iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Michael Whelan

Kat Lyons @katlyyons.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

So violating and awful, Julia does not deserve this 😭 Bay Area friends, keep an eye out for her stolen work! And if you can (Bay or not), support Julia’s patreon bio.site/julialundman

bio.site

Julia Lundman Art — Bio Sites

Create a free link in bio with Bio Sites by Squarespace. Showcase your links, earn money, and grow your brand online, all with one link.

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Reposted by Michael Whelan

Eric Umansky @ericumansky.bsky.social · 15h

"The federal government is lying to you." "The government has said that ICE does not zip tie or handcuff children." "They’ve denied engaging in racial profiling" "They’ve said the government is not wrongly arresting U.S. citizens." *We found the truth* projects.propublica.org/american-cit....

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 15h

Tomorrow we reveal the 5th painting in the 2026 L&PG gallery. Inspired by Albert Einstein, this small original work of SF unlocks one of the mathematical mysteries of the universe. A preview is now available to our paid supporters: theartofmichaelwhelan.substack.com/p/2026-l-and...

theartofmichaelwhelan.substack.com

2026 L&PG #5 - Original Art Preview

A sneak peek of a new science fiction painting

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 21h

...and the unwilling and uncaring attitudes of many people in the upper echelons of our society. Cover illustration for THE YEAR'S BEST HORROR STORIES: SERIES XIII edited by Karl Edward Wagner. www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/tw...

Paperback book cover for THE YEAR’S BEST HORROR STORIES: SERIES XIII edited by Karl Edward Wagner, published by DAW Books

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 21h

The title alludes to the separation between our comfortable lives in the West and the awful conditions in part of the Third World. It is about feeling powerless to effect any real change, an inability to get serious help to those who need it...

Figure detail from TWO WORLDS featuring a naked man with scraggly white hair and long beard piping a tune on a human femur. He holds the bone delicately to his lips with pointed fingers ending in unnatural, wavy nails. Likewise, his toenails end in cruel barbs as one leg dangles down in casual comfort. Small charms hang off a cord set about his waist. An open, upended pouch spills coins down on a blindfolded owl flying past.

Close detail from TWO WORLDS featuring coins spilling down on a blindfolded owl. Unseeing, the owl clutches a rock in one talon as its wings spread in flight.

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 21h

...and it stayed in my mind awaiting expression. Over weeks, a theme for a painting developed while I worked on other projects. When the opportunity came for me to execute a cover for a horror anthology, I was able to do the painting I wanted to do and still have it be right for the publication.

Figure study in pencil of a man with bat-like ears piping a tune on a human femur. He sits with one knee up and the other dangling.

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 21h

TWO WORLDS (1985)  Oil on canvas - 36” x 22”   During one of the Ethiopian famines, I came across a magazine photo of a desert filled with a multitude of crude burial mounds extending off to the horizon. I was struck by the implications of the image... #art #booksky 🪐📚

Seated upon a flat rock with one knee up, a naked man with scraggly white hair and long beard pipes a tune on a human femur. Flesh colored, his ears are bat-like, long and furry, protruding up from the side of his head. An open, upended pouch spills coins down on a blindfolded owl flying past. Unseeing, the owl clutches a rock in one talon. The piper’s perch rests upon a clump of earth floating among smoky clouds, a misty curtain tinted pink and purple like a bruise. Gnarly roots reach out in all directions, probing like woody tentacles. A break in the clouds reveals an arid stretch of land. The flat barren field is dashed with low lines of rock—burial mounds as far as the eye can see. A single figure with shovel pauses in their work with head bowed.

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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

🗣️Ex FTC Chair Lina Khan on A.I. Regulation: “The idea that just because we have new technological capabilities there’s some blanket exemption from the laws on the books is totally laughable.”

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Andrew Deck @andrewdeck.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

ChatGPT is adding the signatures of real New Yorker cartoonists to its AI-generated images. So far, I've found the signatures of more than 15 contributors. "It’s slop, and unlike the other slop that I’ve encountered, this is slop that’s pretending to be me." www.niemanlab.org/2026/10/chat...

Left: A cartoon generated by ChatGPT and signed with Emily Flake’s signature that was posted to a Reddit forum in June. Right: A real Emily Flake cartoon published in The New Yorker on August 20, 2026 and licensed via The Cartoon Bank.

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

That's odd...thanks for pointing that out!

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Cover illustration for DELIRIUM'S MISTRESS, book four of Tales from the Flat Earth, by Tanith Lee (DAW) www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/de...

Paperback book cover for DELIRIUM'S MISTRESS by Tanith Lee, published by DAW Books. Cover text reads: “From the World Fantasy Award Winner” and “Tales from the Flat Earth: Book Four”.

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Something of the same sense of connection can be found also in works by H. P. Lovecraft and David Lindsay, among others.

Detail of DELIRIUM’S MISTRESS featuring a raven haired young woman riding on the back of a winged white lion with powder blue mane. Her patterned cloak, black trimmed with red, billows as it catches the wind. The background sky is traced with upward drifting wisps of clouds.

Close detail of DELIRIUM’S MISTRESS featuring the young woman leaning forward to grip the powder blue mane of the lion. It’s white feathery wings are spread wide as is scans the ground below. The rider’s eyes are focused in the distance as her black cloak trimmed with red billows. The cloak is speckled with golden orbs. A rounded jewel sits upon her chest where the fabric of her top crosses to cup her breasts. Her arms and midriff are bare, and her skirts ride low on her hip with an opening at the side. The fabric is patterned with pale red dots mixed with larger starbursts.

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Tanith must have tapped into some well of Jungian subconscious symbolism in her writing. Her stories carry an intriguing weight of significance even though they are "only" fantasies.

Alternative color concept for DELIRIUM’S MISTRESS. Acrylic on Illustration Board - 9” x 6”. A raven haired young woman, mounted on the back of a white lion, raises her hand as her red cloak billows behind. The lion perches atop a pillar with its white feathery wings spread.

Lion creature sketches. Graphite pencil on paper - 11” x 8 ½”. One figure shows it perched on hind legs ready to leap upward. The other shows it with wings wide and four paws approaching a delicate landing.

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

DELIRIUM’S MISTRESS (1985) Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 30” x 22” Tanith Lee was such a visual writer of fantasy. She gave the artist an inspiring painting concept on nearly every page, offering an inexhaustible supply of fascinating ideas. #bookssky #art 🪐📚

Over the broken ruins of a fantastical city, a raven haired young woman takes flight on the back of a white lion. With golden eyes and azure mane, it spreads majestic raptor-like wings to soar. As she scans the distance, her eyes signal concern. Wind whips her hair back and billows her cloak. The silky fabric evokes magic in its pattern, black trimmed in red with a regal gold-dotted motif. Wispy tendrils of clouds trace powder blue skies, suggesting an upward drift of air current.

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

It does not erase the shame of TYPO! 😅

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

In this week’s newsletter, we go behind the scenes for the making of the cover of Brandon Sanderson’s OATHBRINGER—a massive feature with 25 preliminary concepts, sketches and studies leading up to the final painting! theartofmichaelwhelan.substack.com/p/knight-rad...

A dark haired, tan skinned woman hovers in the air in front of a wall made of uneven stone. White steps materialize beneath her feet in a tight spiral arch. Her left hand reaches out for a Shardblade. The pearlescent sword is longer than she is tall. It has an asymmetrical guard with one quillon curving up and the other down. Midway down the slender blade, the sword ripples as it is taking shape. Projecting from her right hand is a line of golden metal flowing like liquid to fill a massive breach in the wall. Through the gap beyond, a Thunderclast—a giant made of stone—can be seen in the distance. The figure is so large it's head and shoulders extend out of frame.

DEFENDING THAYLEN CITY, wide preliminary concept for OATHBRINGER featuring Jasnah floating with arms out in Y backed by a still standing segment of wall. A gleaming shardblade with cutlass style blade and basket hilt levitates above her. Through the U-shaped gap in the wall a powerful thunderclast with wolf-like head twists its body, one heavy-fisted hand swinging forward.

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Are the depictions text accurate? Is it an appropriate use of artistic license? Read 👏 and 👏 find 👏 out👏! 😉 -ME

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Same artist… bsky.app/profile/mich...

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Same artist… bsky.app/profile/mich...

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Admin - y’all triggered beefcake in response to comments on today’s art. Can you judge whether SFF wardrobe is text accurate or appropriate if you haven’t read the book? Example, do you think these gentlemen are underdressed? On Barsoom?!? bsky.app/profile/mich...

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

This cover was originally commissioned by DAW for a collection of previously published Witch World short stories. More recently it became the album cover for DREAM QUEST ENDS by epic doom metal band Smoulder. www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/lo...

Paperback book cover for LORE OF THE WITCH WORLD by Andre Norton, published by DAW Books

Album cover for DREAM QUEST ENDS by Smoulder featuring LORE OF THE WITCH WORLD. A lavender tint has been applied over the background to punch up the color.

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Andre Alice Norton was the first woman to be honored with the Gandalf Award for lifetime achievement in fantasy in 1977, first to be named Grand Master of Science Fiction by SFWA in 1984, and first to be inducted in the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 1997.

Background detail from LORE OF THE WITCH WORLD featuring a castle built on a snowy peak. The pristine white walls stand out against blue-gray sky mixed with pink highlights of sunset along the horizon. A central tower rises from a collection of asymmetrical towers of varying width, giving the architecture a unique look above the solid base of the case. Small slits of windows can be seen from a distance with the occasional cross. The entrance is a tall arch but the mountains rise to obscure the view of the approach.

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

LORE OF THE WITCH WORLD (1979) Watercolor on Watercolor Board Early in my career I had the privilege of being assigned covers for many established authors. That list, of course, included Andre Norton, one of the grand dames of science fiction. #bookssky #art 🪐📚

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Unshared that Naomi Klein quote. Turns out she said a lot of things close to that but the meme was AI generated and fooled even her at first glance.

I have stumbled across it multiple times, and several people I know and respect have personally thanked me for the message. Trouble is, both my image and my quote are Al-generated, built from patterns of photographs that do exist and from very similar words I've actually said and written elsewhere. In truth, I agree heartily with Al Naomi. But it's still not me, and the fact that even I was fooled at first and searched to make sure I hadn't said those exact words (while sort of wishing I had) makes me feel the opposite of calm. (Also: what the hell is it with me and doppelgangers?)

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Reposted by Michael Whelan

2dchaos - WISHLIST NECHROMIA!!! @2dchaos.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

October Dev Goal is up! We urgently need to pay rent for 2 late months, before they kick us out. We have some money but it's not enough, so any help is appreciated. I'm also looking for commissions and contract work. Thank you so much for helping and supporting Nechromia! ko-fi.com/2dchaos/goal...

Reposted by Michael Whelan

By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 01/10/2026

The reduction of politics to voting is part of the 50 year neoliberal project whose foremost goal is to make you think of yourself as an atomized individual and not as a member of a polity.

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Someday I'll paint the boogeyman I imagined when I was young, which I still remember. As funny as it sounds, he was shaped like a big turkey drumstick! Cover illustration for THE YEAR'S BEST HORROR STORIES: SERIES XIV edited by Karl Edward Wagner (DAW) www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/bo...

Book cover for THE YEAR’S BEST HORROR STORIES: SERIES XIV edited by Karl Edward Wagner, published by DAW Books.

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The bedroom is entirely made up, but there are Easter eggs hidden on the bookshelf. The Japanese slug-monster is from my studio. On the shelf underneath are books with titles referencing friends, relatives, and more from 1986.

Close detail from BOOGEYMAN featuring the wicked grin and glowing red eyes of the creature seen behind the closet rod with clothes and hangers pushed aside. Sports equipment, a hockey stick, football, and shoebox lined the shelf above. Farther back a box is decorated with the artist’s sigil, the stylized letters M and W combined within a circle, along with a copyright symbol, and the date “86”.

Background detail from BOOGEYMAN featuring Easter eggs from the bedroom bookcase:

- “ALEXA TELLS ALL”
- ELSIE’S 90 MINUTE WORKOUT [Elsie Wollheim]
- DAW’S GREATEST HITS
- PAT&WALT, PT.1 [Audrey’s parents]
- PETER THE GREAT by BETSY WOLLHEIM [Betsy’s husband]
- THE BOTTLE CAPS: A HISTORY [One of Peter’s many music achievments]
- PAM: A STUDY IN PATIENCE [Pam was our secretary at the time]
- THE REV. DODGE STORY [My alter-ego in the Church of the Subgenius]
- TRIVIAL PURSUIT FOR ALL
- HOW THE IRS STOLE MY XMAS
- APPLIED BOBIONICS by JOHN CRAWFORD. [John was my co-conspirator in the CotS]
- JEAN’S BUNNY BOOK [Jean Vickers is married to John Crawford]
- Near the bottom is a record, a 45RPM single with “AUDREY Records” on the label.

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The painting was pure fun. I had always wanted to do a boogeyman, and had submitted the idea years earlier for a previous cover. It wasn't chosen, but I kept the sketch and resubmitted it with other concepts every year after that, until it was finally chosen for this anthology.

Detail from BOOGEYMAN featuring a tall, slender creature emerging from the closet of a child’s bedroom. A low bookcase cuts off at the right edge of the panel. A transformer stands on top with a framed picture of the Loch Ness monster hanging just above. The wall is lit by a nightlight from off-panel below.

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

BOOGEYMAN (1986) Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 28” X 17” I love doing covers for anthologies, especially horror. This piece was commissioned for the annual THE YEAR'S BEST HORROR STORIES from DAW Books. #art #booksky 🪐📚

A tall, slender boogeyman with exaggeratedly long arms quietly slides open the closet door of a child's bedroom. Jostled hangers slide to either side as the creature emerges from behind the cover of clothing. Red dots glow like molten beads set in deep sockets. A double wrinkled ridge defines a wide brow while elfish ears knife out and back, framing a sloped dome that nearly touches the top shelf. The closet rod bars its way forward, crossing just below its round, snub nose. Salivating, its jaw hangs open in a V-shaped smile lined with short sharp teeth.

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Eleonor Piteira @eleonorpiteira.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Started as a little study and became another one of the 'Secret Society of Unpractical Headpieces in Space' series (that still does not exist) 🪐

Illustration by Eleonor Piteira showing a black woman with an elaborate golden headpiece. Her hair is curly and long, she's wearing a dress, and gold and blue make up on her eyes. She is framed by a circle and behind her there is a space view with a star and small planets.

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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

John Roberts' friend and defender is quoted in the piece, saying they shouldn't be shaming Roberts for the wreckage and ruin he's brought to this country because of "civility." The bullies always cry "civility" when the victims push back in the slightest.

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Yes! And here's the strange story behind the assignment... theartofmichaelwhelan.substack.com/p/the-road-t...

theartofmichaelwhelan.substack.com

The Road to Victory

Covering the Jacksons' blockbuster album

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Michael Everett @stateofgrays.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I don't think it went as far as reference as confirmed by Paul Franklin, who worked on VFX for Intersteller. He hadn't seen the painting before coming across a post on Twitter, but he thought Nolan might have. That thread is long gone, but Paul did pop in here: bsky.app/profile/mich...

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

However, my intention was to design the wave as a simple exponential curve to visualize the problem of human population growth: “...the power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man.” www.michaelwhelan.com/galleries/wa...

Detail from WAVE featuring exponential climb of the wave as it quickly reaches vertical. Fin-like ridges emerge running up the wall giving the water turbulence and dimension.

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

It's also a good example of why I am reluctant to say too much about my work. Some people are frightened by it, some view it as peaceful, and some are just struck by its abstract qualities.

Detail from WAVE featuring the flat part of the curve. Light breaks through the clouds just above the horizon providing a flat glare across the rippling surface of water.

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

WAVE (1994) Acrylic on Canvas - 48” x 48” Of all the paintings hanging in my home, this one probably elicits the most comments. #art

An exponential curve expressed as a massive wave of green-blue water that climbs to vertical against a sky of puffy lavender clouds. Light breaks through the cloud cover just over the horizon casting a flat glare across rippling water before the wave climbs. Fin-like ridges emerge running up the wall give the water turbulence and dimension.

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Abz-J-Harding ☾ @abzjharding.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

My wraparound cover for The White Rook : A Night in Purgatory. I took inspiration from a rather menacing photograph of a pink flamingo @richstarkings.bsky.social had seen at the photography exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London last year.

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Well, Little Fuzzy was nominated for the best novel Hugo in 1963. That year Philip K. Dick won for The Man in the High Castle.

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

That's very kind of you to say. Thanks!

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Omigod, this is the most heartwarming story possible! Backpack (bear 89) is the son of the 2019 winner of Fat Bear Week, Holly (bear 435). In 2007, he injured his foot & a practice of riding on momma's Holly's back had a new meaning: he was mobility-restricted while it healed. So Holly moved him.

From DISCVR blog's Facebook page, a momma bear & a yearling cub on her back in the shallow water. I think the background has been swapped out, and I can't rule out some AI use there? God, Facebook has become the social media for AI slop : (

The title of the article, which I link below, is "How Bear 89 earned the name Backpack"

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Michael Whelan @michaelwhelan.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Back in the 1982 there was also Golden Dream by Ardath Mayhar (with my cover) and more recently Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi.

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