Siima Iakobvna Shkop studied hairdressing as her initial career path. She began working as a hairdressing assistant at the reputable salon of Jan Czipan in Tallinn during the late 1930s. Shkop entered the art word by studying sculpture under the tutelage of the noted Estonian artist, Voldemar Mellik.

Estonian National Publishing (Eesti Riiklik Kirjastus) was the state-owned publishing entity of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic. It began operations in 1940 as Tartu State Publishing House (until 1941) and was then moved to the capital city of Tallinn around 1944. In addition to publishing posters and books, the house disseminated works of fiction and art. In 1949, it took-in other publishers such as "Fiction", "Art", "Pedagogical Literature", "Political Literature" and "Scientific Literature". From 1964 onward, Estonian National Publishing House was named Estonian Book, (Eesti Raamat).