Michael Whelan

DRAGON ABOARD (2013)
Acrylic - 18" x 24"

Anne McCaffrey often reminded readers that her Pern novels were science fiction. This scene from ALL THE WEYRS OF PERN did exactly that and was originally chosen for the cover. 1/3

#sciencefiction #scifi #scifiart #sff #illustration #annemccaffrey #pern

May 13, 2024 at 2:18pmWeb
Show threadMichael WhelanMay 13, 2024
I did a tight preliminary and was ready to launch into the full-size painting when I had a dream of dragons holding conference high up in the clouds. Anne liked the idea so much that she wrote the scene into her story and that became the cover. 2/3
Show threadMichael WhelanMay 13, 2024

Years later, DRAGONWRITER, A TRIBUTE TO ANNE MCCAFFREY AND PERN seemed like the perfect time to realize the final painting from that promising concept set aside all those years ago–with the notable addition of my dear friend Anne on the video screen. 3/3

https://www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/dragon-aboard/

DRAGON ABOARD

The cover art for DRAGONWRITER, A TRIBUTE TO ANNE MCCAFFREY AND PERN was originally conceived in 1991 for her novel ALL THE WEYRS OF PERN.Anne often reminded readers that her Pern series were scien…

The Art of Michael Whelan
Show threadJames Baker 🍁May 13, 2024
@MichaelWhelan I misread that as “holding *a* conference”, and boy, did that also sound like a great cover… for a very different book…
Show threadMichael WhelanMay 13, 2024
@GrumpusNation 🤣