Renowned Star Wars artist Matt Busch arrived in Los Angles hot on the heels of his book You Can Draw Star Wars and to celebrate the official release of the You Can Draw Star Wars DVD. He took a few minutes to share with Scoop readers his impressions of the massive gathering of Star Wars fandom known as the Star Wars Celebration IV, which was held in Los Angeles, California, May 24 - 28, 2007.

Scoop: How was your experience at the Star Wars Celebration?
Matt Busch (MB): The Celebration was incredible. While the films are complete, Star Wars is definitely alive and well.

The majority of my time was spent set up in the Art Show, where I unveiled the new You Can Draw Star Wars DVD. I also premiered the 30th Anniversary limited edition print, which the making of is chronicled on the DVD. I also signed copies of the You Can Draw Star Wars book and DVD at the DK Publishing booth, had a panel discussion for the book, as well as drawing workshops on certain days.

Scoop: How was the reception for your You Can Draw Star Wars DVD?
MB: Overwhelmingly wonderful! Throughout the show, folks were constantly glued to the display screen where the episodes were running on a loop. My hope was that, in addition to the educational factor, the episodes are entertaining to watch. The reaction has just been incredible.

Scoop: Did the fans seem to already be familiar with the book version?
MB: For the most part, yes. And the great thing is that the DVD really goes beyond what's offered in the book, so it's not just a rehashing of the same material. They work really well together.

Scoop: What were your panel discussion like?
MB: Tom Hodges and I talked about the book, but we also got into our own journey as kids loving Star Wars, to professional artists who have had the incredible opportunity to do many projects with the Lucasfilm license.

Scoop: What was involved in your drawing workshops?
MB: Drawing workshops can be difficult because you're trying to give folks some quality material in under an hour. I often try to show how to create your own aliens, robots, and characters by building them out of simple shapes.

Scoop: What was the age range of people who attended?
MB: As wide as you can imagine. From kids who can barely hold crayons to senior citizens. Star Wars is really for kids of all ages, and that was also reflected in who attended the workshops.

Scoop: Did you have fans who knew you from your “How To” in Star Wars Kids and elsewhere?
MB: Yes. In fact, one fan brought a copy of the Star Wars Adventure Journal #4, which was the very first Star Wars book my work was published in, way back in 1994.

Scoop: As a creator working in the Star Wars universe, what was the most interesting part of the weekend for you?
MB: For me it was mingling with other Star Wars artists, writers and creators. The inspiration I got from meeting all of these talents was just astounding.

I even got to meet incredible creators who never worked on Star Wars, but just love the saga- like Lost creator J.J. Abrams! It turns out he's a fan of mine! In his spare time, he and his kids go through the You Can Draw Star Wars book and go through the exercises! He was actually looking for me because he wanted the DVD!

Scoop: Did anything else - beyond the JJ Abrams bit - surprise you?
MB: Sure. My favorite Star Wars character is R2-D2. Even though Ralph MacQuarrie did the initial concept designs, it was really Don Bies who constructed how R2 looks, and brought him to like via remote controls. I'd never had the opportunity to meet Don before, but at C4 he came up to me- as a fan! I was like, "But you're Don Bies!"

Scoop: What was the highlight for you as a Star Wars fan?
MB: Seeing the 3 minute trailer for the new Clone Wars CGI animated series, projected in High Def with incredible thunderous sound was pretty amazing. Like I said, Star Wars is alive and well!

Scoop: Do you have any other Star Wars projects coming up?
MB: Yes. I'm illustrating the official poster for Celebration Europe, which is happing in London this July. In addition I'll also have two other limited edition prints there exclusively. I'm also illustration the Style D one sheet for Revenge Of The Sith, which will be available this Fall from StarWars.com.

Scoop: What else are you working on?
MB: I'm doing Gene Simmons' House Of Horrors covers and interiors for IDW, Afterburn covers for Red 5 comics, and I have a new Step By Step tutorial that going to be in Art Scene International magazine that features a piece based on the TV show 24. I'm also filming a new set of Pin-Up tutorial videos for Creative Image Licensing Management.