• TikTok
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Star Wars Kids
Star Wars Logo

Search

My Account Logout
  • More More
    • NEWS + FEATURES
      • THE LATEST
      • ANDOR
      • CELEBRATION
      • QUIZZES + POLLS
      • BOOKS + COMICS
    • VIDEO
      • ALL VIDEO
      • THIS WEEK! IN STAR WARS
    • FILMS
    • SERIES
      • All Series
      • Andor
      • Skeleton Crew
      • Ahsoka
      • The Mandalorian
    • GAMES + INTERACTIVE
      • View All
      • Star Wars Outlaws
      • Games + Apps
      • VR + Immersive
    • DATABANK
      • ALL DATABANK
      • ERAS
    • DISNEY+
      • STREAM NOW
      • EXPLORE
      • THE DISNEY BUNDLE
Local Nav | Drop-Down Phase III - 20231020
Local Nav | Drop-Down Phase III - 20231020
My Account Logout
  • other
  • instagram
  • twitter
  • facebook
  • youtube
  • other
STAR WARS | DISNEY+ STAR WARS ON DISNEY+

All

  • Andor
  • Star Wars Celebration
  • Skeleton Crew
  • The Mandalorian
  • Ahsoka
  • The Acolyte
  • Obi-Wan Kenobi
  • The Book of Boba Fett
  • The Bad Batch
  • The Clone Wars
  • Visions
  • Behind the Scenes
  • Books + Comics
  • Characters + Histories
  • Collecting
  • Creativity
  • Disney Parks
  • Disney+
  • Events
  • Fans + Community
  • Films
  • Games + Apps
  • ILM
  • Interviews
  • LEGO Star Wars
  • Lucasfilm
  • Merchandise
  • Opinions
  • Quizzes + Polls
  • Recipes
  • Rogue One
  • Solo
  • Star Wars Day
  • Star Wars Rebels
  • Series
  • The High Republic
Interviews
Jedi at 40 | Fashion Illustrator Marilee Heyer on Her Stunning Leia Concepts

Jedi at 40 | Fashion Illustrator Marilee Heyer on Her Stunning Leia Concepts

A three-week job at Lucasfilm in 1981 resulted in several iconic works of production art.

Pete Vilmur
Pete Vilmur
May 24, 2023

A three-week job at Lucasfilm in 1981 resulted in several iconic works of production art.

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi arrived in theaters on May 25, 1983, bringing an end to the original trilogy in memorable fashion. Marking its 40th anniversary, StarWars.com presents “Jedi at 40,” a series of articles celebrating the film that brought us Jabba’s palace, Ewoks, Luke Skywalker’s final confrontation with the Emperor and Darth Vader, and so much more.

Marilee Heyer

Star Wars artwork aficionados who browse the pages of 1983’s The Art of Return of the Jedi are often inspired by the illustrations of pioneering Star Wars artists Ralph McQuarrie, Joe Johnston, and Nilo Rodis-Jamero, among others. Readers might be struck, though, by a pair of stunning profile illustrations of Princess Leia on page 49 that appear unlike any other artists’ work seen in the book. The portrait illustrations, which depict Leia’s iconic hairdo while aboard Jabba the Hutt’s sail barge, appear to be done by a talented fashion artist with an eye for elegance and detail. While the book illustrations were initially credited to Star Wars: Return of the Jedi hairdresser Paul LeBlanc, they were actually composed and finished by artist Marilee Heyer, whose attribution was missed through an unfortunate oversight in the first 1983 edition (but restored in the 1997 reprint).

An accomplished illustrator whose work often graced the pages of the San Francisco Chronicle, Heyer was drawn to Lucasfilm in August 1981 because of her love for the first two Star Wars movies. “I was just crazy about them,” she says. “When the second film came out, I really, really loved it. I read about the operations being in San Rafael and just really wanted to see if I could work out there. There was one person who I knew that I had been doing some storyboards for, and she knew somebody that worked out at Lucasfilm who knew Nilo Rodis-Jamero.”

Marilee Heyer's sketch of Leia Organa side profile
One of several Leia hairdo concepts by Heyer, realized in the Jabba's palace and sail barge sequences.

Return of the Jedi costume designer Nilo Rodis-Jamero had joined Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back production’s miniature and optical effects unit, and moved into costume design for Jedi. As Heyer remembers it, Rodis-Jamero wanted to bring in an additional storyboard artist so that he could devote more of his time to the film’s increasing costume design needs. Heyer had originally come to the San Francisco Bay Area a decade earlier as a storyboard artist for TV commercials, but quickly pivoted to fashion illustration. Her storyboard work, however, got her the job at Lucasfilm. “My early career out of school had been working on Saturday morning children's cartoons doing layouts and planning scenes,” she says. “So I was someone that could come in and kind of assist Nilo with the storyboards. He would tell me what he wanted me to draw, and that would leave him time to go in the fashion design department and do that.”

Marilee Heyer's sketch of Leia Organa with her hair down
Heyer's illustration of Leia with hair down would form the basis of the princess' look in the Ewok village.

As Heyer worked on storyboards, she would often sketch her own ideas for Leia’s various costumes during her lunch breaks. Although none of her costume sketches closely resemble those seen in the film, their polished style inspired Rodis-Jamero to ask Heyer to do some refined illustrations of Leia’s hairdos based on designs by Paul LeBlanc. “I think Nilo asked me because he knew of my experience as a fashion illustrator, that I could do pretty women well and make them look elegant,” she says. “So about a week before I was supposed to leave, he asked if I could stay and do these sketches for them.”

Four of those illustrations found their way into The Art of Return of the Jedi, and demonstrate Heyer’s clear talent for depicting Carrie Fisher’s complex hairstyles seen in the final film. Based on the strength of these and her storyboard work, Heyer was asked to stay on permanently in the Lucasfilm art department.

Marilee Heyer's sketch of Leia Organa with her hair up
A concept that echoes Leia's iconic hairstyle in Star Wars: A New Hope.

“I was tempted to stay because I was thinking, like everybody, that there were going to be three or four more Star Wars movies,” she recalls. “But I was told that after Return of the Jedi, George was taking a hiatus and that nobody really knew how long before the next Star Wars movie was going to come out. For my security and for my career, I just decided to go back to [San Francisco fashion company] I. Magnin, who was holding my job for me.”

While Heyer had left her brief but fulfilling role at Lucasfilm and her mark on the illustrative legacy of Return of the Jedi, she had one more contribution to make in the weeks following her departure. An illustrated production logo, like the ones done for Star Wars: A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back by Ralph McQuarrie, was needed for Jedi’s stickers and crew patches, and Heyer was contracted to illustrate a design incorporating Yoda and part of the film’s title. “I did four or five really rough sketches in color, and they picked out the one they wanted,” she recalls. “So I produced a finished illustration, but had to leave part of the title blank because it wasn’t known or decided if it was to be Revenge of the Jedi or Return of the Jedi.”

A work order form stating: “This detail of a work order from the Lucasfilm Art Dept dated November 18, 1981 shows the original request for five sketches and that the film’s full title – Revenge of the Jedi -- should not be depicted.”
This detail of a work order from the Lucasfilm Art Dept dated November 18, 1981, shows the original request for five sketches and that the film’s full title — Revenge of the Jedi — should not be depicted.

As Star Wars collectors may be aware, the Yoda artwork logo was first used on production stickers and crew patches bearing the original Revenge of the Jedi title, and later on, similar stickers and patches offered to Official Star Wars Fan Club members with the final Return of the Jedi title. Until recently, it was unclear which artist had finished the production logo, and Heyer is glad to finally have her name attached to the iconic artwork.

  • Concept sketches and final art for both the Revenge and Return of the Jedi production logos and patches.

    1 of 7
  • Concept sketches and final art for both the Revenge and Return of the Jedi production logos and patches.

    2 of 7
  • Concept sketches and final art for both the Revenge and Return of the Jedi production logos and patches.

    3 of 7
  • Concept sketches and final art for both the Revenge and Return of the Jedi production logos and patches.

    4 of 7
  • Concept sketches and final art for both the Revenge and Return of the Jedi production logos and patches.

    5 of 7
  • Concept sketches and final art for both the Revenge and Return of the Jedi production logos and patches.

    6 of 7
  • Concept sketches and final art for both the Revenge and Return of the Jedi production logos and patches.

    7 of 7

Concept sketches and final art for both the Revenge and Return of the Jedi production logos and patches.

1 of 7

Concept sketches and final art for both the Revenge and Return of the Jedi production logos and patches.

2 of 7

Concept sketches and final art for both the Revenge and Return of the Jedi production logos and patches.

3 of 7

Concept sketches and final art for both the Revenge and Return of the Jedi production logos and patches.

4 of 7

Concept sketches and final art for both the Revenge and Return of the Jedi production logos and patches.

5 of 7

Concept sketches and final art for both the Revenge and Return of the Jedi production logos and patches.

6 of 7

Concept sketches and final art for both the Revenge and Return of the Jedi production logos and patches.

7 of 7
  • Concept sketches and final art for both the Revenge and Return of the Jedi production logos and patches.

  • Concept sketches and final art for both the Revenge and Return of the Jedi production logos and patches.

  • Concept sketches and final art for both the Revenge and Return of the Jedi production logos and patches.

  • Concept sketches and final art for both the Revenge and Return of the Jedi production logos and patches.

  • Concept sketches and final art for both the Revenge and Return of the Jedi production logos and patches.

  • Concept sketches and final art for both the Revenge and Return of the Jedi production logos and patches.

  • Concept sketches and final art for both the Revenge and Return of the Jedi production logos and patches.

1 of 7
Loading...

Fashion Illustrator Marilee Heyer Sketches

While her tenure at Lucasfilm was quite brief – just three weeks in August, 1981 and the contract work later that November – she’s proud of her contributions to the film and its enduring artistic legacy.

“It was a great experience and I just I loved working there and seeing the whole process,” she muses. “It was just so exciting.”

  • These aren't the droids you're looking for - Disney+

Pete Vilmur is currently a writer for Lucasfilm Publicity and worked previously for Lucas Digital Media, where he created content for Lucasfilm’s websites, blogs, and social networks. Pete co-authored two books with Steve Sansweet — The Star Wars Poster Book and The Star Wars Vault — and a third with Ryder Windham, The Complete Vader.

Related Topics

Jedi at 40 ThisWeek

Related Stories

  • Celebrate Star Wars Day with 15 Most Impressive New Toys, Collectibles, and More
    [object Object] [object Object]

    Celebrate Star Wars Day with 15 Most Impressive New Toys, Collectibles, and More

    May 3, 2024

    May 3, 2024

    May 3

  • Star Wars Valentine's Day Gift Guide 2024
    [object Object] [object Object]

    Star Wars Valentine's Day Gift Guide 2024

    February 1, 2024

    February 1, 2024

    Feb 1

  • Star Wars: Best of 2023
    [object Object] [object Object]

    Star Wars: Best of 2023

    December 18, 2023

    December 18, 2023

    Dec 18

  • Lucasfilm and Star Wars Receive a Combined 23 Emmy Nominations
    [object Object] [object Object]

    Lucasfilm and Star Wars Receive a Combined 23 Emmy Nominations

    July 12, 2023

    July 12, 2023

    Jul 12

  • New Ahsoka Trailer: The Former Jedi Prepares for the Return of Thrawn
    [object Object] [object Object]

    New Ahsoka Trailer: The Former Jedi Prepares for the Return of Thrawn

    July 11, 2023

    July 11, 2023

    Jul 11

  • Ahsoka Premiere Date Revealed
    [object Object] [object Object]

    Ahsoka Premiere Date Revealed

    June 7, 2023

    June 7, 2023

    Jun 7

  • Meet the Visionaries: LeAndre Thomas and Justin Ridge on the Heartbreak and Hope of “The Pit”
    [object Object] [object Object]

    Meet the Visionaries: LeAndre Thomas and Justin Ridge on the Heartbreak and Hope of “The Pit”

    June 7, 2023

    June 7, 2023

    Jun 7

  • These Max Rebo Donuts are the Biggest Hit Since "Lapti Nek"
    [object Object]

    These Max Rebo Donuts are the Biggest Hit Since "Lapti Nek"

    June 2, 2023

    June 2, 2023

    Jun 2

More From Star Wars:
  • TikTok
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • SWKids
  • Terms of Use
  • Additional Content Information
  • Privacy Policy
  • Children's Online Privacy Policy
  • Your US State Privacy Rights
  • Disney Store | Star Wars
  • Star Wars Helpdesk
  • Interest-Based Ads
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved