Andrew Skilleter

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Andrew Skilleter is an artist who made a considerable contribution to the artistic interpretation of the world of Doctor Who through a wide range of media, from novelisation covers to large format illustrated guides, from calendars to posters, bookmarks to exhibition touring trucks during a fifteen year period from 1979 through to 1994.

Initially trained as a designer, he considered himself an illustrator by vocation.

Andrew Skilleter painted a number of original Doctor Who novelisation covers (and gift sets) for Target Books, his first being the novelisation cover for Destiny of the Daleks. Original paintings were small, measuring 235mm x 150mm. Pastel colours and small brushstrokes were used. By The Gunfighters Andrew Skilleter had moved onto a larger size painting and by 1987 was feeling sufficiently competent with the airbrush to use it in his work.

Andrew Skilleter provided the cover artwork for the Radio Times issue promoting the 20th Anniversary story The Five Doctors, for which he received an invitation to the Radio Times Cover Party, where he received a framed cover. The artwork was subsequently used for the video release and available as a poster after the likeness of Richard Hurndall was reworked.

Andrew Skilleter was commissioned by Doctor Who Magazine to produce two pieces that were given away with issues 85 and 87, featuring the Master in Masterpiece and The Cybermen on Gallifrey respectively.

Andrew Skilleter's artwork has been used at a number of Doctor Who Exhibitions, most significantly for the Doctor Who USA Touring Trailer in 1986, where he was responsible for the 48-foot trailer exterior. Andrew Skilleter's poster work also featured in a range of jigsaws released for the USA market.

On Chris Achilleos's advice, to protect the copyright on his work Andrew Skilleter set up his own (short-lived) publishing company, Who Dares Publishing in 1986. Who Dares Publishing produced a range of quality merchandise that included poster prints, calendars (1986, 1987, 1988 and 1999) and bookmarks. The publisher was reformed on 9th October 2016 along with business partner and Doctor Who specialist Matthew Doe.

Returning to design covers for Doctor Who novels in 1991, after a long absence from Target Books, came about when the commissioned artist was unable to continue with the project to supply covers for the first four titles in the New Adventures series of novels from Virgin Publishing. A further cover was provided some time later in this series for Iceberg, which featured an oriental-style TARDIS in the design. This later reappeared on the cover of Sanctuary.

When the decision was taken by the BBC to drop the photographic montages used in the early video releases of Doctor Who, Andrew Skilleter was commissioned to provide the covers for new releases. He also provided artwork for the the special video release tins for The Trial of a Time Lord and the Dalek tin release and the spine design for the Key to Time releases.

Blacklight: The Art of Andrew Skilleter was a title published by BBC Books in 1996, an imprint of Virgin Publishing, which focused on the artist's Doctor Who output in various media.

Covers

Book Covers

Target Novelisations

Virgin New Adventures

Virgin Missing Adventures

Reference Books

BBC Video

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