Between 1999 and 2009 Lightsabre.co.uk brought news, fanfic, podcasts and much, much more to the masses. Our thirty-first guest drew for Topps, for Marvel Comics and The Insider – Randy Martinez.
Lightsabre – Randy, welcome to Lightsabre.
RM – Thank you. Cool name.
Lightsabre – 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?
RM – 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.
Lightsabre – 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?
RM – 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.
Lightsabre – What has it been like to be a part of the Star Wars phenomenon?
RM – 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.
Lightsabre – 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.
RM – 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.
Lightsabre – Your artwork for Topps Heritage cards walks the line between caricature and character study. How do you determine which mood you are aiming for?
RM – 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.
Lightsabre – 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.
RM – 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.
Lightsabre – You’ve been involved in a movie project called Pissed. Could you tell us a little about that?
RM – 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.
Lightsabre – 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.
RM – 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.
Lightsabre – While attending conventions and shows do you enjoy the interaction with Star Wars fans.
RM – 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.
Lightsabre – Art Piggy – explain!
RM – 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”.
Lightsabre – What lies ahead for you in the future.
RM – 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.
Lightsabre – A quick question about our site. Any comments.
RM – Really nice website. 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!
Lightsabre – 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
RM – A very strange question, but it suits me.
The pig would be toast.
- 1. I love bacon
- 2. Since I created the piggy I can draw him as big and juicy as we need.
- 3. I couldn’t eat my buddy Jaime unless I was REALLY hungry.
- 4. Obi-wan just doesn’t look like he would taste that good.
But couldn’t I just draw a cruise ship with a huge buffet?
This interview was originally posted on lightsabre.co.uk on 8th January 2006.
