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The Lightsabre Interview Randy Martinez
Welcome to
Lightsabre. He’s drawn for Topps, he’s
drawn for Marvel Comics, he’s drawn for the Insider…heck, he
draws a lot, ok? Please welcome the
famous Randy Martinez. Q - Randy, welcome to
Lightsabre. A -
Thank you. Cool name. Q – Your artwork is a
regular fixture in the Insider, a welcome throw back to the caricature and
joke scenes in Bantha Tracks. How big an experience was it for you to get
involved and become an official Lucasfilm artist? A – It has really
been a dream turned to reality. I've been drawing Star Wars things as far
back as I can remember. Ok, Star Wars and JAWS is all I ever drew as a
kid. So to wind up drawing cartoons and illustrations for Lucasfilm publications
and merchandise seems like a natural progression. But there was a lot
of struggle, hard work, and a lot of luck (meeting the right people at the
right time) so I never take it for granted where I am today. It really has been
a career changing experience for me. Q – Tell us something
of your career. How did you begin your
life as an artist and what path led you to where you are today? A - Wow, what a full question. Well, I'll tell you,
I'm 31 now, and I'm just now starting to make my living solely on my
art. So what I can say first off about my career is that it has been a
major learning process filled with plenty of ups and downs. But in many
respects all of that process is what makes my art what it is today. So I have
no regrets, and I am still learning. I was lucky enough to have two parents
that were both artists, so I was born with a brush and watercolors
in my hands. It helps a lot when your parents ACTUALLY understand you. I
started College at California Lutheran University to play basketball, but I
never grew taller than 6'4", so that put an end to my dream of playing
in the NBA. I spent two years playing ball at CLU, but with the help of a
great art teacher, and another young beautiful very talented artist, I was inspired
to focus on my art. I transferred to the Kansas City Art Institute,
where I graduated with a BFA in Design and Illustration. Then I was in the
real world, and it was tough. But, I don't know how to do anything
else. I can't sit still, I stink as a waiter, and I have to be creating
somehow. My girlfriend and I (that same beautiful artist I referred to
earlier) were the quintessential "starving artists" for about 2
years. But in 1999, I met Steve Sansweet of Lucasfilm, and that is
where my "Star Wars" career started, and really my whole professional
career. I moved to Hollywood in 2002, and things just took off for me.
Opportunities seem to come from all over. One of the best things that has
happened to me is I am now starting to do movie posters (1 sheets). It's
something I have always dreamed about since being mesmerized by Drew Struzans' posters. And that is where I am at today. I
wouldn't say that I'm satisfied where I am, but I'm very proud of what I have
achieved to this point. Q – What has it been
like to be a part of the Star Wars phenomenon? A- IT has really been unreal. Having been involved with Lucasfilm since 1999, I have gotten to know several of the behind the scenes people as well as some of the actors. It makes Star Wars far more personal for me than it has ever been. My first REAL taste of the phenomenon was at Celebration 2, 2002.I've never doubted how popular Star Wars was, but to actually see all the fans together, and I mean there were close to 100,000 fans there, it was just breathtaking. I was lucky enough to be part of the art show at Celebration 2 & 3, where we (artists) had tables to show off our work and talk with fans. The really touching thing for me was how much Star Wars means to people, and for so many different very personal reasons. I mean people have a sort of love affair with the whole Star Wars culture. It's really an honor that my art work is part that connection with people.
Q –It’s clear from
browsing through your website that you are, as we English say, barking
mad. Given this great compliment, how
important do you feel that humour is in the Star Wars universe? A –
Thank you. I think. Hehe, no, I know that you are giving me a great
compliment. I think humor is crucial to the Star
Wars Universe. At the heart of Star Wars is a very sad and sombre story of a
very tragic character, Anakin Skywalker. With all that tragedy, it's natural
to have humor to balance the emotional landscape of
the film. Such is real life. When our lives get a little depressing, nothing
feels better than a good laugh to ease your mood. The healing power of
laughter. The other reason humor is so important is
it forces the viewer to not take Star Wars so seriously. Humor
is what keeps the whole thing fun. Q – Of all the
characters in the SWU, which ones do you admire the most, would like to draw
the most and find the funniest? A –
I admire Yoda the most. Wisdom seems
to be the key to life, whether you posses wisdom or gain it from someone
wiser than yourself. And Yoda seems to be the wisest character since
Confucius. I don't really have one character I like to draw the most, I enjoy
all of them. A lot of the time it depends on my mood. If I'm feeling Dark and
Disturbed I like drawing Vader, If I'm feeling aggressive, Darth Maul, but
sometimes, if I'm feeling goofy I really love drawing Jar Jar. The character I find funniest in the movies
would probably be R2D2. He gets all the best lines with out real lines. Q – Your artwork for
Topps Heritage cards walks the line between caricature and character
study. How do you determine which mood
you are aiming for? A –
That's a good question. You know, my
work has been criticized for not picking a side and staying true to one or the
other. This goes all the way back to art school. I hate being pigeon holed as
something, so sometimes out of pure rebellion I would purposely ride the
fence between cartooning and realism. But, now I have come to terms
that I "Walk the Line" because that's just the way I express
myself, it's how I see the world. All the artists I love, Van Gogh, DeVinci, Mort Drucker, Jack
Davis, and Drew Struzan, all share a common intangible in their art. You can
see their art is purely their personal expression of life. They are not
trying to emulate anyone, and the work just seems honest. It really feels
like there is a part of their souls in every piece. That intangible is what I
believe makes great art great. I can only hope my work comes off with some of
that same honesty. Q – What were your
feelings on Revenge of the Sith? Now
the saga is complete, how do you feel about the journey from Menace to Jedi
and the way they link up to the original trilogy? A – I absolutely loved Revenge of the Sith. And I'm not just saying that because of my employers. Really, after my first viewing, I wept. Part of it was because I am an over emotional artist, but mostly because it was all over. As soon as the credits rolled my whole life flashed before my eyes, and I saw how closely my life has been connected to Star Wars. It was truly the end of an era for me in life. "Sith" couldn't have been a better way to close out this Era in my life. It had everything that I love about Star Wars and so much more. Revenge of the Sith is the perfect bridge to the old trilogy, and makes the whole sage so much deeper and intriguing. I think "Sith" makes the first two prequels better and more understood that George Lucas was building an emotional crescendo making Episode 4-A New Hope even more exciting and victorious. It makes Empire so much darker because you really understand how deep Vader/Anakin has gone to the dark side and seems unredeemable. "Return of the Jedi" has so much more meaning to it now, and the feeling of redemption and "Balance" hits home even more than it did before.
Q – You’ve been
involved in a movie project called Pissed.
Could you tell us a little about that? A – Cool, I'm glad
you noticed that. First off, the film is no longer titled "Pissed".
It's now called "In the Blink of an Eye". There were many reasons
the title changed, but one of the biggest reasons is the word "Pissed"
carries a much different meaning all around the world. They didn't want the
Brits to think this film was about a bloke who had one to many pints at the
old pub. The film is written directed and stared in by my good friend Jaime
Gomez. He was a regular on the TV show "Nash Bridges", and has had
supporting roles in films such as "Training Day", "Crimson
Tide", and "Clear and Present Danger". I got involved with
this project about 2 years ago, when Jaime approached me about doing a 1
sheet (movie poster) for his independent film called "Pissed". I
thought it was about an old bloke who had too many pints at the old pub (de ja vue). The inside story
on the poster is I completed it in 3 days. I couldn't believe I completed it
that fast, but they had to reach a deadline for marketing reasons. That was
about 2 years ago and it has been a great selling point for them ever since.
The poster design has had 3 incarnations, the third and final revision to be
revealed very soon. I not only did the poster for this film, but I was also
cast as what I like to call a "featured extra role". Nothing big,
but you can clearly see me in some scenes. Q – Your non-caricature
artwork is visually stunning and full of impact. What is the balance in your amount of work
between humorous and serious art? A – Like I said before I like to have a little of both
cartooning and realism in my work, but sometimes the mood of the art calls
for a more representational style of work, which I love to do. I try to
balance the two styles out as much as possible, but most of the time that is
dictated by what jobs I am taking on. For the last 2 years my more cartoony style has been very popular, but my realistic
style is starting to be in larger demand now. You can never really tell when
these waves of interest come or go, you just gotta
ride with it. Q – While attending conventions and shows do you enjoy the
interaction with Star Wars fans? A – Oh yeah. Star
Wars fans are the best. The greatest joy I have at
the conventions are when the fans come to my table and laugh. I never get to
hear those laughs until the cons, and it just feels good to make someone so
happy that they feel like they are going to pee their pants. The other part
is I get to talk Star Wars with people freely and openly. It's hard to do
that in everyday life, as not everyone is as fanatical as I am. I've
made some really good friends all across the country because there are a lot
of really good people who love Star Wars. Q – Art Piggy – explain! A - HAHAHAHAH. Wow,
you really dug. Art Piggy was a greeting card company that my girlfriend at
the time came up with. Artist Rika Traxler and I thought people like art, and
people like pigs. Let’s make greeting cards that cross classic art and
pigs. Ok, the classic art part is easy to understand but
how about the pig’s right? Well, Rika and I raised a pot-bellied pig named
bacon from the time bacon was 4 weeks old. Rika loves piggies
and we noticed what a market there was for pig stuff; you'd be amazed how
much stuff there is. So we both did some designs and people loved them. Unfortunately
we didn't really have the money to market the cards properly and the idea
pretty much fizzled. But from time to time, people find those old pieces and
remind me of "ART PIGGY". Q - What lies ahead
for you in the future? A –
I can't really say. Right now, I feel
as if my career is just starting to take off, so my mind is all about working
as hard as I can right now and seeing what comes out of it. Life is such a
learning process that even if I wasn't busy, I can't really say what is
coming next. To be honest, I don't really want to know. What I would like to
happen is continued success, love, health, and a 72-inch TV Q – A quick question
about our site, Lightsabre. Any
comments? A –
Really nice Web site. I particularly
like the interviews. It's personable. Very informative and you can tell there
is a lot of love put into it. Keep it up! Q - It's been a great
interview, and thanks for being our guest on Lightsabre. Just one final question. Art Piggy, Obi Wan Kenobi and Jaime Gomez
are adrift in the middle of the ocean on a raft at high noon that has a slow
puncture. There is enough water to
last one day and enough food for one more meal, so they are screwed. Which two, in an effort to save
themselves, gang up together to eat the third one? A – A
very strange question, but it suits me. |
