Daily Archives: December 7, 2015

Art, Star Wars

The Star Wars Art of Shane Molina

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Star Wars Imperial Tie Interceptor Fighter by Shane Molina

Shane Molina is a Vancouver based Concept Artist and Illustrator at Thinkingbox, in his spare time Shane re-creates the Star Wars Ships and Vehicle in a wonderful sketchy style using digital mediums, traditional, and airbrushing. His work evokes such a happy ‘Star Wars’ childhood memory of a gifted friend who would do some gorgeous concept style pen/pencil drawings of the films we had both seen, he recently started sketching again around the streets of Shoreditch in London, you can check out Phil’s work here 

The Imperials

Star Wars Imperial Tie Fighter by Shane Molina
The Lone Wolf Star Wars Imperial Tie Interceptor Fighter by Shane Molina
Star Wars Darth Vader Tie Fighter by Shane Molina
Star Wars Imperial Tie Interceptor Fighter Concept Sketch by Shane Molina

As for Shane, who was born in Hilo, Hawaii, he was already surrounded by inspirational magic and beauty with the surrounding landscape, so it was no surprise Shane’s artistic talent took off at a young age like us. In his high school years Shane’s talent started to grow and improve as he learned to add in keen detail and a strong passion in his artwork. He began to capture the eyes of the people around him, and had drawn them closer to his talent by creating “eye-catching” pieces of artwork. In the year of 1998, Shane Molina wanted to create a small ART business, where he could share his art with the world. But like us and the busy lives we lead today, it is easy to get caught up in life and the fast lane of living, but is nice to see how art can calm the most busy minds. See below how Shane has does that.

The Rebels

Star Wars Imperial Tie Fighter Vs T-65 Incom X-Wing by Shane Molina
Star Wars Rebel A Wing Fighter by Shane Molina
Star Wars T-65 Incom X-Wing by Shane Molina
Star Wars Rebel Y Wing Fighter by Shane Molina
Star Wars T-65 Incom X-Wing Sketch by Shane Molina

Shane also has a great mantra in life
“Love your life, Do what you want”

Star Wars Slave 1 by Shane Molina
Star Wars Rebel AT-ST by Shane Molina
Star Wars Imperial Stormtrooper Concept Sketch by Shane Molina
Star Wars

The Force Awakens Portraits

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Star Wars The Force Awakens Portraits by Marco Grob _ Mark Hamill photographed for TIME on October 27, 2015 in Los Angeles_ Hi Res

As a passionate photographer and Star Wars fan, it great to see that legendary photographer to the stars, Marco Grob was recently asked by TIME magazine to do a portrait shoot with the cast of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and it sounds like this Emmy Award winning  photographer is also a Uber fan.

“For me, Star Wars is much more than only a film,” Grob says. “Star Wars is hundreds of people who try to push the envelope. People who take enormous risks in creative and in technical aspects. They try to do things we’ve never seen before in a way nobody would have imagined to ever see before. And for me, it’s incredible.”

Star Wars The Force Awakens Portraits by Marco Grob _ Carrie Fisher photographed for TIME on October 27, 2015 in Los Angeles_ Hi ResStar Wars The Force Awakens Portraits by Marco Grob _ Carrie Fisher photographed for TIME on October 27, 2015 in Los Angeles_ Hi Res

Grob went into the 2 weeks of shooting across 4 cities in 3 countries without any special knowledge of the new movie’s storyline.

Star Wars The Force Awakens Portraits by Marco Grob _ Daisy Ridley photographed for TIME on October 29, 2015 in London_ Hi Res

“Sometimes it’s good not to know too much,” Grob told TIME Magazine. “I wanted to have a feel on its own, to kind of do my own thing [instead of] being influenced by anything I would have seen.”

Star Wars The Force Awakens Portraits by Marco Grob _ Gwendoline Christie photographed for TIME on October 29, 2015 in London_ Hi Res
Star Wars The Force Awakens Portraits by Marco Grob _ John Boyega photographed for TIME on October 26, 2015 in Los Angeles_ Hi Res
Star Wars The Force Awakens Portraits by Marco Grob _ Harrison Ford photographed for TIME on October 16, 2015 in Los Angeles_ Hi Res

But when it came to Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill, the situation was, of course, different. “I grew up with them,” he says. The same goes for R2-D2. “You get almost star-struck when you meet R2-D2. It’s incredible when you see it getting unwrapped. It was certainly one for the books. Something I’ll never forget.”

Star Wars The Force Awakens Portraits by Marco Grob _ R2D2 photographed for TIME on October 29, 2015 in London_ Hi Res
Star Wars The Force Awakens Portraits by Marco Grob _ Oscar Isaac photographed for TIME on October 31, 2015 in Spain_ Hi Res
Star Wars The Force Awakens Portraits by Marco Grob _ Adam Driver photographed for TIME on October 25, 2015 in New York_ Hi Res

It sounds like he made a special connection with BB8…“The moment you meet BB-8, you build up some form of weird human connection, It has one eye that has this really cute way of looking at you. It’s just incredible.”

Star Wars The Force Awakens Portraits by Marco Grob _ BB-8 photographed for TIME on October 29, 2015 in London_ Hi Res
Star Wars The Force Awakens Portraits by Marco Grob _ JJ Abrams photographed for TIME on October 26, 2015 in Los Angeles_ Hi Res
Star Wars The Force Awakens Portraits by Marco Grob _ Lupita Nyong’o photographed for TIME on November 10, 2015 in New York_ Hi Res
Star Wars The Force Awakens Portraits by Marco Grob _ Kathleen Kennedy photographed for TIME on October 29, 2015 in London_ Hi Res
THE BIOGRAPHY OF MARCO GROB

Born in Olten, Switzerland, Marco Grob began his career as a photographer’s assistant in Los Angeles. Upon his return to Switzerland, Marco opened his first studio and worked for twenty years as a still life photographer.

In 2003, Marco decided to change his career path and focus on portrait and people photography. After his move to New York City, he worked with actors Leonardo DiCaprio, George Clooney, Michael Douglas, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Bridges, Colin Firth, Robert Downey Jr., Carey Mulligan, Uma Thurman and Julianne Moore – musicians such as Sir Elton John, Lady Gaga, Sting, Robert Plant, Justin Bieber, Pink, Seal, Lionel Ritchie and numerous political figures including President Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Joe Biden and Dick Cheney along with many other heads of state.

His commercial clients in the film industry include Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, MARVEL, NBC Universal, HBO, and A&E. He was assigned to work on movie posters like the 2012 Marvel / Disney Production “The Avengers” and Disney’s “TRON: Legacy.” His work in advertising includes clients like Rolex, Tag Heuer, BBC, ARD (First German Television) and Louis Vuitton.

Marco’s work appears regularly in magazines like TIME, GQ, Vogue, Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, Wired and New York Magazine. In 2011, he was commissioned by TIME to create a series of portraits centered around the tragic events of September 11th, 2001. Titled, “BEYOND 9/11: Portraits of Resilience” this multiple award winning body of work is now part of both the Smithsonian Museum’s and the National 9/11 Memorial’s permanent collections.

His work has won numerous awards over time including an EMMY AWARD for “BEYOND 9/11”, an International ADC Gold, Swiss ADC , South African Loerie Awards, Cannes Awards, New York Festival Awards, POYi (Picture of the year), Kunstpreis des Kantons Solothurn 2011 and the prestigious Hasselblad Master 2007.

Since 2010, Marco has been working passionately and with great dedication for United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in order to report and educate about the global tragedy caused by 100 million landmines which inflict terror and pain around the world.

Marco lives in New York, but follows his work around the world.

Movie Reviews, Star Wars

The Force Awakens Armoury

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Reys Blaster Star Wars The Force Awakens Weapons and Helmets _ LPA NN-14 blaster pistol

“Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.”

Whatever their fictional origins, the weaponry props of Star Wars were inspired by objects from our world, like the lightsabre “an elegant weapon from a more civilized age”  in fact Luke Lightsabre was actually a Graflex 3-cell flashgun. The Graflex flashgun held the flash bulbs for a vintage “Speed Graphic” camera from the 1940’s. Obi-Wan Kenobi’s lightsaber was the most complex hilt at the time. It was assembled from parts of an Armitage Shanks Starlite model Handwheel, Browning ANM2 machine gun booster, WWI No.3 Mk.1 British Rifle Grenade and a Rolls-Royce Derwent Mk.8/Mk.9 Jet Engine Balance Pipe. But less of those Hokey religions and ancient weapons, as they are no match for Han Solo’s blaster which is based on the German Mauser pistol. As for those tough-to-aim stormtrooper rifles, they are modeled on the Sterling submachine gun.

Star Wars is all about the fight between the good side and the dark side, and for that you need tools of that war—whether it be a battered X-wing pilot’s helmet or a Wookiee’s bowcaster, check out this amazing gallery of weaponry and armoury for the First Order, Resistance and Maz Kanata’s pirate army.

All Images are © LUCASFILM 2015 _ Source | Wired.com

The First Order Armoury

The armoury of Captain Phasma who will survive The Force Awakens according to recent interview with Kathleen Kennedy, which is awesome news because rumor has it she doesn’t have a huge role this time around, and yet she’s already one of the most popular characters. The Boba Fett of our generation, or as Kennedy said “She’s an important character, a baddie in the best sense of the word.”

Kylo Ren, a member of the Knights of Ren, his lightsaber is a dangerous and rugged design unlike that of a typical saber with it’s crossguard that extends with two miniature blades.

The Resistance Armoury

Star Wars The Force Awakens Weapons and Helmets _ Poe Damerons Black Squadron X-wing starfighter pilot helmet

Luke’s lightsabre, which some say is the catalyst of the The Force Awakens, or as George Lucas would say ‘The MacGuffin‘

The Outer Rim Gang Kanjiklub’s Armoury

The castle located on the planet Takodana which is owned by the Maz Kanata, a female pirate who is supposed to have lived for over one thousand years and her eyes are covered with goggles, which is rumored to hold special power. The castle has a main hall which is hosted by travelers, smugglers, among others pirates, which we believe these weapons belong to from the Battle of Takodana.

Star Wars The Force Awakens Weapons and Helmets _ Huttsplitter blaster of Tasu Leech