Artist Andrew Skilleter, perhaps best known for his Doctor Who work, has teased the cover of his new project, ILLUMINART 2 Classic Edition, out later this year.
The first volume of ILLUMINART, now in short supply, showcased a wide range of Andrew’s work first commissioned for various official Doctor Who projects, introduced by Cyber Leader actor David Banks, including his The Five Doctors cover for Radio Times.
The project was the first volume of what will be a Trilogy, featuring not only most of his Doctor Who art but also selected pieces from his numerous SciFi and Fantasy work.
“I’ve been working hard with [designer] Robert Hammond on the design of the second book in the Illuminart Trilogy and we are heading towards completion,” says Andrew. “It’s looking terrific.”
Andrew Skilleter is a long-time UK illustrator of many things, with a track record spanning decades using primarily traditional techniques. It was his childhood dream to be an illustrator, his early influence being the cream of the British picture strip artists who flourished in the golden age of comics that was all over by the end of the 1960s.
He is best known for his long professional association with Doctor Who and the BBC while maintaining a busy illustrative career mainly illustrating works of mystery and imagination and a maintaining long creative partnership with the BBC which included the Radio Collection covers such as The Chronicles of Narnia, Journey Into Space and Tolkein. He has worked with other BBC departments including visual entertainment and exhibitions and the Radio Times.
His 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 Whocalendars, the legendary Cybermen book with Cyber Leader David Banks, the iconic for Radio Times The Five Doctors cover, Doctor Who BBC VHS covers and the Doctor Who Virgin 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 a collection of his Dalek art, Exterminart! in 2021.
Outside of Who, Andrew has produced hundreds of covers for adult, teenage and children’s books across numerous genres. His work has also encompassed the illustration of many books, magazines, CDs and Audio, TV and Video. Genres and series include the Gerry Anderson, Dan Dare, Star Wars, Tripods, Earthsearch, Journey into Space.
With author John Peel, he launched the Doctor Omega Chronicles and is the creator of a new heroine, Miss Amelia Midnite, who features in an ongoing personal project. He publishes his own art collections including the Doctor Who Art Calendar each year and continues with private commissions and selling his original art. Enquiries welcome.
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, Television
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