The quintessential characters of space, planets are often underdeveloped and undervalued. More than just a spherical cliché in a celestial scene, planets are jewels of creation and provide a story all on their own. A view from space reveals a tremendous saga of biology, geology, and meteorology. Clouds, coastlines, mountains, lakes, rivers, volcanoes, craters, storms… the list of possibilities goes on and on. What’s more, planets can easily play multiple roles in celestial art, functioning as either an actor in a scene, an extra detail, or even the subject of the piece as a whole. Defi ned by their sheer size and penchant for detail, planets are essentially enormous layered spheres. Each of their layers encompassed a system of immense complexity and an endless opportunity for detail and exploration.
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Eptymology: Middle English planete,
from Old French, from Late Latin planeta,
modifi cation of Greek planEt-, planEs, literally,
wanderer, from planasthai to wander.
Merriam Webster |
A look at satellite imagery of our own planet reveals that, as an artist, nature tends not to disappoint. Each spherical layer on Earth, from the multifaceted atmosphere down to the land and sea, is teeming with detail and activity. And the Earth is not alone… even the gas giants in our solar system are permeated to their very depths with detail. A close examination of Jupiter, for example, reveals that, while not possessing a visible ground surface, it is imbued with layer upon layer of colossal and chaotic weather patterns. The Jovian skyscape is rent with lightning, dominated by rank upon rank of towering cloud formations that utterly dwarf their terrestrial cousins. All of this is visible from space, and the largest storm system a planet can produce could very well be no more than a minor detail in the scheme of things. This is the entity known as the planet… not those annoying rendered texture balls that many think they are. A planet is a creation that, when done properly, will convey endless levels of detail from the prominently visible all the way down to the merely implied.
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As interesting as they are, it also pays to remember that planets are not always alone. In fact, it is quite common to see them accompanied in their orbits by one or more moons. These often barren brethren are also repositories of exquisite detail, albeit perhaps on fewer layers than the planets if the moon is without atmosphere. But moons carry different elements that may be lacking on a planet, details of their interaction with other space elements. Craters. Cracks. Fissures. All of these things (which may or may not survive the wear of time or weather on a planet surface) tell of the devastating power of impacting asteroids, meteors, and comets. Whereas a green planet with water and air may tell a story of teeming life, a barren moon displays its alternative, opening up the imagination to all sorts of cataclysmic scenarios. Of course, there can be an element of the dramatic without fire and ice (so to speak). Moons are, by their physical as well as aesthetic natures, perfect balances for a planet in a scene. This makes them “free agents” of a sort, extremely welcome to any composition, but not entirely essential.
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More than anything else, planets represent endless possibilities. They are more than a simple texture, more than a glowing orb. Planets are alive, and like any other element of space, deserving of a composition that does full justice to their undeniable beauty and appeal. Incredible visual entities that they are, however, planets are more often than not represented in art as a shaded circle or a simple textured sphere. The idea that a multifaceted, infinitely complex planetary body can be meaningfully distilled down to a simple sphere with a texture mapped onto it is, in a word, obscene. That’s akin to saying the elegance of engraved and polished silver can be obtained by wrapping a rock in aluminum foil… it doesn’t work that way. Planets are treasure troves of natural splendor, able to carry an image in their own right or provide elegant context as needed. To waste such an artistic element by not taking the time to realize it completely is a terrible loss. A good planet is both a joy to create and a wonder to behold. |
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