May the Fourth be With You 2026

May the Fourth be With You 2026

OK, I'm only 6 hours late to the official "May the Fourth"--based on a pun so obvious and terrible I am disappointed I didn't think of it myself.  It's also using Jaxxon T. Tumperakki as part of a running joke I've been using for... 11 years now?  What the--what happened to all that time?  Well, let it never be said that I will not commit to the bit.  This time it's Jaxxon wistfully staring off at the Twin Suns of Tatooine as they begin to drop down below the horizon.

To re-explain everything about Jaxxon (and to copy-and-paste part of this from last year's Blog), he's part of my continuing--although not as Quixotic as it used to be--quest to make Jaxxon, the "Star Wars" version of a green Bugs Bunny, into something vaguely popular.  Jaxxon started in the Marvel Comics "Star Wars" #8 (1977), taking place after "A New Hope", in a pastiche of "Seven Samurai"/"Magnificent Seven" and...  And it's a long story.  He's a 6' tall, green rabbit which was loosely based on Bugs Bunny that was in "Star Wars" comics and he caught my attention as a kid.

Since I've started this crazy quest, he's now he's appeared in comics (sure, it's the "Star Wars: Adventures" line, but I'll take it as a win and say he's officially canon, now), and apparently even has a Black Series action figure.  He also is the star of the "Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories" one-shot with Dark Horse Comics a couple years ago (with an awesome Mike Mignola cover).  And he is in the non-canon "Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy - Pieces of the Past", voice by Ben Schwartz.  So, shall I declare myself the winner and say I'm done?  Oh, I'll probably beat that dead horse a little more, still!

BONUS for "May the Fourth": Here's an unrelated link to a hauntingly beautiful song by Jeremy Messersmith's "Tatooine", delightfully animated with paper cutouts from the original trilogy.

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STEP ONE:  Here are the quickly scrawled digital pencils on a 3,000px x 2,000px canvas in Rebelle 8 Pro.

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STEP TWO:  And here's the finished digital painting

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Done digitally in Rebelle 8 Pro.

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Merry Sithmas 2025 - Darth Maul

MERRY SITHMAS
Darth Maul

Merry Sithmas!  I hope everyone is well and has/had/will have a great Holiday Season (whatever you do or don't believe)!  Rather than do up a more obscure Sith character (cannon or non-cannon, who knows?), I figured I'd dust of Darth Maul again with his Christmas Tree lights for horns.

Sure, last year I was hoping to perhaps do up a "Real" animated video for Sithmas and while I did do up a better animated .gif, it is not quite the true, smooth animation I had in mind.  Oh, well, next year, for sure!  Probably...

* * *

Alas, I don't have a Work in Progress, but here's a single image .jpeg rather than the Animate .GIF for no apparent reason at all...

I did up the Darth Maul and Winter Scene digital painting in Rebelle, leaving the Christmas Tree Bulbs/Horns on his head to be done in Photoshop, along with the snow and the type for "Merry Sithmas".

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Done digitally in Rebelle and some in Photoshop (with the animated .GIF produced in Photoshop).

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Merry Sithmas 2025 - General Grievous

MERRY SITHMAS
General Grievous

Hey, hey, it's time for a Sithmas Card!  This time it's not a "True" Sith, but someone adjacent to Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus, as well as killing a number of Jedi, as well.  So, we'll call it close enough!

* * *

STEP ONE:  Here are the digital pencils, done in Clip Studio Paint.  It is a 2,00px x 2,791px document at 300dpi.

* * *

STEP TWO:  And here are the digital inks.  They were mostly done with a 15pt digital brush.

* * *

STEP THREE:  Here are the colors, done in a variety of layers under the inked layer before the animation lights were applied.  For the animation, three images were imported into Photoshop in the Timeline, and exported as an animated .GIF.

* * *

Done digitally in Clip Studio Paint (with the animated .GIF produced in Photoshop).

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May the Fourth be With You 2025 (Belated)

May the Fourth be With You 2025
(Belated)

Hey, hey!  Sure, I'm just a smidge late to the whole "May the Fourth" thing... What's that?  SIXTEEN days?  Great googly moogly, that **IS** late!  Oh, well, I'm sure I'll be on top of it next year for sure...

This time it is in reference to the alleged and apocryphal story of George Lucas himself wanting Jaxxon removed from the Marvel "Star Wars" comics series, mixed up with the "Somehow, Palpatine has returned" meme.

To re-explain everything about Jaxxon (and to copy-and-paste this part from last year's Blog), he's part of my continuing--although not as Quixotic as it used to be--quest to make Jaxxon, the "Star Wars" version of a green Bugs Bunny, into something vaguely popular.  Jaxxon started in the Marvel Comics "Star Wars" #8, taking place after "A New Hope", in a pastiche of "Seven Samurai"/"Magnificent Seven" and...  And it's a long story.  He's a 6' tall, green rabbit which was loosely based on Bugs Bunny, that was in "Star Wars" comics.  Now he's appeared in comics (sure, the "Star Wars: Adventures" line, but I'll take it as a win and say he's officially canon, now), and apparently even has a Black Series action figure.  He also is the star of the "Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories" one-shot with Dark Horse Comics last year (with an awesome Mike Mignola cover).  So, shall I declare myself the winner and say I'm done?  Oh, I'll probably beat that dead horse a little more!

I just did the picture on a single Layer and completely forgot to show the progress until it was too late.  Yeah, I'm sure I'll be on top of that, too, someday...

* * *

Done digitally in Clip Studio Paint.

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Merry Sithmas - Darth Plagueis

 MERRY SITHMAS
Darth Plagueis

Hey, hey, it's the second Sithmas Card of the season!  Always two there are, no more no le--... oh, what's that, I made the same joke in my last post?  Oh, um...  Heaven forfend that I should repeat myself and make the same joke twice.  What's that?  The hundredth time, you say?  Yeah, I guess I do that...

Anyhoo, this time it's Darth Plagueis, the Sith Lord that trained Darth Sidious (A.K.A. Emperor Sheev Palpatine), who was seen skulking in the shadows of a cave at the end of the "The Acolyte" series.  

Did you ever hear of the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise?  Well, I guess there's a whole book about it that I haven't gotten around to reading, yet, but I think the moral of the story is that you should never eat or drink anything that Sheev gives to you.  Just sayin' you may not be all that wise if you are so guileless of your fellow Sith apprentice.  

* * *

STEP ONE:  Here are the digital pencils, done in Clip Studio Paint.  It is a 2,00px x 2,791px document at 300dpi.

* * *

STEP TWO:  And here are the digital inks.  They were mostly done with a 15pt digital brush.

* * *

STEP THREE:  Here are the colors, done in a variety of layers under the inked layer before the animation lights were applied.  For the animation, three images were imported into Photoshop in the Timeline, and exported as an animated .GIF.

* * *

Done digitally in Clip Studio Paint (with the animated .GIF produced in Photoshop).

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Merry Sithmas - Darth Teeth

MERRY SITHMAS
Darth Teeth

Hey, hey, it's time for a Sithmas Card!  This time it is the nameless Sith from "The Acolyte", dubbed Darth Teeth or Smilo Ren (perhaps Darth Dentata?), as the tubing around his mouth looks like teeth when seen from a distance.  Hmmm, I wonder if they will ever give him a "real" name since it appears there won't be a second season to "The Acolyte". 

Always two there are--no more, no less.  So, look forward to another Sithmas Card in a couple days or so.

* * *

STEP ONE:  Here are the digital pencils, done in Clip Studio Paint.  It is a 2,00px x 2,791px document at 300dpi.  I used the Symmetry Tool to keep everything, well, mostly symmetrical between the two sides, then turned it off for parts of the helmet and cloak.

* * *

STEP TWO:  And here are the digital inks.  They were mostly done with a 15pt digital brush.

* * *

STEP THREE:  Here are the colors, done in a variety of layers under the inked layer before the animation lights were applied.  For the animation, three images were imported into Photoshop in the Timeline, and exported as an animated .GIF.

Maybe next year I'll do some genuine animation for the Sithmas Cards.  As always, my dumb brain and mouth writing checks that my hands (and @$$) may not be able to cash.

* * *

Done digitally in Clip Studio Paint (with the animated .GIF produced in Photoshop).

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May the Fourth be With You 2024 (Belated)

May the Fourth be With You 2024
(Belated)

Greetings!  It's my (belated) "May the Fourth Be With You"/"Revenge of the Fifth"/"Revenge of the Sixth" post featuring Darth Jaxxon.

Once again I must point out "May the Fourth Be With You" is such a bad pun I'm disappointed in myself for not doing it first.  Also, there seems to have been a shift this year to saying "Revenge of the Fifth", rather than using "Revenge of the Sixth".  Either one works well, and I also swing back-and-forth between which one I prefer.

To re-explain everything about Jaxxon (and to copy-and-paste this part from last year's Blog), he's part of my continuing--although not as Quixotic as it used to be--quest to make Jaxxon, the "Star Wars" version of a green Bugs Bunny, into something vaguely popular.  Jaxxon started in the Marvel Comics "Star Wars" #8, taking place after "A New Hope", in a pastiche of "7 Samurai"/"Magnificent 7" and...  And it's a long story.  He's a 6' tall, green rabbit which was loosely based on Bugs Bunny, that was in "Star Wars" comics.  Now he's appeared in comics (sure, the "Star Wars: Adventures" line, but I'll take it as a win and say he's officially canon, now), and apparently even has a Black Series action figure.  He also is the star of the "Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories" one-shot with Dark Horse Comics this year (with an awesome Mike Mignola cover).  So, shall I declare myself the winner and say I'm done?  Heck no, time to double down and keep this train going!

Happy (belated) May the Fourth/Revenge of the Fifth/Revenge of the Sixth!

STEP ONE:  Here is the quickly scribbled, digital pencils and the color flat laid down.

* * *

STEP TWO:  Jaxxon's face is mostly finished and the armor is more fully sketched out.

* * *

STEP THREE:  And here's the finished picture of Darth Jaxxon.  I added red highlights for the lightsaber, finished the armor, some tattoos, and other bits and bobs.

* * *

Done digitally with Rebelle 7

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Merry Sithmas - Darth Zannah

 MERRY SITHMAS
Darth Zannah

Hey, hey, it's another Sithmas Card!  Always two Sithmas Cards there are... and this time, fittingly enough, it's Darth Zannah, the apprentice to Darth Bane: The original "Rule of Two".

* * *

STEP ONE:  Here are the digital pencils, done in Clip Studio Paint.  It is a 2,00px x 2,791px document at 300dpi.  I used the Symmetry Tool to keep everything, well, symmetrical between the two sides.  Originally, I was going to do the outfit in red with white Santa-type trim along the collar, but then changed my mind and did a full on Santa-type cloak.

* * *

STEP TWO:  And here are the digital inks, mostly done with a 15pt digital brush.

* * *

STEP THREE:  Here are the colors, done in a variety of layers under the inked layer before the animation lights were applied.  For the animation, three images were imported into Photoshop in the Timeline, and exported as an animated .GIF.

* * *

Done digitally in Clip Studio Paint (with the animated .GIF produced in Photoshop).

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Merry Sithmas - Darth Sion

 MERRY SITHMAS
Darth Sion

Hey, hey, it's a little late, but here's yet another Sithmas Card!  This time, it's deeper into the lore with Darth Sion, The Lord of Pain.  And dry skin, no doubt; he needs to up his skin care routine.  Darth Sion first appeared in 2004 with "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords" video game and has shown up in some comics.

Hmm, with the position of the necrotic-type skin on his torso, I just realized it almost looks like he is wearing a tank top or suspenders.  Sigh... Oh, well.

* * *

STEP ONE:  Here are the digital pencils, done in Clip Studio Paint.  It is a 2,00px x 2,791px document at 300dpi.  I used the Symmetry Tool to keep everything, well, symmetrical between the two sides, then turned it off for the hat and a couple other random bits.

* * *

STEP TWO:  And here are the digital inks.  They were mostly done with a 15pt digital brush.

* * *

STEP THREE:  Here are the colors, done in a variety of layers under the inked layer before the animation lights were applied.  For the animation, three images were imported into Photoshop in the Timeline, and exported as an animated .GIF.

* * *

Done digitally in Clip Studio Paint (with the animated .GIF produced in Photoshop).

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Star Wars Sketchbook - C-3PO

 C-3PO

Hey, hey!  It's another Star Wars Sketchbook painting!  Only... 21 paintings left (and the back cover) before it is completely filled.  At first I just did a few, random paintings from "Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope", but I think I'll keep it going and only fill it with "Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope"--and maybe only keep it all focused on Tatooine?  That last part is still up in the air.  So, maybe?  Although, there area couple non-Tatooine scenes I would like to paint.  Again, we shall see...

Anyhoo, this time around is C-3PO wandering the desert of Tatooine in front of a Krayt Dragon skeleton, lost and about to hitch a ride with Jawas to Luke's house.

The palette was rather limited: Titanium White, Yellow Ochre, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Primary Cyan, and Payne's Gray.

* * *

STEP ONE:  Here are the vague pencils done on a toned, gessoed Stillman & Brin sketchbook.  The pages are folded 8-1/2" x 11" sheets.

* * *

STEP TWO:  Here's the first (and probably parts of a second, as well) pass with acrylic paint.  Mostly just to get something down on the paper, some of the rough values and shapes, and to give the acrylic something to stick to in future layers.

* * *

STEP THREE:  And here's the finished painting, done after many, many passes of Acrylic Paint.  All the circles in C-3PO's stomach are a bit wonky, but they were done freehand so there's that going against 'em.

* * *

Done with Acrylic Paint on 8-1/2" x 11" Stillman & Brin Mixed Media (140#) paper.

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Star Wars Sketchbook - Jawas

Jawas

Well, well, well, it's sure been a while since I did a Star Wars Sketchbook painting.  I happened to be doing some cleaning and found the Star Wars Sketchbook and went "Oh, yeah, I should work on this some more!"  And, here I am, working on it some more.

This time, it's the Jawas--the scavengers of Tatooine.  Yeah, I realized a little late that I really don't have a particular rhyme or reason as to the order of the paintings other than something caught my mind's eye.  The only consistency with the sketchbook paintings will be they will all be scenes from "Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope".  At least that's the plan.

The palette was: Titanium White, Payne's Grey, Naples Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Raw Umber, Burnt Umber, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Cadmium-Free Yellow Deep, Cerulean Blue Hue, and Quinacridone Magenta.

* * *

STEP ONE:  Here are the vague pencils, and I started automatically painting before I realized I didn't scan the pencils in as a first step.  So, I stopped where I was, gave the paint a little bit to dry (luckily, I work in thin layers), and then threw it on the scanner.

* * *

STEP TWO:  Here's the first (and probably second, as well) pass with acrylic paint.

* * *

STEP THREE:  And after a lot of working and re-working, here's the final painting of the Jawas, mid-blast on R2-D2 on Tatooine.

* * *

Done with Acrylic Paint on 8-1/2" x 11" Stillman & Brin Mixed Media (140#) paper.

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May the Fourth be With You 2023 (Belated)

 May the Fourth be With You 2023
(Belated)

Greetings!  It's a (belated) "May the Fourth Be With You" post, featuring my continuing--although not as Quixotic as it used to be--quest to make Jaxxon, the "Star Wars" version of a green Bugs Bunny, into something vaguely popular.  Jaxxon started in the Marvel Comics "Star Wars" #8, taking place after "A New Hope", in a pastiche of "7 Samurai"/"Magnificent 7" and...  And it's a long story.  He's a 6' tall, green rabbit which was loosely based on Bugs Bunny, that was in "Star Wars" comics.

When I first started posting Jaxxon on May the 4th back in... 2015?  Wait, that can't be right?  YIKES!  Anyhoo, I thought it would be neat if he ever made it into canon.  Now he's appeared in comics (sure, the "Star Wars: Adventures" line, but I'll take it as a win and say he's officially canon, now), and apparently even has a Black Series action figure.  He also is the star of the "Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories" one-shot with Dark Horse Comics this year (with an awesome Mike Mignola cover).  So, shall I declare myself the winner and say I'm done?  Heck no, time to double down and keep this train going!

Happy (belated) May the Fourth!

* * *

Done with Rebelle 6 (with an assist from Clip Studio Paint for the lettering and line work).

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501st Legion for 501st Post

 501st Legion for 501st Post

What better way to celebrate the 501st Post on this Blog than to have a reference to the Stormtrooper 501st Legion: Vader's Fist?  Sure, it's a long, long way to go for a single joke, but that's never stopped me before, lemme tell you!  In fact, one may even say it was was a joke from "A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away..."

After noodling around, I figured it would be amusing to do up a parody of one of the many classic "Star Wars" Posters, but instead of Luke, Leia, and Han, it was members of the 501st Legion: Vader's Fist.  I was gonna do up some more interesting action scenes, but the were drifting a bit too close to some other works I've seen and didn't want to accidentally copy them.  So, I went more the route of classic parody. 

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STEP ONE:  Here are some layout sketches for different possible ideas.  The last one was the parody of the "Star Wars" poster of yore.

* * *

STEP TWO:  And here are the scribbled layouts, done in Rebelle 6 on a 2,000px by 3,000px canvas.

* * *

STEP THREE:  I was mostly done in Rebelle, but decided to finish it off with an assist from Clip Studio Paint.  I just have too many brushes in Clip Studio Paint that I know how to use to achieve certain effects that I don't have down yet for Rebelle and got impatient.  I'll have to work on that, of course.

* * *

Done digitally with Rebelle 6 and Clip Studio Paint 2

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Merry Sithmas - Darth Revan

 Merry Sithmas
Darth Revan

Hey, hey, it's another Sithmas Card of everyone's favorite Jedi that wore a Mandalorian helmet, that became a Sith that wore a Mandalorian helmet, and became a Jedi again that later merged with the Force.  Yeah, it's a long, convoluted story. 

Darth Revan and Darth Malak were best friends and Jedi, and Revan believed the Jedi should help the Mandalorians, and took up wearing a helmet from a fallen Madalorian in the war as a symbol of his solidarity with their cause.  After the war was won, Revan and Malak went to hunt down a Sith Emperor, only to be trapped and forcibly converted to the Sith...  Well, like I said, it's a long story and I won't bore everyone with the retelling here.  There are numerous sites and videos that have done a far superior job than I ever could.

Anyhoo, a Merry Sithmas to all and to all a good night.  Or Knight, I suppose...

* * *

STEP ONE:  Here are the digital scribbles done in Clip Studio Paint.  It is a 2,00px x 2,791px document at 300dpi.

* * *

STEP TWO:  And here are the digital inks.

* * *

STEP THREE:  Here are the colors, done in a variety of layers under the inked layer before the animation lights were applied.  For the animation, two images were imported into Photoshop in the Timeline, and exported as an animated .GIF.

* * *

Done digitally in Clip Studio Paint (with the animated .GIF produced in Photoshop).

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Merry Sithmas - Darth Malak

Merry Sithmas
Darth Malak

Hey, it's another Merry Sithmas card done for the holidays!  This time it's Darth Malak, who along with Darth Revan (see tomorrow's post), was first introduced in the "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" video game (and have since appeared in comic books and novels).  They were best friends and Jedi before both being converted to the Dark Side, and were the model used by Darth Bane for the Rule of Two for the Sith.  Darth Malak sought to overthrow Darth Revan and lost his bottom jaw in the battle, resulting in having to wear the metal collar.

I will admit it is difficult to draw Darth Malak without thinking of the "Kilroy was here".

* * *

STEP ONE:  Here are the digital pencils, such as they are (I mean, it is really just shy of random scribbles), done in Clip Studio Paint.  It is a 2,00px x 2,791px document at 300dpi.  I used the Symmetry Tool to keep everything, well, symmetrical between the two sides, although I shifted Darth Malak over a little bit to make room for the lightsaber.  Also, I later decided to add a Santa hat, which I did at the inking stage.  Speaking of...

* * *

STEP TWO:  And here are the digital inks.

* * *

STEP THREE:  Here are the colors, done in a variety of layers under the inked layer before the animation lights were applied.  For the animation, two images were imported into Photoshop in the Timeline, and exported as an animated .GIF.

* * *

Done digitally in Clip Studio Paint (with the animated .GIF produced in Photoshop).

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