Post AxmCfz1D5UCLPeXldw by noondlyt@hellions.cloud
(DIR) More posts by noondlyt@hellions.cloud
(DIR) Post #AxlZT2ja4668xZ8WGG by MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art
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THE WHITE DRAGON (1978)Acrylic on Masonite - 20" X 30"Although this is the third book in the series, it was my first Pern cover and I was determined to create the dragons as faithfully to Anne McCaffrey's description as possible. 1/5#bookcover #illustration #sciencefiction #dragon #annemccaffrey #pern #delreybooks
(DIR) Post #AxlZd0DiGboO3gynOC by MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art
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Even with Anne’s rather specific description of her dragons, I found plenty of room for individual interpretation. These preliminary drawings show the evolution of my concept of the fantastic winged beasts.I studied crocodiles and bat wings, and wrote to Anne with many questions. 2/5
(DIR) Post #AxlZhhRbVEpXH2iUwS by MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art
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After all that, it was somewhat of a letdown to have 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. 3/5
(DIR) Post #AxlZlBPcXTaT5RRxq4 by MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art
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This painting represents a major benchmark in my career as an artist. It was my first painting to appear on a hardcover and the first science fiction novel to reach the New York Times’ Hardcover Bestseller List. That brought a small measure of national recognition. 4/5
(DIR) Post #AxlZo0TDg3Rq1HToFE by MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art
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I guess I couldn't miss with red-white-and-blue as a color scheme!Cover illustration for THE WHITE DRAGON by Anne McCaffrey (Del Rey) 5/5https://www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/white-dragon/
(DIR) Post #AxlZtnzYz5dD3YND04 by MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art
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Text of Anne's letter: 29 November 1977Dear Michael Whelan, Oh, you are a nice guy! I really have worried that I'd been overbearing/patronising/or depressing so your letter this morning reassured me considerably. Mind you, had the artwork been turned in, ears and short Jaxom and all, I'm sure it would have been more than acceptable but as I am just cringing from the travesty of a cover on an English edition of mine, your consideration pours much needed balm on lacerated sensibilities. 1/
(DIR) Post #AxlZwjHuvirNKtLvEm by MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art
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I haven't a clue why English salespeople are now insisting that all s-f covers display hardware of various sorts, all in garish primaries so that each book looks exactly like its neighbors in the shelves...and they wonder why s-f isn't selling as well as it used to! Ha!) 2/
(DIR) Post #AxlZz5gQdTDXNBwYiG by MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art
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Back to whers and wherries and herdbeasts: whers are as repulsive as you wish to make them, sort of malformed dragons and I suppose, truth be known, they were the original 'batch' of dragon-types hatched by our biologists in Pern's dim past. Wherries are on the order of ostrich or dodos, only they can fly: with a little bit of vulture or buzzard thrown in...not particularly lovely creatures. Herdbeasts are sort of cows only lighter built, for speed, since they do have to outrun predators. 3/
(DIR) Post #Axla0ihf2vDQgGIT9k by MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art
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Fire-lizards are arm-length (fore-arm, that is without tail included) graceful lovely small dragon-types, the original genetic information for dragons.Whers have stubby wings which have been clipped so they can't fly and they have forelegs more in keeping with their hind legs, being basically quadrupeds whereas dragons are more bipedal. Whers are oviparous like dragons. Wild whers can fly but in an ungainly fashion. 4/
(DIR) Post #Axla2C2NT4rDwrgna4 by MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art
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Wherries are more apt to fly but they'll also flock as turkeys or ostriches. They aint bright except we could make them colorful in body markings...they have down more than feathers...sort of undeveloped feathers. I'd say all Pernese animals have slick body coverings, rather than feathers which would trap Thread as it passed down their bodies, or attached itself to them to eat. Horrible thought. 5/
(DIR) Post #Axla4aRfgt1sEAf5YO by MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art
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Actually, you see, because of Thread there's a sort of dearth of indigenous life forms on Pern, with the exception of tunnel snakes (or which there could be a tremendous variety in size and color) and fire-lizards. I'd say that the colonists brought the herdbeast types with them and bred them up over the generations...if you take my qualification. So they are mammalian, and alien to the planet though adapted to it. 6/
(DIR) Post #Axla6B0pDlNXvZrXxA by MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art
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I don't know if you'll get a crack at the map I sent Judy- Lynn..had to send it in sections as I drew it bigger and couldn't find a Xerox large-size. The northern continent dwindled into unexplored tundra/Finnish wastes of snow/Siberia type so it's not featurized.-.. and I didn't have enough space to complete the southern continent's polar area but it too is considerable and snowy as respectable polar areas should be. 7/
(DIR) Post #Axla7IK1Wsjat6NLxQ by MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art
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I didn't have enough patience to do a proper cartographical representation this time either (The French borrowed my master Pern map and never returned it, quel blague!) but the major features are there, particularly the volcanos in the southeast and the two mountain ranges, which are actually one, but split for the inland sea. (Why do I get myself into these pickles?????) 8/
(DIR) Post #Axla8DwdI0UDbLsUYC by MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art
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I had no trouble reading your printing...you should see my son's. Love your 'm's' Hope to see you when I'm back in the States in March! Hang in there and thanks very much for troubling, about Pern! [Signed] Anne Mc9/9
(DIR) Post #AxlaTb6iMmqJWJmkim by cstross@wandering.shop
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@MichaelWhelan Different design language catering to a culture with different expectations? (About half the time I've hated my US book covers, as opposed to the UK ones: guess where I live?)
(DIR) Post #AxlfJuCV1TYPc0gmCe by Zeimyth@dragonchat.org
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@MichaelWhelan Seeing this cover brings back memories! Thank you for sharing this story of how this cover art came to be.
(DIR) Post #Axlg1P6O0YAru3ZTc0 by dwardoric@chaos.social
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@MichaelWhelan A scan of this was one of my earliest computer desktop wallpapers. 🤩
(DIR) Post #Axlib2SZrrY80t4RkW by erik@mastodon.infrageeks.social
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@MichaelWhelan My mental pictures of Anne’s dragons were significantly influenced by your artwork which captured so much of the important details. That cover remains graven in my memory - say the title and I can remember so many of the tiny details
(DIR) Post #AxlmFn5eDVos51T9O4 by solitha@mastodon.social
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@MichaelWhelan You did a wonderful job with Ruth and Jaxom.It surprises me that Ms McCaffrey gives you a description of the dragons as "more bipedal". I never would have put that word to the vision I had of them.
(DIR) Post #AxlwQDlEuRJ3EfXGiG by valen1@mstdn.social
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@MichaelWhelan I love #Pern, and Anne McCaffrey's dragons so much. Thanks for doing a great illustration of Ruth and Jaxom! It's great to see one of my favorite book's cover artist on here. Thanks!
(DIR) Post #AxlxSfwlBasJBZetSC by carrideen@c18.masto.host
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@MichaelWhelan The White Dragon was my favorite of the Pern novels, and seeing your cover made me instantly 11 years old again!
(DIR) Post #Axm0C4NpNUdBuj5nge by samkash@mastodon.social
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@MichaelWhelan this is all incredible! Thank you so much for sharing these stories and history. The White Dragon means so much to me and the cover art has always stuck with me. It's incredible coming across your message here and I'm seriously in awe. The art of Jaxom sitting upon Ruth, I keep a copy on my shelf next to my desk so that I can enjoy it everyday.
(DIR) Post #Axm4wlfdAYBFIuwVaS by swelljoe@mas.to
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@MichaelWhelan this series was among my favorites as a kid, and this cover is one of a handful of covers I remember pretty distinctly. I enjoy all your recollections of your work, but especially the ones about my childhood faves.
(DIR) Post #AxmCbgkh3kvxbOloy8 by noondlyt@hellions.cloud
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@MichaelWhelan OMG How did I not know you Illustrated these too??? So good!!
(DIR) Post #AxmCfz1D5UCLPeXldw by noondlyt@hellions.cloud
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@MichaelWhelan He was a smol dragon and your proportions are exactly what I imagined :)