Collectors and fans alike have a chance to own one-of-a-kind Star Wars art pieces while giving to a good cause with The Empire Muggs Back. Lucasfilm asked artists, comic book creators, toy designers, and celebrity fans armed with markers, paint brushes and glue guns to transform blank Mighty Muggs (donated by Hasbro) into custom Star Wars art which will be auctioned by The Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Starwars.com chats with supervising director of The Clone Wars Dave Filoni about his process for turning two blank Hasbro Mighty Muggs into bounty hunters Cad Bane and Aurra Sing.
What did you choose to do for your Mighty Mugg art piece?
I chose to do two characters from my show, The Clone Wars, which were also two characters that had not been made yet. Cad Bane has his fans out there, and Aurra Sing is also a great character and voiced by my good friend Jaime King, so I made the Aurra second in honor of Jaime and her husband Kyle Newman, who are both huge Star Wars fans.
Why did you want to participate in The Empire Muggs Back art project?
I have met several Make-A-Wish families due to my involvement in The Clone Wars and I have seen first hand what a difference a little kindness can make for people. It is a great privilege to get to be involved in a project like this, which combines my love of Star Wars with helping others. It's the Jedi way after all.
What was your step-by-step process? What materials did you use?
I had to get these done fast so I just did a slight sanding so the paint would hold and then I quickly sketched. Then I painted the major details, trying to simplify the design when I could so that they would fit in with other actual Mighty Muggs. Then I added a hat and breathing tubes for Cad. Aurra's hair was just pipe cleaners I glued into her head. That was the fun part on both, the added element like icing on a cake. I thought the look of both came together only at the end.
What were some of the challenges you faced while making your art piece?
Time is a constant challenge because I have so little of it due to my work on season two of The Clone Wars, but as I said earlier it is a privilege to get to be involved in a project like this, so I just had to do it.
Why do you think Star Wars fans will love The Empire Muggs Back project?
I think because the Muggs are made by other fans, we can all enjoy the creativity that went into the various pieces. There are so many unique and interesting designs. I loved looking at them, especially the ones by the Robot Chicken team. Those were amazing. Over time Star Wars fans have proven to be an incredibly creative group of people, and this project puts everyone's talents on display again.
The Mighty Muggs art pieces are now up for auction and can be seen at The Empire Muggs Back on Starwars.com. The auction ends August 14, 2009.
Stay tuned to StarWars.com for in-depth The Empire Muggs Back coverage, info on the online charity auction, Mighty Mugg crafting tips and artist profiles.
