LUMIYA Designs 5 - Him

This is it: My first time drawing Darth Vader and the second picture I made for ~FandomComics back in 2009.




Up to that point, he was the HARDEST, absolutely, nightmarishly, horrifically DIFFICULT thing I've ever had to draw. I'd literally get so overwhelmed with how difficult it was to render his armor, to find references and pictures of Vader in actually GOOD lighting to be able to understand how he actually looks, only to realize that his armor has changed throughout the movies, and that before Episode III was made, his helmet was totally assymmetrical (by mistakes of the costume builders who got the instructions from the original designer who PROBABLY only drew 2 lousy angles of his helmet).... coupled with the fact that NO ONE draws him exactly the same way, I'd simply lose the drive to draw him on some days.

NOTHING I've ever drawn before that point had required so much skill to illustrate in a way that was captivating, traditionally "comic book" styled, but still uniquely ME. And Keith really made sure that I tried to make him as much of my OWN as possible.



To me, Vader represents ultimate FEAR, and not solely the fear evokes in others but also the fear that he himself experiences, the fear that MADE him.

I was given the task to portray Vader throughout the story not so much as Shira's menacing handler but as a Vader who is also becoming increasingly uncomfortable by his feelings he has towards Shira... more specifically... how she reminds him of all that he's lost. Feelings he never thought he would have again! Then, you might imagine how challenging it is to keep his appearance as imposing as possible (since he's freaking Darth Vader after all) while showing the reader all this body language from a character whom essentially, has the body of a refridgerator draped in shadows and a cape.

This sheet allowed me to choose the ONE pose that would tell all that story: his arms outstretched, his cape billowing and his visors turned glossy from the sight set before him... any fan of Star Wars should be able to tell where I got the idea of THIS pose from.

But this Sheet alone took 4 MONTHS to complete. Fortunately I get to have a badass colorist like Steve (of the comic, not this picture) to do all the shiny armor rendering FOR me.

Thank you Dear Jesus





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Read DARK LADY OF THE SITH @ FANDOM COMICS HERE: [link]