Our great buddy and my fellow writer over at Star Trek: The Neutral Zone Rob Wainfur caught up with artist Paul Shipper, who fans will know has produced a number of Star Wars pieces over the years including the Dolby Cinema poster for The Last Jedi.
Here, Shipper discusses his process with Rob on the excellent The Bearded Trio.
TBT – To mention Struzan again, he has produced some of the classic posters over the decades and become ingrained in movie history. These days when I see a similar piece of artwork that captures the subject matter, be it a TV, movie or person it seems you are that artist. It’s so pleasing to see that you are continuing that tradition of making posters that ignite one’s imagination. How do you bring a wonderful piece of artwork to life? Is it all pencil and airbrush or do you use digital tools too?
PS – Thank you, that’s really nice of you to mention. Well my work comes from a traditional background, doing everything the way drew would work on his pieces, however, these days I use a computer simulating real media with digital pencils, airbrush and paint keeping the aesthetic I know and love but in the digital realm. Many people don’t realise its digital, which is the actual point. Just because something is created using new tools doesn’t mean it has to look like it is digital. The artist has the power of choice from colour to media, to style, you name it… it is the choices we make that define the finished result.