For a series that focused largely on attractive young men with dazzlingly blonde hair and a tendency to whinge a lot, Star Wars sure had some iconic designs. As designer Anders Stensen shows us in these “triangular pixel” art pieces, these designs are easily conveyed even if you display them in a somewhat abstract way.
I’m not surprised that this series of drawings starts with Boba Fett; the hapless bounty hunter has long been a cult favorite. There are so many appealing things about this character, but I think what I love most is that his personality is so mysterious yet his death ends up being a comic relief.
Next is an illustration of one of the ubiquitous Stormtroopers, looking like a proud member of the 501st legion. The helmet design is particularly striking because the white contrasts so well with the background color.
Mister Vader himself is a little harder to distinguish, as many of the pixels that make up his helmet are actually just part of the background colour. However, even with this added layer of minimalism, his helmet is still instantly recognizable.
The TIE Fighter helm is a little harder to make out, because it resembles an unwieldly blob more than anything else – though it’s still an accurate depiction. The color choice is subtle, with a palette of shades that are fairly similar in intensity.
The C-3PO drawing looks exactly like the lovable paranoid droid. ‘Nuff said.
This one took me a while to figure out – I even had to ask my boyfriend for help, and he eventually identified him as Gonk, a character who is on-screen for about a minute in the very first movie as one of the droids collected by the Jawa. He basically looks like a goofy garbage can on legs, which is probably why he’s become so popular with the Star Wars crowd – he even has his own fanpage!
Leia’s disguise from The Empire Strikes Back looks pretty unattractive for such a lovely lady. Thankfully, Mr. Lucas made up for it by having her subsequently appear in a metal bikini, which has fueled fanboy fantasies for the last few decades.
The Scout Trooper design looks similar to that of the Stormtroopers as the two are both very clean and white. Still, the helmet manages to stand out quite distinctly, like many of the designs in Star Wars.
These designs are generally pretty great, but one thing bugs me – where’s Luke? Sure, he doesn’t wear a helmet and he’s not a robot either, but come on! His dimpled jaw is practically triangular!
If you’re interested in other related art pieces, you should check out the Victorian-style Star Wars portraits, or the Star Wars Matryoshka and Kokeshi dolls.
