Artist Research: Michael Whelan

I discovered this artist from a fantasy book I started reading called The Way of Kings. He painted the above image for the cover of the book. I was blown away by the way he used complementary colors to make areas in the painting pop out. I love the little details of the piece, like the translucency of the knight's cape and the sliver of moon near the edge. The way he handled the sky is gorgeous.



This painting is also from a book series called The Dark Tower by Stephen King. There is a real sense of depth and space, like you can just step right inside the painting. Whelan seems to use blue and orange frequently to add color contrast.



If I could describe his art in one word, it would be: epic. You get a good feel of the story he illustrates. He really transports you into a whole other world.