Michael Whelan

In this week's newsletter, we spin a screamer of a tale with the story behind THE SLICKS.

Read about what it took to put the finishing touches on this post-apocalyptic vision for the Mutant Hunter books by Stephen R. Cox.

https://theartofmichaelwhelan.substack.com/p/a-screamer-of-a-tale

HEAD IN THE CLOUD (2022)
Acrylic - 7 ½” x 8”

I went where the assortment of shapes and colors seemed to point to me. If I painted what was actually running through my mind, it would have been fear in the shape of a mushroom cloud. With a crazy Putin rattling his nuclear saber, it’s hard to think of anything else. Perhaps that’s what drove me to find a bit of escapism in a SF illustration.

https://www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/2022-leftover-3/

#leftoversandpalettegremlins #sciencefiction

THE MANY-COLORED LAND (1982)
Acrylic

I loved Julian May’s “Pliocene Exile” series, but I never felt like I did the books justice. I remember struggling to come up with dramatic concepts for this, but Del Rey didn’t go for them. 1/3

#sciencefiction #illustration #julianmay #plioceneexile #delreybooks

FLOWERS AND WEEDS (1997)
Acrylic on Canvas - 36" X 48"

When my son Adrian was 3 or 4 years old, we used to go to an abandoned construction site where there were huge slabs of concrete embedded with iron reinforcing rods.

When we struck the rebar with a stone or another piece of metal they would ring like bells. It was interesting to hear such beautiful tones coming from such ugliness and he really enjoyed it. 1/3

#fineart #personalvisions #imaginativerealism

THIS ALIEN SHORE (1998)
Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 30” x 20”

Most readers will remember author C.S. Friedman for the Coldfire Trilogy, but this was her most critically successful book, a New York Times notable book of the year. 1/4

#sciencefiction #illustration #csfriedman #dawbooks

EDGEDANCER (2002)

Acrylic on Gessoboard - 28" x 22"



From the End of Nature subset of my gallery work, a cautionary tale, “All good things come to an end...” 1/2

#fineart #endofnature #personalvisions #imaginativerealism

DAUGHTER OF REGALS (1983)
Acrylic on Illustration Board - 31” x 21”

A problem in choosing the image for this cover was that the heroine is consistently portrayed as being drab and uninteresting. Yet uninteresting is the last thing a book cover should be! 1/4

#fantasy #illustration #stephenrdonaldson #delreybooks

In this week's newsletter, I tackle the question of how much influence authors have in the art direction of their covers:

https://theartofmichaelwhelan.substack.com/p/a-question-of-collaboration

THE SUMMONING (2022)
Acrylic - 8 ½” x 7 ¼”

The paint for this came from a leftover palette. Most of the earth tones had dried up but the blues, turquoises, and greens looked okay. 1/2

ROBOTS AND EMPIRE (1986)
Acrylic - 20” x 32”

My favorite scene in the book, save the ending, was the handshake. Reading the manuscript, I was struck by the understated beauty of that scene and became determined to use it for the cover art. 1/4

AFTERNOON SHADOWS (2006)
Acrylic on Panel - 12” x 9”

Dedicated to my beloved mother-in-law Pat Larsen. “Mum” will never be forgotten.

Inspired by a ruined abbey I saw on the coast of England, this study is an exploration of feelings about the inevitability of time. 1/2

#fineart #personalvisions #imaginativerealism #portals

DEATHWING: THE DESTROYER
Preliminary concept for World of Warcraft
Acrylic - 8” x 11”

Michael Whelan has painted a variety of dragons in his career, but none match the fury and destructive power of Deathwing. Commissioned by Blizzard Entertainment for the massively popular online RPG.

This small original painting is now available in our shop while it lasts:

https://www.michaelwhelan.com/shop/deathwing-the-destroyer/

#originalart #fantasy #dragon #worldofwarcraft

THE REACH (1999)
Acrylic on Canvas - 48” x 30”

Almost a Lumen painting, in which figures are trying to work their way out of enclosed spaces and get into the light. 1/3

#fineart #personalvisions #imaginativerealism

JOHN CARTER OF MARS (1979)
Acrylic - 22” x 28”

I’ve had a special fondness for The Martian Tales by Edgar Rice Burroughs even since I first read them in my early teens. This was the last of 11 covers, so it seemed fitting to have John Carter and Dejah Thoris ride off into the sunset. 1/3

#sciencefiction #illustration #edgarriceburroughs #johncarter #barsoom #delreybooks

In this week’s newsletter, we’re featuring the lost black and white interior illustrations from The Gunslinger to go along with a Q&A on my work on that legendary book. 1/2

https://theartofmichaelwhelan.substack.com/p/unfound-the-lost-gunslinger-illustrations

BEE TAXI (2016)
Acrylic on Gessobord - 12" x 16"

The last painting I used this palette for, HARBINGER, had a lot of yellows in it. When I finished, I covered the palette with a yellow ochre gesso so I could use it again. 1/3

#leftoversandpalettegremlins #fantasy

CATSPAW (1988)
Acrylic on Resin Board - 30” x 20”

Sometimes a cover concept blazes into my internal vision while reading the book, and I know no other will do. Even after finding the best approach, I'll spend days trying to outdo it to make sure my first instinct was correct. 1/4

#sciencefiction #illustration #joandvinge #bookcover

SOMETHING IN MY EYE (1996)
Oil on Panel - 22” x 22”

I created this as the cover for a poster book of my favorite horror paintings. For years I promised to follow with a similarly cringe-worthy riff on dental horror but have yet to make good on that threat. 1/2

#horror #illustration #bookcover

In this week’s newsletter, I discuss my sigil vs signature, give cover design advice, and answer a question of nudity:

https://theartofmichaelwhelan.substack.com/p/february-q-and-a-with-michael-whelan

DRAGONET DANCE (2018)
Oil on Canvas - 20” x 16”

This began as a demo piece, working from a doodle done by an audience member. 1/2

#leftoversandpalettegremlins #fantasy #dragon

BLACK STAR RISING (1984)
Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 30" x 22"

My first cover for Frederik Pohl came with this satirical, post-apocalyptic space opera. 1/3

#sciencefiction #illustration #frederikpohl #delreybooks

EMPIRE OF DREAMS (2005)
Acrylic on Gessoboard - 28” x 22”

A world of concrete works in disarray, thrown about by some unknown cataclysm. 1/3

#fineart #personalvisions #portals #imaginativerealism

THE TROUBLE WITH TYCHO (1976)
Acrylic on Illustration Board

While excavating on the Moon, an astronaut bites the dust (I couldn’t resist) and another fights vainly against a malevolent alien energy. 1/3

#sciencefiction #illustration #clifforddsimak #acebooks

TIME’S PASSING (2007)
Oil on Panel - 26” x 16”

As a native Californian, I really enjoy the change in seasons that I experience living in New England. There is even beauty to be found in the shadows of the leafless trees against the pale gray winter sky. 1/2

#fineart #personalvisions #portals #imaginativerealism

STONE OF FAREWELL (1989)
Acrylic on Canvas - 21” X 46”

The main problem in doing what is called a wraparound cover—art that wraps around from the front to the back of the book—is in trying to avoid pieces that look like two different paintings stuck together. 1/4

#fantasy #illustration #bookcover #tadwilliams #ostenard #dawbooks

THE WAY STATION (1982)
Acrylic on Illustration Board - 20” x 30”

It should come as a surprise to no one that I just love painting textures. 1/3

#horror #illustration #darktower #stephenking #rolanddeschain #jakechambers #gunslinger

In this week’s newsletter, we examine an alternate approach to categorizing my art that goes beyond illustration and fine art.

https://theartofmichaelwhelan.substack.com/p/a-question-of-control