Spanning the years from 1975 to the present, Star Wars Art: Concept is a fascinating look at the process of conceptual design. From pen and paint and paper to the digital realm, the result is the creation of breathtaking iconic worlds, vehicles, and characters that successive generations have embraced and made their own. Artworks are selected from the six films, animated TV series, video games (published and unpublished). Since there are so many Star Wars properties out there, only some can come from each. It's a mixed bag in the sense that you might actually want to see more of the art from the movies instead. While the art is good, the material selection or organisation feels haphazard. Another highlight of this collection is the accompanying text, researched and compiled from the Lucasfilm archives and edited by Brandon Alinger, David Mandel, and Wade Lageose. Interspersed throughout the 2 volumes this enlightening companion to the wide variety of artwork provides contextual history and rewarding remembrances from Mr. McQuarrie and other artisans in the creation of these cherished works of space fantasy art. An example of these recollections is the following quote from Craig Barron, a matte photographer and longtime friend to the artist: Compiled by Brandon Alinger, Wade Lageose, and Emmy Award–winning writer David Mandel, Star Wars Art: 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 Rare unpublished interviews, as well as recollections from McQuarrie’s colleagues and friends, complement and contextualize the art.

Features pre-production drawings and paintings from the Original Trilogy, the Prequel Trilogy, the TV shows, and the video games Spanning the years from 1975 to the present, Star Wars Art: Concept is a fascinating look at the process of conceptual design The third unlooked-for, Star Wars-related artbook from my sister's family (see my review of Star Wars Storyboards: The Original Trilogy). Star Wars Art: Concept continues the Star Wars series of large oversized hardcover artbooks from publisher Harry N. Abrams. The books before are Star Wars Art: Illustration , Star Wars Art: Comics and Star Wars Art: Visions . 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.I just hope that Joe Johnston's equally-inspiring Star Wars design work receives a similar treatment one day!!! From Ralph McQuarrie and Joe Johnston to Doug Chiang, Ryan Church, Iain McCaig, Erik Tiemens, and the next generation of animation and video-game artists, Star Wars Art: Concept collects, for the first time ever, the very best Star Wars conceptual artwork. Star Wars is an entire world created by George's imagination, realized by Ralph's illustrations. It's a timeless universe with its distinct technology and history. It exists whenever you're watching it. It has magic to it."

Unfortunately, there isn't much in the way of text. There are a couple of introductions at the beginning of the book, plus some artist profiles and one interview at the end. I am very pleased with what is included here, but I would have liked some more details about the stuff that isn't exactly self-explanatory, like the canceled games. It is going to take a long time to get through the wealth of visual (and written) detail in this book. Very cool to learn that McQuarrie was at Art Center with Syd Mead, and that he found Mead's work intimidating! I didn't know what to make of this book before buying. It's about concept art but there are already has dedicated artbooks for all their six movies. From Ralph McQuarrie and Joe Johnston to Doug Chiang, Ryan Church, Iain McCaig, Erik Tiemens, and the next generation of animation and video-game artists, Star Wars Art: Concept collects, for the first time ever, the very best Star Wars conceptual artwork. As curated by George Lucas, the artwork that helped bring the Star Wars saga to life is revealed in all its glory, featuring pre-production drawings and paintings from the Original Trilogy, the Prequel Trilogy, the TV shows, and the video games.

Magnificent in its size, weight and collected contents, "Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie" is quite simply one of the greatest books ever published on the "Star Wars" Saga. It is a volume I happily give my very highest recommendation. It's a good artbook overall, with great art but If you want more concept art and read about conceptualisation, I would still recommended the dedicated Art of Star Wars series. Some of the artworks in this book are in those books. From Ralph McQuarrie and Joe Johnston to Doug Chiang, Ryan Church, Iain McCaig, Erik Tiemens, and the next generation of animation and video-game artists, Star Wars Art: Concept collects, for the first time ever, the very best Star Wars conceptual artwork. As curated by George Lucas, the artwork that helped bring the Star Wars Saga to life is revealed in all its glory, featuring pre-production drawings and paintings from the Original Trilogy, the Prequel Trilogy, the TV shows, and the video games, including an exclusive preview of artwork from the highly anticipated 1313. Spanning the years from 1975 to the present, Star Wars Art: Concept is a fascinating look at the process of conceptual design. From pen and paint and paper to the digital realm, the result is the creation of breathtaking iconic worlds, vehicles, and characters that successive generations have embraced and made their own.