An Unforgettable Portrait for a Star Wars Fan

As unabashed Star Wars fans and suckers for awesome gifts, we could not help but go wild for this art commissioned by Justin Hall from Kim Sokol. Going for a modified version of Kim’s digital portraits style, Justin requested a Star Wars-inspired portrait of his girlfriend Dora and we like to think the result does not disappoint.

Backstory Behind the Piece – Q&A with Justin

ArtCorgi (AC): What inspired you to commission this art?

Justin Hall (JH): I wanted to get Dora the perfect birthday present. She’s always been a Star Wars fangirl first, UI/UX and graphic designer second, and we often buy Star Wars lego sets, commemorate May 4th, and keep ourselves up-to-date on all things Star Wars. I mean, I thought I was a fan, but when I first met Dora, she was casually making references to the Star Wars universe that only the most avid enthusiasts would know. And because she works in Singapore’s small (but growing!) tech scene, she’s often referred to as ‘that Star Wars chick’; she’s even taken to using the hashtag #starwarschick when tweeting her love of all things Star Wars.

Inspiration struck when I stumbled across a 500 Startup’s tweet about ArtCorgi on Twitter, and I knew that a portrait would be perfect. There was an obvious aesthetic appeal here that I knew Dora, being a graphic designer, would appreciate. It was something that she could incorporate into her own work and portfolio, and most importantly … who wouldn’t want a Star Wars portrait made of them?

AC: What inspired the Star Wars theme of this piece?

JH: Once I knew the direction to take, it wasn’t too hard figuring out exactly what I wanted: she was always a massive fan of Darth Vader, so naturally she had to be a Sith. And she absolutely loves Asajj Ventress, a Sith from the extended universe canon; she’s marked out by her two curved lightsabers and her pale, bald head (Dora would never shave her head though). Combine the two together and boom, you have one amazingly badass portrait.

The one thing that I really wanted to incorporate was Dora’s tattoos. Besides Star Wars, she’s also recognised for the tremendous amount of tattoos she has. And in a place as austere and spartan as Singapore can be, seeing a young woman walking down the street with a massive full-back tattoo and two half-sleeves sorta stands out! I knew that incorporating her immense love of Star Wars as well as her unique tattoos would make an absolutely perfect gift. Kim Sokol, the illustrator, did an amazing job combining the two, and I think she captured both Dora’s resemblance and her tattoos incredibly well.

AC: What advice would you give to a friend who is commissioning art for the first time?

JH: Get pictures, lot and lots of hi-res pictures! Beyond that, think about the entire thing: not only the resemblance, but the ideal pose, expression, outfit, and all those little features and nuances that will make the portrait truly unique to the subject. This will not only make it easier for the illustrator, but it’ll make the portrait much more personal. And if you can’t find photos of the subject that fit your vision, then look elsewhere! No surprise, I actually found a load of pictures of Asajj Ventress and other Star Wars characters that I felt really captured the look and feel of what I wanted. So make sure you find all the pictures you need!