Artist AG88's SW images***UPDATED 30 March 2013

Great pics as always, AG88! I really liked the one with Luke parting the water... highly intriguing concept there. Now you've got me wondering what the story behind it might be - how'd he get there, why's he doing it... Not just to impress Mara, I'm assuming. That would be a very cool scene to see in a story, anyway, and the picture makes it so real you can practically feel the chaos around Luke.

The 'Luke in leathers' one is quite interesting as well. Very Dark Empire-ish... It melds well, and I like the background you've got there. It creates a very nice sense overall.

I like your work with the Poser program on the last few. Especially the latest one - I love the detail there. The comic-book sort of feel is great - nice colours, a real sense of movement.

Hm, I seem to be rambling a little here. Great work is what I'm trying to say.

 

Thanks KA. If only if I could make photos as well as you write!

Here is another pic I made up. It represents a scene from Joiner King so SPOILER ALERT!!

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/3841/1marajade5md.jpg

I also ran it though a Poster Edge Filter to give it a comic book look.

http://img334.imageshack.us/img334/851/a23marajade5fc.jpg .

I also enlarged the photo: http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/620/marajadehardcorps2ew.jpg .


Which do you all like better?

AG88

 

This next picture I made up sorta as a joke. They guys in the Lit Forum Luke, Mara, the Force and Sex in the Expanded Universe thread were talking about the Jedi in the Medstar novels meditating in the nude. The conversation went on to guess which other Jedi do this. So I made up this picture using Poser 6 and Microsoft Digital Image Pro 10. I am pretty sure it is PG enough for these forums, but I am sure HanSolo29 will let me know if I have to remove it. It is called Luke Meditating.

[image=http://img354.imageshack.us/img354/7587/lukeanaturalposter2ev.jpg]

I put his hands in that position to retain his modesty. He isn't doing anything funny.

AG88

 

!!

Somehow...with that coy look on his face...I rather doubt he's "meditating"...


Another pretty good match with the face/body, AG88--I really like the little "gazebo" you have him in here, too, and the lighting is lovely. I can always count on seeing our favorite Jedi Master in some "interesting situations" when I come to your thread!

FF

 

Thanks HanSolo29 and FalconFan for your comments. The body is computer generated by Poser 6. I can move and pose the body in any position that I want. I then used a program similar to photoshop to put Luke's head on the body. The background is a couple pictures I snagged off the web and manipulated them to make his little meditation room. I then changed the hue to a bluish color to make it look like it was night or dusk. I then ran the whole thing through a paint filter.

I don't know how to draw, so almost all of this was done by computer. I just love the poser program because I can pose the body or a man or a woman in any position I want. I can cloth them, add props, hair and such. I am not very good at making the hair and face. I need much more practice. So I usually just paste Luke's real head on from a photo. I did paint in the shadowing. The blending and shadowing is usually the only thing I do by hand. And by hand I mean with the mouse and using my own artistic talent (what little there is).

Thanks again for your comments.

AG88

 

That's impressive. I've never tried manipulating photos in which you take a characters head and paste it on a completely different body, but I've always thought that it must be difficult to pull off well. Your picture of Luke looks superb in that sense, as the body you've created as well as the pose, matches convincingly very well. I must say that that particular facial expression you picked for it makes it all the more priceless. (It wouldn't surprise me if he did in fact meditate in the nude). Also really good choice of pictures used for the background. The way the image is rendered almost reminds me of an old computer game, or perhaps an 80's arcade because of how it seems pixellated in a way? Hmmm, I'm not entirely sure how to describe it. Anywho, it's really great work.

... and that poser program you have sounds like tons of fun.

- Suz ^_~

 

I bought Poser 6 retail, but I have been told that DAZ Productions has a free version online. I am pretty sure they make their money by charging you for extras like clothes, props, poses, hair, and such. Many of that stuff comes with the Poser 6 program. You can check out what is available by DAZ here: http://www.daz3d.com/index.php .

Poser 6 cost around $250 retail (http://www.e-frontier.com/go/poser_hpl .), but if you are a student or teacher you can get for about $140 at the AcademicSuperStore (where I got mine: http://www.academicsuperstore.com/item/index.html?tname=Poser ).

If you do get Poser 6 and you have difficulty in learning its applications you might want to invest in a book called Poser 6 Revealed, The Official Guide by Kelly L. Murdock. I found that guide book much easier to understand than the Poser 6 Reference Manual.

Another wonderful book I have found was Digital Sci-Fi Art : A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Stunning, Futuristic Images by Michael Burns. It has fantastic art work and it really lets you know what is possible to make using programs such as Poser 6 and Bryce 5.5 (Bryce allows you to make stunning Landscapes and fantasy worlds). The book gives you a lot of tips on how to create beautiful images.

I have yet to learn how to use my Bryce 5.5 program since I have been concentrating on learning Poser 6. But I have to tell you I have been very happy with the results I have gotten with Poser 6 and my Microsoft Digital Image Pro 10 Program (microsoft version of PhotoShop). I love to create images, but I really can't draw at all. These programs really help. I would think in the hands of true artists as yourselves you could create absolutely wonderful images!

I hope this information is of some help.

Thank you Your_Worshipfullness for your kind comments. I ran the picture through a paint filter to give that its "drawn" look. This is the way it looked from my poser program (the body, that is): http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/8536/poserlukemeditating3ut.jpg .

I am glad you like it. Thanks!

AG88

 

This picture I made up with Poser 6 and Microsoft Digital Image Pro 10. The body is by poser but I pretty much painted in the clothes with the exception of the cape which I snagged from Darth Vader. Let me tell you. Painting on arm straps and putting in the details of a body suit using a mouse is a royal pain in the rear end. Plus, I am using my Microsoft program to paint and it is not designed to be a paint program. The background is three photos I spliced together and manipulated. Then I ran it through a Poster Paint filter.

It is of Asajj Ventress.

[image=http://img316.imageshack.us/img316/919/asajjventress3wk.jpg]

It looks a lot better if you go to the bottom right of the picture and click the enlarge button that appears.

AG88

 

Ooh, very nice. I love the background, and the pose definitely seems very in-character. All up very flawless! Oh, and I love the cape as well. Seems a fitting choice for her. Great work!

 

I saw your latest, AG88, a few days ago and didn't have time to comment until now!

This Poser program you have looks too cool! The Asajj piece is great: wonderful action in her pose, and a good--and characteristically--fierce expression on her face--all as it should be! I like the environment you've put her in, too--good blending of the lighting and shadows. And I agree with Knight_Aragorn: the cape was a good addition, too! You're really going to go to town with this new program, aren't you? Cool!

FF

 

Thank you Knight_Aragorn and FalconFan for your wonderful feedback.

I need your advice on the next picture I made. It is called Ganner's Last Stand. I was wondering if I should put a whole bunch more Vong coming through the door or would that make the picture too busy? I think if I put them in but make them less detailed that might work. In the story he stood up to hundreds of Vong. But I figure this could be right when they blew the door and just a few came through to check out the area.

I think I might add a few more Vong. They are just such a pain to make. I was using poser, but I had to make their faces and Vong Armor by painting them in. So it takes a long time.

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/8170/gannerslaststand1237zr.jpg

Anyway, let me know what you think. By the way, is his saber the right color? He was using Anakin Solo's saber.

Thanks,

AG88

 

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

I LOVE IT!!!!! Woohoo, finally another person who has done one of my favourite scenes ever! ::dances::

I love Ganner's pose. Brilliant. It's very dynamic. And the colour of the lightsaber is right -- Anakin's was purple, unless I'm mistaken.

 

OOOOOOOOOOO... I love it! I have always loved this scene where Ganner finally finds himself. I cheered him on and cried while I was doing it. Yes, you have the saber color correct and there was a point where the Vong met him one on one and then two on one. Quite a while, actually, until it became clear that he was buying time for Jacen. Bravo!

 

Thank you Idrelle_Miocovani and Zonoma. I also love that scene. I was never a big Ganner fan until Traitor. He was awesome. I decided to add more Vong to that scene. Here is my final product:

[image=http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/4646/slaststandfinal0hl.jpg]

AG88

 

Yay! The more Vong the better! ::grins::

I absolutely adore this scene. Ganner was really awesome. That's why when I wrote one of my vignettes, I wrote about this scene in particular. And then I drew fan art for it.

 

*squeals with delight* AHHH!!! I love it! I love it! Right now I've got a massive grin on my face that I can't get off. See!

This is really wonderful...I'm so in love with this scene and have done prelim sketches for an attempt myself! I've got pages of sketches of angles/views and I've got one that looks like this one exactly so that's slightly unnerving. You've made it look so wonderful! Those Vong are great, I love the organic nature of them, how no two are the same and they all seem to move different (that is some have a high-guard, some seem to stalk, some just charge like fools).

Nice stance for Ganner to have, conveys a lot of bring-it-on attitude without showing the face. Bold move there, not to show the face as that's where most of us look for a guide to what's going on in his head, but you've pulled it off wonderfully! Great saber colour too!

Gah! Now I'm too scared to attempt my own version now...this just looks way too good. I now I'm baggin on about it but this is so good. Well done!

 

Thanks for your wonderful comments Corellian_Rogue!! I absolutely love that scene also. I could really identify with Ganner in that book. I could understand how he thought he was a fake when he compares himself to the Grandchildren of the "Chosen one". I mean nothing he does seems to measure up. But his performance in the book Traitor is absolutely awesome. He truly deserves his place in the Vong folklore.

Phew! I am glad I dodged that bullet. I would hate to have taken so long making this picture and then have somebody write to me, "Meh, it is good, but you stole the idea from Corellian_Rogue. And her rendering is much better."

Thanks. If I realized how small they were going to be in the picture I probably would not have taken such time in making them. The body was from poser, but since my poser program version only makes humans I had to change the face and paint in the body armor. This is a close up of the two main Vong you see: http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/7097/vongwarriors2hw.jpg .

I wasn't sure what the Vong looked like exactly. I mean the book covers vary. Some have them look like walking skeletons and others they look more human.

I would love to see your version of this scene. Remember, you are a true artist. I am just getting good at manipulating various computer programs. I didn't do this with a pen and paper. I always marvel at the wonderful art that is posted in these forums.

Thank you for the wonderful feedback!

AG88

 

AWESOME!!!

What a great, great picture AG88!! This was, IMHO, one of the most powerful scenes in the NJO series, with Ganner standing all alone against a league of what most considered a barely-defeatable enemy...awesome-awesome-awesome!! I agree with everything that's been said so far--the powerful stance you have Ganner in, the look of the Vong advancing on him, choice to have our hero facing away from the viewer--all fantastic! I just love to see other artists' interpretations of things like this--it's so cool, and such fun!! Great job, and I'm really excited to see what you come up with next!

FF

 

It really got to me the writing of Ganner's part in the that entire book. Its too bad that he had to die to get some recognition but oh well...magnificent death if anything.

Phew! I am glad I dodged that bullet. I would hate to have taken so long making this picture and then have somebody write to me, "Meh, it is good, but you stole the idea from Corellian_Rogue. And her rendering is much better."

Where did this come from??? Bah...your work here is so magnificent that even if I had done one like it, people would be saying "Corellian who did one?" Don't discredit yourself, you put in so much hard work and you get truly wonderful results. A pleasure for us to look at and admire.

I would love to see your version of this scene. Remember, you are a true artist. I am just getting good at manipulating various computer programs. I didn't do this with a pen and paper. I always marvel at the wonderful art that is posted in these forums.

Again, don't make me beat sense into you with a big stick! People do work in many different ways and the method with which you do it doesn't matter! Art is art and if it looks great (which it most certainly does here) and the hours have been put in then it is truly worthy no matter what it's been done with. And I'm a culprit of just manipulating computer programs too so there. I always marvel too at the work here!

And thanks for giving the link to the Vong close-ups! Great work! I love this process stuff, so great. You should show us how you work sometime...it'd be interesting to see your thought processes. Hope to see more soon!

 

*screams* the vongs are so UGLY! worse than I thought.....

very good, I it. although I havn't read the book yet(the translation into german takes a lot of time, I'm still waiting for rebels dream.......), I know what happend through the internet......except the thing with Anakin's lightsaber. (I also cried when he died)

 

Thank you for your kind words FalconFan. I really appreciate the feedback. As I have said before, Traitor is my favorite book of the NJO. And Ganner?s last stand was the most poignant moment of that book.

Thanks for your comments!

I totally agree.

Thank you. I just can?t help but feel a little like a fake since I am using computer programs to produce these pictures and not pure artistic talent. I have always loved drawing when I was a kid, but I was never very good at it. Getting programs like Digital Image Pro 10, Poser 6 and Bryce 5.5 has really got me thinking about art again. I am glad because I really enjoy it.

I can do that. I will show a step by step on how I do my next picture. Thanks for your feedback, Corellian_Rogue!!

LOL. They are not that bad looking compared to some renditions I have seen. In some of the book covers they look like a person who has been dead for a few months. Thanks for the feedback!

AG88

 

I was asked to show how I use my various computer programs to make a picture. Here is a simple step by step. First I make the background by combining various photos using a program similar to PhotoShop.


http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/5204/howto15db.jpg .

Next I want to make the moon crashing into the atmosphere onto Sernpidal City:

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/4311/howto24ow.jpg .

Next I added the Falcon and some more smoke:

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/999/howto35bg.jpg .

Then I needed to make Chewie shaking his fist at the moon as it crashes down to the planet. I did this using Poser 6 and Microsoft Digital Image Pro 10:

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/8528/howto46oi.jpg .

Then I blurred some of the image to soften the edges and I ended up with this final product. It is okay. I am not really happy with it. It fails to capture the anguish of the moment. Oh well.

[image=http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/3280/chewiesdeathonsernpidal0ie.jpg]

Does that explain how I do it? See nothing to it.

AG88

 

::wails::

Chewwwwwwieeeee!

::wails some more::

You captured this moment beautifully -- although it is one of the saddest moments in the NJO.

Well done! I especially like how you've made the background and the smoke around the Millennium Falcon adds the perfect touch to it.