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 I use an outdated Dell Pentium 4, 1.4GHZ, running Windows XP.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 (24)
Savage_dragon
Hot n' cold running suns. Kewl! ")
Porthos
Nicely done, excellent concept!
E.Houser
Beautiful work! :)
geirla
Excellent sky! Love the reflections on the very realistic water.
shayhurs
Cool!; Nice work as always!
lumi
great atmo!
Naoo
Beautiful Light!
Blitzz-Licht
looks good with the two suns
BenBischop
Awesome Scene...!!
Danny_G
Lots of depth in this image, great to see you pursuing TG2. This too shall be yours!!! : )
artgum
Great work Mark- I like the tint on the right hand sun. I can't wait to see you dig into the clouds- you'll love'em.
scifibabe
Wonderful job on this. Very unique. Cool and creative.
ppetersen
Love the 'two' moons here, especially the colors Mark. Sweet terrain and excellent pov. Keep at this as I can't wait to see what you get from tg2!!!!
mikeerson
for some reason I instantly thought of Space Oddysie 2001 .... funny to see that movie and 2001 is in the past... being a kid and thinking 2001 could actually happpen - wild... I'll never feel that way again.
choronr
A mighty fine piece of work here Mark, you should be proud. That water an reflections are beautiful. I'll bet you really enjoyed putting this one together. I'll bet you can get a great tan here!
bloodnok
Another stunning work Mark. Very 'atmospheric!'
Thelby
Now See!!! Wasn't that easy ;^D Nice work Markie!!!
LindaMcC
A stunningly beautiful scene and a wondrous quietude. Such excellent work in every respect.
X-PaX
Very nice image.
MagikUnicorn
A M A Z I N G
KatesFriend
That is gorgeous.
Art_Ramos
Was this done as one image? Or, was it done as two images and then merged?
Rutra
I particularly like the water here. The two colors work really well. I don't like the full size view, it looks blurry.
SuperNeloAngelo
I would like to visit a planet like this... Splendid work..