#Tag · bonfire.cafe

Painted on the back of a misprinted Dark Tower image I was using as a mixing palette of mostly white, yellow ocher, and raw umber. The print is on such a fine grade of heavyweight watercolor paper that I was loathe to throw it away. 1/3

#horror #illustration #leftoversandpalettegremlins #darktower

A beaked horror treads through hazy clouds of a dusty apocalypse. Black legs, nothing more than bone and ligament, are thrown so far in front in defiance of gravity it may as well be sitting on the blocky slope it descends. It tip toes on a trio of bird-like feet. There's a notch in its beak where nostrils would be, and the remnants of flesh of its victims stretches between jagged serrations.

Michael Whelan

@MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · 2 weeks ago

TRIPOD WALKER (2016)
Acrylic on Watercolor Paper - 19" x 13"

#horror #illustration #leftoversandpalettegremlins #darktower

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Michael Whelan

@MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · 3 weeks ago

THE DARK TOWER (2004)
Acrylic on Panel - 30” x 40”

After illustrating THE GUNSLINGER back in 1981, it seemed only natural that I return to close this epic series that spanned three decades. 1/3

#fantasy #illustration #stephenking #darktower #rolanddeschain #donaldmgrant

Bathed in twilight, Roland Deschain stands in a field of red roses that surround a tower of massive girth. With arms crossed, he holds up a big revolver. Fingers wrap the sandalwood grips with noticeable tension on the trigger. Loosely knotted cloth spills from his other wrist, exposing the back of his hand, but not the fingers on his right hand. The cloth is bloody where it wraps over pinky and ring finger as he clutches the stem of a rose. Behind him, a narrow stone path leads through the field, past the faces of fallen statues that stare blankly up to the sky. Steps lead up to a wedge of light marking the tower entrance rendered as if the door is ajar. It's unclear whether the light comes from the chamber within or the flaring sun is shining through from the other side of the tower.

Michael Whelan

@MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · 3 weeks ago

THE DARK TOWER (2004)
Acrylic on Panel - 30” x 40”

After illustrating THE GUNSLINGER back in 1981, it seemed only natural that I return to close this epic series that spanned three decades. 1/3

#fantasy #illustration #stephenking #darktower #rolanddeschain #donaldmgrant

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Federation Bot

@Federation_Bot · last month

THE GUNSLINGER: THE SLOW MUTANTS (1981)
Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 20” x 15”

I took up the challenge of illustrating this scene illuminated solely by the flash of a gunshot. In so many ways, it was the shot that set the stage for Roland’s epic journey to the Dark Tower. 1/3

#horror #illustration #darktower #stephenking

In a scene lit only by muzzle flash, a disfigured green humanoid grabs the leg of a boy threatening to pull him off a platform. As the boy Jake turns back, his face is etched in horror. Roland, the last Gunslinger, grabs his arm while simultaneously firing his big revolver. Roland's weight is shifted back so the lines of his arms and legs all parallel drawn out on diagonals to add to the sense of motion. From the set of his square jaw and snarl on his lips to his brow pinched in concentration, Roland's expression is pure grit and determination. His eyes are drawn to murderous beads taking aim at the slack jawed, drooling Slow Mutant.

Federation Bot

@Federation_Bot · last month

THE GUNSLINGER: THE SLOW MUTANTS (1981)
Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 20” x 15”

I took up the challenge of illustrating this scene illuminated solely by the flash of a gunshot. In so many ways, it was the shot that set the stage for Roland’s epic journey to the Dark Tower. 1/3

#horror #illustration #darktower #stephenking

hypebot boosted

Michael Whelan

@MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · 3 months ago

COLD AND ALONE (2025)
Acrylic on Illustration Board - 13” x 10”

"Mordred was as cold as they were, every bit, and he had no one."

In "The White Lands of Empathica" from The Dark Tower, scenes alternate between Roland’s katet and Mordred following their trail. 1/3

https://www.michaelwhelan.com/shop/cold-and-alone/

#horror #illustration #stephenking #darktower #mordred

Viewed from behind, Mordred is caught in transformation between spider and boy. Browning vegetation forms lines in the snow that extend around a single tree with thinning leaves. His clothes are in tatters, exposing his bare legs to the elements as he crosses tundra. A blaze of orange holds his attention, signifying a campfire at the edge of the tree line in the distance. Seven hairy spider limbs extend from his torso with his left arm forming a stub as it becomes the eighth.

Michael Whelan

@MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · 3 months ago

COLD AND ALONE (2025)
Acrylic on Illustration Board - 13” x 10”

"Mordred was as cold as they were, every bit, and he had no one."

In "The White Lands of Empathica" from The Dark Tower, scenes alternate between Roland’s katet and Mordred following their trail. 1/3

https://www.michaelwhelan.com/shop/cold-and-alone/

#horror #illustration #stephenking #darktower #mordred

Michael Whelan

@MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · 9 months ago

THE DARK TOWER: THE LONG ROAD (2009)
Acrylic - 30 1/2" x 22"

I've revisited the Dark Tower many times in my career and with each trip to Mid-World I find myself a little farther down the road in my own journey. 1/3

#fantasy #fantasyart #sff #illustration #stephenking #darktower #rolanddeschain

Roland Deschain—tiny in perspective even in the immediate foreground—trudges down a dusty road across empty scrubland. Low mountains give way to sunset sky tinted orange and a bank of clouds. Tentdrils of cloud wrap behind a smooth tower that shows no signs of being anchored to the ground. From the tall thin crenelations at the top, thin bright beams of light shoot outward at 90 degree angles.

Michael Whelan

@MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art · 12 months ago

THE CRIMSON KING (2004), Oil on Panel - 28" x 18"

Interior illustration for THE DARK TOWER (Book 7) by Stephen King 1/2

#horror #horrorart #illustration #darktower #crimsonking #stephenking