GOLDEN WITCHBREED

Cover illustration for Mary Gentle

May 02, 2025

A dark skinned alien male with pointed ears and a tapering line of fur down his back kneels with courtly grace, positioned shoulder-to-shoulder with a human female with short blonde hair. He is bare from the waist up, exposing lithe muscle and a sheen on his skin. Rich scarlet silk drapes his lower half, and on each hip hangs a sword. The woman is dressed plainly in drab jeans and matching tank top with loose arm warmers and a long white fur cloak. A pouch is clipped to her belt and a pair of chains wrap her hip. She twines fingers with her alien counterpart, five fingers to his six, light skin against dark. In her free hand she holds a plain rod. The ground beneath is lush with alien vegetation, a carpet of green and purple flowers. A stone wall with hexagonal opening frames them where they kneel. A city with white onion domed buildings can been seen low in the background left. A spaceship, mirroring the shape of the wall, takes off climbing above jagged mountains on the horizon. — GOLDEN WITCHBREED (1984), Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 22" x 30"

When I was contacted for this assignment, the publishers balked at my fee. Uncharacteristically, I chatted them up a bit by telling them that I would do one of my "best pieces of work to date" and that "the book would sell great" as a result.

They went for it.

The reason I had asked for a steep fee in the first place was that they needed the finished piece in a hurry, and I knew that accepting the commission would mean working 'round the clock until it was done.

Preliminary sketch for GOLDEN WITCHBREED featuring the shoulder-to-shoulder pose with human and alien holding hands as the gaze at each other. — Sketch concept for second attempt at GOLDEN WITCHBREED

After reading the manuscript, developing a concept, and working on the painting for a while, I had to admit my efforts were doomed. I hadn't thought the approach through adequately, and it was time to face the fact that I would have to start over.

When I called the client to tell them this (probably the worst phone call I ever had to make), they wouldn't accept my word for it. "Are you sure you're not just being overly picky?" they asked. "Why don't you send it to us and let us decide."

I sent it in. Soon after, they called me and said, "You're right. Better start over." (In terms of my career, one of the worst calls I ever received!)

Pencil studies of figure details of the human female from GOLDEN WITCHBREED. The top sketch is detail of her lower half including her jeans and boots as she kneels. Below left is a partial sketch of her upper torso showing detail of her arm warms and her grip. Below right is a partial sketch of her head featuring detail of her ear and the musculature of her neck as she turns her head. — Sketchbook page featuring figure studies from a model

It was then I realized that what was missing from the first attempt was an element that would tie the composition together. Re-reading the manuscript gave me a key clue: the aliens all had six fingers.

I began to think about an alien numbering system based on the number six, and the image of a hexagon sprang into mind. I realized then that the interaction between human and alien was the most significant plot aspect and I was on my way at last.

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