Wind and Truth Cover Art Complete

...and the Michael Whelan newsletter is now officially on Substack!

Aug 25, 2024

I once joked that our social media is just a stack of monkeys in a raincoat, most of them named Mike. Arguably that’s never been more true now that we’re a Substack!

Michael Whelan is, of course, the creative force behind art that for almost 30 years I (the other Mike) have been presenting online to an ever-growing audience.

How this works is each day I curate art and present it in an engaging format so Michael can keep painting. New fans find his work and hopefully we sell enough prints, original art, and assorted sundries to keep our team busy behind the scenes.

(There’s a coupon down below to facilitate that so make sure to read to the end!)

You may note this newsletter is in a different format from past communications. I’ll share more about the plan for Substack next week. Today is dedicated to the much anticipated Stormlight Archive update.

Share The Art of Michael Whelan

Preliminary concepts and figure sketches on Michael's drafting table. — Concepts and studies for WIND AND TRUTH

The Fifth Ideal: Wind and Truth

Michael has turned in his cover painting for the next book in the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. While I can’t share much art yet—there’s a lot!—I’m excited about what I’ve seen and hope you will be too!

I remember 15 years ago when Michael received that first monstrous manuscript from TOR Books. He hadn’t heard of the author before but was blown away by the world-building and couldn’t put the book down.

At that point, he was semi-retired from illustration and weighing whether to take on 1400 pages of material that would surely pull him away from his fine art.

Tom Doherty had been chasing the promise of a cover for years and made a strong pitch for The Way of Kings, but there was some hesitation from Michael. Publishers have long considered him the master of fantasy, so predictably those were the bulk of the manuscripts he received. He’d told Tom that he really wanted to get back to science fiction, and this…wasn’t it.

As Michael described how “Stormlight” was invested in gems to fuel the magic of this word, I had to interrupt, “You’re talking about Brandon Sanderson, aren’t you?”

I was familiar with the author having picked up Elantris the day it came out. I’d been recommending it and the Mistborn trilogy to anyone who would listen, so I had an inkling of what Brandon’s trajectory would be. Truth be told, I was a fanboy gobsmacked with the possibility of such an epic collaboration.

“You’ve gotta take this one. Trust me,” sums up my advice that day.

To be fair, Michael had likely committed—at least subconsciously—to doing The Way of Kings. Tom Doherty was calling in a favor, and it was hard to say no. I could tell Michael was hooked, so it wasn’t a difficult sell, but I like to think I may have tipped the scales in the right direction.

(The Doors of Stone—if it’s ever published—may fall into this same category, but that’s a story for another day!)

A cloaked and armored figure raises his sword in salute to a tiny figure in the distance separated by a chasm of broken earth shrouded by mist. A massive storm cell winds gray and blue across the sky intersecting the tip of the extended sword. A bright line of blue runs across the clouds as if etched by the unusual half-hilted, wavy blade. The orange cloak covering most of the figure (as viewed from behind) is decorated with a mass of wild crustacean arms ending in crescent claws. The icon on the pennant, flying tall on a pole held offhand, depicts a crab-like creature. The sky to the right of the storm is tinted warm yellow as the sun peeks out. A sliver of moon can be seen in a blue-sky break between the clouds. In the background left forks of lightning strike at the distant mountains on the horizon. — THE WAY OF KINGS (2010), Acrylic - 24” x 40”

Journey Before Destination

Back in May, I shared this inside history with Isaac Stewart when we sat down for lunch with Shawn Boyles, the new art director at Dragonsteel. It clearly came as a surprise because Isaac asked me to elaborate. Had Michael almost declined the assignment for The Way of Kings?

Yes, and it’s fascinating to look back on that decision. Committing to the Stormlight Archive—planned as 10 books!—was a pivotal moment in Michael’s storied career. The work that followed introduced a new generation of readers to his art. Only a few people knew about his reservations and how things could have gone differently.

Now that Michael has turned in his final cover for the Stormlight Archive—possibly the last assignment of his career—this project is coming full circle in so many ways.

A few years ago, I shared another revelation on social media. For a long time, fans had assumed that Dalinar was on the cover of The Way of Kings. Even Brandon thought so. I knew that contradicted something Michael had shared in conversation, so I circled back to confirm with the artist himself before weighing in.

No, that wasn’t Dalinar depicted on the cover, just an unnamed shardbearer (and a lefthander at that!). Michael’s intention was to portray the iconic salute across the chasm, but he had always reserved his official take on the character for later…which brings us to the subject of his most recent painting.

Dalinar will be on the cover of Wind and Truth. 💯 confirmed!

Photo of the artist's hand with a pastel stick between index and middle finger. His fingers are coated in blue and his palm is also marked. His hand rests on a stack of papers shaded blue. — Feeling the Stormlight blues

So When Is the Big Reveal?

I expect TOR will unveil Michael’s cover art next week. From there it’ll be a sprint to publication of the book on December 6th.

We plan to release the WIND AND TRUTH print before the book drops. In the lead up to that, we’ll reveal preliminary art as it comes out of the studio, and eventually I’ll put it all together in a “making of” feature.

My hope is that all of the in-depth galleries we’ve done for the series will be expanded into an “art of the Stormlight Archive” book. You can still check out those behind-the-scenes features in the Brandon Sanderson author gallery.

We should be busy for the remainder of 2024, so stay tuned for more announcements, art, etc…and please share this update with anyone who might be interested in the Stormlight Archive.

It’s truly a gift helping fans discover the art of Michael Whelan, and I’d like to offer heartfelt thanks for all of your support over the years!

~Michael Everett

Receive 20% Off the Print of Your Choice!

Enter coupon code SUB-082424 in your cart or during checkout to receive 20% off an unframed print of your choice. Coupon expires on 8/31/24.

Be sure to check out of our shop for a wide selection of prints with regular discounts on sets like the Stormlight Archive.

Mix and match Stormlight prints and save up to 20%

For a Limited Time…10% Off Original Art!

To celebrate our Substack launch, we’re also offering a rare discount on select original art in our shop, which includes the cover illustrations for The Days of Grass by Tanith Lee, The Floating Gods by M. John Harrison, and I Travel by Night by Robert McCammon.

Amethyst water rolls gently onto the shore where a young woman is seated. She is positioned awkwardly with one knee out and the other leg behind her as she turns to face the audience. Her weight is on her left arm, crossing protectively over a horse skull. Her fingers sink into the wet sand while her other hand rests on the spine of a hardcover book, fanned with block down in the web sand. A bearded man perches on an outcrop of rock behind her, blending with the craggy backdrop. Among the mountains, a tall pyramid reaches to the sky only to be outdone by the half dome of rock next to it. In the hazy distance of the shore, a long-legged spidery creature as tall as the mountains tip toes into view. — AMETHYST SEA, Acrylic - 32” x 20” ~~$25,000~~ $22,500

A man wearing the skull of a deer clasps the long tube of a telescope tightly to him. One sleeve of his tattered white garments is rolled up past the elbow. Ridges of veins are raised in the tense grips of his hands. Red orbs fill the sockets of the skull while green ribbon twists around the bone until loosely draping over antlers. Filaments sprout, oddly feathery, from the curling rack. On the dingy shelves behind, a small assortment of hardbound books lean with more stacked haphazardly on the long shelf below. Charts tacked to the wall curl with age. Points of light, more like street lamps than stars, gleam in the cracked glass of a many-paned window. — BUFFO, Acrylic - 32” x 22” ~~$28,000~~ $25,000

A view down the main street of a western town at night. A man in fancy suit and cowboy hat stands with head down and revolvers crossed in front of him. His thumb cocks the hammer of one gun as he's ready on the triggers of both. His long jacket is confederate gray but the vest underneath is patterned in red. His lapels are notched with the top half dark and the bottom only bordered in black. Light glows warmly from the windows of hastily constructed storefronts casting streaks across on the glistening pebbled street. In the distance behind, a man in top hat steps out onto the cross-bricked sidewalk giving pause as he glances toward Lawson in the foreground. A trio of bats glide about the sharp crescent of moon in the sky above. — I TRAVEL BY NIGHT, Acrylic - 22” x 15” ~~$15,000~~ $13,500

Weekly Art Recap

Nine images corresponding to the links to posts below — Previews of art posted from Aug 16 - 24

We’re already posting art daily on Substack:

The Master Mind of Mars - cover illustration for Edgar Rice Burroughs
Walter’s End - interior illustration for The Dark Tower by Stephen King
Augury - a small personal vision
Dragon Lord - cover illustration for Skybowl by Melanie Rawn
Winging It - a personal vision
DOA - cover illustration for Poul Anderson
Passage to the Sun - a small portals painting
The Eagles are Coming - a calendar illustration for J.R.R. Tolkien
The White Commands You - an interior illustration for The Dark Tower by Stephen King

To receive every art post by email, you can opt-in by visiting your account and then clicking the toggle for Daily Art. This option is off by default to avoid spamming your inbox.

Let Us Know What You Think…

How excited are you to get a glimpse of the Wind and Truth concepts? What’s your favorite painting posted this week?

Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments.

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