McQuarrie Tribute: IG-88

It was difficult finding what of Ralph McQuarrie's to draw that wasn't Darth or Boba. Those 2 character designs are so strong it's hard to escape their gravity, but then so many of his designs are instantly iconic. Sure his Darth wasn't exactly like the final one we know but the cannon he set for the character was unmistakeable, he set the beats you had to hit to get that character right. Same goes for Boba, Stormtroopers, all of them. Even with the side characters.
I've seen a lot of drawings of IG-88, they are all different but all IG-88. Tall, thin, conic head and too many red eyes to count and it's ol' Iggy. The reason that works speaks to McQuarrie's understanding that when you design a character, keep it simple stupid. Make 'em so you could pick them out from a distance. That's what makes his stuff fun to draw for the rest of us, hit the beats he set and you got it.

This piece I confess was pretty quick, ballpoint pen drawing and colored in Photoshop. I've been playing a lot with the halftone screen lately thanks to Tim's influence and a more lively line thanks to Jim. That's one of the things I've enjoyed a lot doing this weekly blog, playing with things I see in the work of the other Monsters. It's like getting to play with someone's action figures.