Artist for Stephen Jared’s ‘Jack and the Jungle Lion’

Paul — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 07:24:09 +0000

Paul Shipper – Artist

From as early as I can remember I had a pencil permanently attached to my hand. I was drawn to visual things and would always try to recreate them with my pencils in my art pad. I was lucky to be blessed with an eye for that sort of thing and it has served me well over the years.

My passion for design and art started to gain momentum during high school and my love of illustration took me to Art College and University where I continued to stay focused on my goal. I was being taught by some really inspiring tutors and some not so … however, I always knew that I wanted to follow the path of the traditional illustrator. Inspired by the painted film posters that adorned my bedroom wall, it would become a career path that I could grow with and continue to love day upon day, year upon year without losing any amount of enthusiasm.

There were so many artists I looked up to during those years, whose illustrations were seemingly so unachievable. Drew Struzan, J C Leyendecker, Richard Amsel and Norman Rockwell among some of my contemporaries were all sources of inspiration for me, and I am honored to be classed-even remotely-in their league by some very kind people …

With not much more than a few quid in my pocket, I finished my degree and walked into a 9-5 job that allowed me to pay the bills and begin to illustrate professionally in my spare time. I picked up some great clients during that time and eventually moved onto working for myself full time.

Looking back on my career, I have had so many highlights. One of my proudest illustration achievements was working on a Lucasfilm project for the Star Wars franchise-they needed a painting in the style of one of my illustration heroes. During the 30th Anniversary, I created a poster that would complement the Special Edition Key Art, introducing elements that related to this particular project. The final artwork, which was used for the cover of a game tin, was sold all over the world.

I continue to service my clients from New Zealand where I now reside and am fortunate to get offers of illustration projects from all over the world including book covers, film posters and editorial work as well as private commissions.

I post regular updates of current projects on my blog – blog.psstudiodpi.com as well as on Facebook , Twitter and LinkedIn.

Click here to view the process of creating the cover for ‘Jack and The Jungle Lion’.

Paul Shipper
Illustrator, Designer, Photographer
PS Studio DPI

via jackandthejunglelion.com

Posted via email from PS STUDIO DPI

Buck Rogers 30th Anniversary Poster

Paul — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:05:50 +0000

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

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

I grew up watching “Buck Rogers In the 25^th Century” in the early 1980s. Although Star Wars was more popular, “Buck Rogers In the 25^th Century” was the closest thing to Star Wars on television and the star fighters were really cool. For its time, the show was very entertaining and groundbreaking in television visual effects. Over the years, the show fell into obscurity.

In 2007, I heard a passing mention that three of the major cast members from the show would be at the Dragon Con convention held annually in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States. I bought a pass to Dragon Con for the first time just so I could meet Buck Rogers himself, Gil Gerard, his companion Wilma Deering, played by Erin Gray and Felix Silla, who played the robot Twiki. They were the kindest celebrities I had ever met. I acquired their autographs, of which one particular print now hangs in my office at work. I also attended their panel discussion and enthusiasm for “Buck Rogers In the 25th

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.

Special thanks to Michael for allowing me to share this story with you all.

PS STUDIO DPI » Poster

Artist for Stephen Jared’s ‘Jack and the Jungle Lion’

Paul Shipper – Artist

Buck Rogers 30th Anniversary Poster

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