I’m Paul Manchester and I perform a number of services for my clients. This online portfolio is just a small fraction of the work I have done over the years.

I am an Illustrator and a graphic artist who can work in traditional media or digital media – in both pixel and vector formats.

I often create background art or character designs for animated projects.

I am adept with inDesign and Illustrator and have laid out books, online ads, business cards and other promotional materials. I can prepare that book you have written for printing or for Kindle.

I love stories and how visual elements support those stories. I have created graphic elements for props for quite a number of television shows.

I also sculpt props with sculpting foam when they are large and with Super Sculpy when they are small.

I have been a scenic artist on many television shows and theatrical productions.

I do copywriting and proofreading as well.

Education

I have a BA in Theater from San Jose State University where I focused informally on scenery and costume. I also spent a lot of time in the art department and with art history.

Later, I studied animation at Santa Monica College’s Center for Media and Design. I studied Flash and traditional animation.

An important note about online portfolios…

Putting together an online portfolio is a tricky business as ownership of the final art frequently rests with the client. But at the same time in this modern age, potential employers wish to see online portfolios to judge whether your work is right for them. Sometimes, the very company that forbids any online posts of your work for them, also requires an online portfolio for you to be considered for future work. It is a Catch 22.

So, my personal guidelines are that I will never post any imagery that is not already published and in the public eye (unless it is really ancient and unlikely to ever see the public eye), and I will never say anything disparaging about my clients or show their project in a negative light. At times, I will not list the name of the company involved to keep the focus on the work rather than on the project itself. And when I can reference the employer, I use links to show where users can support the project involved if the images inspire them to explore more. I will also only show a few relevant samples of what I have done and leave the rest to be discovered if you pursue the client’s product on your own.

If you hold ownership of any of these projects that I have posted, and if I have posted anything that you do not wish to be in an online portfolio, let me know and I will remove it immediately.

My portfolio site is not a particularly well traveled site – the only visitors here will be people to whom I have given my card, or who visit when they see the rare posted link. The purpose of this portfolio is simply to be able to show what I am able to do and give potential clients the ability to see if I may be right for their project.