Post AwpDdLoOWSpwrdDqFc by 401matthall@mastodon.xyz
 (DIR) More posts by 401matthall@mastodon.xyz
 (DIR) Post #AwpDZ3IHQj60H09RGS by MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art
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       DRAGONFLIGHT (1978)Acrylic on Masonite - 20" X 30" For the first book in Anne McCaffrey's now legendary Dragonriders of Pern series, I wanted to create a literal visualization of the title. I selected an aerial point-of-view and tilted the horizon to simulate the dizzying sensation of flight. 1/4#sciencefiction #scifi #scifiart #sff #illustration #annemccaffrey #pern#dragon
       
 (DIR) Post #AwpDdLoOWSpwrdDqFc by 401matthall@mastodon.xyz
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       @MichaelWhelan Always loved this artwork. I'd _love_ to get a print of this.
       
 (DIR) Post #AwpDeugyK9XFKhUmeG by MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art
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       Anne's dragons aren't really dragons per se, but an alien life form with similar attributes. They had been portrayed by other artists, but I was determined to create the dragons more faithfully to her description.I studied crocodiles and bat wings and wrote to Anne with many questions. 2/4
       
 (DIR) Post #AwpDit9ry8orjYuKqO by MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art
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       After all that, it was somewhat of a letdown to have the editor Judy Lynn del Rey tell me that based on their descriptions, it would be physically impossible for the dragons to fly. It's because they "think" they can, that they do. 3/4
       
 (DIR) Post #AwpDlyCzeFo6GYq1jM by MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art
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       Interestingly, like the Foundation books, I didn't start with the first book in the series. THE WHITE DRAGON was my first Pern cover assignment. But I painted new covers for DRAGONFLIGHT and DRAGONQUEST soon after. Cover illustration by the book by Anne McCaffrey (Del Rey) 4/ 4https://www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/dragonflight/
       
 (DIR) Post #AwpE0zawmB9SuSCnp2 by leece@aus.social
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       @MichaelWhelan I spent my lunch money on the book with this cover !
       
 (DIR) Post #AwpE8j1QHHwXpHHD5k by leece@aus.social
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       @MichaelWhelan I was impressed - I was in high school and highly critical of cover art at how you had followed the actual descriptions, it was, and is, a rare thing in cover art.
       
 (DIR) Post #AwpGITQzHrM0Hn0i9o by ksmoker@mstdn.social
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       @MichaelWhelan My first read of McCaffrey’s was The White Dragon, 100% based on the cover.
       
 (DIR) Post #AwpH4Zb1gFEhISdpoG by cturnbow@mastodon.world
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       @MichaelWhelan These covers are some of my favorite of your work. Just captured it beautifully imho
       
 (DIR) Post #AwpOHymq27iGrqVRrM by MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art
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       @401matthall We offered one years ago. I'll be glad to mention it the next time we discuss new prints. ~ME
       
 (DIR) Post #AwpUCM8sstCfI6WIM4 by StrangeNoises@mastodon.social
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       @MichaelWhelan yes but they used to say that about bees too AND THEY WERE WRONG! 😉
       
 (DIR) Post #AwpaRb2IOKf1YH5Xs0 by SomeVeganCheeseIsOk@mastodon.social
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       @MichaelWhelan hey! You're on mastodon! Awesome!
       
 (DIR) Post #AwplwdSkWBRPYDStiC by cschack@vivaldi.net
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       @MichaelWhelan My dad still has this on the bookshelf 😊
       
 (DIR) Post #Awqgv7WdTAptb3hWXA by kerravonsen@mastodon.art
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       @MichaelWhelan I remember the cover of The White Dragon when it came out, looking so different from the style of the previous books - and now I know why!
       
 (DIR) Post #AwrIE52WdEtjh4WN4C by troodon@weirder.earth
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       @MichaelWhelan the Dragonriders series was my first "serious, grown-up" SF series, and your covers were 90% of the reason I picked them up. I can't begin to tell you how much I dearly appreciated your art as being sincerely faithful to the books and subjects, or how strongly that contrasted with the "just paint whatever that's kind of similar I guess" attitude of so much cover art at the time, especially with something that was so incredibly important to me--dragons. when I think of your artwork, the Dragonriders covers are the first things that come to mind--immediately followed by the Franklin Mint glass dragon sculptures, of which I have three! XD
       
 (DIR) Post #AwrIE6dQhW0odonMEC by MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art
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       @troodon 😊 🙏  Thank you!