WEYRWORLD

Cover illustration for ALL THE WEYRS OF PERN by Anne McCaffrey

Jul 29, 2024

With wings spread wide, a white dragon perches on a rocky spire that rises out of cloud cover. Its legs are set unevenly as it gains a hold. Viewed from behind, a rider is saddle-mounted with legs straddling its neck. A handful of other dragons and riders are gathered on similar peaks for a conference in the clouds. The valley wall as seen only in the distance meanders across the horizon. Two large crescent moons hang in a hazy blue sky. — WEYRWORLD (1990), Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 27" x 36"

My schedule was booked up many months in advance, so Del Rey Books commissioned me to do this cover before the book was even written. They outlined the plot for me, and Anne gave me a scene she had written, which she suggested I use as inspiration for the cover.

A white dragon hovers in the cargo hold of a spaceship while looking out a a viewport to a planet and partially obscured moon. — IN THE CARGO HOLD (alternative concept), Acrylic on board, 9” x 13 ½”

Before I started work on the preliminary concepts, I had a dream about this scene. It resembled what you see here except that there were no trees. Anne liked the idea and gave her okay.

A white dragon perches on a rocky peak rising above the clouds. The tree atop the spire, half covered by its wing, is a wild concentration of outward bristling brush. — Preliminary concept for WEYRWORLD, Acrylic on illustration board

But since I often second guess myself, not believing that my first idea can possibly be the best, I did several alternate concepts. Though I had some other good ideas, I kept coming back to the one from my dream.

A white dragon approaches a rift in space that opens above mountainous terrain — GOING BETWEEN (alternative concept), Acrylic on board, 9” x 13 ½”

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Additional images from WEYRWORLD

LEFT: Detail of white dragon with wings spread wide turns back its head toward the audience as it perches on a rock backed by clouds. Its eyes have a blue-purple metallic sheen. A rider sits on a padded saddle mounted behind its neck. Several tall canisters are buckled there. An orange belted harness crosses his back in an X, and his hood is drawn back to expose Jax's face to the light. RIGHT: Detail of dragons perching on rocky peaks for a conference in the clouds. One rider stands atop the spire with an arm on one of the unusual alien trees shaped like a green brain. Others sit mounted on their dragons. — Details from WEYRWORLD

Book cover for ALL THE WEYRS OF PERN by Anne McCaffrey, published by Del Rey — *All the Weyrs of Pern* by Anne McCaffrey (Del Rey)

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WEYRWORLD

Cover illustration for ALL THE WEYRS OF PERN by Anne McCaffrey

Additional images from WEYRWORLD

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