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Iain McCaig

Artist, Writer, Filmmaker

Iain McCaig has worked for over 40 years in the entertainment industry. Many of his creations have become pop-culture icons, like his cover for Jethro Tull’s “Broadsword and the Beast” and his Star Wars designs for Queen Amidala and Darth Maul. He has collaborated on many films, including Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Jungle Book, Guardians of the Galaxy, and The Avengers, as well as the ongoing Star Wars franchise of movies, graphic novels, and theme parks. 

In his spare time, Iain writes, produces and directs, and wanders the land encouraging people to draw and tell stories. In May 2008, Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art honored Iain with the prestigious Grand Master Award for Lifetime Achievement — though he swears he’s only just getting started.

  • "Any time an artist or designer can portray story points through a design or an illustration, the work becomes much more engaging. Iain does a wonderful job of explaining the structure of visual storytelling and how to create strong character designs that support your story."

    - Scott Robertson
    Founder, Design Studio Press

  • For me, Iain McCaig is the best living draughtsman. He masters design issues by giving them emotion, reality, intelligence, and a sense of story, without sacrificing spontaneity and improvisation. He is a treasure in film concept design.

    - Paul Topolos
    Artist (Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille)

  • Iain McCaig’s characters arrive on the page fully formed, their life stories expressed through every beautiful pencil stroke, from the lightest fairy tales to the darkest nightmares.

    - Doug Chiang
    Executive Creative Director, Lucasfilm

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