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<\/em>Star Wars: The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight by Tony DiTerlizzi<\/em><\/center>
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\nCaldecott Honor illustrator and author Tony DiTerlizzi<\/a><\/strong> is visiting 7-Imp this morning for an in-his-own-words type of piece, meaning I’m going to hand the site over to him to share some art and talk about his new books. I asked him about wrapping up his WondLa<\/em> trilogy, which he just completed; Book III,<\/em> The Battle for WondLa<\/em><\/a><\/strong>, was released in May. In this third and final installment of the illustrated science fiction fantasy trilogy, Eva Nine is on the run — yet is the only one capable of bringing peace to the humans and aliens of Orbona.<\/p>\n
I also asked Tony what it was like to be asked to adapt the original Star Wars<\/em> trilogy into a picture book for children, which is precisely what Lucasfilm asked him to do. The book, Star Wars: The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, features the existing artwork of concept artist Ralph McQuarrie<\/a><\/strong>, who was the artist behind the original Star Wars<\/em> trilogy, and was released by Disney Lucasfilm Press in October. <\/p>\n Tony shares some process sketches and final art from WondLa<\/em>, as well as some spreads from the Star Wars<\/em> picture book adaptation. Here’s Tony in his own words, and I thank him for visiting. <\/p>\n
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\nThe WondLa<\/em> trilogy was a tale I\u2019d had in my mind for over a decade. It came to me in the late 1990s as I was developing The Spiderwick Chronicles<\/a><\/strong><\/em> backstory. In Spiderwick<\/em>, I was fascinated by the idea of a story from the past coming forward in time to the present. As I pondered this notion, I explored in the other direction and asked myself, \u201cCould I also pull a story from the future back to the present?\u201d
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\nOver the years, as I mulled over the plot and characters, several momentous events happened in my life: I tasted success, turned 40, and my daughter was born. WondLa<\/em> soon became more than just a futuristic fairy tale \u2013- it became a window to my thoughts, joys, and concerns as a parent. Consequently, the story asks a lot of questions: Are we the best caretakers for the planet? Are we alone in the universe? What happens when we die? In the end, the story offers no answers. For me, those are the stories that stick with you long after you read the last page.
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Even in the dense murk she could still see Muthr, for the pale light of the Omnipod illuminated the robot’s form as she rolled alongside them.”
— From Book I,<\/em> The Search for WondLa<\/a><\/strong>
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— From Book I,<\/em> The Search for WondLa<\/a><\/strong>
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\nI thought I knew what WondLa<\/em> was going to be about when I set out to pen the first book, but throughout the six years it took me to write and illustrate the trilogy, experiences in my life shaped the story. I am thankful for that. It may be skinned in a slick science-fiction veneer, but underneath the theme of WondLa<\/em> is very tangible: Where is home and what defines family?
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— Sketch from Book II,<\/em> A Hero for WondLa<\/a><\/strong>
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watching Eva’s every move.”
— From Book II,<\/em> A Hero for WondLa<\/a><\/strong>
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— Sketch from Book II,<\/em> A Hero for WondLa<\/a><\/strong>
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— From Book II,<\/em> A Hero for WondLa<\/a><\/strong>
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\nClassics such as Peter Pan & Wendy<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, Alice\u2019s Adventures in Wonderland<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz<\/a><\/strong><\/em> inspired me. Like those fairy tales, WondLa<\/em> centers on a female protagonist, Eva Nine, who leaves home and ventures into a wonderworld of strange characters. The story also draws inspiration from the fantastic science fiction genre seen in films, such as Star Wars<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, 2001: A Space Odyssey<\/em><\/a><\/strong>, and Nausica\u00e4 of the Valley of the Wind<\/a><\/em><\/strong>.
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— Sketch and final art from Book III, <\/em>The Battle for WondLa<\/a><\/strong>
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— Sketch from Book III, <\/em>The Battle for WondLa<\/a><\/strong>
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\nBecause it is an imaginary setting, I relied heavily on my talents as an artist to illustrate Eva\u2019s adventures. The intense world-building I had created in character and plot now continued on a visual level. From the design of the main characters and the places they visit to the artifacts they use, everything in Eva\u2019s universe help convey the concepts and themes of the story. This is where my background in working on the Dungeons & Dragons<\/em><\/a><\/strong> game paid off. For D&D<\/em>, I was required to do all sorts of world design, while I illustrated the various adventure modules and monster manuals. I had no idea then how invaluable that experience would be for me as an aspiring author and illustrator for children\u2019s literature.<\/p>\n
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