Magic from the Past
The story of my only Magic: The Gathering card and cover
Promoting Controversy
When I agreed to provide art for a Magic: The Gathering promotional card giveaway at DragonCon in 1994, I didn't anticipate the frenzy that would follow. I simply put together a mashup of existing art in Photoshop to create an image for the card.
I should have known what would follow, of course. Magic was incredibly popular already. Cards were in short supply, and Nalathni Dragon would be the first MTG promotional card. The only way to get the promotional card was to attend the convention, so it was the perfect opportunity for resellers to take advantage of players who had missed out.
Wizards of the Coast eventually responded to the outcry of fans by including the card in Duelist magazine. Mass reproduction allowed players who couldn’t attend the convention to collect the highly sought after card.
Nalathni Dragon would be the only card that I contributed to the game, and over the decades fans of Magic have continued to inquire about the original art. There was no painting, of course, because I composed the image digitally and the concept from PARADISE that I used in the composition was sold long ago.
A Balance of Powers
Later when InQuest magazine commissioned me for a cover, I had the opportunity to put my spin on Magic: The Gathering through a more traditional assignment. The illustration would feature a battle between a Serra Angel and a Hurloon Minotaur, creatures from the original MTG lineup.
The initial art brief described action between equally matched opponents, so I thought of the composition in a sort of yin/yang balance. Interestingly, the publisher decided to flop the art on the magazine cover.
Years later, I’d all but forgotten about the illustration—I never scanned the painting or gave it a title until it turned up in a flat file in the studio. To this day, it remains the only true Magic: The Gathering painting that I’ve done.
Weekly Art Recap
Outside Eluria - interior illustration for Stephen King’s The Little Sister of Eluria
Flowers and Weeds - finding beauty in the most unexpected places
Thunderhead - the 1st entry in the 2025 Leftovers & Palette Gremlins gallery
The Leavetaking - an intended study that became an early Passage painting
The Wilding - cover illustration for C.S. Friedman
Run for Cover - cover for a novel based on the work of H. Beam Piper
Coming Soon…L&PG #2 and Stormlight Art!
The second entry in the 2025 Leftovers & Palette Gremlins gallery will be unveiled on Wednesday February 19th with this small original painting available in our shop at the same time.
We’re also preparing for our next offering of original art from WIND & TRUTH. Stay tuned for more details and an advanced preview for paid subscribers next week.
In case you missed it, there is one prelim left from our last Stormlight art offering. This dynamic figure study of Dalinar Kholin was placed on hold but never sold, so it is available to purchase in our shop while it lasts.
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That's an amazing story!
Recently I’ve been learning more about the artists of Magic card art, and here I thought that Michael didn’t create any. I know what I’m adding to my collection now!