Q:First off, the fact that you did an Obituary album cover and they put it on a Lovecraft collection(An album cover used as a book cover--not often they are as good as your work and get put on a book) is words of a colorful nature to the Nth power, and stuff. I won't be tacky and ask anything specific, but--do you get something in a four figure range for a painting? Bad way to pose a comissions question--and you are probably living rather well and taking projects as it pleases you, still ...TY4YT

sh1ny-ru1ns-drag0n

LOVECRAFT’S NIGHTMARE was originally commissioned by Ballantine books in 1981.  It was a diptych that the publisher used for the cover of 6 separate books by H.P. Lovecraft.  Interestingly, the two images blend together from either side when displayed together.

Like many of Michael’s album covers, Obituary’s CAUSE OF DEATH was not a commission but rather a secondary rights use the image.  That being said, he’s done many original commissions for albums over the years as well (for Meatloaf, Sepultura, the Jacksons).

Because of the popularity of those images, we get a lot of inquiries from bands looking for cover commissions—just about as many as we get from self publishing authors.  You’ll find more information in our FAQ on the website:

http://www.michaelwhelan.com/about/faq/#commissions

Generally, Michael is not open for commissions.  He devotes most of his time to his fine art and is very selective about the projects he takes on.  Looking back at the past decade, you can see his covers have been for best selling authors like Stephen King and more recently Brandon Sanderson.

Thanks for the question,

~MJ

HALLOWEEN 2013

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Assembled here for your delectation is a hodgepodge of images selected to fit the Halloween season. They come from a wide variety of sources, including concept renderings for book cover assignments, studio sketches, a digital experiment and a couple of more recent illustrations for a recently published story about vampires in post Civil War New […] http://dlvr.it/4DyJYX

LOVECRAFT’S NIGHTMARE AT AUCTION

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This weekend, Michael Whelan’s celebrated LOVECRAFT panels are being offered for sale by the Frank collection at the Heritage Auction of Illustration Art in New York City.

Over the last 40 years, Howard and Jane Frank have amassed one of the signature collections of science fiction and fantasy artworks. Their decision to “down-size” has created a great opportunity for other collectors to acquire some great works.

This diptych (one image on two panels) is not only one of Whelan’s finest and most reproduced paintings, but one of the greatest and most definitive works of art related to the writings of H.P. Lovecraft.

The panels feature iconic images that reintroduced the weird fiction master to an entire generation of readers and have become indelibly connected to his classic tales.

http://dlvr.it/4BYKYn

LOVECRAFT’S NIGHTMARE by Michael Whelan

These two original paintings are being offered by the Frank Collection at live auction on October 26, 2013.  Internet bidding is currently open on the Heritage Auctions website.

The diptych (one image on two panels) was originally commissioned by Del Rey to be used for 6 separate covers for books by H.P. Lovecraft.  The images were later reproduced in Whelan’s second art collection Michael Whelan’s Works of Wonder, and they remain two of his most popular horror images.  

The prints are still available as a set in our shop.

Source: michaelwhelan.com

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