Who is 'Markal'?
Markal is Mark Edwards who lives in Mississippi – originally from Indianapolis, Indiana. I retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2003 after 23 years and decided to stay here in the warm gulf coast south along with my wife, two daughters and three grandchildren.
How long have you been rendering/doing computer graphics?
My last five years in the Air Force I designed and developed computer-based training. We used PhotoShop, Flash and even wrote code in HTML, so I guess I started in the late 90’s. My terragen work began in 2003.
Do you have traditional art experience?
No real art experience just the standard art classes in high school and college.
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What are you currently working on?
I’m working on a collaboration with a Bryce artist…he is making a ship for one of my space landscape images. Learning Terragen 2 and possibly Vue may be in the works soon.
What software/equipment do you use and why?
Software used is Terragen .9.43, PaintShopPro 7 and LunarCell. I use an outdated Dell Pentium 4, 1.4GHZ, running Windows XP. I was going to upgrade but, this very large screen HDTV deal fell into my lap so I had to upgrade my other love…. watching Blue-Ray movies…first. Hopefully I’ll upgrade to a quad 4 before the end of the year.
What do you think your best piece of work is and why?
One of my latest favorites is Rigel III. The foreground is a stone BMP overlay I applied in Terragen…. the shading and shadows were in-line with the sun angle and it worked very well. The only post work was the LunarCell moons and I think they also add a realistic touch. It still amazes me how computer graphics can make an imaginary place look so real and believable.
Why do you like to work with 3D software?
It’s a fun hobby for me and when I focus on the work it carries me away from the hustle and worries of this world.ÂÂ
Who/what inspires you?
All the wonderful artists here at ReRo are great inspirations. National Geographic Magazine, NASA and all the space missions has also influenced and inspired me. Of course our creator….Almighty God….the greatest artist of all.
How has this online community (Renderosity) enhanced your work, relationships, and learning?
Not only comments but also other artists sharing their files have helped me grow artistically by leaps and bounds.
Parting Comments / Advice to other Artists?
I try to focus on what I love. I have a passion for Space Art so 99% of my work is Space art. Some may think I need to branch out and explore other areas but I say branch out to what….something I don’t love? Go with what you love and your rewards will be many.
Comments (32)
carlx
Marvelous sci-fi!!!
Dim_Reaper
Lovely image and very impressive work.
azrabella
Markal - this is a masterpiece, for sure. I think you have pulled all the elements together really well. Good on you.
Petra-S
Genial sky, light, colors, texturen and mood!
RGUS
FANTASTIC.... man this stuff is GOOD!
sintoock
Super!!
e-brink
Dramatic scene with great lighting.
gr8lykr
great job
artgum
Masterful integration with the background image. I'm liking this series Mark.
pixelmeister
Very great work!
DRAKELOT
Awesome world !!!
DeathTwister
Oh Fantastic as always /smiles....
rocserum
excellent atmosphere,stunning result! RS
OrphanedSoul
So very beautiful, you should do a tutorial for this!
nosawayne
Incredible!
ledwolorz
Fantastic work.
kanzler
A dream of a image!!!
fractalinda
Exquisite. Outstanding work, Mark.
X-PaX
Another fantastic render. Well done. I agree with justdusty. You really should write a tutorial. Especially for the usage of texture layers.
choronr
Very nice scene. I would have put the camera down lower and tilted the camera upwards more so as to create better picture balance.
Amethystwolf
Stunning image!
Savage_dragon
Awesome work, Mark. That neb looks like an attacking monster. ")
janedj
Very beautiful and clear colors!!!!Hugs Jane
shantay
Great sky, sea and overlays, splendid vibrant colors!
ChadAustin
Very stunning!
packermarvin
Very cool. Love the atmo, colors and terrain. Not enough time to go on.
KatesFriend
I love the deep rich, jewel like colours.
saeltari
I love the water!
thirdeyespy
Hmmm this is sublime. Nothing to fault or critique. I just want to walk into it, stand in the water and look around in awe. Well done!
Kosmicman
Suuuperlight!!!