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Michael Whelan
Michael Whelan
@MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art  ·  activity timestamp 7 months 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.
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Michael Whelan
Michael Whelan
@MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art replied  ·  activity timestamp 7 months 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.
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Michael Whelan
Michael Whelan
@MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art replied  ·  activity timestamp 7 months ago

This one went against my grain: it gave away the mystery of what the aliens looked like; there was no indication that the creature was an alien (it looked more like a mutant elephant on a rampage); although much was made in the story of the aliens being herdbeasts, this creature was alone. 3/5

Detail from FOOTFALL featuring an alien with the rough skin of a pachyderm. Its trunk branches in two and splits into many tentacles at the end. The ears are notably smaller than an elephants. With one trunk it holds a mirror to peer around the wreckage of a building, fixing its site on a woman in a pink dress pointing toward where it's hiding. Its other trunk holds at the ready an assault rifle with curved magazine and bayonet. A man in military fatigues approaches.
Detail from FOOTFALL featuring an alien with the rough skin of a pachyderm. Its trunk branches in two and splits into many tentacles at the end. The ears are notably smaller than an elephants. With one trunk it holds a mirror to peer around the wreckage of a building, fixing its site on a woman in a pink dress pointing toward where it's hiding. Its other trunk holds at the ready an assault rifle with curved magazine and bayonet. A man in military fatigues approaches.
Detail from FOOTFALL featuring an alien with the rough skin of a pachyderm. Its trunk branches in two and splits into many tentacles at the end. The ears are notably smaller than an elephants. With one trunk it holds a mirror to peer around the wreckage of a building, fixing its site on a woman in a pink dress pointing toward where it's hiding. Its other trunk holds at the ready an assault rifle with curved magazine and bayonet. A man in military fatigues approaches.
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Michael Whelan
Michael Whelan
@MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art replied  ·  activity timestamp 7 months ago

Nevertheless, the characterizations of the aliens were engaging enough to interest me in doing a virtual portrait of one of them. In fact, the most enjoyable thing about doing this painting was detailing the texture of the alien's skin. 4/5

Background detail from FOOTFALL featuring the collapsing farmhouse in the background left. What remains of the house tilts and the chimney that adjoins sections looks like it’s barely standing. Everything to the right of that has collapsed and has been reduced to the bare bones of the structure. Birds circle the house as if picking its corpse. Refuse fills the immediate foreground including a length of gutter, a bicycle wheel, a rake, a metal bed frame, and water heater with a plate popped out that in red letters reads “DEAN”.
Background detail from FOOTFALL featuring the collapsing farmhouse in the background left. What remains of the house tilts and the chimney that adjoins sections looks like it’s barely standing. Everything to the right of that has collapsed and has been reduced to the bare bones of the structure. Birds circle the house as if picking its corpse. Refuse fills the immediate foreground including a length of gutter, a bicycle wheel, a rake, a metal bed frame, and water heater with a plate popped out that in red letters reads “DEAN”.
Background detail from FOOTFALL featuring the collapsing farmhouse in the background left. What remains of the house tilts and the chimney that adjoins sections looks like it’s barely standing. Everything to the right of that has collapsed and has been reduced to the bare bones of the structure. Birds circle the house as if picking its corpse. Refuse fills the immediate foreground including a length of gutter, a bicycle wheel, a rake, a metal bed frame, and water heater with a plate popped out that in red letters reads “DEAN”.
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Michael Whelan
Michael Whelan
@MichaelWhelan@mastodon.art replied  ·  activity timestamp 7 months ago

Though I was satisfied with the resulting painting as a book cover, I planned to “finish” it when it's returned to me adding mushroom clouds, contrails, brilliant though tiny specks in the sky, and burning buildings in the far distance. 5/5

https://www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/footfall/

Though I was satisfied with the resulting painting as a book cover, I planned to “finish” it when it's returned to me adding mushroom clouds, contrails, brilliant though tiny specks in the sky, and burning buildings in the far distance. 5/5

https://www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/footfall/
Though I was satisfied with the resulting painting as a book cover, I planned to “finish” it when it's returned to me adding mushroom clouds, contrails, brilliant though tiny specks in the sky, and burning buildings in the far distance. 5/5 https://www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/footfall/
Though I was satisfied with the resulting painting as a book cover, I planned to “finish” it when it's returned to me adding mushroom clouds, contrails, brilliant though tiny specks in the sky, and burning buildings in the far distance. 5/5 https://www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/footfall/
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