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'.
I have 7 original pencil drawings from the archives for sale online... Check them out!
Let us know what you think of the new look planned for 2011
PSBe sure to check out http://www.inspirebelief.co.nz and see the amazing work Kaz is doing.
No, not 'The' Fantastic 4 of the superhero variety, nonetheless, these guys are an absolutely fantastic family and I was incredibly honored to be asked to create a portrait of them for their daughter's 30th birthday gift last month.
Faye and Mick asked me for some ideas and between us we settled on painting the families profile onto wood. They had a photo of them that had their profiles, with all but one, but with a handy snap from my iPhone I had all the reference I needed to begin the painting...with only about a week to deliver the goods, the clock was ticking...
Once the big reveal of the finished artwork came I was nervous as usual...! But thankfully, they adored it!
A clients happiness with the finished work is one of the biggest drives for me as a creative, I love to hear that a client is over the moon!
Not only does Jack and the Jungle Lion turn out to be a most charming adventure story about the Golden Age of Hollywood, but to make the picture perfect -- or in this case book -- Stephen Jared turned to talented illustrator Paul Shipper to create a magnificent painted movie poster perfectly capturing the spirit of classical Hollywood adventures!
Paul Shipper is of course not an unfamiliar name to longtime visitors ofTheRaider.net as he has been contributing to this website ever since our first year in 2000. Since then he has grown from an Indyfan submitting fan work to a professional illustrator already having worked on a Lucasfilm project for the Star Wars franchise.
I was commissioned this week by Waikato Tree Services to create a portrait of an employee who was leaving to travel around Europe and the USA. The painting was presented as a gift of thanks for all her hard work and dedication.
The painting was created on a stretched canvas, primed with gesso and drawn in pencil and prismacolor with acrylic paints. I shot the reference photo earlier this year while my trees were being looked a by Chrissie... Some new photography equipment arrived that very day, so I had a play...
My client approached me to do a portrait based on a particular photo taken on that day.
A wonderful, personal touch that says so much more than just a card. It's fantastic to know that an employer can show their thanks in this way. How much better than a gift voucher or perhaps even a gold watch?...
A little update for you to compare with the pencil underdrawing preview last posted.... This is a photo of the unfinished painting...
Here's hoping Opshop will visit the Woodbox some time in the future...
visit http://www.opshopmusic.com to learn more about this great NZ band.
Just heading out the studio door to photograph opshop live at the Woodbox and thought I would take a quick pic as a was leaving...
Paul Shipper
Ph. 021 821 165Here's a sneek peek at what's on my drawing board at the moment.
Paul Shipper
Ph. 021 821 165
