VITALIY SHTAPURA VITALIY SHTAPURA

Fine Arts & Illustration

See also: My InstaGram Account

I have over 20 years of fine arts training, including oil painting, digital art, life drawing, still life, 2D animation, and digital art with the Adobe Creative Suite.

I’ve studied at NYC’s School of Visual Arts; the Art Students League of New York‘s artist Martha Bloom; 92nd Street Y‘s cartoonist Rick Bleier; CreativeWeAre; and the Ridgewood Art Institute.

My comics and illustrations have won 2 Scholastic Gold Keys and have been published in BLICK Art Material‘s CelebratingArts 2017.

This is a 2024 illustration of alleged extraterrestrial being, Ashtar Sheran. This was painted digitally in Photoshop by Vitaliy Shtapura based on other illustrations of Ashtar. Ashtar is the peaceful Commander of the Pleiadian Star Command, first described by George Van Tassel in 1952. Sheran purportedly was keeping humans safe from the hydrogen bomb and sought to prevent the Earth's destruction from nuclear war. The art incorporates a few symbols. On the left side of the chest the Star of Ishtar can be seen. This ancient Sumerian symbol represents the ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, war, fertility, divine law, and political power. Next, his cuff has an upside-down Venus symbol. This represents 'Attar, Ashtar's namesake: an ancient Semitic god, identified with the planet Venus, the morning and evening star. The inversion of the female symbol and correlation with transgender colors is intentional, representing the transcendental and ascended maleness of Ashtar. A rainbow is visible, representing both divine joy and peace on Earth. The star cluster above Ashtar's head is the Pleiades star cluster, a constellation inspiring mystical folklore across nearly all human cultures. The halos around Ashtar represent the fact that he and his fellow beings are supposedly able to generate energy so powerful it is visible to the human eye.
“Ashtar Sheran”, 2024
Charley Parkhurst, 2021
Vision, 2023
Self Portrait with Cabbage, 2023
Liminality, 2016
Гори Звезда, 2024
Untitled, 2016
Tomorrow, 2016
Cover
coverface, 2016
“Hey Garfield…”, 2024
Garfunkel
Just Can't Get the Spices Right, 2024
Just Can’t Get the Spices Right, 2024
Robotnik’s Prrrrromotion!, 2024
Skinner Chalmers Karaoke
Vision of Christ
Aloysius O’Hare, 2022?
Superintendent Chalmers Pinup, 2024
The Protest, 2016
Shock of Leucippus – illustration for a wikipedia article
Carl and Lenny, 2025
Carl and Lenny, 2025 – illustration for a story
Disco Stu is Payin’ For You featuring Bernice, Gil, and Disco Stu, 2025 – illustration for a story
Epiphany, 2020
The Remonstrance, 2021
The Remonstrance, 2021
Self Portrait October 9, 2023
James Barry, 2021
Self Portrait with Duck,
Would You Still Love Me If, 2023
Between Two Worlds, 2020
Portrait of a Squeezed Lemon, 2021
Disco Stu and John, 2024 – illustration for a story
Disco Stu and John, 2024 – illustration for a story
Marge and Lisa, 2024 – gift for a friend
Sun and Moon Considering Earthly Dramas, 2021
Bosom Friends, 2021 -illustration for Moby Dick
Bernice and Julius, 2025 – illustration for a story

More to come. I also do commissions.

Back to Homepage