Before:
After (final, finished image):
Technical
I used many layer filters. The hard mix filter combined with a gradient changed the image completely. That hard mix layer was just above the background, so any layers above it where unaffected by it. That way I could put dots and butterflies above the layer without them becoming corrupted and odd. The explosion was done using a colour filter or linear burn filter, making sure it was detailed and red. Filters were used all throughout the image. To make the silhouettes of people escaping from the explosion in the water I had to find pictures of people jumping and I filled their outlines with a colour, afterwards adding a gradient to make them blend better with the water. And a concept you showed to the grade 11s during the course was some feature where you could twist objects around, contorting them to the wickedest of shapes. I used this feature to curl the poster of "THIS IS THE ENEMY" around the sleeping person.
Idea or concept
I really wanted to highlight the explosion. Despite it being in the background, I wanted it to be immediately important to the viewer. I wanted to show nature in the image (represented by the butterflies). The posters on the ground were supposed to show the society that crumbled during the apocalypse. What I really wanted to show was a strong military presence. I wanted to have a Nazi representative or some other strong general in the picture. As I added to it, I realized I wouldn't have room for the general without the image being too cluttered, so I scrapped that idea. As I fiddled with the layers and their filters I changed the colour scheme and the overall feel of the image. You can see from the "before" and "after" photos that I tweaked almost everything as I developed a vision of what I wanted from the image.
Most of my original ideas stayed strong though. Nature is there, war is there, decay is there and propoganda is there. Pretty much everything I wanted in the beginning still exists, the improvements I made were in the presentation.
Influences
I had no influences on the particular assignment. The closest "influence" per se was Matt's opinion, which I took very seriously and adjusted my picture accordingly. I had nothing in mind when I started yet as I completed it the image took its own shape. Making this particular image was like shaping clay. I'd weave my hand around the clay as it spins on the wheel and despite starting without a clear shape in mind, I'd finished with a nicely proportioned pot. It required no influence. I knew what I wanted, a pot regardless of its shape, therefore when sculpting it I gave it the best shape I could while maintaining the fact that it was still a pot.
Composition
I made this image to be asymmetrical I wanted the viewer to circle around the image. If you take it apart you can see three distinct parts that I worked on separately. Toss them together and the viewer appreciates one piece of the triad, moves on to the next, then moves on to the next. I layered the composition as much as I layered the actual image, and dear lord did I have enough layers. A quick scroll-through reveals about 30, so I definitely worked at piecing it together fluidly. My eye moves in a circle. Specifically across the three distinct areas of the image. At least I believe it's a circle because of the emphasis on the explosion then my tendency to check out the butterflies shortly after, in contrast.
Each individual piece has its own level that I was working with. But I did not intend for any level to be a specific depth. I did not want the viewer to see things in the average 3D style. I'm tired of that, it's boring, everyone sees 3D and says "Great! Now our cubes can have real depth"! I want my image to remain 2D with the 3D aspects improving specific bits. I put emphasis on parts that mattered by putting them in red. For other parts of the image they remained their natural colour because I'm not going to sacrifice a good looking image for the sake of "Golly jee 3D!!".
Motivation
I wanted to produce my own good-looking 3D image. This would be all my work and could properly show the potential these glasses have. When I'd show my blog to friends this image would be the one to impress them. Essentially, I did this for bragging rights.
As with most ideas I made the most of a "pop art" feel. I figure that's what works best as it offers a stark contrast and the 3D glasses work really well with objects that contrast. I wanted to have elements that were more than just in a background and foreground, I wanted to mix them together to create more than just a sense of depth. Using 3D to create a better looking 2D image was what I had in mind. The water wasn't red or green because I don't care for how 3D the water looks, I care for the aesthetic feel of the water. I want people to look at this and see a relatively nice image, then I want them to put on their 3D glasses and be impressed as the green butterflies combine in the background and the explosion bursts forth to greet them.
Critical Assessment
I feel like the most successful part of this image was the effect of the explosion. It shows a real amount of power and force behind the bomb that struck. Having it in the foreground impacts the viewer really well. Another good part of the image is the clouds. I'm really proud of how perfect the outline is on them. The butterflies also work really well as they're green and don't look very cluttered when wearing the glasses.
The change introduced by a single layer with the "hard mix" filter really surprised me. You can see the difference between the first and the last image being mostly done by introducing that one layer and tweaking the colours. It's actually really sensitive, and tweaking the brightness or saturation of that one layer affects the size of the cloud, the outline of it and the brightness of the sky.
I'm not sure what I'd do to improve my work. I'd need additional inspiration or ideas in order to improve it. Even then I'd likely get rid of other elements in order to make room for the new ideas. The image is already too cluttered to me. Adding to it would be a mistake. Getting rid of certain parts of the picture in order to improve the overall quality would be what I'd do given more time.
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