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Star Wars Art #6
Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie
Star Wars Ralph McQuarrie is a comprehensive tribute to cinema’s most beloved and influential concept artist—presented in this two-hardcover-volume, slipcased gift set.
Ralph McQuarrie is the most iconic artist in the history of Star Wars . He worked hand in hand with George Lucas to help establish the saga’s visual aesthetic, its inimitable look and feel. Beyond designing Darth Vader, C-3PO, and R2-D2, McQuarrie produced hundreds of pieces of Star Wars artwork, including conceptual paintings, costume designs, storyboards, and matte paintings, as well as posters, book covers, and album covers—even Lucasfilm’s annual holiday cards—all rescanned and rephotographed for this book.
Compiled by Brandon Alinger, Wade Lageose, and Emmy Award–winning writer David Mandel, Star Wars Ralph McQuarrie shares the most definitive collection of the artist’s Star Wars work ever assembled, including hundreds of never-before-seen illustrations. Rare unpublished interviews, as well as recollections from McQuarrie’s colleagues and friends, complement and contextualize the art.
“The galaxy far, far away will seem a lot closer once you have this collection on your coffee table.” — Variety
Ralph McQuarrie is the most iconic artist in the history of Star Wars . He worked hand in hand with George Lucas to help establish the saga’s visual aesthetic, its inimitable look and feel. Beyond designing Darth Vader, C-3PO, and R2-D2, McQuarrie produced hundreds of pieces of Star Wars artwork, including conceptual paintings, costume designs, storyboards, and matte paintings, as well as posters, book covers, and album covers—even Lucasfilm’s annual holiday cards—all rescanned and rephotographed for this book.
Compiled by Brandon Alinger, Wade Lageose, and Emmy Award–winning writer David Mandel, Star Wars Ralph McQuarrie shares the most definitive collection of the artist’s Star Wars work ever assembled, including hundreds of never-before-seen illustrations. Rare unpublished interviews, as well as recollections from McQuarrie’s colleagues and friends, complement and contextualize the art.
“The galaxy far, far away will seem a lot closer once you have this collection on your coffee table.” — Variety
800 pages, Hardcover
First published April 5, 2016
25 people are currently reading
432 people want to read
About the author
Ralph McQuarrie
24 books15 followersRalph Angus McQuarrie (June 13, 1929 – March 3, 2012) was an American conceptual designer and illustrator who designed the original Star Wars trilogy, the original Battlestar Galactica TV series, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Cocoon, for which he won an Academy Award.
Early Life:
McQuarrie was born Ralph Angus McQuarrie on June 13, 1929 in Gary, Indiana and was raised on a farm near Billings, Montana. He served in the United States Army during the Korean War, surviving a shot to the head. After returning from the war, McQuarrie moved to California in the 1960s, studying at the Art Center School, then in downtown Los Angeles. Initially he worked for a dentistry firm, drawing teeth and equipment, before working as a technical illustrator for Boeing, as well as designing film posters and animating CBS News's coverage of the Apollo space program at the three-man company Reel Three. While there, McQuarrie was asked by Hal Barwood to produce some illustrations for a film project he and Matthew Robbins were starting. McQuarrie married Joan Benjamin in 1983 and stayed married until his death.
Career:
Impressed with his work, director George Lucas met with him to discuss his plans for a space-fantasy film. Several years later, in 1975, Lucas commissioned McQuarrie to illustrate several scenes from the script of the film, Star Wars. McQuarrie designed many of the film's characters, including Darth Vader, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO and drew many concepts for the film's sets. It was McQuarrie who suggested that Vader wear breathing apparatus. McQuarrie's concept paintings, including such scenes as R2-D2 and C-3PO arriving on Tatooine, helped convince 20th Century Fox to fund Star Wars, which became a huge success upon release in 1977. Neil Kendricks of The San Diego Union-Tribune stated McQuarrie "holds a unique position when it comes to defining much of the look of the "Star Wars" universe."McQuarrie noted, "I thought I had the best job that an artist ever had on a film, and I had never worked on a feature film before. [...] I still get fan mail — people wondering if I worked on Episode I or just wanting to have my autograph."
Around the same period, he was brought on board the design team of Star Trek: Planet of the Titans to re-design the USS Enterprise. McQuarrie went on to work as the conceptual designer on the film's two sequels The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983).
Christian Blauvelt of Entertainment Weekly praised McQuarrie's works as "pioneering of the 'used future' aesthetic" which unlike other science-fiction, "imagined a lived-in galaxy that was gritty, dirty, and in advance states of decay." He described McQuarrie's style as "strongly geometric subjects rendered in muted colors against a flat, purposefully compressed backdrop. A McQuarrie Star Wars design looks like what would have resulted if Salvador Dalí had sketched concepts for Universals 1936 Flash Gordon serial by way of Sergio Leones Old West."
McQuarrie played the uncredited role of General Pharl McQuarrie in The Empire Strikes Back. He appears in Echo Base on Hoth in the film's opening sequence. An action figure in his likeness as "General McQuarrie" was produced for Star Wars 30th anniversary. Action figures based on McQuarrie's concept art, including conceptual versions of the Imperial Stormtrooper, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO, Darth Vader, Han Solo, Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and other characters have also been made.
McQuarrie designed the alien ships in Steven Spielberg's films Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), while his work as the conceptual artist on the 1985 film Cocoon earned him the Academy Award for Visual Effects. He also worked on the 1978 TV series Battlestar Galactica, and the films Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and *batteries not included.
source: Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
Want to read
November 1, 2016Me: I am not going to buy any as I have spent too much money in the last month.
Finds this book
Me: Well I know what I am going to be saving up for now, sorry clothing you are not important.
Finds this book
Me: Well I know what I am going to be saving up for now, sorry clothing you are not important.
October 23, 2016
Just amazing collection of Ralph McQuarrie Star Wars concept, art. It is a must buy for his art fans. Star Wars fans you will be amazed by the concepts that came to life, and the ones that did not. Also, the notes and process with Lucas. The quality of the Hardcover set is amazing. 22LBS. The binding and slip cover are top notch. The only issue is the price point witch is $250.00 retail. I found my copy $90.00 less than retail. So you might want to shop around. If your a diehard fan of his work. Then the price point is not a factor,because it has everything...
April 1, 2017
Стартира нашата видео поредица Star Wars Fan HoloCast! Решихме в първи епизод да ви представим първия том на книгата Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie. Надяваме се, че ще ви бъде интересно! Приятно гледане! - http://starwarsbg.com/news/%D0%BF%D1%...
May 31, 2022
Quickly read through some of this at the library but mostly focused on taking in all the absolutely incredible artwork in these two massive volumes. Would hang absolutely any piece of work Ralph McQuarrie ever made on my wall (especially the disgusting concept art for Jabba). Interesting as well to see a lot of the influences much more blatantly on display in the concept art, such as how clearly Darth Vader’s original design matched a samurai. An absolute must read that I hope to pour over every detail of in the future.
September 7, 2018
Brace your puny forearm muscles for the wonder that is Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie, two weighty tomes which collect every scrap of McQuarrie art that its creators could find, including that which was found by dumpster divers. Thoughtfully and carefully organized chronologically, the sketches and paintings are presented along with the occasional "finished product" still from the film to show what his efforts led to. And boy, the crewmembers quoted in this book are quick to acknowledge that, without McQuarrie's imagination and artwork, they and others responsible for creating the visuals of the Star Wars films would have been a bit lost on Lucas' skimpy directions. Over and over, we are told that the designers and crew had McQuarrie's art up on the wall and how grateful they were to have such a reference tool. Even on Return of the Jedi, when McQuarrie was losing steam on designing for Star Wars and didn't produce as much, those designers who took over his role noted that they were drawing in the McQuarrie style.
I was interested to learn that McQuarrie's experiences as a soldier and as a technical artist for Boeing influenced his style. The latter made him focus on imbuing a practicality to his details. A lever isn't there for effect; it's there because it's doing something. The anecdotes and interviews with McQuarrie and his crewmembers are also interesting: Boba Fett as an all-white "supertrooper"? The Death Star's lights created by poking a matte painting over and over with an Xacto knife and backlighting it? Yes, these are the sorts of things which give me quite a thrill to read.
One of the most humorous sections to me was, predictably, the Star Wars Holiday Special, in which McQuarrie's earnest drawings of Kashyyyk were perverted by greedheads into an abomination few of us have had the mettle to finish. It's telling that those quoted in this section sound like they're testifying before Congress and attempting to distance themselves from it as much as possible. Producer Gary Kurtz: "None of us was involved in any kind of day-to-day basis. We had no influence over the special other than saying it should be a Wookiee setting, and we provided the actors and some of the staff. Other than that, they just did what they wanted." Initial director David Acomba: "I never saw it. I shot some stuff, but we never got into the Wookiees. I thought, 'This isn't working out.'" Designer Joe Johnston: "I remember Ralph and I trading some sketches, but we were both working on Empire, too, which I gave a much higher priority to, and I got the sense that Ralph did as well. My work on the special only spanned a couple of weeks." The prosecution rests. A further testament to the tight chronological organization of the book is that this section on the Holiday Special comes smack dab in the middle of the drawings for Empire, which perhaps reinforces the above defense from Johnston that the crew were preoccupied with the sequel and didn't devote as much time as they could or should have to the Special.
I'll admit, I was salivating over this book when it came in at the library, expecting more of the deliciousness hinted at in The Illustrated Star Wars Universe (McQuarrie's drawings paired with Kevin J. Anderson's writing). While there's plenty in Star Wars Art to look at, the pictures felt a bit lonely without Anderson's storytelling. I'm certainly not here to dissuade you from perusing or even purchasing the collection. It's a great way to appreciate the man responsible for so much of what I love about the Star Wars universe. As a frequent re-read, however, it doesn't meet my criteria.
I was interested to learn that McQuarrie's experiences as a soldier and as a technical artist for Boeing influenced his style. The latter made him focus on imbuing a practicality to his details. A lever isn't there for effect; it's there because it's doing something. The anecdotes and interviews with McQuarrie and his crewmembers are also interesting: Boba Fett as an all-white "supertrooper"? The Death Star's lights created by poking a matte painting over and over with an Xacto knife and backlighting it? Yes, these are the sorts of things which give me quite a thrill to read.
One of the most humorous sections to me was, predictably, the Star Wars Holiday Special, in which McQuarrie's earnest drawings of Kashyyyk were perverted by greedheads into an abomination few of us have had the mettle to finish. It's telling that those quoted in this section sound like they're testifying before Congress and attempting to distance themselves from it as much as possible. Producer Gary Kurtz: "None of us was involved in any kind of day-to-day basis. We had no influence over the special other than saying it should be a Wookiee setting, and we provided the actors and some of the staff. Other than that, they just did what they wanted." Initial director David Acomba: "I never saw it. I shot some stuff, but we never got into the Wookiees. I thought, 'This isn't working out.'" Designer Joe Johnston: "I remember Ralph and I trading some sketches, but we were both working on Empire, too, which I gave a much higher priority to, and I got the sense that Ralph did as well. My work on the special only spanned a couple of weeks." The prosecution rests. A further testament to the tight chronological organization of the book is that this section on the Holiday Special comes smack dab in the middle of the drawings for Empire, which perhaps reinforces the above defense from Johnston that the crew were preoccupied with the sequel and didn't devote as much time as they could or should have to the Special.
I'll admit, I was salivating over this book when it came in at the library, expecting more of the deliciousness hinted at in The Illustrated Star Wars Universe (McQuarrie's drawings paired with Kevin J. Anderson's writing). While there's plenty in Star Wars Art to look at, the pictures felt a bit lonely without Anderson's storytelling. I'm certainly not here to dissuade you from perusing or even purchasing the collection. It's a great way to appreciate the man responsible for so much of what I love about the Star Wars universe. As a frequent re-read, however, it doesn't meet my criteria.
July 1, 2017
The most amazing art book I have ever had the pleasure of reading.
It is a gift to be able to see Ralph McQuarrie's art at all stages of production. From rough sketches through to final renderings. The book walks through each Star Wars film as well as work from Raiders of the Lost Ark and other film production.
It took me longer to read than I expected. The artwork draws you in. The amount of written work, interviews, stories and captions is enormous. I will return to this book over and over again on a book shelf not far away.
It is a gift to be able to see Ralph McQuarrie's art at all stages of production. From rough sketches through to final renderings. The book walks through each Star Wars film as well as work from Raiders of the Lost Ark and other film production.
It took me longer to read than I expected. The artwork draws you in. The amount of written work, interviews, stories and captions is enormous. I will return to this book over and over again on a book shelf not far away.
January 11, 2017
This book doesn't really need a review, does it? It's huge, heavy and it's a must for fans of McQuarrie's artwork. Don't think you'll just be looking at artwork for this book also has a lot of text to accompany all of Ralph's work. His sketches, matte paintings, production paintings, posters, covers, holiday cards ... are all present in this volume. A bit more expensive, but you'll understand when you see it.
Want to read
September 27, 2017#BestCoffeeTableBooks #BestGiftableCoffeeTableBooks
If you got them a Darth Vader toaster last year: This two-volume boxed set is an homage to Ralph McQuarrie, the artist who worked closely with George Lucas to create Star Wars’ visual aesthetic.
If you got them a Darth Vader toaster last year: This two-volume boxed set is an homage to Ralph McQuarrie, the artist who worked closely with George Lucas to create Star Wars’ visual aesthetic.
February 22, 2019
Olipas tämä intensiivinen lukukokemus. Tämän kirjan kanssa pitää tosissaan puhua kokemuksesta. Ensinnäkin lukeminen on mahdollista vain tukevalla pöydällä, koska kaksiosainen kirja painaa yhteensä yli kymmenen kiloa!
Mahdottoman isot sivut pakottavat myös katsomaan yksityiskohtia aivan uudella tavalla. Kirjan lukeminen tuntui siltä, kun olisi matkannut taidegalleriaan, jossa näytetään Star Warsin syntyyn vaikuttaneita teoksia.
Pelkästä taiteesta antaisin viisi tähteä, koska Ralph oli kiistatta yksiä maailman parhaista konseptitaiteilijoista. Etenkin isot maalaukset ovat hengästyttävän hienoja. Uskomattomia perspektiivejä, hienoja valaistuksia ja sellaista elämän tuntua, jota ei yleensä näe taiteessa. Lisäksi Ralph on vastannut monien ajattomien hahmojen ja paikkojen suunnittelusta.
Tekstin osalta taas annan vain kolme tähteä. Vaikka kirja on 800 sivua pitkä, tuntui siltä, että en päässyt kunnolla tutustumaan Ralphin ajatusmaailmaan taiteen takana.
Kaiken kaikkiaan suosittelen kyllä tätä kirjaa jokaiselle Star Wars -fanille. Toki hinta on kova, mutta rahoille saa paljon vastinetta.
Mahdottoman isot sivut pakottavat myös katsomaan yksityiskohtia aivan uudella tavalla. Kirjan lukeminen tuntui siltä, kun olisi matkannut taidegalleriaan, jossa näytetään Star Warsin syntyyn vaikuttaneita teoksia.
Pelkästä taiteesta antaisin viisi tähteä, koska Ralph oli kiistatta yksiä maailman parhaista konseptitaiteilijoista. Etenkin isot maalaukset ovat hengästyttävän hienoja. Uskomattomia perspektiivejä, hienoja valaistuksia ja sellaista elämän tuntua, jota ei yleensä näe taiteessa. Lisäksi Ralph on vastannut monien ajattomien hahmojen ja paikkojen suunnittelusta.
Tekstin osalta taas annan vain kolme tähteä. Vaikka kirja on 800 sivua pitkä, tuntui siltä, että en päässyt kunnolla tutustumaan Ralphin ajatusmaailmaan taiteen takana.
Kaiken kaikkiaan suosittelen kyllä tätä kirjaa jokaiselle Star Wars -fanille. Toki hinta on kova, mutta rahoille saa paljon vastinetta.
March 4, 2025
This book exceeded my expectations. I knew I would experience great artwork; don't get me wrong, I did. The massive size of these volumes lets you immerse yourself in the work, and the detail shots scattered throughout gave me an even higher level of appreciation for his design work.
Beyond that was the incredible commentary from Ralph McQuarrie himself and so many others he either worked with or inspired. I look for that kind of information in art books. I want to be able to get that behind-the-scenes information from these volumes, which is why I give this a 5 out of 5 recommendation.
I love Star Wars and especially love learning how it was made. I love going behind the velvet curtain and feeling like I'm in the room as the ideas flow. This book gave me that in spades. I highly recommend it to all art lovers and Star Wars fans. I was able to check out these volumes through an InterLibrary Loan. Thank you to the Johnson County, Texas Tech, and University of Houston libraries for making these books available to me.
Beyond that was the incredible commentary from Ralph McQuarrie himself and so many others he either worked with or inspired. I look for that kind of information in art books. I want to be able to get that behind-the-scenes information from these volumes, which is why I give this a 5 out of 5 recommendation.
I love Star Wars and especially love learning how it was made. I love going behind the velvet curtain and feeling like I'm in the room as the ideas flow. This book gave me that in spades. I highly recommend it to all art lovers and Star Wars fans. I was able to check out these volumes through an InterLibrary Loan. Thank you to the Johnson County, Texas Tech, and University of Houston libraries for making these books available to me.
March 30, 2024
After about 40 years (or more!) of wanting these images, I've finally taken the plunge and bought this book. All the reviews will tell you it's big (yes- at least A3 in size) and heavy - 21.5 pounds or about 9kg. Not to mention expensive.
But if you can afford it, it is worth it. Iconic Star Wars images, including the stages, rough drafts and alternates drawn before being given the final document. 2 volumes, printed on heavy stock, in glorious colour, in a slipcase.... it's taken a long time to save up for this one, but it was worth it. Non-Star Wars fans will wonder what the big deal is though.....
But if you can afford it, it is worth it. Iconic Star Wars images, including the stages, rough drafts and alternates drawn before being given the final document. 2 volumes, printed on heavy stock, in glorious colour, in a slipcase.... it's taken a long time to save up for this one, but it was worth it. Non-Star Wars fans will wonder what the big deal is though.....
June 8, 2017
Naprosto úchvatná publikace obsahující všechny kresby a malby, které Ralph McQuarrie vytvořil pro Star Wars. Nechybí ani zasvěcené průvodní texty a vzpomínky McQuarrieho spolupracovníků. Do vlaku si ji nevezmete, váží celých 10 kg, ale o to láskyplněji budete jejími skvostnými stranami listovat v bezpečí domova. Kdyby se na Goodreads neudělovaly hvězdičky, ale procenta, dal bych bez váhání čistou stovku.
January 11, 2018
I bought this as a present for Bill and we went through it together. I had a few of the making of books as a child and loved all the concept art. These books have EVERYTHING. They are beautiful and amazing. They are my favourite kind of art as you can spend hours staring at the pictures and imgaining all sorts of stories for what is going on with the people and places. Definitely worth it for Star Wars fans, especially if you can find it on sale like I did.
November 18, 2017
This book has some pretty amazing art in it. I think the vehicle designs are the best. However note that these two books are HUGE!! I tried to fit them in my backpack and they were bigger than the backpack. And they are heavy. So make sure you have a car to transport them. It is extremely tiring dragging them around with you all day.
January 9, 2022
Massive in size and weight the awesome artwork of Ralph McQuarrie. Two large hardback books that come in a large slipbox. There are so many great pieces of art this is a must have for every Star Wars fan that can afford it. The price is as massive as the books which is understandable considering the size and weight.
December 18, 2024
This is honestly one of my most treasured art books. It’s the complete work that Macquarie produced for Star Wars. Looking through this book will reveal exactly how much everyone working with the Star Wars property has been continually riffing on his work for decades, pulling any random little sketch and turning it into a whole character.
October 8, 2019
The art was fantastic.
March 13, 2020
Absolutely gorgeous and fascinating. I'm so thankful I was able to get this one on interlibrary loan. I'd love to own it but I don't think I could ever afford a copy!
June 26, 2021
Two huge volumes of JUST RMQ art!
These books are beautiful.
These books are beautiful.
December 31, 2016
What an amazing, comprehensive book set. Well worth the price. It's always great to see the creative process that goes into such large scale productions, and this book does a great job of showing progressive sketches and concepts, even those that seemed ridiculous - and thankfully never made it into the final film. This book will also give you a renewed appreciation for traditional art mediums, since most concept art I see currently is done via computers and tablets.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews