Andrew Skilleter art book trilogy announced, encompassing Doctor Who and more

By John Freeman on May 29, 2022 • ( 1 )

Artist Andrew Skilleter, best known for his Doctor Who art, has announced the forthcoming publication of a new art book later this year, ILLUMINART, available to pre-order now – the first in a trilogy of career-spanning retrospectives.

ILLUMINART – The Doctor Who Art of Andrew Skilleter, offered in two editions, will showcase the work from a career of over fifty years in the publishing industry, spanning work for a huge range of publishers and publications, including Target Books and Doctor Who Magazine.

This new collection is the first volume of a trilogy, that will cover not only most of the artist’s Doctor Who art, but many unpublished and unseen commissions, his “Hidden Dimensions”, together with some
personally selected pieces from his extensive canon of work in other genres, such as Star Wars, Dan Dare, Gerry Anderson, BBC Video and Audio and much more.

Every picture tells a story and Andrew has quite a few to tell!

He shares sketches, preliminary drawings, in-progress images accompanied by commentaries from himself and fans giving an intimate insight into the process of his art, his early years, inspirations and artistic heroes and the ups and downs of a long career as a freelance illustrator.

“At my time of life, I felt it is now or never to bring my work together in three volumes as the definitive collection,” explains Andrew of the ambitious project. “It’s a huge commitment for me and can only be achieved by the continuing support of fans and influencers.

“I love books,” he continues, “and it’s a privilege to lavish time on producing something that will look and feel amazing. While each volume will stand on its own, the trilogy will represent the ultimate collection of my artwork. I have a passion for design and once again I’m working with the excellent designer Robert Hammond.”

Andrew Skilleter’s Doctor Who art dominated the 1980s and continued into the 1990s. It included over forty covers for the Target Books Doctor Who novelisations, the much loved Who Dares Poster Prints, the official Doctor Who calendars, the legendary Cybermen book with Cyber Leader David Banks, the iconic Radio Times “The Five Doctors” cover, Doctor Who BBC VHS, and the Doctor Who The New Adventures covers.

His artwork has previously been collected in Blacklight, celebrating 15 years of his Doctor Who art published by Virgin, in 1995 and in the
collection of his Dalek art, Exterminart!, in 2021. Alongside this, he has also had a career as a versatile illustrator.

ILLUMINART – The Doctor Who Art of Andrew Skilleter
144 page, large-format hardback book: 21.5 cm x 30.5 cm, 8.5 x 12 inches | Design by Robert Hammond with Andrew Skilleter | Full colour

Available to pre-order in hardback now, with a choice of two editions

• The Classic Edition

• The Gold Edition Limited to 50 Copies (152 pages)

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.