Star Wars gets felt makeover from Vancouver brothers
Holman and Jack Wang's children's book Star Wars Epic Yarns to be published April 14
Vancouver-based artist Holman Wang hopes the force will be with him for his newest project. Holman and his twin brother Jack are set to publish Star Wars Epic Yarns, a children's book that tells the cult classic story of the Jedi vs the Sith using felt textile characters.
The Wang brothers produce the popular board book series Cozy Classics. The books focus on beloved children stories, but only use a total of 12 words and illustrated felt characters to tell them. Their previous works include felt versions of Moby Dick, Jane Eyre, and Oliver Twist among others.
"We thought what would be the most awesome thing we could possibly do and we said how about Star Wars," Wang told North by Northwest's Margaret Gallagher. "Our publishers pitched the project to Lucas Films. They loved it and things went from there."
Appeasing a rabid fan base
Wang says this project was a much different challenge. The series' rabid fan base meant particular precision when crafting their characters.
"We know that Star wars fans are really discerning so we wanted to get things right. We worked from the movies and looked at film stills to try and capture the essence of each character."
From a furry Chewbacca to a fuzzy yet fearsome Darth Vader, the books encapsulate a range of the key players in the series. Holman says it's made even more special for him having grown up with the movies.
"From the age of five my brother and I have been huge fans of the film. It's surreal to think that I am now in a small way part of the Star Wars family."
Star Wars Epic Yarns will be released in bookstores on Thursday, April 14.