The Wave
Much fun on this one... I wanted to do something different and had this concept of chrome gulls landing on a beach. Don't ask I why, I have no idea!
The background image started as a crazy pan blur of some seaweed pods and leaves with a wave washing over it. I took that into a program called "Image Tricks" (Mac only) that cost a whopping $20 for the "pro" version. For you fellow Macheads out there I highly recommend that you check this out (there is a free version too)! I used the "color invert" filter to get these luscious colors. For the gulls, I used an image of a landing gull and cut it out of its background with Topaz Remask3. I then took that extracted gull and applied Alien Skin "chrome" using the bg image as the reflection map. This is a very cool technique and as you can see results in a very realistic looking reflection on your subject. I then made the second gull by flipping it horizontally. I scaled and rotated both gulls so that they look like they are coming in on an upwind trajectory, if that makes any sense. If any of it does...Anyway, finished up with a little Topaz Simplify mixed in with a sandstone (what else?) texture. Hope you like!
P.S. - I know they don't have faces...
