Countdown to Solo: A Star Wars Story Drawing Challenge: RetroZap Artist Series

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Kendall Schroeder counts down to Solo: A Star Wars Story by creating one drawing a day leading up to the premiere in this installment of the RetroZap Artist Series.

Hokey Religions

Repetition is key. Life can get in the way of habit creation, especially habits that we know are good for us. It is very easy for me to wake up in the morning and talk myself out of my morning run. Avoidance can become a habit, too. The same can be said for my art. It is very easy for me to put off drawing. I often tell myself that I can draw later, after the kids go to bed. But, inevitably, the pen never makes it to the paper. Even though I love running and drawing, I struggle making them both daily habits. I needed to fix that!

Never tell me the odds!

Some researchers say that it takes 30 days to form a habit. The challenge for me is starting one. I want to be a better runner, but to do that I must run every day. I want to be a better artist but to make that happen, I must draw every day. When I participated in Inktober, (see article here,) the challenge to draw in ink every day of the month, it was a good feeling. So, I wanted to recreate that feeling and, perhaps, develop a habit of drawing every day in the process. And, I felt there was no better way to do that than to draw something daily as a countdown to the next Star Wars movie, Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Traveling through hyperspace ain’t like dusting crops, boy.

I decided to begin 60 days out from the movie’s premiere. Forget this 30 days to build a habit stuff. I’m going for 60! And, so far so good. Primarily, I’m sticking to one notebook for all my drawings. The paper is 75-lb weight. Each sketch is done in pen, like the Inktober challenge. I vary the tools quite often depending on the subject matter, the technique I want to try, and the style with which I want to experiment. The MicronPN by Sakura, the Copic Multiliner, the Marabu Aqua Pen brush, and the Tombow calligraphy pen have been utilized throughout the process so far. For an added challenge, I’ve been trying not to do a pencil sketch of the subject represented. I want to dig right in and get to work creating the drawing with its flaws and all.

 

You know, sometimes I amaze even myself.

I’ve been surprised at how easy it has been to pick up the pen and start drawing. Could I have already formed a habit in 10 days? Great kid, don’t get cocky! Maybe it’s just my excitement for Solo. The images that have been shared of the upcoming film are definitely intriguing. The Millennium Falcon, the Kessel Run, Lando, Chewbacca, Therm Scissorpunch, it’s all very exciting! Yes, Therm Scissorpunch is the type of Star Wars weirdness I have come to love. Therefore, I added a little life to old Therm by uploading the original sketch into Procreate on my iPad Pro. Maybe he’ll give me the courage to keep up my challenge until May 25. I hope you’ll join me in the excitement!

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