What eBay Hath Wrought 108: Star Wars Galaxy Leia Sketch Card by Chris Henderson

I've been searching for a good Star Wars Leia sketch card pretty much since I reentered the hobby last year. There was one pulled at the SLCS (Somewhat Local Card Shop) around the time I came back, and it was really nice. I probably should have gotten that one, but it was a bit pricey and I had a bit of a grudge against the artist because I had pulled an extremely inferior sketch by him from a box of Star Wars cards I bought. I still have a hard time believing that the same guy did both cards. If you really want to torture yourself, you can read all about it here in the middle of the first post I wrote on this blog.

I've got a search set up on eBay for Star Wars sketch cards, and I've been placing bids off and on for quite a while. Most of the time the really good sketch cards start and end well above my price range. It is hard to put a value on art.

This sketch card by Chris Henderson popped up on my eBay feed a few weeks ago, and although the starting price was a bit high, I added it to my watch list. The auction said it was from Star Wars Galaxy 7, but given the copyright date on the back it might have been packed out in Star Wars Galaxy 6. It doesn't really matter. I went back and forth a little bit on it, but eventually decided to bid on the card the day before the auction closed. Then just before it closed I put in another bid for a few dollars more, but no one else placed a bid and I won the auction. I don't know if I got a bargain, but I would have expected to see some more competition for this piece. I think it's a pretty good depiction of the character/actress. Sketch cards and card art featuring real people (like the really good or really bad Diamond Kings from Donruss) are kind of like portrait tattoos in that if one facial feature is a little off it can ruin the whole thing, and I think this sketch gets it right.

Maybe if Leia had been wearing one of the more iconic looks like the Jabba's Slave outfit or the White Dress w/ Hair Buns look this would have gone for more. I don't know. All I know is that I was happy to finally cross this off of my card collecting bucket list. Chris Henderson does some really nice sports sketches, as highlighted recently on the Pirates Treasure Room blog.

The back of the card gets it somewhat right, leaving a space for the artist to write their name or sign the card, so that collectors can find out who they are. Since there were no other bids on the card, I was nervous that I had somehow misled myself and passed over some flaw in the artwork that might be apparent to someone who wasn't invested in my collecting goals. So I asked my wife if Leia was recognizable in the art. She said that you could definitely tell who was shown on the card, and then jokingly asked if I had drawn it. So I got to wondering if I could draw a recognizable Leia using my art skills. I fired up MS Paint, and here is the result:

I think my art stands on its own merits, so I will refrain from any further explanation. I am not taking commissions at this time, but maybe once my schedule gets a little less hectic I will reconsider.