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Updated again!
[Second Revision]
Added a blue light flare thing coming from the star. I also toned down (faded) the light rays which are to the upper left of the star, they now match the others better. I can't really think of how else I could improve this piece before I finalize it. If you have anything to say about it, now's the time to say it!



[First Revision]
I added several layers to the nebula to expand the color variation as well as a cloudy texture layer. I refined the light rays, they are now less blurry. I realigned one ray so it aligned better with the position of the sun. This started as a skybox panel for Space Noxx II. It still is, but I really like how it has evolved into a separate piece. Comments still welcome, as always.


[Original]
Original
Click for full size. When I decide it's finished, I'll expand it to a 4:3 ratio for desktop use and 8:3 for dual-display configurations. The stars tile so no problem there.

Comments?

It's very pretty, but too blurry for my taste.

I wouldn't mind a bit more texture in the nebula itself, and perhaps some more color variation.

Also, though this is obviously a case of personal taste, I think it'd look quite a bit better if the stars weren't as dense as they are.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll see what I can do. I'll try to clear up the bluriness and add a detail layer to the nebula. What I've been wanting to do is to get a more cloudy look, but it's difficult. And yeah, the stars are a little dense. You should have seen them before! They were worse.

Yeah, I'd like to see more vibrant, rich color. It looks very pale at the moment.

It's beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. I wish I could make things like that. I suppose I'll just stick to levels.

Thanks! It's actually not as hard as it looks. You should have seen the original version, it was pale as a white guy's ***. The trick to good celestial art is to keep building upon it over and over. Sometimes you can never stop. If anyone is interested, I highly recommend the tutorials at Greg Martin's website.

Man, that's a huge improvement!

Much much much much better.

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