Gallery: Sad Vader and Other Star Wars Art for Your Empire's Walls
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[Ralph McQuarrie](http://www.starwars.com/news/ralph_mcquarrie_remembered.html) was the first person George Lucas hired to help envision what *Star Wars* would look like. Since McQuarrie’s passing in March 2012, the illustrator [Ian Glaubinger](www.hasUnow.com) has been inspired to take another look at the characters McQuarrie helped create. Glaubinger blended his style, inspired by cartoons of the '50s, with *Star Wars* characters. His playful Chewbacca and Vader mini prints can be found on [Etsy](http://www.etsy.com/people/hasUnow). *Photo: Ian Glaubinger*
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The Hong Kong-born, now New York-based photographer [Alex Brown](alexbrownphotography.com) was stopping by a McDonald’s upstate when he came upon a kid sitting alone in a booth donning a Vader helmet -- and breathing heavily, to boot. His photo “Untitled (Sad Vader)” sold out at online art retailer [20x200](http://www.20x200.com/artworks/2305-alex-brown-untitled-sad-vader) and continues to bring attention to Brown. The title of the piece is part of what makes it so bittersweet, but it may have been more a testament to Brown's mindset than to his subject's. "I always wanted a helmet like that when *Star Wars* came out," wrote Brown in his artist’s statement. "But my parents wouldn’t buy me one." *Photo: Alex Brown*
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Two generations of artists, photographers, and graphic designers have been inspired by the *Star Wars* trilogy. Here are few of our favorite arty interpretations. [Thomas Bergie](http://bergie81.deviantart.com/), an artist in Berlin, had an empty wall covered in black wallpaper that needed something. He loved Roy Lichtenstein, so he decided to do a riff on one of his most popular paintings. "I recognized that his pieces would work perfectly with a *Star Wars* theme," says Bergie. Bergie publishes the vector art, like this take on "Drowning Girl" from 1963, for other crossover fans to download -- for free! -- and print at any size. *Photo: Thomas Bergie*
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[Isabelle Dillard](http://www.etsy.com/shop/idillard?ref=seller_info) has been on a nostalgic kick lately. Although she began with air balloons, animals and the like, this December she decided to switch to something more iconic. "I've always loved the *Star Wars* series, so I started out making a few paintings," says Dillard. "I don't think I've really stopped since." The outsize success of the series is part of what propels her to keep on it. "There are so many generations of people who get such a kick out of seeing these characters." *Photo: Isabelle Dillard*
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As a child, graphic designer [Evan Travelstead](”http://evantravelstead.com/) dreamed of being a Jedi. As an adult, he's kept that dream alive by redesigning Darth Vader. Travelstead made his version of Vader by drawing paths on the imposing helmet and filling them with different sizes of Century Gothic type. “I actually ran out of words that Vader spoke in the original three films,” explains Travelstead. "I had to incorporate a few of Anakin's from the newest three." *Photo: Evan Travelstead*
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Four years ago, the U.K.-based conceptual artist [Björn Hurri](http://www.bjornhurri.com/) stumbled into a 3-D forum with an appealing weekly design challenge: Steampunk *Star Wars*. "There were a handful of steampunk drawings as reference for 3-D artists to model from," says Hurri. "I took it upon myself to give them more art to work with." The new take was energizing, says Hurri, who has created nearly a dozen similar characters since. *Photo: Bjorn Hurri*
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For the two years that passed while his health was deteriorating, a friend of the artist [Wednesday Wolf](http://wednesdaywolf.com/) found solace in the *Star Wars* universe. "He loves the series," says Wolf. "It offered comfort to him throughout a terrible time." Although they lived several thousand miles apart, Wolf used his watercolors stay connected. "I painted them as a sort of ... a brotherly love letter I suppose, just letting him know that I'm here for him." Wolf's friend died in January, but the ode to him can still be found at [Wolf's Etsy shop](http://www.etsy.com/listing/97399260/chewie-matte-print-13x19?ref=v1_other_1). *Photo: Wednesday Wolf*
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Wayne Dorrington wondered what *Star Wars* would look like if IKEA took a stab at the storytelling. Over a period of two years, the London-based illustrator spent the bulk of his free time creating dozens of panels filled with hundreds of icons that explain episodes IV, V, and VI. (*Episode V*, for instance, is split into two parts and 63 panels total). The project is an impressive primer, and *way* more fun than the instructions for how to build an Expedit. *Photo: Wayne Dorrington*
