The Red Frontier : First Planetary Space Art on Circle Canvas

 

First of my planet series: Mars

Using the image data obtained from Kota Bharu Observatory by Dr Mahamarowi and Mars map reference from Mars Trek by NASA and NASA JPL , I've produced a realistic painting of Mars using acrylics on circle canvas. The process took me days to finish it as I had to identify the area of the planet depicted in the image captured. Once the area is identified by referring Mars Trek map, I started working on the composition on the circle canvas. I coated the canvas entirely in mixture of burnt sienna and permanent red to give this dusty hue of red for the planet. 

Then, I continued to add more details and build up the colours to indicate craters, high and low regions on Mars. But my most favorite structure of Mars to work on is the Vales Marineris, the system of canyons that runs along the Martian surface east of the Tharsis region. At more than 4,000 km long, 200 km wide and up to 7 km deep, Valles Marineris is one of the largest canyons of the Solar System, surpassed in length only by the rift valleys of Earth. I work with the flat brush horizontally just by simply dabbing it with different tones and hues to indicate the structures and depths of the valley. The valley became the prominent structure at the center of my Mars piece, which made this painting more conspicuous.

The northern polar cap of mars is not just simply a slap of white colored paint on top of the piece, it has an intricate structure and I had to follow a flow of spiral pattern to achieve a more realistic (and artistic) effect of the ice cap. I'm glad that I nailed the ice cap and it was a fun process. 

This painting is however sold to a determined space art fan at the price of RM 650. Thank you so much for your support towards my space arts, Mr Winson!

Acrylic on Circle Canvas
The Red Frontier
By Syahirah Stargazer