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 Otis Frampton. about his process for turning a blank Hasbro Mighty Muggs figure into a special tribute to a Jawa.
What did you choose to do for your Mighty Muggs art piece?
Fans have always enjoyed my drawings of Jawas, so that made it an easy choice for this project.
Why did you want to participate in The Empire Muggs Back art project?
Because they're cool!
What was your step-by-step process? What materials did you use?
I teamed up with my wife Leigh to create my Mugg, since she's much craftier than I am. We used my drawings of Jawas as the basis for the Mugg design. I adapted some of my earlier drawings for her so she could create the clothing and bandoliers. She sewed the clothing together from material that she purchased at Michael's. I painted the Mugg itself and then we attached the clothing over it using the bandoliers to hold the cloak in place.
What were some of the challenges you faced while making your art piece?
For my wife, it was how to create the cloak using as few pieces of material as possible and how to adapt my drawings of the pouches into reality. For me, it was painting the Mugg itself, since I have little experience using paint.
Why do you think Star Wars fans will love The Empire Muggs Back project?
As with all art, they will love the unique interpretations of the Star Wars characters by each of the artists. We all bring our own style to George Lucas' characters and that's what makes drawing Star Wars artwork so much fun. The same can be said about the Muggs!
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.
