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 which were auctioned by The Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Starwars.com chats with Star Wars artist Randy Martinez about his process for turning a blank Hasbro Mighty Muggs figure into a rocking tribute to Darth Maul.
Why did you want to participate in The Empire Muggs Back charity art project?
I wanted to get involved for a couple reasons. The first was it's for a great cause. I'm not a wealthy person so what I have to give is my art. If my art can help raise money for a good cause I will always help where I can.
The second reason was it honestly just sounded like a fun project. I like the challenge of creating something completely out of my normal media, but also the unspoken (friendly) competition between all the artists to create something really unique and creative.
What did you choose to do for your Mighty Muggs art piece?
I created "Glam Rock" Darth Maul. It was inspired by my painting "Sith Rocks," from Star Wars Celebration IV. I had a fist full of other ideas, but the double ended guitar was the kicker that made me chose rockin' Maul.
What was your step-by-step process? What materials did you use?
The first thing I did was prime the figure with white acrylic primer. Once it dried, I drew the face and clothes on with a graphite pencil. I then created the 3-D objects like the horns and tongue. I used a great product called Sculpey. It's like plastic clay. It does not dry or crack and is always pliable until you bake it. First, I pulled off enough clay to make my tongue. I made the general shape and stuck on the Mighty Mugg where I wanted it. While it was on the Mighty Mugg I sculpted the tongue to detail.
Next I carefully removed the tongue from the Mighty Mugg. If I pulled too hard I would misshape my sculpture, and lose the impression made on the attaching side of my tongue. This is the hardest part. After 30 tries, I finally got the tongue off good. I did the horns in the same manner.
While I had the Sculpey out I made the guitar. The first thing I did was grab a picture of a Gibson electric guitar (my dream guitar), and then Photoshopped it into a double-ended guitar. I printed it out to the size I want to create my mini guitar and then cut it out. I already prepared a flat slab of Sculpey (about 1/4 of an inch thick), to which I laid the paper guitar cut out on. I then took a knife and literally cut around my paper guitar, making a perfect copy in Sculpey right beneath it. Then I made the little guitar parts from the Sculpey (knobs, bridge, nut, fret board) and attached them to the guitar.
Finally, I took some acrylic paint and painted my Mighty Mugg. For a final detail I used glitter acrylic paint for the sparkly horns and guitar; just to give him that little extra glam rock look.
What were some of the challenges you faced while making your art piece?
The texture of the figure is ultra slick and resists just about all normal wet mediums. No matter what I tried to put on these figures it would either smudge off, flake off, or just slide right off the plastic. So I covered the Mighty Mugg in primer first. Another challenge was drawing on the 3-D figure. I'm used to drawing on a flat surface, so it took some time to think 3-D.
Why do you think Star Wars fans will love The Empire Muggs Back project?
The Empire Muggs Back Project is one of the most unique, creative collaborative projects I have seen since The Vader Project, and we all know how popular that was. Anytime you take a group of uber-talented artists, and tell them "Do what ever you want," you never know what to expect, and that is really exciting. Talent plus creativity plus spontaneity equals great art!
Read more in-depth coverage on The Empire Muggs Back.
