Suvudu Universe

Today’s spotlight is on Saf! You can find Saf at her WordPress blog, art blog, Facebook, and Tumblr.

Saf is one of my awesome friends on Tumblr and Twitter. She is a coplayer, artist, blogger, vlogger–she does it all! We are both proud fans of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and we met because of that series. She also lives in one of my favorite places in the world: New Zealand! Saf is a fangirl through and through, and I’m more than delighted to feature her in the latest Star Wars Fan Artist Spotlight. Saf has drawn some of my favorite pieces, including the “Flower Crown Jedi” (as seen below), and her style is wonderfully vivid in color and concept. The Force is clearly strong with her!

Tell us about yourself.
I’m a kiwi who’s dealing with chronic fatigue syndrome, so I’m currently unemployed. I keep myself busy with things like fan art & cosplay so I don’t go mad. I love traveling!

When and how did you become a Star Wars fan?
Honestly, I can’t even remember when it started. I have distinct memories of watching the Original Trilogy at a family friend’s house a LOT when I was very young. I remember pretending to be a Jedi when I played with my friends as a kid. I got seriously back into it when I marathoned the films during my first year at uni while writing essays, and then it kind of snowballed from there. But, it’s always been a huge love of my life.

What tools do you use to create your art?
I’m mostly a digital artist nowadays, so I mainly stick to my Intuos 5 tablet. I do the majority of my art in Photoshop CS6, but I mess around with Corel Painter every now and then. Sometimes, though, I’ll go back to good ol’ pencil and paper.

What is your favorite Star Wars piece that you have created and why are you fond of it?
I am hugely proud of my flower crown Jedi artwork–it was the first piece I spent a long time on since…forever ago. It was also the first time I’d really drawn the majority of my favourite Jedi!

“Flower Crown Jedi”

What’s the best and worst thing about being an artist?
The worst thing for me is the constant feeling that my art isn’t very good. I know I’ve improved a lot even during the past year, but sometimes you look at a piece and feel like you should never draw again. On the other hand though, the best thing is finishing a piece you’ve spent a long time on and feeling pride from looking at it! Creating your own artwork that you know you’ve put time and love into, and then finding that you really do love what you do.

Star Wars Rebels comes out this year. What are some of your theories concerning the plot or characters? What are you looking forward to seeing the most?
I’m not the kind to develop theories for things I haven’t seen yet, I just plain suck at it! BUT I am super, SUPER psyched to see Hera! It’s a running joke amongst my friends that I always fall for the cute alien girls, and I was really excited to see a Twi’lek lady as a main cast member initially. Seeing the clips & hearing Vanessa Marshall talk about Hera has made me even more excited for the character, she sounds amazing! I’m also really looking forward to the pretty well diverse cast Rebels is giving us. And–Billy Dee!

Are you looking forward to the future Star Wars films? What are your hopes or worries?
I am! I’m always looking forward to more Star Wars. I’m really excited to see Gwen and Lupita and Daisy. I honestly want them to release costumes already, so I can start working on a cosplay! I am worried in general that it won’t feel like Star Wars, or it’ll fall flat with the female characters (as Abrams is known to do), but I have high hopes for the film all in all. Daisy and Boyega seem like they’re going to make an awesome main duo.

How else do you express your love for Star Wars (cosplay, fanfiction, etc.)?
I also cosplay! I’ve only cosplayed Satine so far, but I have about every lady from Star Wars on my to-do list. I plan on getting Hera, Leia and Asajj finished for Celebration next year, if I can. I also write blog posts about Star Wars (usually regarding representation), but that’s not so common. I tried writing fanfiction once, but I just couldn’t do it!

Any final thoughts?
I’ve found a really warm community of wonderful people through Star Wars over the last year, and I am hugely grateful for all the amazing folks that pour so much love into the fandom and have so much positivity for all things Star Wars!

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Those are beautiful final thoughts! There are several pockets in the Star Wars community, and the one I found myself in over the past year continues to be a delightful experience. You produce lovely art, Saf, and I hope your style continues to grow and bloom for many years to come!