Printed Originals · on the drawing board
Drew Struzan Original film posters, painted 1978–1991
Faces at the top, light behind them, the story in small scenes below. Struzan built a whole film into one upright picture: a drawing on a gessoed board, airbrushed acrylic, then coloured pencil for the last detail.
See how the layers stack 7 available now
- Posters
- 13 in our archive
- Signed in the paint
- 9
- Ground
- Gessoed board
Board 2 · How a Struzan poster is built
One picture, five layers.
A Struzan poster is a montage. The stars are painted large and high, light pours in behind them, and the story plays out in smaller scenes below. ILM calls it classic portraiture with cinematic montage.
The method was steady. A drawing on a gessoed board, acrylic laid in with an airbrush, then coloured pencil for the final edges and highlights. Scroll, and the five plain planes slide in at different speeds until they lie in one stack.
- 1 · GroundA gessoed board, drawn on first in pencil.
- 2 · LightAirbrushed acrylic: skies, beams and glow.
- 3 · FacesThe stars, painted large, near the top.
- 4 · ActionThe story in smaller scenes below.
- 5 · FinishColoured pencil for edges and highlights.
Board 3 · The franchise shelf
Pick a series. It steps forward.
Struzan painted for Lucas and for Spielberg again and again. Choose a series and its posters come to the front of the shelf.
13 posters, from the 1978 Style D to Hook in 1991. 9 carry his name painted into the picture.
Star Wars. Style D of 1978, painted with Charles White III, in its first printing and the 1992 fan club reissue. And Struzan’s teaser art for the third film, under its final title. See board 4.
Indiana Jones. Temple of Doom, 1984, the style B one-sheet: the poster we use to show the layers on board 2.
Back to the Future. All three films, 1985, 1989 and 1990. On every one the DeLorean’s door opens on the left, and somebody checks the time.
And more. The Goonies (two copies), Hot Pursuit, Coming to America and Hook: comedy and adventure from 1985 to 1991.
1978 · Star Wars, Style D
Available · from £870.00 · View this poster →
1992 · Style D reissue
Sold · Printed Originals Archive · View the record →
Return of the Jedi, teaser art
Sold · Printed Originals Archive · View the record →
1984 · Temple of Doom
Available · from £670.00 · View this poster →
1985 · Back to the Future
Sold · Printed Originals Archive · View the record →
1985 · Back to the Future
Available · from £850.00 · View this poster →
1989 · Part II
Sold · Printed Originals Archive · View the record →
1990 · Part III
Sold · Printed Originals Archive · View the record →
1985 · The Goonies
Available · from £820.00 · View this poster →
1985 · The Goonies
Sold · Printed Originals Archive · View the record →
1987 · Hot Pursuit
Available · from £245.00 · View this poster →
1988 · Coming to America
Available · from £240.00 · View this poster →
1991 · Hook
Available · from £400.00 · View this poster →
Board 4 · Star Wars, Style D
Two hands on one board.
For the summer re-release of 1978, Struzan and Charles White III painted Star Wars together. Struzan painted the faces; White painted the machines and the droids. The picture is made to look pasted on a wall over older posters. Both painters signed it inside the image: “C. WHITE III”, then “Drew”.
The studio’s fan club reissued the design in 1992. We hold one of each. Hover or tap a row to compare them.
1978 · the first printing
- Printed
- 1978, for the summer re-release of the film
- Foot
- “STYLE D” and the number 770021
- Issued
- Mostly folded; ours is linen backed
- Names
- White and Struzan, printed in the art
1992 · the fan club reissue
- Printed
- 1992, a reissue of the same design for the fan club
- Foot
- “ONE-SHEET STYLE D” in full, and “PRINTED IN U.S.A.”
- Issued
- Rolled; ours has no folds
- Names
- The same two, reproduced with the image
The title that changed
Struzan painted the teaser for the third film when it was still called Revenge of the Jedi. The title became Return of the Jedi, the posters were recalled, and 6,800 were sold to fan club members. The art came back under the new title on a British advance quad and a later Kilian Enterprises reprint.
Our copy carries that art with the Return title at 22 x 34 in. We are checking its printing in hand before we date it.
Sold · Printed Originals Archive · View the record →Board 5 · Close reading · Back to the Future, 1985
Five places to look.
Board 6 · Signatures
Signed in the paint.
Struzan signed the painting, and the name was printed with the picture: usually “Drew” in a small ruled box, sometimes loose script with a year. 9 of ours carry it. 2 show no name in our photographs: unsigned originals. 1 is a later reissue, and 1 is under review. He also signed finished posters in marker for collectors; we have not found one in our archive.
Plate-signed
Struzan’s signature is part of the painting, so every copy of that printing carries it. This is how most of his film posters are signed. It does not mean signed by hand.
On this poster: “Drew” and “91” in script, in the map border of Hook. Available · from £400.00 · View this poster →
Show all 9 in the archive ↓
Unsigned original
Printed for the film’s release in Struzan’s lifetime, with no signature we can see. Still an original printing: made with the artist, not after.
On this poster: the lower left of the New York street: no painted name in our photograph. Available · from £240.00 · View this poster →
Show all 2 in the archive ↓
After Struzan
A later re-release made without the artist. Our 1992 Style D reissues the 1978 design, and the painted names are reproduced with the image.
On this poster: “C. WHITE III” and “Drew”, reproduced in the 1992 reissue. Sold · Printed Originals Archive · View the record →
Show this poster in the archive ↓Hand-signed
Signed by Struzan in pen or marker on that copy. He signed posters for collectors, and auction houses sell them as autographed. We have checked every margin of ours and found none yet.
Board 7 · The Printed Originals Struzan archive
Every Struzan poster we have held.
7 available now · 6 sold. Shelved by series, earliest first. Sold posters show no price.
Board 8 · Collecting
Before you pin one up.
- Size US one-sheets of the period are about 27 x 40 or 27 x 41 in
- Foot read the tiny lines: style letters, numbers, “Printed in U.S.A.”
- Name “Drew” in the art is printed; marker on top is a signing
- Folds many were issued folded; fold lines are normal
Is a printed “Drew” a signature?
It is the painter’s signature, printed with the picture, so every copy of that printing has it. We call it plate-signed. A poster signed by hand has his name in pen or marker on top of the print. We have not yet found one in our archive.
How do I tell a first printing from a reissue?
Read the foot of the poster. Our 1978 Style D carries “STYLE D” and a number, and was mostly issued folded. The 1992 fan club reissue spells out “ONE-SHEET STYLE D” and was issued rolled. Sizes, printer lines and folds all help. Ask us and we will check any poster for you.
Was it printed in Struzan’s lifetime?
Struzan died in October 2025, aged 78. Every poster here that we can date was printed between 1978 and 1992. The 1992 Style D is a reissue made without him, so we mark it after Struzan. The Return of the Jedi teaser is still being dated.
Hand-signed, plate-signed, unsigned original, after: what do they mean?
Hand-signed: signed by Struzan on that copy. Plate-signed: his name is painted into the art and printed with it. Unsigned original: printed for the release, with no name we can see. After: a later reissue or reproduction made without him.
Can I see more detail before I buy?
Yes. Ask us for detailed photographs of any poster: the signature, the printer line, the edges and the back.
Condition and framing
We grade condition in six steps and describe every mark (condition grading). Framing is optional, and all our framing is conservation framing (framing original posters).