MOUSE DROID - Lunch-bag - 2012

When I was 8 years-old and I first saw "STAR WARS", as it was called then, the bit with Chewbacca shouting at the little mouse droid and scaring it away made me laugh. It's still a funny gag. The droid beats a hasty retreat and Chewie looks at Han and Luke and shrugs a "Why not?" look at them.
Once I drew the droid on the bag I automatically drew a thought balloon for him with this idea in mind: This is just before he crosses paths with Chewbacca. He's pissed-off with his job. Tired of getting kicked, getting shouted at. If one more thing happens, that's it, he's on the next shuttle out of there. And then he's curious about that Wookie coming his way. Too curious for his own good. Like our kitten here at home.

And, I shoe-horned the word 'sandwich' in there with "Finding the best Sandwich on Coruscant." Hooray!!

"IT'S A SNACK!" - The Lunch-bag - 2012

As often happens, I had no idea what I was going to do for this bag. My doodles of Boba Fett went no where. I was momentarily lost... and then.... without warning.... Ackbar popped into my head. It was 11:30. I scribbled quickly, and stopped inking at his word balloon. I left the others in pencil till the morning. Then with little time before my camper was out the door, I finished the other word balloons, snapped a couple of pictures on my phone, and then it was gone. Off to camp.
What you don't see is Ackbar continues talking on the other side saying "Hey, Come Back!", continuing to rhyme with his earlier dialogue. I had intended the to fill the back-side with Ackbar comments, but missed the opportunity. Another day perhaps. Another bag.
I saw some pretty funny Ackbar iterations on the web: A chalkboard Ackbar at a coffee shop saying "It's a Frapp!" Another with the Admiral standing in front of a map saying.... obviously.. "It's a map!"

It's endless fun!

CAPT. REX and CAPT. REX - Lunch-bag - 2012

A nice Hawaiin Punch for scale!

"Welcome aboard! This is Capt. Rex in the cockpit!" - Ahhh, STAR TOURS... me love you! Paul Reubens's voice as the droid pilot for the original STAR TOURS ride at Disneyland will forever be in my consciousness. So, when CLONE WARS came along and there was another Capt. Rex, a clone Capt. Rex, I used to make this little joke with my son about the two Capt. Rex's being in the same place at the same time, and the confusion that ensued. Poorly illustrated here for his lunch-bag entertainment. I didn't get started on this bag till around 1am, after playing an hour and a half of ice hockey. I flipped the pages of Stephen Sansweets' "The STAR WARS Vault" book and ended up stopping on the STAR TOURS page and decided quickly that Rex would be the idea for the bag. I did a quick sketch in my book and then speedily sketched it on the bag. There were moments, Sharpie in-hand, that I was asleep while working on this image. I'm amazed it doesn't have horrible black Sharpie scribbles all the way down the length of the bag. In the process I had forgotten to leave room for Rex's word balloon, and had to fudge it in there. Not one of my best, but it'll do. Bag done. Off to sleep.

Makes me want to go press the buttons on my STAR SPEEDER 1000. I think I will.

SCOUT TROOPER ZOMBIE - Lunch-bag - 2012

STAR WARS  ZOMBIES Continues...

A request by an 8 year-old (The one who lives in my house) for a "Zombie" Trooper, any kind of "Zombie" Trooper was made. So, I went with the Scout, 'cause they were my favorite from "Return of the Jedi." Plus, I had this idea a couple nights previous about an Endor setting for the Trooper zombies. And so, you get a post-Jedi Scout Trooper who has risen from the dead, with a little, freaked-out Ewok watching from a tree in the background.

Come morning, 8 year-old very happy!

THIS IS LUKE AND LEIA - Lunch-bag - 2012

Another Pilkey-inspired lunch-bag. What can I say? They are just fun to do. And as long as it makes the boys laugh, or smile at the silly drawings, all is worth it. But, before I can tell you that story, I have to tell you this story...
Occasionally, I have to explain the references and pronunciation with a lunch-bag like this, 'cause the boys are more used to watching the Clone Wars show, the Ewok Specials and the LEGO shorts than the original films. I'll have to work on that.

THIS IS DARTH VADER AND CAPT. ANTILLES - Lunch-bag - 2012

The Zalvin boys love Dav Pilkey's "Captain Underpants,""Super Diaper Baby" and "Ook and Gluk." And I love reading the books to them and doing all the voices. The guy just writes funny stuff, with running gags that get used between all the books he does. Including the one I used for this Pilkey-esque STAR WARS lunch-bag - The "This is (characters' names here)..." gag. First you tell the names of the two characters, and then you follow that with who the character on the left is, and then who the character on the right is, each followed by two descriptive things about the character. Then it ends with "Remember that now."
So, here's the STAR WARS version of that gag, featuring Darth Vader and Captain Antilles from "A NEW HOPE." It takes a little bit of time to come up with the character designs using someone elses drawing style, but I've got plans for more. Best of all, it made my son laugh.
Remember that now.

THE ZOMBIE TROOPER - Lunch-bag - 2012

More brains? Nope. Maybe a PB&J? My son asked for a Zombie Stormtrooper and since he hasn't offered up many requests the last couple weeks, I was obligated. I guess he's at that age where 'Creepy' is cool. We had seen a little maquette of a Zombie Stormtrooper at a local collectibles shop and he never forgot about it. So, I have to give Gentle Giant the credit for this bags' inspiration. I had planned go cartoony with it, once again, and somehow I got myself stuck doing something a little more realistic and running out of time to start over. Because it came out kind'a creepy, almost too creepy, I added the silly protocol droid conversation balloons to take the edge off of it.
This morning, when my son saw the bag I got a "Cool, Dad!"
Son happy!