Mapping the Star Wars galaxy with illustrator Tim McDonagh

Return of the Jedi came out when I was 13, and I became obsessed with creating a role-playing game based on the Star Wars universe. I had no idea about licensing back then, and it all fizzled out, but I wasn't the only kid who grew up crazy about Wookies, Ewoks, Jedi and droids. Illustrator Tim McDonagh did too, and, with considerably more talent than I, his Star Wars obsession has led to some incredible opportunities.

In 2016, he was commissioned by Egmont Publishing to illustrate Star Wars: Galactic Atlas, and last year he was invited back to update the 100-page large-format annotated book. Join me as I struggle to conceal my envy…

"I really was something of a mega fan when I was little," says Tim. "I read all the novelisations, the comics, all the games, I remember having the film audiobooks on cassette tape that I would listen to at night, before the audiobooks were even really a thing! When we were starting the project, it was a few months before The Force Awakens was due to come out, so there was all this excitement around the franchise again."

It all started when Tim posted some of his Star Wars doodles on Instagram. The publisher saw the work and invited him to draw a test image for Tatooine. "I remember feeling at the time like I knew exactly the kind of map an 11-year-old me would want to see, so I ran with that," says Tim.

The first edition included all the classic locations – Endor, Hoth, Alderaan, Coruscant, Naboo and more. However, since then, Disney has released follow-up films and television series. The decision to republish the atlas and remain loyal to the original illustrator gave Tim the opportunity to add new favourite locations and revamp some of the existing artworks.

"They wanted to touch on some of the new films that weren't out then like The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker and include some stuff from Ashoka and Andor that fans really seemed to love. As well as several new maps, we also went back to some of the old spreads and added in some new vignettes and drawings to the locations to give them a bit of a refresh that ties in some of this lore," says Tim.

Tim's style is comic book- and graphic novel-inspired, with an emphasis on detail, making it perfect for a visual publication for anyone 9 or above to pore over. He draws by hand with pencils, pens, and markers, scans it in, and works it up in Photoshop. "For this project, there was a ton of drawing involved, from big A2 drawings to little scrappy doodles in my sketchbook that all made it into the end product," he explains.

One thing he had to tone down was his passion for colour. Many of Tim's artworks – especially in his personal portfolio – touch on the psychedelic. For this project, a more organic palette came into play, carrying on the worn-down, rusted and war-weary feel that has been part of the Star Wars universe since Ralph McQuarrie's earliest concept pieces.

And his favourite things to draw? "Without a doubt, all the little X-Wings and TIE fighters in the space battles," says Tim. "I drew most of them separately in my sketchbooks and scanned them in. They're just great to draw. I loved doing the AT-ATs on Hoth, all the little people running around. Honestly, it just felt like being a kid again."

Feedback on the project has been incredibly positive, with a 4.8-star rating on Amazon, and Tim has been honoured with his own entry in the Wookipedia, which will inform you that he also illustrated the Star Wars: Alien Archive, published in 2019. Another reason for us fellow creatives to feel a Grogu-coloured jolt of envy…