Lee Johnson, well known and much admired for his Doctor Who-related art, is a freelance illustrator of books and audio dramas. He has a passion for film posters, using a cinematic style to give his artwork maximum impact while staying true to the aesthetics of the story.
Over a varied career, he’s illustrated the Doctor Who: The Complete History part work for Panini UK, working on the project as lead artist, and he also worked on Doctor Who: The Brilliant Book and The Dalek Handbook for BBC Books, and Blake’s 7 and more for Big Finish Productions.
“From a young age I have had a huge passion for the artwork that is used for film posters, with Drew Struzan being a major influence on me,” says Lee.
The art he produced for Doctor Who: The Complete History used a cinematic style to give the artwork maximum impact whilst staying true to the aesthetics of the story, a skill developed some years back in the creation of alternative covers for Doctor Who DVD releases he created as a fan of the show.
Alongside Ben Morris, Lee is one of the illustrators on the upcoming Doctor Who: The Monster Vault by Jonathan Morris and Penny CS Andrews, described as “Doctor Who’s biggest and most comprehensive monster guide yet”.
The Monster Vault takes you on the ultimate tour of the Whoniverse, discovering and cataloguing every wonderful and terrifying creature the Doctor has ever encountered.
From the notorious Daleks, to the evil Stenza warrior T’zim-Sha and the ancient Thijarians, the guide features in-depth profiles on each monster, showing the Doctor’s most dangerous enemies in their natural habitat and unveiling their secret histories.
Readers keen on exploring Doctor Who’s rich production history will also discover how many iconic monsters were created and designed, through exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews, anecdotes, case studies and unseen artwork.
• Explore more of Lee’s work at leejohnson.myportfolio.com/projects
• Find Lee Johnson on Facebook – Official Page
• Doctor Who: The Monster Vault is published on 22nd October 2020 by BBC Books, priced £25. Pre-order it here from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link, hell support downthetubes – thank you)
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
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.
Categories: Art and Illustration, Books, Doctor Who, downthetubes News, Other Worlds