"The Taking of Echo Base by the Sith Lord Darth Vader"
Artist: Tom Hodges
Star Wars artwork aficionados can pick up the first limited edition print in The Empire Strikes Back's 30th anniversary artwork collection, a series which debuts today from Acme Archives at StarWarsShop!
The new 12-print series, which launches with Tom Hodges' "The Taking of Echo Base by the Sith Lord Darth Vader," includes a very cool incentive for early adopters -- a FREE handsome portfolio case (a $50 value!) designed exclusively for this set will be included with the purchase of this print, and will also be made available as a separate purchase for those who miss it (act fast -- the print/portfolio bundle isn't expected to last long!).
Each 12x16-inch giclée on watercolor paper is signed and numbered by the artist and limited to just 100 pieces, a quantity low enough to ensure demand once the edition is no longer available. For further details about this exciting new series (and a list of the 12 participating artists), be sure to read our original announcement here!
The series' first entry by Tom Hodges, which depicts an early scene from the Empire storyline, kicks off the 12-part set with a dramatic image that sets the stage for more exciting artwork to come. We asked Tom a few questions about creating "The Taking of Echo Base by the Sith Lord Darth Vader," and why he chose this particular scene from Empire:
How do you like being the debut artist to launch StarWarsShop's 12-part Empire artwork series?
Just to be a part is an honor, really! I mean, this for one is my favorite film of all time. It is, for me, the best of all six films. Then to be the first one out of the gate to set the tone is also a big thrill. I would have been happy being in any spot, but to be the first giclée offered is really great.
You were loosely assigned the Hoth section of the movie. Why this particular scene -- one suggested by the storyline but not actually seen in the movie?
For years I've always wondered about the moment Vader and his troops entered the base. I've gone so far as to rough storyboard the sequence when I was in animation school years ago: An AT-AT stops over a flat area of Hoth, with the base underneath. From inside the belly, Vader barks orders to the troop commander to clear an entrance to the base below. A hatch opens and Vader drops out from the bottom as the camera follows him to the surface where he lands on what sounds like steel. He takes out his lightsaber, cuts a huge hole in the ground and drops into a wall of ice and steel which he rips apart with the Force. Troops descend on wires and take Echo Base. Vader clutches the Rebel captain as he makes that fateful announcement: "Imperial troops have entered the base! Imperial Troops have--"
While it would NOT be possible to show all of that, I wanted to show the moment they just got in.
What effect were you attempting to achieve with this particular composition -- the large central Vader and the out-of-frame hand, etc.?
The effect I was going for was that this was the viewpoint of a Rebel soldier whose luck just ran out and the guy to his right just bit it before him. The guy was just coming back from his coffee break with his pal, we'll call him Cecil -- Cecil Moonrunner. Cecil is the guy whose hand you see. That snowtrooper blasts away Cecil at "11 o' clock" and you're at "12"!
Describe your technique -- do you pencil by hand and color digitally?
I start with a rough that gets sent in for approvals. Once that part is completed, I move onto pencils. It's usually after this that I send in the image to make sure it's all ready to go and there's no need to do any character alterations. Then I will ink the piece with pens and a brush using Super Black India Ink. Once the inking is completed, I scan at a high resolution and color in Photoshop.
You can pick up Tom Hodges' "The Taking of Echo Base by the Sith Lord Darth Vader" now at StarWarsShop, which includes a free portfolio case to hold future entries in this exciting new Empire series!
Stay tuned to StarWars.com next month when we'll be posting the next entry in the series on April 23 -- a stunning depiction from Empire's famous asteroid sequence by artist Chris Trevas. See his preliminary sketch for the piece below...
