From fan art to Star Wars: How a film poster hobby became a Hollywood career

A film fan who began creating his own movie poster artwork for fun has gone on to work on some of Hollywood’s biggest franchises, including Marvel, Indiana Jones and Star Wars.

Paul Shipper said he was spotted after sharing designs online, leading to opportunities that once felt like “a dream”, inspired by the films of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.

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.