MICHAEL WHELAN • drawnblog: Getting a little personal here, but...

drawnblog:
“ Getting a little personal here, but whatever. This guy. Michael Whelan. I got his art book from my parents for Christmas when I was 11 and it blew my little prepubescent art brain. I spent hours looking at the book, copying his paintings...

Getting a little personal here, but whatever. This guy. Michael Whelan. I got his art book from my parents for Christmas when I was 11 and it blew my little prepubescent art brain. I spent hours looking at the book, copying his paintings as best I could with my #2 pencil on copy paper. In the process he became a part of my creative DNA. Over the years other artists were spliced in and Whelan faded to the background as I discovered Mignola, Moebius, Miyazaki, Otomo, Shirow, Leyendecker, Wyeth, Watterson, Wendling, and many others.

But when I saw Michael Whelan recently got a brand new website (that showcases his best works of Sci-fi, fantasy, horror and everything in between) it aroused that old fondness for his work from deep down. I had forgotten how much he inspired me as a kid and helped me set my course to someday be a professional artist.

Go take a look around, some of it is getting a pinch dated, but the majority it is still as fresh as when the paint dried.

I’m glad I found this today, was just the inspiration I needed, and a reminder of my creative upbringing.
Just curious, who’s in your early creative DNA? And have you looked at their work recently?