A while back I did a story on Tony Vassallo and his artwork inspired by Star Wars: The Old Republic. We got to talking afterwards and he recommended I have a gander at his friend and guildmate’s work. Man am I glad I did. Not only do I have shiny new pieces to share with you today, I also have a new SWTOR web-comic to follow. More on that later.

Personalized banner for That's No Moon. Cant have Tony outdoing me by too much now lol - T. Yates

Tim Yates is 24 and lives in New Jersey. He plays ultimate Frisbee, is a certified EMT, practically a certified nurse, retired part time singer/songwriter, and consultant for NASA. In his spare time, He’s also a professional artist. He is currently coloring comics for various companies, but also keeps up with his many creator owned projects. The most recent, Failhunter, follows the misadventures of a bounty hunter in Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Portrait of Malgus done shortly after the Deceived Trailer was released.

What drew you to Star Wars: The Old Republic. Is there some part of the Star Wars Universe in particular that fascinates you?

I’ve always been a big fan of Star Wars. I was a big fan of KOTOR, and BioWare’s quality handling of an unexplored time period in the Star Wars universe. When I heard they were making SWTOR, (so long ago…) it was only natural for me to jump on the bandwagon. I’m a big MMO nut, and MMO + Star Wars + Bioware at the reigns = Win!

As for what drew me to Star Wars universe in general, my dad showed me the original three movies when I was a kid, but my Star Wars fanaticism really took off when I read the first Timothy Zahn extended universe trilogy. I was hooked at that point, and started getting my hands on any Star Wars books I could find.

Photoshop coloring done over Chris Bachalo's Lineart

How long have you been painting, drawing, designing and what’s your specialty?

I’ve been drawing on and off my whole life, but I really started honing my craft 3 years ago when I found the Joe Kubert School of Cartooning. At the school I learned everything I would need, to do what I really wanted in life, which is tell stories with my art. I’m a fan of all aspects of art, but my specialty is definitely digital coloring/painting. I’m currently working professionally as a comic book colorist, but I keep myself drawing on my own projects, such as my web-comic Fail-Hunter.

Fail-Hunter Promo Piece

I did this during class when I decided I wanted to do a web-comic about SWTOR. This is a promo piece for Fail-hunter, showing what could be the worst possible fail involving the bounty hunter’s flamethrower.

What is Fail-Hunter? And why did you choose to start a web-comic?

Fail-Hunter is a story that follows the misadventures of the bounty hunter Traxle Pein and his crew. The story will take place within the SWTOR, and jokes around about the game, the TOR universe, and MMO’s in general.

Even though Fail-Hunter takes place in a completely different fantasy universe, it deals with content that will be loved and shared by millions. What’s most exciting about this project is the tie-ins it has with it’s real life audience. While players aren’t physically involved in the game, many become emotionally involved in their characters, and that’s what takes place in the comic. The possibility of bringing players toons on board as guest characters is only one of many features I plan on exploring with Fail-Hunter.

What drew me to art in the first place was my desire to tell stories. There wasn’t a picture I drew as a kid that didn’t fit into one of my many fantasy worlds. The thing I like most about web-comics is the freedom it gives the creator. ‘Fail-Hunter’ is, in it’s own way, a dream come true, as it’s my first real opportunity to take one of my visions (well, not completely mine lol) and turn it into something tangible for everybody to (hopefully) enjoy.

Tim doesn't just shine with cartoons.

Who are your favourite artists?

I might be a little biased , but Joe Kubert has to be my #1 favorite. Joe is 85 years old, and still drawing comics on a regular basis. In my last year of school I had the pleasure of learning from his 60+ years of experience in the industry.

Since I’m a colorist, I have to have a favorite in my field I guess, and that would have to be Nei Ruffino. Her work with color over lineart is just amazing. Bill Waterson is also a favorite of mine, and I only hope I can come close to what he achieved with Calvin and Hobbes.

Darth Malgus Redos - Click for larger version

I chose the Darth Malgus Redos because it’s so powerful and the different hood colours seem to draw out different aspects of his face. I also believe you managed to actually crank up the evil in him. What can you tell us about this image?

I digitally painted a portrait of Darth Malgus, but I couldn’t decide what mood I wanted for the finish. The different hood colors and shadings gave each version a distinct feel, so I had no choice but to put them all online.

Normally this is the spot where my That’s No Moon -stories usually end. But not today. Unfortunately I can’t reveal all I know to you, my dear readers, right at this moment. But if you can keep a secret then I have a few hints for you.

What's funny,

colourful,

Entirely online

And coming to TORWars soon?

Can you guess?

If you’re interested in having your own character immortalized, Tim does commission work and you can find commission information on either his Tumblr, or DeviantArt page.

Do you or someone you know create SWTOR fanart and it’s something you’d like to see featured in this series, please drop us a note at Staff [at] TORWars [dot] com.