Michael Whelan
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michaelwhelan.bsky.social
Michael Whelan
@michaelwhelan.bsky.social
27K followers 770 following 3.5K posts
Fine artist of Imaginative Realism. Retired illustrator of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Winner of 15 Hugo Awards. Inducted into the SF Hall of Fame in 2009.
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michaelwhelan.bsky.social
THE DREAMING LANDS (2002)
Oil on Canvas - 20” X 30”

This painting is one of several works derived from my experiences at MSKCC in 2000.

That year I read a couple of books which mentioned a feeling I have experienced at night during camping trips... 1/4
Sunken into solid rock, a woman with wavy golden blonde hair lies with her arms spread and stares up at the sky. Her plain white t-shirt rides up to expose a hint of midriff. One knee is slightly raised, and a shadow falls across her thin, drab green sweatpants. The rock enveloping her shows some cracking and pebbling but is mostly worn smooth. A ridge of mountains runs just beyond forming a rim, tan against the gray rock in which she is situated. Past that more barren land leads to a stretch of mountain that climbs left to right with the visible break of a valley cut through before resuming in a long half dome. The panoramic view eventually gives way to soft blue skies.
November 25, 2025 at 1:54 PM
michaelwhelan.bsky.social
Also wanted to mention that FILED TEETH is available as a mousepad, playmat, and desk mat. Check all of the designs available in our shop:

www.michaelwhelan.com/shop/gaming-...
michaelwhelan.bsky.social Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 1d
FILED TEETH (1980)
Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 30” x 22”



Ace Books contacted me about doing a cover painting for one of a two-book series: DRAGONS OF LIGHT and DRAGONS OF DARKNESS. My art was to be for the second volume. 1/4
Facing the audience directly, a massive green dragon lays atop a hoard of glittering gold with forelimbs crossed and chin resting over them. A skeletal figure in black hooded robe stands on a smaller mound of treasure before the great dragon holding up a vial of blood. A trickle of red dribbles from the dragon’s mouth. The pattern of smaller scales on its long snout is echoed in larger hexagons atop the cone of its head. Eyes curve in yellow slits under spiked brows. Antennae like projections sweep off the top and side of its head. Above, wings unfold nearly touching the cave top, which glistens in dotted mineral patterns of red, yellow, and green.
November 25, 2025 at 12:51 AM
michaelwhelan.bsky.social
FILED TEETH (1980)
Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 30” x 22”



Ace Books contacted me about doing a cover painting for one of a two-book series: DRAGONS OF LIGHT and DRAGONS OF DARKNESS. My art was to be for the second volume. 1/4
Facing the audience directly, a massive green dragon lays atop a hoard of glittering gold with forelimbs crossed and chin resting over them. A skeletal figure in black hooded robe stands on a smaller mound of treasure before the great dragon holding up a vial of blood. A trickle of red dribbles from the dragon’s mouth. The pattern of smaller scales on its long snout is echoed in larger hexagons atop the cone of its head. Eyes curve in yellow slits under spiked brows. Antennae like projections sweep off the top and side of its head. Above, wings unfold nearly touching the cave top, which glistens in dotted mineral patterns of red, yellow, and green.
November 24, 2025 at 4:55 PM
michaelwhelan.bsky.social
For this week’s newsletter, we are pleased to announce the relaunch of our popular line of premium gaming accessories through a new partnership with Ultimate Custom Mousepads.

Playmats, mousepads, and desk mats are now available in our shop!

theartofmichaelwhelan.substack.com/p/playmats-a...
Playmat with rounded corners featuring THE WAY OF KINGS. Description: A cloaked and armored figure raises his sword in salute to a tiny figure in the distance separated by a chasm of broken earth shrouded by mist. A massive storm cell winds gray and blue across the sky intersecting the tip of the extended sword. A bright line of blue runs across the clouds as if etched by the unusual half-hilted, wavy blade. The orange cloak covering most of the figure (as viewed from behind) is decorated with a mass of wild crustacean arms ending in crescent claws. The icon on the pennant, flying tall on a pole held offhand, depicts a crab-like creature. The sky to the right of the storm is tinted warm yellow as the sun peeks out. A sliver of moon can be seen in a blue-sky break between the clouds. In the background left forks of lightning strike at the distant mountains on the horizon.
November 23, 2025 at 8:32 PM
michaelwhelan.bsky.social
GOLDEN DREAM (1982)
Acrylic - 24” X 30”

Ever since I started using symbolism in paintings, I’ve naturally defined different types and uses of it. All symbolism serves the basic desire to convey thoughts and feelings that can’t be expressed adequately (or as economically) in other ways. 1/5
A fuzzy alien humanoid with glassy green eyes slit like a cat's reclines atop a fallen tree with its three children nestled in its lap. On reaches out for a butterfly, while a second naps, and a third stares thoughtfully at the audience. In the background left, more Fuzzies are working cultivated fields. A river meanders through verdant green, placid and glassy as light of the sun low in the sky shines through tall mountain walls to the valley in golden light.
November 22, 2025 at 12:51 PM
michaelwhelan.bsky.social
Reminder, if you were thinking about ordering framed prints for the holidays, please allow 2-3 weeks for custom framing before we ship.

Plus an early bird discount for our paid subscribers on Substack before our Cyber Monday mailing. Details here:

theartofmichaelwhelan.substack.com/p/framing-fo...
Detail from PEACE. Description: With eyes closed in contemplation, a woman in plain white gown cradles a dove in her lap. Her blonde hair is tied up with a band of holly. A circular window bounded by a wreath opens behind her to expose a wooded, mountainous scene, tinted by the blue night sky.
November 21, 2025 at 5:01 PM
michaelwhelan.bsky.social
PASSAGE: THE AVATAR (1988)
Acrylic on Canvas - 48" x 48"

Initially inspired by a few notes from a Pink Floyd instrumental track, this came to me while floating in a sensory deprivation tank. 1/4
Three classical arches stand tall against a calm cerulean sky at twilight. Transparent spheres, each containing a flicker of flame, float among the pillars of a ruined yet still beautiful structure. Steps lead up from the sand to a broad pedestal set at the center of the arches. Above it a star hangs low on the horizon. In the immediate foreground, a path of stones winds across a shallow tidal pool. Water reflects the vertical lines of the pillars.
November 21, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Reposted by Michael Whelan
booksofm.com
If you use GMail, AI (Gemini) was turned on yesterday by default and now scans all of your content for machine learning. To turn off, go to Settings>General and scroll down. Uncheck the box for "Smart features."

There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
November 20, 2025 at 5:32 PM
michaelwhelan.bsky.social
Announcement coming soon for new playmats, gaming mousepads, and desk mats. 😁
Samples of large gaming mousepad (290x250mm, 11.4x9.8in), playmat (700x400mm, 27.5x15.7in), and desk mat (900x400mm, 35x15.7in) featuring THE WAY OF KINGS
November 20, 2025 at 8:32 PM
michaelwhelan.bsky.social
GOLDEN DRAGON (1994)
Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 30” x 20”

THE GIRL WHO HEARD DRAGONS is a collection of Anne McCaffrey’s short fantasy and science fiction, mostly published in various magazines or anthologies. 1/4
A young woman stands upon a boulder with one arm reaching up toward a dragon that weaves its way through the tall bare trunks of an alien forest. Its amber eyes are focused off panel left past trees with spongy red tops that resemble the shape of a flame. Her dress is of peasant style with tight cuffs around the upper arm and accents of purple beaded trim. Her long blonde hair and tattered skirts whip with the motion of her reaching out. At the base of the boulders where she stands upon, a young man in plain tan shirt kneels, leaning against the trunk of a fallen tree as he twists around to look back at her.
November 20, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Reposted by Michael Whelan
thespaceshipper.com
Fred Augis is on Bsky! He's worth following!
He's created tons of concept art that I've already shared (on Twitter then here), mainly for Prey (2017), but also Love, Death & Robots, Returnal, Dual Universe, and even Beyond Good & Evil 2. 😍
Prey: Mooncrash (DLC), art by Fred Augis
November 19, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Reposted by Michael Whelan
catter.bsky.social
#oc #comicart #digitalart #catgirl
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CATTER VS SPARKY 🐱⚡🥊CATGIRL FIGHT!
Sparky created by @macrohardt.bsky.social🤖
🧵 1/4 Full sequence below!
November 19, 2025 at 12:42 AM
michaelwhelan.bsky.social
Figure study for SEAWALL
Acrylic - 13” x 9 ½”

I imagined a young girl looking off to an uncertain future to represent the next generation facing global climate change. I wanted a photo reference but my daughter Alexa was grown up and off finishing grad school. 1/3
Figure study for SEAWALL featuring a girl in white shirt and shorts patterned with 5-pointed pink blossoms. She holds a blue rubber ball at her hip. Next to her, the broken base of a street sign juts out of the concrete.
November 19, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Reposted by Michael Whelan
caitlinyarsky.bsky.social
Please help if you can, especially if you live in the area and enjoy comics and community building. Katie is a Portland treasure, she has helped me and countless other creatives get their work out there 💕
davidharper.bsky.social David Harper @davidharper.bsky.social · 7d
Books with Pictures (@bkswpicspdx.bsky.social) in Portland, Oregon is a GREAT comic shop, and its owner in @omgkatiep.bsky.social is one of the best. The shop is going through a hard time right now, and if you want to help BwP out, they opened a GoFundMe to help do just that.
Keep Books with Pictures Alive: Donate Now, organized by Katie Pryde
Dear friends: I need your help. I’m proud of everything Books with Pictures… Katie Pryde needs your support for Keep Books with Pictures Alive: Donate Now
www.gofundme.com
November 19, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Reposted by Michael Whelan
clairewillett.bsky.social
I’ve been a FreeTaxUSA proselytizer for years and years and I strongly encourage everyone to make the switch. same kind of step by step “for dummies” interface, even for my complicated freelancer taxes, and you don’t have to give your money to one of our most evil lobbyists
moreperfectunion.bsky.social More Perfect Union @moreperfectunion.bsky.social · 7d
TurboTax is about to be integrated into ChatGPT, where customers will be guided through tasks tied to their tax filings or financial profile by the AI chatbot.

TurboTax owner Intuit is also paying OpenAI more than $100 million a year to power AI agents.
November 19, 2025 at 3:41 AM
Reposted by Michael Whelan
emilyhare.co.uk
I fancied getting back into sculpting which I hadn't done since school. This was based on my Pedro monster I did for one of my books (first pic). SO MUCH FUN. He keeps an eye on me in the studio now. #monster #sculpture #airdryclay #cutemonster #sillymonster #funny #pinkbottom
watercolour painting of a fat little monster with a pink bottom. Sitting as a dog might sit on its haunches and looking back at us (so we can see his bum) with three orange eyes and a grin and two long ears. He is purple with a green belly and his bum is pink. sculpture of a fat little monster with a pink bottom, green belly and purple back. Three orange eyes and a grin with an overbite. sculpture of a fat little monster with a pink bottom, green belly and purple back. Three orange eyes and a grin with an overbite. sculpture of a fat little monster with a pink bottom, green belly and purple back. Three orange eyes and a grin with an overbite. (rear view, big pink bottom)
November 19, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Reposted by Michael Whelan
levgrossman.com
Back when I worked at Time magazine I wrote a piece calling George R.R. Martin “the American Tolkien.” Is it true? Who knows. WHAT AFTER ALL IS TRUTH REALLY.

But in my house, when I was a kid, the American Tolkien was Fritz Leiber. substack.com/home/post/p-...
That Other American Tolkien
When I was a child, the novels of Fritz Leiber were way more important to me than The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings. If anything Tolkien was the British Leiber
substack.com
November 18, 2025 at 12:43 AM
michaelwhelan.bsky.social
Tomorrow (Wed 11/19) we’ll be offering a painted study for SEAWALL at 11am ET. A preview of this original art is now available for our paid subscribers:

theartofmichaelwhelan.substack.com/p/faded-star...
Detail from SEAWALL featuring a girl staring down a concrete causeway that descends into the rippling ocean. She wears shorts patterned with pink 5-pointed blossoms and a plain white shirt. Long blonde hair falls to her waist. Beside her the concrete curves. Rusty rebar sticks out forming a railing with yellow caution stripes where the metal hasn’t snapped off.
November 18, 2025 at 5:50 PM
michaelwhelan.bsky.social
ARMENIA (1990)
Oil on Canvas - 22” x 35”

Ar-me-ni-a, city in the sky, a Who song, not the country.

This painting is part of a series dealing with what Barbara Tuchman describes as the disillusionments of twentieth-century man. 1/5
With arms crossed and wearing long white robes, a young woman leans against a pillar and offers the audience an apathetic glance. Behind her, the warm glow of the setting sun—unseen behind low billowing clouds—illuminates the water and the tilted remains of a futuristic city. It's not clear if the city is sinking or rising out of the water. On close examination, human and animal bones can be seen in relief on the surface of the pillar. The weathered stumps of other pillars can be seen in the field around her. Small creatures, cute and furry, stop for a snack on alien vegetation, which includes red flowers that stand vibrant among the muted greens in the foreground.
November 18, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Reposted by Michael Whelan
existentialcomics.com
AI Socrates -
existentialcomics.com/comic/629
AI Socrates
A philosophy webcomic about the inevitable anguish of living a brief life in an absurd world. Also Jokes
existentialcomics.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:03 PM
michaelwhelan.bsky.social
DARKNESS OVER HAYHOLT (2016)
Acrylic on Gessobord - 24” x 36”

When DAW contacted me 35 years ago about illustrating the cover for a high fantasy novel by Tad Williams, an amazing relationship began with THE DRAGONBONE CHAIR. 1/5
Constrained view of a castle courtyard as seen at night through a stone archway lit from behind the viewer. On the right, the Tower of Hjeldin rises with wide narrow, barred slits at the top glowing red. The statue of an angel stands on the left with one arm raised. Tall bushes obscure the entrance through an inner wall leading to the keep. Above is a mix of starry dark sky and layers of clouds illuminated by a glowing crescent moon.
November 17, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Reposted by Michael Whelan
tomdavidson92.bsky.social
Pope Leo absolutely cooking
November 16, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Reposted by Michael Whelan
wolfskulljack.bsky.social
Some Magical Girls are WOLVES- 2025
My art digital, a wolf and a women
November 16, 2025 at 10:02 PM
michaelwhelan.bsky.social
In this week’s newsletter, we dive deep into magical waters for the making of SEAWALL. If you enjoy process features, you don’t want to miss this one!

theartofmichaelwhelan.substack.com/p/magical-wa...
Detail from SEAWALL featuring a girl staring down a concrete causeway that descends into the rippling ocean. She wears shorts patterned with pink 5-pointed blossoms and a plain white shirt. Long blonde hair falls to her waist. Beside her the concrete curves. Rusty rebar sticks out forming a railing with yellow caution stripes where the metal hasn’t snapped off.
November 16, 2025 at 2:08 PM