LEFT: R2D2 by Leigh Hope Fountain RIGHT: Tie Fighter by John Fountain
A couple of weekends ago, Leigh and I played 'Cranium' with some friends... one of the little mini-games within the game called 'Quickdraw' requires both teams to do a sketch (with their EYES CLOSED) based on a word given to them on a card... basically, it's like charades but it's done with drawings.
Anyway, Leigh and I were pitted against each other and the word on our card was "STAR WARS". Go figure.
Everyone playing the game was/is a huge Star Wars fan, and - despite what she will tell you - Leigh is also very good at drawing... nonetheless, my teammate and I were both storyboard artists and had spent countless hours of our youth drawing Star Wars stuff over and over and over and over and over again... and, for whatever reason, everyone I know who grew up drawing Star Wars stuff always recalls the Tie Fighter as being one of the most memorable. Actually, the reasons seem very simple in retrospect: It was easy to draw. Suffice it to say, my teammate and I won that round (much to the surprise of Leigh and her teammate). The funny thing is, when you look at both drawings, Leigh's is inarguably better than my peice of shit. Mine just happened to get the message across faster. The Tie Fighter's basic shape is so iconic, unique and simple that it instantly says "STAR WARS!" Sure, R2D2 has a simple shape as well, but he could easily look like a trash can or stick of deodorant or something... it isn't until you depict all of the little buttons and panels on him that he begins to look unique whereas the only thing that resembles a Tie Fighter is a Tie Fighter.
Anyway, I dunno what my point is... but Leigh's R2D2 drawing is now one of my favorite drawings in the universe. I fully intend to have it framed.
1 comment:
At my middle school, all students were required to take a 9 week home-ec course. In class we had a project in which we made simple drawstring book bags, which we hand embroidered with our own designs. Star Wars had just come out, and me and my best friend John (not Fountain, I wouldn't taint his life for at least another 10 years. Taint.) were both huge Star Wars nuts. We both wanted to make Star Wars bags, and we flipped for who would have an X-Wing on their bag. I lost, so I had to embroider a Twin Ion Engine fighter (strutting my nerd) on my bag. But for the same reasons your TIE fighter was quick and easy to draw, my bookbag ended up looking 10 times better than John's.
I'd love to see you post the drawing of R2D2 you did as a child and once showed me and Jen.
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