Just created a vimeo channel for video contant from ps|studio DPI

Check it out at http://vimeo.com/channels/psstudiodpi

More content will come including behind the scenes videos, step by step slideshows and if I can get approval from my wedding clients, some of my popular wedding slideshows!

Star Wars Art: The Making of ‘Vader’s Apprentice’ Illustration from Paul Shipper on Vimeo.

Commissioned work for a fan…

Upon receiving an awesome email regarding my artwork for a Topps Star Wars Galaxy 5 base card I did last year, a proposition was also included to produce some art to adorn the walls of his home. Initially it was a request to create a card illustration to compliment and go alongside the official card, but I decided that instead of painting a card (of which the size is rather limiting) I would surprise him with a larger painting and a smaller print of the art mounted on card to go in his Star Wars trading card collection. The first commission was to be of Count Dooku and his fall to the dark side. This in contrast to the original art for Lucasfilm that I created fit in perfectly in the continuing story of a Jedi who once was good, and padawan to Master Yoda himself…

After the artwork arrived on his doorstep I soon received another email of gratitude and along with it another commission. This time it was based on the Force Unleashed, which I did some work for Wizards Of The Coast and Lucasfilm for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game Sourcebook. The artwork was to include Darth Vader and his apprentice along with the Emperor…

Needless to say there are more paintings in the pipeline… Details will be revealed soon!

It is wonderful to be able to create original art for the fans – With email and the World Wide Web we live in such a small place now, absolutely anything is possible!

Creating a traditionally illustrated one-sheet for a new comedy in an age where geography plays little part in reaching your goal…

Director, Daryl Goldberg was kind enough to recollect the beginnings of the creative process that led to the creation of a film poster through to the release of his film.

When it came time to make the poster for my feature-length comedy Made For Each Other, I knew I wanted something eye-catching, beautiful, and as fun as the movie itself to help build an audiences interests. I also knew that if I left the poster to the distributors, it would likely end up being a couple of generic looks from my principal actors with their faces simply on their as big as possible. In other words, generic. Like every other poster in the genre with only the combination of faces swapped out (remove Sandra Bullock, insert Jennifer Aniston, etc.). The fact of the matter is that the tendencies in posters these days, especially “romantic comedies”, is that the faces sell the movie and there is a sort of a paranoia towards taking any real chances in letting personality shine throw in your marketing materials. It seems the days of the poster as a work of art itself had largely past us by.

I thought back to movie posters I loved as a kid, the kind that stuck in your mind well after you had seen the movie itself. Posters that weren’t simply informing you of what faces you’d be seeing on the screen, but were themselves entertainment.

Once I had set my heart and mind on that style, I discovered my real challenge. Given the current tendencies in movie posters, they are primarily made by Photoshop artists rather than the traditional types of artists that produced them in the days before such digital technologies had even been conceived of. Simply put, there weren’t that many people around who still do what I wanted.

I knew what I was looking for was someone with talent who shared my affection for those classic posters. I quickly discovered the best, and perhaps only, way to discover those people was through exploring the world of fan art. As I began looking at various fan art competitions, I noticed some work that was drastically far and above the rest. I also noticed it was always from the same artist. Without fail, Paul Shipper’s work was always incredibly striking, his talent was simply undeniable, and, most amazingly of all, he seemed to somehow be plucked from a different generation. A generation where such incredible skills were still respected and exploited in the movie industry. So, always of the “can’t hurt to try” mentality, I hunted Paul down through his website.

At first I was surprised to realize he was somewhere on the other side of the globe. Being in the film industry, I know people are often reluctant to work with you if you’re not in the right zip code, much less continent. But hey it’s the computer age, and its as easy to chat with someone in New Zealand as your neighbor these days. After all, I was so ecstatic to realize Paul was enthusiastic about the idea, geography seemed of little consequence. So I ran off to the post office and sent a copy of the film around the globe to get his thoughts.

Then the real fun began, designing the poster. When you do a traditional poster you sift through photos either from the movie itself or shot just for such marketing purposes. You pick and choose, and then let the photo-shop magic happen. But in painting an original work I actually found a tremendous amount of liberation. Everything was somehow now possible. Everything was an option. Every look could be changed, body position, background, etc. As we got into it we changed scenery, we changed activities, and yes I confess, we may have even changed an actresses bust size. But unlike photoshop where the natural response would be, “oh they changed her bust in photoshop. That’s so fake.”. Ours was illustrated, so of course its fake! It’s a caricature, that’s the beauty of the genre; exaggeration is expected and embraced.

In the end Paul created what is not only an incredible poster but also an incredible work of art. One I am proud to have hanging on my wall, and one I’ve gotten countless requests from other people wanting to have it hanging on their walls. The poster has served us incredibly well on the business front as well. It has played a tremendous part in the marketing of the film. And it seems without fail, wherever the poster is seen there is a fondness and nostalgia for its classic artistry. Most importantly of all, at the end of the day a poster is a marketing tool, and I challenge anyone to pass by the poster Paul Shipper made for “Made For Each Other” and not be curious to find out a little more about our film.

Daryl Bob Goldberg

Director

Made For Each Other

Official Website: www.madeforeachothermovie.com

View the Trailer on Apple in HD

IFC Films: MFEO Page

Become a fan of MFEO on Facebook

It’s always nice to be asked questions about your chosen profession. I get asked a fair bit to submit answers to interviews and when Alex Mathers over at Ape On The Moon got in touch, how could I resist?!

Alex writes:

I’ve chosen to interview a very talented illustrator with a traditional illustration style. Admittedly, on a contemporary illustration blog, this is somewhat an illegal undertaking according to my own rules. However, I am very supportive of the use of traditional techniques used by Paul Shipper, in contemporary movie art. Originally from the UK, now based in New Zealand, Paul is adamant that traditional styles still be used on film posters, and I would agree, especially in the case of certain epics, science fiction and fantasy films, promotional material, and so on.

Buck Rogers : The 30th Anniversary : An Appreciation In the 21st Century:

Words and photos by Michael French. Illustration by Paul Shipper.

I went home and using my film training, cut a new trailer for the original “Buck Rogers” film. To date, it has garnered almost 50,000 hits on YouTube.com. In 2008, I heard Erin Gray would be returning to Dragon Con. I went back and met her again. This time, I took a photo with her, which was a real treat. I also presented her with a DVD copy of the trailer I had made. Later, she approached me in the lobby and talked to me for about ten minutes about a book she wanted to recommend to me! She was a class act!

I knew that 2009 would be the 30^th Anniversary of “Buck Rogers In the 25^th Century.” I also had the sinking feeling that neither Dragon Con or Universal Studios would do anything to recognize it. I decided something had to be done, especially when I learned that both Gil Gerard and Erin Gray would be attending the convention. I contacted Paul Shipper, my friend and accomplished artist. I knew I wanted to present them with new artwork in a commemorative poster style. He took it from there and in record time created a fun and retro-modern poster for the 30^th Anniversary of “Buck Rogers In the 25^th Century,” capturing the likenesses of Gil Gerard and Erin Gray perfectly.

I created an anniversary logo, had the drawing professionally printed on art paper and put in a temporary frame. On Saturday, September 5, 2009, just a few days shy of the 30^th Anniversary of the original air date of the first episode, I walked into the Dragon Con Walk of Fame and presented the print to Gil Gerard and Erin Gray in person. They seemed very pleased with the gesture and gave me their business cards so I could mail prints to them. I can now rest easy knowing that the stars of “Buck Rogers In the 25^th Century” were recognized properly for their contribution to science fiction television.