Via our friends at Regal Robot, please click here for all the image and info! We think it’s great homage to the artwork of Ralph McQuarrie!

You can learn more about this incredible project and our client’s experience in this Client Spotlight Review he sent us!

Iconic concept artwork permeates the look of our favorite films and we were thrilled to be asked to interpret one of our favorite artist’s creature designs as a realistic, life sized character bust. An early sketch for Star Wars™: Return of the Jedi gave us an alternate look for Jabba the Hutt™’s majordomo, Bib Fortuna™.  Wearing a cowl and large hat and with a bloated visage, this creature differs substantially from the on-screen character’s look we’re all so used to.  Working with just a single sketch, we interpreted this unique vision for the character as a realistic, 1:1 creature.

Paul Bateman, a former associate and friend of the original artist created several new sketches of this specific look for the character, showing him from alternate views. We then translated that, life-sized in clay, with FX artist Casey Wong as lead sculptor. With the face shaped by hand, molds were made and the head cast in translucent flesh-toned resin, which Tom Spina then hand painted for a realistic look.

The cowl and hat were fabricated in various foam materials and the surfaces coated with flocking to give the look of a real felt hat but in extreme proportions. The cowl was aged and distressed to match the torn edges and rough look in the original inspiration sketch.

As a final touch, a pedestal table was crafted so that the client might pair the two. The table drew inspiration from concept paintings of Jabba™’s palace by the same incredible artist. We chose aged faux stone construction and a detail stripe with otherwordly-looking patterns to reflect his amazing work in this new creation.