LOOKOUT | The Art of Michael Whelan

OTHER WORKS

Tonal rendering of a guinea pig gripping a laser rifle with banana clip as it keeps watch from a high rocky perch. It wears a headset with microphone, and there's a pack strapped to its back. Overlapping twin moons hang in the night sky.

Acrylic on Watercolor Board
1988

LOOKOUT

Date

© 1988

Details

Acrylic on Watercolor Board

Size

Science Fiction

A dark haired, tan skinned woman hovers in the air in front of a wall made of uneven stone. White steps materialize beneath her feet in a tight spiral arch. Her left hand reaches out for a Shardblade. The pearlescent sword is longer than she is tall. It has an asymmetrical guard with one quillon curving up and the other down. Midway down the slender blade, the sword ripples as it is taking shape. Projecting from her right hand is a line of golden metal flowing like liquid to fill a massive breach in the wall. Through the gap beyond, a Thunderclast—a giant made of stone—can be seen in the distance. The figure is so large it's head and shoulders extend out of frame.

elricinsinkingcity

wildmagic

deliriumsmistress

Framed by an arched buttress and castle wall, a boy kneels next to a white bearded man who rests a hand upon his head. Saturated blue with the background, a castle keep rises with mountain peaks visible farther in the distance. The boy wraps his arms around a dog. The man wears white robes and holds a candlestick. The wax is melted nearly down to its base. A book lies fanned on the ground, and a ferret emerges from the tent of its pages. On the left, obscured from their view by the castle wall, a hand emerges with a finger raised (perhaps in caution or rebuke). The fabric on the exposed arm is a motley checkered pattern.

runesoftheearth

SAILOR ON THE SEAS OF FATE

Illuminated by the warm light of a lantern, a girl with tousled blonde hair sits at the edge of the sea with arms crossed over her knees. Carefully tied in a bow at the back, her white nightgown is tattered at the hem. Beside her, propped in the bare branches of a tiny sapling, two branches circled and strung like dreamcatchers suspend various baubles, shells, and a fish skull separated from the rest of its bones. The night sky is chill blue marred only by wispy clouds. The full moon looms large, illuminating in silhouette a monstrous creature wading in from the depths. Its eyes glow as if the moonlight shines through. Spotted wings curl out at shoulder height. The outline of strands—perhaps seaweed draping over its body—can be seen in outline. A bank of fog rolls in with its approach, but the girl doesn't seem to notice her head is turned toward the audience.

Roland Deschain, the last gunslinger, stares contemplatively across the sea as waves gently lap the shore. Footprints can be seen in the damp sand leading to where he sits, pistol unstrapped at his hip and bedroll at his side. The sun hangs low but intense, blazing a line of orange across the horizon. Over a low stretch of wispy clouds, the silhouette of an asymmetrical tower rises dream-like in the sky. Odd projections mark the sides while spires of varying height sit atop the peak like chaotic crenelations.

spellforchameleon

wordsofradiance

Painting depicts Shallan Davar, a young redheaded woman, sitting on a cliff overlooking the Shattered Plains. She wears a thick blue dress and her hair is blowing in the wind. Her booted foot dangles over the edge, and she is holding an oversized sketchbook but the page is blank. Below she can see a base camp with rows of troops and a mobile bridge extending over a chasm. A trail of dark smoke blows over broken, lifeless terrain. Beyond, jagged mountains can be seen in hazy silhouette. Clouds mostly obscure a blue sky.

chronos

darknessoverhayholt

Wearing a tan cloak with red trim, a woman with long brown hair stands next to a scaly green dragon. Perched on the rocky seashore, it curls its long slender tail and spreads its wings over her. A spiky conch-like shell hovers over her outstretched palm, casting a radial aura that illuminates them both. Reverently, her other hand is held to her chest as her eyes are cast up. Behind them, an outcrop of dark rock projects up on diagonals that mirror the the shore they stand on. The backdrop mostly blocks out a night sky painted in a gradient of blue to purple. Two crescent moons spaced far apart are visible in the break between the rocks.

A man in a cowboy hat and tattered leather duster steps through an open doorway that hovers impossibly a foot off the ground. A gun is holstered on his left hip. On close examination, the index and middle finger of his right hand are shortened to stubs. At his feet lies a thicket of vibrant red roses littered with human skulls. Straddling the doorway, the Gunslinger stands in awe of a massive, asymmetrical tower so tall that it blocks the sun. Traces of cloud sweep across the field of view and up the height of the tower, creating a hazy atmospheric effect that obscures the detail of the tower. Ravens circle the field just about the horizon.

In the heat of the harsh desert, a man and woman take refuge as a pair of dragons with wings flared claw and snarl at each other. The Dragon Prince extends one arm against rust colored rock for support. While his features are chiseled and his expression stoic, the set of his eyes reflect thoughts turned inward. His free hand grips his sword held low as the princess, with eyes pressed shut, leans close in a moment of vulnerability as they've just escaped from a harrowing experience.

spellweavers

deathwing

goldwing-revised

mym

A woman in ornate headdress and leafy yellow cloak holds out two glass vials. One is accented in black with a skull decorating the slender handle of the stopper. The other vial is decorated with a gold swirl leading to a Celtic shield knot. Her young face is covered by a mask of pointy yellow leaves with a gold and green border framing her blue eyes. A motley pattern of butterfly wings peeks out underneath; a purple butterfly is centered above her forehead. Bells hang from her ear which is covered by a single pink rose. A hint of white hair mixes with beaded necklaces covering her neck. Wild grass sweeps off the top of the mask. The tall headdress is laden with symbols. Central among them is a sun with a stylized biohazard symbol at its center. The horizon is dominated by the yellow. Twin suns burn in bright circles hanging over the angled towers of a spaceport as wide saucer-like ships swoop in for landing. Whispy cloud patterns climb a green sky.

stoneoffarewell

A solitary figure sits atop a throne made entirely of skulls. His hands are the only features not obscured by shadow or the flowing crimson of his hooded cloak, which spills down the raised dais. Candles set on each arm of the throne melt over the inset skulls. A wisp of smoke trails from one. On the floor lie several bodies. One man died grabbing at his throat. A woman in a white gown lies awkwardly on one hip while her arm extends behind her where she fell. An empty chalice lies on its side.

Winds swirl about a Serra Angel as she swoops down from the sky with wings spread and sword poised to strike. A Hurloon Minotaur grabs her ankle and raises its fist in counter attack. Rendered huge against the bluest sky, the sun puts a spotlight on the deadly exchange.

sarra

On a grassy hilltop, Elric kneels over a defeated foe. Both hands grip Stormbringer as he sinks the long black rune blade deep. With lips parted and eyes pressed closed, Elric seems lost into the throes of ecstasy as purple tendrils of arcane energy draw forth another soul. Demonic faces, stretched and distorted, appear in the orange background above him.

filedteeth

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