step Two: So far you've done well, but there are more "O"s to go. There're six on his face; Look closely. Go slow. Draw a few on the left and some more on the right, but be really careful and keep your lines light.

Step Three: Next, draw four ovals -- one more in each eye, and two near his jaw line, midsized, and chin-high. A few squiggles later, the mask is roughed out And we're starting to see what this drawing's about.		Step Four: At the base of his chin, on each side of the mask, add those long, skinny probe things. What are they? Don't ask. And now things get tougher. We start to refine. So draw with more pressure, and darken your line.

Step Five: Now darken the neckline and work on his face. Draw the vents on his nose-piece in just the right place. And please notice too that the long skinny probes are connected at last to the tubes on his lobes.		Step Six: Our line drawing's done, but it doesn't look right. We still need some shadows -- some dark with the light. Let's start with the goggles. They're not simply black. They're gray where the light hits, and dark towards the back.

Step Seven: The same thought applies as you make your next mark. Where shadows are heavy, your shading is dark. But even a mask that's as black as the night may look strange where light strikes it. The darks can look light.		Step Eight: To finish your artwork, work more on the head. First, sharpen your pencil -- one must have good lead. A robe with a collar, and Plo Koon is done. Thank you for playing -- I hope you had fun!