I befriended Star Wars and Marvel artist par excellence and fellow Steven Spielberg and George Lucas fan Paul Shipper on social media a long time ago. He has always made time for fellow fans, and I once recommended a Buzz Lightyear toy from Mattel Creations (formerly Matty Collector). Hope you've still got it, Paul!
Shipper has been profiled by the BBC. Here is an extract:
Among the projects he has worked on are posters and artwork for blockbuster titles including Avengers: Infinity War, Doctor Strange, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Skeleton Crew.
The illustrator said becoming a movie poster artist had originally seemed a long way off, before the early days of the internet helped his work find an audience.
“It was just through kind of sheer dumb luck really and the internet that it happened,” he said.
“Before you know it, there are people who see it who are connected with the movies and then all of a sudden you get asked if you’re interested in working on a Steven Spielberg movie or something like that.”
Shipper described himself as “a Spielberg and George Lucas kid”, saying franchises such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones were the films that first inspired him to become an illustrator.
For Shipper, the appeal of poster art lies in being able to tell a story with a single image.
“You’re trying to distill something within one image,” he said.
“It is kind of like a trailer... there are posters that tell you too much, so there is a fine line.”
What are your favourite posters by Paul Shipper? Let me know in the comments below.
