Return of the Jedi came out when I was 13, and I became obsessed with creating an RPG based on the Star Wars universe. I knew nothing about licensing at the time, and it all ended in failure, but I wasn’t the only kid growing up fascinated by Wookiees, Ewoks, Jedi, and droids. So did the illustrator Tim McDonagh, who is far more talented than I am and whose obsession with Star Wars led to some incredible opportunities.
In 2016 he was commissioned by Egmont Press to illustrate Star Wars: Galactic Atlas, and last year he was invited back to update the 100-page large-format annotated book. Join me in trying to hide my jealousy…
“I was definitely a huge fan as a kid,” Tim said. “I read all the novels, the comics, all the games, and I remember listening to cassette tapes of movie audiobooks at night before audiobooks were really a thing! When we started this project, we were still a few months away from The Force Awakens coming out, so there was a lot of excitement again about this series.”
It all started when Tim posted some of his Star Wars doodles on Instagram. The publisher saw the work and invited him to paint a test image for Tatooine. “I remember feeling like I knew exactly what 11-year-old me wanted to see on the map, so I just did it,” Tim said.
First Edition includes all classic locations – Endor, Hoth, Alderaan, Coruscant, Naboo and more. However, Disney has since released follow-up movies and TV series. The decision to republish the atlas and remain true to the original illustrator gave Tim the opportunity to add new favorite locations and revise some of the existing artwork.
“They wanted to touch on some of the newer movies that hadn’t been released at the time, like The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker , and include some of the Ashoka and Andor content that fans really loved. In addition to a couple of new maps, we’re going back to some of the older expansions and adding some new vignettes and drawings to the locations to give them a fresh look and tie into some of the lore,” Tim said.
Tim’s style is inspired by comic books and graphic novels, with an attention to detail that’s perfect for visual publications that anyone ages 9 or older can read closely. He draws them by hand with pencils, pens and markers, scans them in, and then processes them in Photoshop. “This project involved a lot of drawing, from large A2 drawings to small doodles in a sketchbook, all of which went into the final product,” he explains.
One thing he had to downplay was his passion for color. Much of Tim’s artwork – especially in his personal portfolio – deals with psychedelics. A more organic color palette came into play on this project, continuing the worn, rusty, and war-weary feel that has characterized this part of the Star Wars universe since Ralph McQuarrie’s earliest concept work.
What is his favorite thing to draw? “There’s no question that all the little X-Wings and TIE fighters were involved in space combat,” Tim said. “I drew most of them individually in my sketchbook and scanned them in. They were great to draw. I loved doing the AT-ATs on Hoth with all the little characters running around. It honestly felt like I was a kid again.”
Feedback on the project has been overwhelmingly positive, with a 4.8-star rating on Amazon, and Tim is honored to have his own entry on Wookipedia, which will tell you that he also illustrated the 2019 release of Star Wars: The Alien Files. Here’s another reason for us creatives to get jealous…
