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Jigsaw Puzzles!!

DB Jigsaw Puzzles!

8.25/10 rating
(142 votes)

Print Available!

It was recently suggested to me that it has been a long time since I've done an astronomical wallpaper. Time to remedy that!

Here's one for the astronomy geeks out there. As I am sure they already know, a "Magnetar" is a special type of neutron star with an extremely powerful magnetic field. My representation is a bit on the fanciful side, but I hope I mananged capture the violence and dark energy of such a body.

I modeled most of this using a new program called "Incendia". I hope you like the results!

Pickle Jar Variations what's this?

Member Comments

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Hal
"Hubble on steroids"
Wow, another masterful astronomical canvas. Very good work Ryan. It's work like this that reminds me that I need a lifetime membership. Oh wait...I already have one...



:D

Fri June 23, 2017 at 3:10 pm

JohnWilson
"AMAZING!"
I have my Win8 laptop set to cycle through a folder full of DB images at random. This popped up on my desktop today and I was stunned at how beautiful it is!

Sun August 30, 2015 at 2:19 am

Joel
"Nice"
Any chance for a pickle jar green version? Enjoyed this one for several weeks.

Tue August 14, 2012 at 6:19 am

Laura
"Love!"
I love this and the picklejar version too. Thank you so much!

Thu August 2, 2012 at 10:53 pm

Ryan
"@Tazz"
That's what I get for uploading before my morning coffee has fully taken effect. The missing resolutions should be there now.

Sat July 21, 2012 at 11:36 am

Tazz
"Resolution"
The triple 1080p (5760X1080) seems to be missing

Sat July 21, 2012 at 11:13 am

Chris
"Awesome"
Loving the colours, perfect wallpaper!

Wed July 18, 2012 at 5:55 pm

RC Davison
"Magnetar animation"
Although it's probably too late, the European Space Agency posted a video animation of a magnetar that I thought you might find interesting: http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMUZHMXL4H_index_0.html

Mon July 16, 2012 at 9:43 am

Psyclone
"YES!"
I freaking love this.



The colors are PERFECT. You often work best in blue, but this is perfectly balanced as is.



This one is going to be the iPad lock screen for a long long time....

Sat July 14, 2012 at 0:34 am

Ryan
"Update"
Just wanted everyone to know that I am still tweaking this one so that is why I haven't produced the multiscreen yet.

Fri July 13, 2012 at 1:53 pm

TinaG
"Fantastic!"
Bonus that it's blue/purple! :)

Fri July 13, 2012 at 9:48 am

Fumigator
"oh hell yeah."
Love it.

Wed July 11, 2012 at 9:50 am

John N.
"Wow!"
I don't know if this is the best way to describe this rendering, but this is the best 'space' scene with a bit of abstract art mixed in. If I could rate it higher than a 10 I would! Very well done!

Wed July 11, 2012 at 9:19 am

Angelique
"wall art"
I saw this page this evening and first thing I thought of was whether this would work with any of your wallpapers:

http://www.partystandups.com/catalog/Custom-Wall-Graphics-c-71.html

they're printed on self-adhesive type of fabric and so you wouldn't need a frame and could just stick it right to the wall.

Tue July 10, 2012 at 7:51 pm

Nelson
"Second Render"
Woow, that's exactly what I was hoping for! Thank you so much for your efforts!

Tue July 10, 2012 at 1:00 am

Tazz
"Second Render"
The second render reigns supreme in my eyes. The depth of the cloud and various debris make the picture unique and a lot deeper than the first render which almost used a generic star/space backdrop.

Mon July 9, 2012 at 6:21 pm

Justin B
"Subject aside..."
Considering I don't have the faintest clue what a Magnetar would look like, I have to say the 2nd version feels more "natural". The original version seemed like it was a render slapped on top of a field of stars. It didn't really feel like a complete image. The 2nd version, on the other hand, feels much more complete. There's more depth to the image as a whole, which I'm sure you were going for.



Then again, since I'm not one to nitpick on how "real" an astronomical work is, I like the overall shape and colors of the original version!

Mon July 9, 2012 at 1:49 pm

Matt
"Both Versions"
I really like both versions in their own ways. They are two of my favorite.

Mon July 9, 2012 at 1:37 pm

Greg in CA
"Now THIS is what I was looking for!"
Completely and totally awesome.

Mon July 9, 2012 at 12:59 am

Ryan
"V.2"
I've posted a new version of "Magnetar" this morning. The first render (available henceforth in the Pickle Jar) was my first wallpaper developed and rendered completely on a laptop (Asfaloth). For this new version I employed my main workstation (Bucephalus).

I rendered the background and nebula first in Vue d'Esprit, then used that for the background for my magnetar in Lightwave. I then brought that render back into Vue to add foreground dust.

Now if only I could figure out how to make more "ropy" looking clouds in Vue...

I hope you like the update. Let me know what you think!!

Mon July 9, 2012 at 12:35 am

JS
"Another interesting work"
Ryan,



Once again another great piece. Quite captivating. My only critique is that it feels a bit unbalanced by the "void" on the left.

Mon July 9, 2012 at 10:53 am

Joe
"This"
Ryan, I love this one. It reminds me somehow of my all-time DB favourite, 'Something Blue'. It now graces the screen of my phone.

Sun July 8, 2012 at 7:23 am

Hoverwolf1
"MAGNETAR"
I like it. Artistically, it's pleasing (I prefer the space scenes); Scientifically, it seems acurate: a magnetic field strong enough to bend atoms and tear X-ray photons will produce a very well ordered image, not the feathered lines others have complained about wanting. As for the planets, the first exoplanets discovered were in orbit around a neutron star, so I see no reason not to add them, if you want. I also like having the magnetar in the center, as it works better as a background image, and the colors aren't distracting. They're actually kind of serene for such a violent and extreme object. Love it so far. Can't wait to see the finished image!

Sun July 8, 2012 at 2:03 am

Tom
"Incredibly Complicated Subject Matter"
After reading up on magnetars and looking at other artist's conceptions of magnetars, I have one more comment to make: This is an incredibly complicated subject matter to attempt to illustrate. And only an artist as fearless as Ryan would attempt such a thing. What a courageous self-challenge!

Fri July 6, 2012 at 11:26 pm

jmpond
"Magnetar"
Explosive yet peaceful. I like the ying/yang effect. Very cool work!

Fri July 6, 2012 at 7:07 pm

Max_Power
"Magnetar (2012)"
Ryan,

Thank you for this current piece. In fact thank you for all your work. That is why I am a lifetime member. You keep my desktop and phone the center of attention wherever I go. Thank you and good blessings to you and your family!



Max_Power

Fri July 6, 2012 at 2:32 pm

Greg in CA
"To Gregor"
What I meant by that comment is that it has sort of an 'amateur' feel to it. I'm a member of DB because of the exceptional quality of Ryan's work, and IMO, this one (at least in it's current form) is not exceptional. Nothing personal to Ryan or any other artists...

Fri July 6, 2012 at 1:37 pm

Tim
"My new favorite"
This one is just incredible - it became my new favorite (and my current wallpaper) as soon as I saw it.



Amazing work! (and it's not even done yet? :O :D )

Fri July 6, 2012 at 2:40 am

Gregor
"To Greg in CA"
"It almost looks like something someone submitted for the user gallery..." and we all agree the images in the user gallery are nothing one would like to see here, right?! O_o Thank you for showing so little appreciation for other artists!

Fri July 6, 2012 at 2:30 am

Medicsmurf
"Hmmm"
I wouldn't say it is missing something, I would more say it needs to more off center to give a falling away feeling.



I adore the spacescapes and always approve of more of them!

Thu July 5, 2012 at 5:23 pm

Daniel B
"Nebula?"
Not a physicist, but I think one thing that's missing is a Nebula. Neutron Stars (and therefore Magnetar's) are made from Supernovas, so shouldn't there be a supernova remnant a la the Crab Nebula that this is inside?

Thu July 5, 2012 at 3:33 pm

Bruceam
"Magnetar"
Ryan,

Magnetar is an outstanding piece. I think it would make a fantastic animated background. The motion would highlight the "Strangeness" of this phenomenon the way nothing else could.



Keep up the Great Work

Thu July 5, 2012 at 2:36 pm

Matt
"Dissenting Opinion"
I actually really like this one! It is nice and clean. Maybe I am just a huge sucker for your dark wallpapers with blue overtones (I am). There may be room for a couple tweaks, but don't change it too much!

Thu July 5, 2012 at 1:01 pm

Maggie
"Animated for PS3?"
I know you're not in charge of making the animated wallpapers for PS3, but this image would be AWESOME when animated. I really love this image!

Thu July 5, 2012 at 12:33 am

Nelson
"Same opinion"
Well, I thought the same when looking at it: the edges of that "flux" are too sharp. Elso, it looks really promising ;-)

@anna_writr:

I think both ways don't have to contradict each other. A real scene normally has many details, so adding them should result in a more realistic view anyway.

Thu July 5, 2012 at 12:27 am

James
"Magnetar"
If you want to add planetesimals, you could always rationalize that the magnetar passed through a Magellanic Cloud or some such entity. Anyways, I love these wallpapers and this is perfect for my Iphone. Thanks!

Thu July 5, 2012 at 10:58 am

anna_writr
"Nifty"
I like the painty-ness of the magnetar itself. Maybe you should go one way or the other. Put more details to make it look more like a painting in or go all the way to 'realistic'.



I do like the color scheme.

Thu July 5, 2012 at 10:41 am

FlareHeart
"Pretty but too sharp on the magnetic field "
I really like the colors and patterns in this one, but the magnetic field representations seem a little too sharp and crisp. Maybe a little more transparency and feathered edges would make the fields look more ethereal.

Thanks for all of your great work Ryan!

Thu July 5, 2012 at 10:32 am

Ryan
"Space"
I usually try to add planets, rocks, or something in the foreground of these space pictures but this is a tough one. A magnetar is a relatively tiny object left behind after a supernova so all the nearby solid matter will have been vaporized.



Yes, this one is quite unfinished and I am happy for the feedback!

Thu July 5, 2012 at 9:09 am

Amaryllis
"A different opinion"
I feel differently from the others - I love the painterly effect of the flares. I've been reading about alchemy lately, and this image really resonates with what I've been reading. (For me the issue lies with the starfield on the left. I would prefer it if the object filled the whole screen.)But of course, you can't please everyone and I do think, in the final analysis, the artist must please him or herself (even if money is involved!)

Thu July 5, 2012 at 7:40 am

Nico
"Space"
always loved the space stuff. The gasses going out from the star doesn't seem quite right has an unreal visual to it needs a different texture? I love where you are going with it.

Thu July 5, 2012 at 6:40 am

Ben
"Nice Colors"
I love it...but I too feel that it is incomplete...missing something. Great work none the less. Keep up the great work :D

Thu July 5, 2012 at 6:35 am

Eyal
"Magnetar"
It is very nice (my favorites too have always been space scenes), but something about it feels a bit too artificial...

Thu July 5, 2012 at 3:37 am

Tom
"That Makes Three Of Us"
It's very difficult for me to criticize such a gifted artist. Artists seldom ask for opinions. Thomas Hart Benton never asked because he hated his critics. Jackson Pollock just got drunk and kept on painting. But since you care, Ryan, I feel I must honestly concur with the others. It does seem somewhat unfinished. Some of the fine lines look like a scan of a colored pencil drawing. It actually hurts me to criticize you after all of the great works you've produced for us, so I will shut up now.

Thu July 5, 2012 at 2:58 am

Karl
"Agree with Greg in CA"
The fractals do not look quite right. I think their edges are too sharp, if you feathered them they would fit the scene better.

Thu July 5, 2012 at 1:31 am

Greg in CA
"I've always liked the space scenes, but..."
Something about this one seems unfinished. Maybe not enough detail? It almost looks like something someone submitted for the user gallery...

Thu July 5, 2012 at 1:21 am


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