The Art of Michael Whelan

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The Art of Michael Whelan
The Art of Michael Whelan
THE NEW SPRINGTIME
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THE NEW SPRINGTIME

Cover illustration for the book by Robert Silverberg

Michael Whelan
Jul 28, 2024
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The Art of Michael Whelan
The Art of Michael Whelan
THE NEW SPRINGTIME
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Two ape-like humanoids stand in profile with a futuristic city of conical towers rising on the hill in the background. The older male turns his long wrinkled face thoughtfully toward the viewer. Cream colored cloth drapes across the white fur of his chest. A braided band rests above his brow set with a round brooch divided into quadrants. A question mark squiggle radiates from the center of each. The amber surface shines glossy in the light. The younger female stares off-panel right while delicately grasping a pendant on a chain in her thin fingers. Branches of a tree shoot overhead, limbs ending with ruffled vegetation.
THE NEW SPRINGTIME (1989), Acrylic on watercolor board - 30" x 20"

I couldn't wait to begin the artwork for Robert Silverberg's The New Springtime because the novel was a sequel to a book that I had really enjoyed.

In fact, I did a fair amount of the preliminary sketching on the bus returning home from my meeting with the publisher in New York City. For a while I cast ideas, but when I hit upon the use of a tree in the background as a symbol for evolution, I knew I had my image.

Because of my enthusiasm for the book, I desperately wanted to avoid creating a cover that looked like a Planet of the Apes redux, so I gave thought to not showing the faces of any of the apelike creatures on the cover. But in the novel Silverberg made them so real that I felt that it was essential to zoom in on the two most important personalities and bring them to life on the cover.

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Additional images from THE NEW SPRINGTIME

LEFT: Detailed pencil study for THE NEW SPRINGTIME featuring the pair of ape-like humanoids. The elder male turns his wrinkled face thoughtfully toward the audience. The younger female glances off-panel right while delicately holding a simple round pendant in her long fingers. RIGHT: Four pencil sketches for THE NEW SPRINGTIME. UPPER LEFT: An ape-like humanoid kneels while holding up a sphere. UPPER RIGHT: An ape-like female sits facing forward with knees out and one hand grasping her foot. LOWER LEFT: An ape-like female in profile. her face is rendered in detail but her body is a loose outline. Below, rendered in detail, another female is seated with knees out and hands in front as she leans forward. LOWER RIGHT: The older ape-like male holds out a sphere in the palm of its hand. Loosely renders in the same panel upper right is a pair of figures staring right. The male is in front in this sketch.LEFT: Detailed pencil study for THE NEW SPRINGTIME featuring the pair of ape-like humanoids. The elder male turns his wrinkled face thoughtfully toward the audience. The younger female glances off-panel right while delicately holding a simple round pendant in her long fingers. RIGHT: Four pencil sketches for THE NEW SPRINGTIME. UPPER LEFT: An ape-like humanoid kneels while holding up a sphere. UPPER RIGHT: An ape-like female sits facing forward with knees out and one hand grasping her foot. LOWER LEFT: An ape-like female in profile. her face is rendered in detail but her body is a loose outline. Below, rendered in detail, another female is seated with knees out and hands in front as she leans forward. LOWER RIGHT: The older ape-like male holds out a sphere in the palm of its hand. Loosely renders in the same panel upper right is a pair of figures staring right. The male is in front in this sketch.
Pencil study and sketches for THE NEW SPRINGTIME

LEFT: Detail from THE NEW SPRINGTIME featuring two ape-like, an older wrinkled male and a younger tan furred female, standing in profile. The elder turns thoughtfully toward the viewer while the line of the younger's eyes focus off-panel left past a futuristic city of conical towers rising on a hill. CENTER: VISION, Acrylics on Illustration Board, 9" x 6". Detailed tonal concept for THE NEW SPRINGTIME featuring an ape-like humanoid on his knees holding up a small glowing sphere. The view of him is partially obstructed by a broken wall with an opening curving around his figure. On a pedestal above him a fleshy T-rex like dinosaur stands. RIGHT: TRAVELER, Acrylics on Illustration Board, 10" x 7". Color tonal concept for THE NEW SPRINGTIME featuring an ape-like humanoid riding on the humped back of an orange-furred alien pachyderm. The stands on a rock outcrop overlooking a futuristic city tucked between tall verdant hills.LEFT: Detail from THE NEW SPRINGTIME featuring two ape-like, an older wrinkled male and a younger tan furred female, standing in profile. The elder turns thoughtfully toward the viewer while the line of the younger's eyes focus off-panel left past a futuristic city of conical towers rising on a hill. CENTER: VISION, Acrylics on Illustration Board, 9" x 6". Detailed tonal concept for THE NEW SPRINGTIME featuring an ape-like humanoid on his knees holding up a small glowing sphere. The view of him is partially obstructed by a broken wall with an opening curving around his figure. On a pedestal above him a fleshy T-rex like dinosaur stands. RIGHT: TRAVELER, Acrylics on Illustration Board, 10" x 7". Color tonal concept for THE NEW SPRINGTIME featuring an ape-like humanoid riding on the humped back of an orange-furred alien pachyderm. The stands on a rock outcrop overlooking a futuristic city tucked between tall verdant hills.LEFT: Detail from THE NEW SPRINGTIME featuring two ape-like, an older wrinkled male and a younger tan furred female, standing in profile. The elder turns thoughtfully toward the viewer while the line of the younger's eyes focus off-panel left past a futuristic city of conical towers rising on a hill. CENTER: VISION, Acrylics on Illustration Board, 9" x 6". Detailed tonal concept for THE NEW SPRINGTIME featuring an ape-like humanoid on his knees holding up a small glowing sphere. The view of him is partially obstructed by a broken wall with an opening curving around his figure. On a pedestal above him a fleshy T-rex like dinosaur stands. RIGHT: TRAVELER, Acrylics on Illustration Board, 10" x 7". Color tonal concept for THE NEW SPRINGTIME featuring an ape-like humanoid riding on the humped back of an orange-furred alien pachyderm. The stands on a rock outcrop overlooking a futuristic city tucked between tall verdant hills.
Detail and alternate preliminary concepts for THE NEW SPRINGTIME

Book cover for THE NEW SPRINGTIME by Robert Silverberg, published by Warner Books
THE NEW SPRINGTIME by Robert Silverberg (Warner Books)

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The Art of Michael Whelan
The Art of Michael Whelan
THE NEW SPRINGTIME
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