Leia and Jabba by Chris Henderson

A few days ago I came to the realization that 1/3 of the drafts in my queue were Star Wars sketch cards, so I am trying to post one every third post in an attempt to draw down that number. Today is the third post since then, so it's Star Wars time.

This is a Personal Sketch Card of Princess Leia and Jabba the Hutt done by artist Chris Henderson. Like most of the cards I buy, it came to me through eBay. Going back through my blog posts, another sketch by Chris Henderson may have been my first Leia sketch card. I am always happy to add another sketch to my Leia collection, and maybe someday I will count them up and show them off all in one post. Today is not that day, though.

Chris Henderson is currently fighting a battle against cancer, which is a pretty scary thing. He's posted about it on Facebook a little bit. There is also a GoFundMe page set up for donations to help offset some of his expenses. He also has some inventory on eBay that includes comics, sketches, and trading cards.

This evening slipped by really fast for some reason, so I can't do a full travelogue here. We got out of class early, so I stopped at one of the local card shops (I purchased a discounted box of Star Wars cards that was kind of a dud), spent a couple of hours at the Air Force Museum, and picked up a few things at Wal-Mart (including a Gypsy Queen blaster that yielded a hit). Now I've got to get into bed so that I can wake up and make it to class tomorrow.

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.