Amazing Drew Struzan Style Star Wars VII Poster By Adam Schickling

We all know that Drew Struzan is on a different level when it comes to his talent as an artist. He is well and truely etched in the Star Wars annals along with such names as John Williams and Stuart Freeborn. So for anyone to try and emulate the great Drew Struzan they would have some huge task ahead of them.

Artist and fan Adam Scickling has taken on that task and delivered something quite spectacular. We were lucky enough to ask Adam a few questions regarding the poster and what's involved.

When you painted the poster did you actually have Drew Struzan's style in mind? If so did the task seem twice as big because of this?
I love the paintings and drawings of Drew Struzan, so I would be lying if I said that his work did not influence mine. I was trying to capture the look and feeling that a Drew poster has. My hope was that I captured a fraction of that emotion and realism of what Drew can in any one of his amazing pieces of art.

The task of creating the poster with that look and feeling was kind of huge, but it drove me to create a really cool piece of art. I really enjoyed doing this one and had been preparing to do a picture like this for years but never really got around to it until they made the announcement of releasing the new films. It seemed that now was the time to create this artwork.

We've seen other fan-made posters with the original cast and they've not been very flattering. Did you set out to make the original cast look like they would still fit in a Star Wars movie?
I wanted it to look like a poster you would see in the theater. I found really great reference and for the reference that I did not have I created it. I did not want any part of the poster to look out of place, so I worked extra hard to give it that look and feel. It had to look like a Star Wars movie.

How long from start to finish did the poster take to complete?
The poster took about 4 weeks to complete. I did not need or want to rush it. Layout took 1 day. The pencil drawing took about a week. Rendering that took about a week. Airbrushing was one week and then the tight colored pencil detail in the last week. I wanted it to look the way I pictured it in my mind. I also have a family with five children and their activities and my T-shirt illustration job in the evening. I took my time and if I got tired I put it away and took a break. It is a big piece of art at 30X40 in. and the temptation to rush it would have made a big lousy piece of art. I am glad I took the time to make it right.

What are your favourite Drew Struzan posters?
All of Drew Struzan's posters are my favorite but if I had to pick a few it would have to be the Star Wars Trilogy and any Indiana Jones posters. I love the look of any of his art from the 80's.

What are you looking forward to the most with Star Wars VII?
I am looking forward to being blown away by the new movies. I want to have that same excitement that I had when I left the theater for the original trilogy. I want to have that theater experience that not too many films today give us; The indescribable magic! I also want to see the original characters integrated into the story very well lending credibility to the new cast of characters that will be joining the series.

Are you working on any more great Star Wars posters? How can people keep up to date with your work?
I will be creating a variety of new work from pop culture. Star Wars is my favorite subject so keep your eye out for new work on my blog at http://adamschicklingillustration.blogspot.com/. I will be showing my process and progress from start to finish for the Star Wars poster there very soon. Also keep tabs on me on Deviantart at http://rampantimaginationa.deviantart.com/
and also at my Facebook fan page
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Adam-Schickling-Rampant-Imagination/169175300189?ref=ts&fref=ts

Thanks Adam and congratulations on your fantastic artwork. I look forward to seeing more.
We will keep you posted on any new artwork from Adam.

Rob Wainfur
@welshslider