I wrote a Substack post on the long history of covers for James Blish’s “Cities in Flight,” including my own. You can read the whole article, including illustrations, here: substack.com/home/post/p-202992514 You can buy signed prints here: www.davidmattingly.com

When Cities Took Flight: Covering James Blish

Painting "Cities in Flight" after "Dick Tracy"

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I wrote a Substack article about my first job working for an adult film producer, Howard Ziehm: myadventuresasanillustrator.substack.com/p/flesh-flash-and-fortune-my-unlikely

Flesh, Flash, and Fortune: My Unlikely Start with Howard Ziehm

The Job That Launched My Career (And the Film I’m Glad I Wasn’t Credited For)

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I wrote a post on Substack about my memories of Tom Kinkaide. You can read it here, complete with illustrations: myadventuresasanillustrator.substack.com/p/between-li...

Between Light and Illusion: Remembering Tom Kinkade

On art, honesty, and illusion

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I wrote a post on Substack outlining my concerns with AI. You can read it here, complete with illustrations: myadventuresasanillustrator.substack.com/p/my-thought...

My thoughts on AI

In ten years, "The Terminator" may look less like a thriller and more like a documentary.

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I wrote a post on Substack about the storytelling of one of my favorite artists, Joe Kubert: myadventuresasanillustrator.substack.com/p/joe-kubert... You can buy signed prints of any of my paintings, including "The Company Man", here: www.davidmattingly.com

Joe Kubert’s Influence on Visual Storytelling

He told stories

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I wrote a Substack about how I dislike art that requires an explanation for the viewer to appreciate it. You can read it here: myadventuresasanillustrator.substack.com/p/the-work-s...

The Work Should Speak First

If it needs an explanation, it didn’t work

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I wrote a Substack article how I came to do the cover for "The Voice of Cepheus" by Ken Appleby here myadventuresasanillustrator.substack.com/p/the-cover-... You can buy signed prints of any of my paintings, including "The Voice of Cepheus", here: www.davidmattingly.com

The Cover That Took Me Back to Childhood

The Voice of Cepheus

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I wrote a post on Substack about one of my most popular paintings, “St. Joan snd the Computer.” You can read about it here: myadventuresasanillustrator.substack.com/p/the-martyr... You can buy signed prints of any of my paintings, including St. Joan, here: www.davidmattingly.com

The Martyr of the Digital Age

Saint Joan and the Computer

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Today is my 70th birthday, and it is a rough one for me because of my circumstances. I wrote a longer Substack post about what's going on, if you want the fuller picture: myadventuresasanillustrator.substack.com/p/getting-old

Seventy: Not the Ending I Imagined

Getting old

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I wrote a post on Substack about artists repeating themselves, including me. You can read about it here: myadventuresasanillustrator.substack.com/p/repeating-...? You can buy signed prints of any of my paintings here: www.davidmattingly.com

In Defense of Repeating Yourself

You never know when something great will happen

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I wrote a post on Substack about the book I hated the most, and the lesson I learned from it. You can read about it here: myadventuresasanillustrator.substack.com/p/the-book-i... You can buy signed prints of any of my paintings here, including the “Operation Isis” cover: www.davidmattingly.com

The Book I Hated—and the Lesson I Needed

Operation Isis

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I wrote a post on Substack about the “Choose Your Own Adventure” covers. You can read about it here: open.substack.com/pub/myadvent... You can buy signed prints of any of my paintings here, including the “Choose Your Own Adventure” covers: www.davidmattingly.com

Choose Your Own Adventure: The Covers I Didn’t Know Would Matter

Why every cover matters

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I wrote a post on Substack about my father, John W. Mattingly, inventor of the Waterpik. You can read about it here: open.substack.com/pub/myadvent... You can buy signed prints of any of my paintings here: www.davidmattingly.com

My Father, the Man Behind the Waterpik

John W. Mattingly

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I wrote a post on Substack about doing two The Savage Sword of Conan covers for Marvel. You can read about it here: open.substack.com/pub/myadvent... You can buy signed prints of any of my paintings here: www.davidmattingly.com

The Conan covers

My trip to Marvel

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I wrote a post on Substack about the many Animorphs internet memes. You can read about it here: open.substack.com/pub/myadvent... You can buy signed prints of any of my paintings here, including the humorous ones: www.davidmattingly.com

I Made the Animorphs Covers. I Did Not Expect This.

Animorphs memes

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I wrote a post on Substack about my humorous covers. You can read about it here: open.substack.com/pub/myadvent...? You can buy signed prints of any of my paintings here, including the humorous ones: www.davidmattingly.com

My Humorous Covers

The funny stuff

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I wrote a post on Substack about my prep school experience at Principia. You can read about it here: open.substack.com/pub/myadvent...? You can buy signed prints of any of my paintings here: www.davidmattingly.com

I wrote a post on Substack about my early years, and the friends who were key to my development . You can read about it here: open.substack.com/pub/myadvent...? You can buy signed prints of any of my paintings here: www.davidmattingly.com

My Early Years

Childhood art

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I wrote a post on Substack about creating the Honor Harrington covers. You can read about it here: open.substack.com/pub/myadvent...? You can buy signed prints of any of my paintings here: www.davidmattingly.com

Honor Harrington

My work for David Weber

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I wrote a post on Substack about using myself as a model. You can read about it here: myadventuresasanillustrator.substack.com/p/using-myse... You can buy signed prints of any of my paintings, even the ones I posed for, here: www.davidmattingly.com

Using Myself as a Model

I used myself as a model a lot

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I wrote a Substack article on my painting “The Subway Wizard.” Check it out, and feel free to leave a comment. myadventuresasanillustrator.substack.com/p/the-subway-wizard You can buy signed prints of “The Subway Wizard” here: davidmattingly.com/category.php?id=2517&n=Wizards

The Subway Wizard

The painting with the most "in" jokes

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I wrote a post on Substack about an ill fated video game I worked on called The Marexx. You can read about it here: substack.com/home/post/p-199411692 You can buy signed prints of any of my paintings here: www.davidmattingly.com

Magicmaker

With Alan Dean Foster and Barclay Shaw

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I wrote a Substack article on illustrations I did for a men’s magazine “Velvet Talks”, and how I came to do them. Check it out, and feel free to leave a comment. myadventuresasanillustrator.substack.com/p/artists-ag... You can buy signed prints of any of my paintings here: www.davidmattingly.com

Artist’s Agents

"Velvet Talks" magazine

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I just wrote a Substack article on my worst covers, and why they turned out that way. Check it out, and feel free to leave a comment. open.substack.com/pub/myadvent... You can buy signed prints of any of my paintings (even the bad ones) here: www.davidmattingly.com

My Worst Covers

City of a Million Legends and Masters of Space: A Plague in Paradise

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I just wrote a Substack article on my weirdest experience with a model. Check it out, and feel free to leave a comment. myadventuresasanillustrator.substack.com/p/my-weirdes...

My Weirdest Experience With a Model

Steve White’s "Forge of the Titans"

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I just wrote a Substack on my first book cover. You can read the whole article with illustrations here: open.substack.com/pub/myadvent...? Pease subscribe, and leave a comment if you like.

My First Cover

A Wizard in Bedlam by Christoper Stasheff.

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I just wrote a piece on the day I met Walt Disney, and how that influenced my career as an arist. Please check it out, and subscribe to my Substack, “My Adventures as an Illustrator.” open.substack.com/pub/myadvent...?

The Day I Met Walt Disney

My visit to Disneyland

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I just wrote a long piece on the history of morphing. Please check it out, and subscribe to my Substack, “My Adventures as an Illustrator.” open.substack.com/pub/myadvent...?

What is “morphing?”

A cross dissolve with warping

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I just wrote a long piece on how I did The Animorphs covers. Please check it out, and subscribe to my Substack, “My Adventures as an Illustrator.” myadventuresasanillustrator.substack.com/p/how-i-did-...

How I Did the Animorphs Covers

Photoshop and Elastic Reality

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On Substack I take a deep dive comparing two illustrators I admire, Michael Whelan and Frank Frazetta. You can read it here: myadventuresasanillustrator.substack.com Please subscribe to "My Adventures as and Illustrator" for more stories, and leave comments if you find my analysis lacking.

My Adventures as an Illustrator | David Mattingly | Substack

Here are stories of my 50 years working as an illustrator. Click to read My Adventures as an Illustrator, by David Mattingly, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribers.

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