Saturday, December 31, 2011
View of the Xeelee Ring
The "full view" on this is fairly large (or at least I hope it is). But few subjects beg for a high res image as much as the immense alien structure at the heart of Stephen Baxter's mind-stretching book "Ring".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_%28Stephen_Baxter_novel%29
And very few subjects are as challenging to visualize. A full appreciation is only possible from reading the novel, but you may notice there are entire galaxies that appear in front of the Ring. This is due to the immense scale of the artifact - it is as wide as a hundred galaxies.
The structure is composed of a single strand of "string" - a defect in space-time - that is being woven from the crushed debris of countless whole galaxies. The mysterious Xeelee have been working on this project for quite some time - for several billion years in fact.
What is the purpose of such a monstrous construction? The Xeelee intend to use the Ring to initiate a "Kerr Metric" - in effect a doorway that exits the Universe. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerr_Metric
You may wonder at the reaons they undertake such a task, but I won't spoil the book!
So who are the Xeelee? They are the oldest sentient race in the Universe - and one of its greatest mysteries. But as one character states with regard to the Ring: "...that they have the audacity to even dream of such a device!"
Incidentally, those small points of light in the background aren't stars. The Ring occupies an immense empty void, and those lights back there are whole galaxies on the far side...
That's why I like science fiction...
Up the Ridge...
Rovers explore the frozen moon of a large gas giant similar to Jupiter, presumably in another solar system...
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Some "Ancient" Traditional Artworks...
A couple of concept paintings from earlier in my career. Acrylic, roughly 10"x16"...
From the 1997 film "Contact". A large command ship is pulled through the ocean during the movie's climax...
The Drej Fortress - a large alien spacecraft designed for the animated film "Titan AE"...
From the 1997 film "Contact". A large command ship is pulled through the ocean during the movie's climax...
The Drej Fortress - a large alien spacecraft designed for the animated film "Titan AE"...
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
3D environment WIPs...
Some recent 3D tests. I've been experimenting with some matte painting techniques lately...
Best seen in "full view" - there's a fair amount of detail.
Best seen in "full view" - there's a fair amount of detail.
Saturday, December 03, 2011
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Landing Craft
This is a Photoshop painting that I've played around with for a little while...
I recommend looking at the image in full res...
I recommend looking at the image in full res...
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Exo-Planets...
Some recent science fiction images. These are 3D based, with a lot of painting to achieve the final result.
There's a lot of detail, so they're best seen in the full view...
There's a lot of detail, so they're best seen in the full view...
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Meanwhile, Outside the Ship...
This is a cropped version of the image. The full version is posted here:http://steve-burg.deviantart.com/
I consider this kind of a "failed experiment" - but it's still interesting enough to post...
I consider this kind of a "failed experiment" - but it's still interesting enough to post...
The Traverse
It is like a glacier, but it's really not a glacier...
In fact it might not be a natural formation at all. But whatever it is, the explorers shown must cross over...
I was a bit inspired by the abstract backgrounds that Syd Mead often puts into his paintings.
This image and some of the others here are also posted in my gallery on Deviant Art: http://steve-burg.deviantart.com/
In fact it might not be a natural formation at all. But whatever it is, the explorers shown must cross over...
I was a bit inspired by the abstract backgrounds that Syd Mead often puts into his paintings.
This image and some of the others here are also posted in my gallery on Deviant Art: http://steve-burg.deviantart.com/
The Long Ascent
This is a 3D render with some painting done on top of the image. The tiny figures were painted at a much larger scale, then reduced and integrated into the terrain.
I haven't the slightest idea what this enormous structure is!
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