Monica M. Magaña, born September 26, 1992, is a Canadian artist who created a digital landing page for Star Wars: Attack of the Clones on Disney+ as part of a celebration for Star Wars Day in 2021. Interviewed for a StarWars.com article alongside other artists who contributed to the day's celebrations, she shared the source of her passion for Star Wars, what she wanted to capture in the piece, and some of the technique she used.
Magaña's Attack of the Clones landing page
Monica M. Magaña is a Canadian artist of mixed Mexican American and Salvadoran heritage. Born September 26, 1992, she was one of fifteen artists commissioned to create an art piece to celebrate Star Wars Day on the Disney+ streaming service. Magaña created the image for the landing page of the second prequel trilogy film, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. Like the other commissioned artworks, her piece was showcased from May 4 to May 9, 2021 as well as in the associated StarWars.com article "Meet the Artists Behind Disney+'s Stunning Star Wars Day Art" by Dan Brooks.
In that article, Magaña explained her passion for Star Wars—watching the prequel trilogy with her father, the original trilogy on VHS, and enjoying the Star Tours ride at Disneyland. She explained her inspiration for the piece as an attempt to capture "youthful awe," using bright colors and the illumination associated with the saga's lightsabers. Magaña's love for Drew Struzan's hand-painted posters and paintings used for the original trilogy gave her a desire to give the image a traditional media feel, despite it being created digitally. To this end, she used customized digital brushes that could emulate a more natural and real brushstroke.
The image features the film's title next to a montage of characters from the film. Featured in the foreground are Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, Senator Padmé Amidala and Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, with a shrouded Darth Sidious behind Kenobi. Above and behind the main protagonists is Jedi Council member Mace Windu deflecting a blaster bolt fired by bounty hunter Jango Fett. Between these two combatants is a brightly backlit Boba Fett, son of Jango, holding his father's helmet in replication of the same scene from the film. Bright swirls surround the characters on a blue background. Magaña's favorite part of the image was Obi-Wan Kenobi.