Michael Whelan
@MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art  ·  activity timestamp 3 days ago

FOOTFALL (1984)
Acrylic - 29" x 19"

This Larry Niven cover is the only painting done for Del Rey Books in which I was “art-directed” into doing something I did not want to do. 1/5

#sciencefiction#scifi #scifiart #sff #illustration #larryniven

An elephant-like alien with multiple branching trunks hides behind the wood framed wreckage of a building. The tentacles of one trunk holds a mirror to peer around the corner. Another trunk holds a machine gun with curved magazine and bayonet. A man in drab military fatigues approaches with rifle in hand. The mirror isn't fixed on him but rather a woman in a tattered pink dress standing on the hill behind. She is pointing toward where the alien huddles. A red jacket is strapped to the alien's back along with a satchel that contained a teddy bear. Across a field of wheat and a foreground strewn with household wreckage that includes a water heater, bicycle, and wooden ladder, we can see the remains of a house that is only partially standing.
An elephant-like alien with multiple branching trunks hides behind the wood framed wreckage of a building. The tentacles of one trunk holds a mirror to peer around the corner. Another trunk holds a machine gun with curved magazine and bayonet. A man in drab military fatigues approaches with rifle in hand. The mirror isn't fixed on him but rather a woman in a tattered pink dress standing on the hill behind. She is pointing toward where the alien huddles. A red jacket is strapped to the alien's back along with a satchel that contained a teddy bear. Across a field of wheat and a foreground strewn with household wreckage that includes a water heater, bicycle, and wooden ladder, we can see the remains of a house that is only partially standing.
An elephant-like alien with multiple branching trunks hides behind the wood framed wreckage of a building. The tentacles of one trunk holds a mirror to peer around the corner. Another trunk holds a machine gun with curved magazine and bayonet. A man in drab military fatigues approaches with rifle in hand. The mirror isn't fixed on him but rather a woman in a tattered pink dress standing on the hill behind. She is pointing toward where the alien huddles. A red jacket is strapped to the alien's back along with a satchel that contained a teddy bear. Across a field of wheat and a foreground strewn with household wreckage that includes a water heater, bicycle, and wooden ladder, we can see the remains of a house that is only partially standing.
Michael Whelan
@MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art  ·  activity timestamp 3 days ago

On the odd occasion that Don Munson, the del Reys, and I had a detailed discussion about a cover, I came away feeling that they had pulled out of me not only the best image for selling the book, but also an image that I was happy to do because it communicated something that I felt was important. 2/5

Alternate preliminary concept for FOOTFALL featuring an alien in spacesuit with a large reflective visor that makes it almost look human except for the branching tentacles coming off the faceplate. The long barrel of a gun with a bayonet attached to the barrel extends off its back. A craggy asteroid is reflected in the mirror of its helmet. The grand curve of a planet occupies the bulk of the background with a small wedge of black space in the lower left. Comet-like several objects sweep over the surface of the planet.
Alternate preliminary concept for FOOTFALL featuring an alien in spacesuit with a large reflective visor that makes it almost look human except for the branching tentacles coming off the faceplate. The long barrel of a gun with a bayonet attached to the barrel extends off its back. A craggy asteroid is reflected in the mirror of its helmet. The grand curve of a planet occupies the bulk of the background with a small wedge of black space in the lower left. Comet-like several objects sweep over the surface of the planet.
Alternate preliminary concept for FOOTFALL featuring an alien in spacesuit with a large reflective visor that makes it almost look human except for the branching tentacles coming off the faceplate. The long barrel of a gun with a bayonet attached to the barrel extends off its back. A craggy asteroid is reflected in the mirror of its helmet. The grand curve of a planet occupies the bulk of the background with a small wedge of black space in the lower left. Comet-like several objects sweep over the surface of the planet.