Customer Reviews

The Art of Michael Whelan

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This book is truly a work of art!

The eminently talented Michael Whelan showcases his treasures in this large-size, full-color coffee table book.

With his superb attention to detail and boundless imagination, MW has created fantastic worlds. Here, he catalogues his numerous book covers (all genres of Science Fiction, and all genres of Fantasy, and other areas), paintings, and assorted works (he paints not just for a living but for his own enjoyment, evident in the many small sketches included throughout the book).

MW himself describes each piece. He isn't an artist who simply creates a cover when commissioned; he reads the text of the book he will be making a cover for. This is what makes his book cover art so wonderful. In my mind, his cover art for "Catspaw" and "The Snow Queen" are every bit as memorable as the stories they were made for. He details everything minutely: the curling edges of a drying leaf, the dust stain in a fold of clothing, a nick on the blade of a warrior's battle-ax, a snarl in a lock of hair, the markings on a spaceship lifting off from a background launch pad, the clearing sky reflected in a dangling pane of broken glass, the frayed edges of a worn rope attached to a forgotten bell. And that's just the little stuff in the background.

What sets this book aside from other art books is the fact that this book is made for people who like to LOOK at the art. Nearly half of the pieces featured here are full-page size, with the text/description and sketches, studies, details, alternative concepts on the facing page. Too many art books tend to squeeze pictures into small squares on a page. None of that here. The colors are sharp and vivid. The edges are sharp and crisp. The paper used is heavy glossy paper. There are three chapters (interviews, introduction, technical aspects) printed on heavy parchment-like paper. The book itself is clothbound in matte midnight black, embossed in gold. The publishers spared no expense in making this book.

And here's something I haven't seen in other art books: the 85+ full page plates are indexed in a back section of the book. Shrunk down to B&W postage-stamp size, you can glance through to quickly find your favorite picture.

The work represented here covers everything from dragons, winged lions, medieval castles, futuristic alien castles, strange aliens, bustling spaceports, nature settings, warriors of every type, humans and much more. Each picture is worth a thousand words indeed.

The paper cover/dustjacket features "Passage: The Avatar" (the breathtaking blue ruins) on the front and "The Summer Queen" on the back, both are featured inside the book. This is a plus, as many times the dustjacket art is counted among the represented work.

Very highly recommended.

"The Art of Michael Whelan" is a great book for art lovers. This book is a enormous and varied collection, divided into Whelan's commercial work of sci-fi and fantasy book covers and his personal paintings, most with a fantasy and nature theme. Additionally, there are interviews with the artist about his materials, methods and history in the field. Every painting is commented on, and the symbolism and story behind each picture adds to the enjoyment of each work, as well as the little preliminary sketches that show different paths the paintings could have taken. If you're a reader of fantasy and sci-fi, like me, you're sure to spot a few favorite books among this selection - Whelan has painted book covers for writers such as Anne McCaffrey, Stephen King, and Tad Williams. The best part of these works is how they can manage to look fantastic and surreal and still make you feel as if you're looking at something that actually exists. Every time I've looked through this book I notice new details. Michael Whelan's other two fantasy collections, "Works of Wonder" and "Wonderworks," are good, but nothing compared to this treasury. I recommend this great book to anyone with an interest in great art and fantasy, you won't be disappointed.

Michael Whelan's style is gorgeously captured in this state-of-the art book. If you are a fan of Michael Whelan's airbrush art or his private collection, you will find something in this book for you. It includes most of the passages paintings, the more famous covers (even the loathsome fuzzies), and many of Michael Whelan's unpublished work. The latter is what makes the book worth buy - I wish the book contained more of it and less of the cover art. I recommend this book for any fantasy art collector.

I have taught Art in High School for 30 years. Micheal's work in this book is absolutely the most creative and detailed I have ever seen. His pictures take into many dreamworlds. You will want to get lost in these paintings. Every inch of Micheal's canvases are detailed with great skill. You won't want to put this book down!

The illistrations are beautiful and it's the kind of book you can just sit and stare at for hours. I absolutely love my copy. Also to those who want to buy their own but can't find it here, check Ebay or Amazon.com's auctions. It's the only place you're likely to be able to find it. Good luck!

What else can I say? Whelan's fantasy artwork is simply the best I have seen.

What's more can I say about this artist? His art works are simply the best. As a high school student (Oh come on... I am currently in Advance Placement Art), Micheal Whelan's art works have inspired me. It helps me build up my skill and imagination by observing his arts. Therefore, I would strongly suggest any of you who are into art to get any of his books that have ever published. You'll like it, trust me. :)

My fondness for Michael Whalen goes back to my childhood and my interest in the adventures of John Carter of Barsoom (by Edgar Rice Burroughs, for those of you who don't know). Whalen's uncanny ability to create for himself a virtual reality of each novel's most uniquely memorable scenes and then transfer those images to canvas makes ALL of his illustrations a timeless treasure. This latest collection of his artwork---supplemented with the occasional interview revealing his thoughts and creative processes---is a must-have for anyone interested in the realms of cuddly fantasy, metallic science-fiction, unsettling horror, or thought-provoking abstraction. Whalen is to the latter half of this century what DaVinci was to classic art: an architect of the imagination

Whelan's artwork is beautifully displayed in this coffee-table sized book. Among the (many) features it offers are several interviews with Whelan by various people he has worked with, his own preliminary sketches and alternate versions of paintings, and personal commentary on every painting, ranging from comments about the symbology to Whelan's personal motivations or anecdotes about the piece's background. Truly beautiful -- and a fascinating look into the creation of an image

"Hello there, come on in, deary, have a spot of tea. What? oh, that's my Art of Michael Whelan book; it's fascinating. Oh, I quite agree, deary, yesyes, he is the best in fantasy artists. But not just fantasy, oh nonono, he does horror too. This fellow just drags you into his imagination. Here, just look at this picture. Yesyes, I know it's just a ladder with broken rungs. LOOK at it. The broken rungs and the cobwebs, the way it leans, why, it's just pitiful, positively evokes ya. I get a lump just alooking. Ayup, this Whelan guy is a master. You know, I've started reading more authors because of him. Now don't you laugh, deary. Drink that tea all up now. I started reading them because he's done the coverwork. And I know for a personal fact that whatever he does the cover for, well, the inside has GOT to be good just to keep up with the out. Here now, you just take this home with you and see if what I'm saying isn't true."