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 I use an outdated Dell Pentium 4, 1.4GHZ, running Windows XP.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 (27)
faroutsider
Stunning image!
Darkwish
Fantastic work! Very well done!
henrytj
Fantastic image. Well done.
mikeerson
I think this is a fitting picture to be your first after your title has been given to someone else... 9 pictures you realeased while holding the title "Artist of the Month". Out of the 9, I liked Dark Path the most. They were all uniquely awesome. I think this is a fitting picture because it feels like you're pulling out of the clouds - pulling away from the month with the title. You haven't worked with day clouds (up close)in the last 9 uploads, so it was a nice change. I'd like to give you a challenge. a planet with the surface on fire, like lava... I'd like to see what you would do with that thought. ...Once again, congratulations on being artist of the month in July - I recognize it and I truely believed you deserved it.
tetsu-pino
Wow!! Beautiful sky and realistic material of the rock!! Excellent work!!!
choronr
If combined with TG2, this beautiful image could be further advanced ...come on Mark, give it a try!
Petra-S
super clouds, light and Planets!
shayhurs
Niiiice! Great composite!
amapitodd
Fantastic! Beautiful scene.
shingleboot
Stunning image! Beautiful and very real
louly
Gorgeous! Love the POV.
DarkStormCrow
Excellent!
prutzworks
great pov & moon constellation
artgum
I agree- the POV makes it, along with the somewhat windswept sky. Excellent surfacing on this terrain.
scifibabe
Wonderful lighting and shadows in this picture. Beautiful colors and amazing sky. Just has a lovely feeling about it. Really nice work.
KatesFriend
Very realistic terrain. I think the sky light reflecting of the white surfaces makes it.
grafikeer
Excellent terrains,clouds and POV...like the shadow of the clouds falling on the foreground...another excellent render!
DeathTwister
Oh I do love those Blues you got, nice nice nice, this is azure wonderful.
gerberc
Awesome terrain and beautiful colors! Love the surface, too!
stbc
Great surface work here, Mark.
Art_Ramos
I like the terrain and erosion in this image!!!
fractalinda
Awesome POV and those clouds move! Awesome terrain work, including the surface texture. Excellent, as always.
kasalin
Top compo !!! Perfect and wonderful !!
NefariousDrO
I'm not sure how I let this one slip past me, this is one of your best ever. Great POV, dramatic terrain, and fantastic sky all make for a breath-taking view!
geirla
Love the sky on this one!
bcbc
very cool image
claudia02
Klasse Bild ! Postwork, wie ich es früher machte :-)