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 artist and LucasArts Assistant Producer Cristopher Lee about his process for turning a blank Hasbro Mighty Muggs figure into a special tribute to Lobot.
What did you choose to do for your Mighty Muggs art piece?
I chose Lobot because he's the unspoken, unsung hero of The Empire Strikes Back film. Everyone knows without Lobot, Lando would have a hard time running Cloud City. He also made it possible for Leia and Chewie to escape. So I figured he deserved some recognition in Muggs form.
Why did you want to participate in The Empire Muggs Back art project?
I'm a Muggs and Star Wars fanatic! Besides having over 120 Muggs at home, combining my love for Star Wars along with some creativity for charity made it that much more meaningful to me.
What was your step-by-step process? What materials did you use?
I freeze-framed Empire to make sure I got all the details of Lobot down. I sketched; then painted him with acrylics. I sealed the paint with some high gloss varnish. Because I'm a Muggs fan I wanted to achieve that Hasbro look with the anime eyes and shadowing, which I hope fans will appreciate.
What were some of the challenges you faced while making your art piece?
Originally, I painted Lobot's signature "headphones" but then I decided that it was a piece that was so iconic to the character that I went back and sculpted the headset using Sculpey and baked it. The toughest part was gluing the pieces on but I eventually got it all to stick!
Why do you think Star Wars fans will love The Empire Muggs Back project?
Star Wars and the Muggs are so iconic. To merge the two into an original piece of artwork is actually history in the making. The culmination of our love for the saga and community is illustrated in each one of these Muggs. Fans now have an opportunity to show their love as well by owning a unique artistic piece of Star Wars history and giving for a great cause!
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 coverage on The Empire Muggs Back.
