Painting Order 66
A graphite study created on 8” x 10” paper. Available for purchase - click here.
Self-doubt is a villain every creative faces, whispering that your work isn’t enough. For writers, it’s the blank page; for photographers, the elusive subject; for painters, the unprimed canvas. I’m deeply thankful for the lessons from my time at Marvel Comics, where I delivered art daily under pressure; at university, where professors pushed us to create relentlessly; and as an editorial illustrator, where clients’ tight deadlines left no room for hesitation. Those experiences taught me to quiet doubt and embrace the creative process.
This digital painting was a chance to pour that hard-earned wisdom into my work. This idea came from a TikTok follower’s brilliant idea to paint Emperor Palpatine issuing Order 66, and I’m so thankful for their inspiration. The crushing betrayal in Revenge of the Sith, where Palpatine’s cold “Execute Order 66” shatters the Jedi, stirs something deep in us fans. The greens, purples, and blues of the scene give it an eerie and dark mood. I lingered on Palpatine’s cruel grin and sunken eyes, adjusting the “dead-flesh” hues to reflect Coruscant’s diffused lighting.
If you are interested in creating your own Star Wars fanart, here are some tips, drawn from my experience painting Emperor Palpatine:
- Dive into the Source: Watch scenes like Order 66 in Revenge of the Sith to feel their emotional core. (If you’re a fan like me, you’ve already watched many times :) I changed the composition of the scene from the film slightly to convey more tension.
- Sketch Freely: Start with loose sketches to explore ideas; I try to make my mistakes of composition early, while it’s easy to correct :)
- Set the Mood with Color: A limited palette, like I used here (greens purples, and blues, can deepen a scene’s impact, especially for intense Star Wars moments.
- Test and Refine: Use small-scale studies, as I learned in school, to help determine points of focus.
If you share a passion for a galaxy far far away and or the most magical place on earth and would like to receive news and insights on new artwork created by me and the creative process behind it, click here for my newsletter. Let’s keep the Force alive in your creative journey!
