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coreypettengillconceptart · 8 months ago

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Going into this week’s assignment, “Human/Inhuman,” I was very unsure what I could do for it. During the brief I could see a face forming in my mind; soft, woeful eyes looking out though melting flesh, an experiment gone wrong. BUT, I had gone into this week with the intention of working on an environment. It’s an area of concept art that interests me, but that find myself hesitant about. Back when I was working in oils and mezzotint environments became my go to subject matter, but always from references I had taken myself, then playing with color/light/atmosphere to try to capture a mood. Creating your own landscape/city whole cloth though is a whole other kettle of fish. So, I wasn’t really sure of what I was doing, but started of doing 4 rough thumbnails to help visualize the basic Ideas I had on my mind.

1 being just a simple idea of having a monstrous creature looming over a landscape showing signs of human life. 2 an alien planet colonized and polluted by humans. 3 is an I’ve had rolling around my head for a while of a library/research station located in the liminal space between universes. With 4 I started to think more about the world’s most depressing tongue twister “man’s inhumanity towards man.” Which led me to the idea of an abandoned asylum with the ghoul of a former patient. While working on 4 I decided to plot the composition out with potobashing. It's a technique I have used a little bit in the past, but goes against my instincts as a painter. Most of the time when I works I'll find reference images which probably could work for photobashing, but simply use them as reference and proceed to hand repaint them. So this is definitely a skill I am interested in learning more about, and getting myself more used to implementing.

After speaking with Neal I decided to do more thumbnails based on the ideas I already had, using some potobashing (to varying extents) to help flesh them out. I also used some techniques I've used before like custom shapes in 6 and creating 7's background using a brush set I found years ago. I also tried to find ways to use the lasso too to speed up some blocking in as it's a technique I've seen digital artists use that I struggle with, or just forget to use. In tutorial with Neal he suggested trying to explore more ideas based on the concept behind 4, and I had planned on doing more with ideas of war, and colonization. However while working on 6 I accidentally hit the "close window" shortcut on my keyboard and lost what I had been working on. So after redoing some work and doing what you see of 7 I called it a night feeling pretty displeased with both 6&7. Luckily sometime before getting back to it the next day I remembered some interesting minerals I had seen before that might be interesting to use in 7. The obelisk you can see in 3 & 7 is meant to be a large crystal made up of different types of gemstone that acts as the source of magic throughout a multiverse (originally inspired by a souvenir from Arizona's Petrified Forest). The stone I remembered seeing (I found out after some searching) is a white quartz matrix and often seems to form around other gems, so I thought it could work as an otherworldly landmass for the main crystal to be connected to.

After searching for probably too long for the exact image I remembered seeing before (I found it after the piece was finished) I managed to find a quartz matrix that I thought would work. Though the image I found was form Instagram which I'm not sure is the best source for photobashing images, so If I pick this for one of my final pieces it might be a good idea to redo some with an image from a better source. The "library" found at this location in my mind is something of a headquarters for a quirky/secretive/paranormal organization inspired by others like The Commission (Umbrella Academy), Blue Rose (Twin Peaks), and The FBC (Control). So inspired by The Oldest House in Control I decided to have the main structure use brutalist architecture. Then I thought I'd have the other buildings seen have rather different aesthetics to try and communicate that the people there come form different cultures and timelines.

Images used for photobashing:

Thumbnail 4:

Allthatsinteresting.com. (2025). Available at: https://allthatsinteresting.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/destroyed-asylum-hallway.jpg

Mirror.co.uk. (2025). Available at: https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article29292074.ece/ALTERNATES/s1200b/0_PAY-h_MDRUM_Abandoned_Hospital_Scandal_-_5.jpg

Website-files.com. (2025). Available at: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/611681b84bbffb35b316c4ff/6542251581ae2fc0302895f8_jilbert-ebrahimi-pVEcNabAg9o-unsplash-min.jpg [Accessed 9 Jan. 2025].

Ytimg.com. (2025). Available at: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xPOK5b0pORs/maxresdefault.jpg

Propitupnow.com. (2025). Medical, Educational & Law. [online] Available at: https://www.propitupnow.com/galleries/medical/content/IMG_5941_large.html

Artinun Prekmoung (2021). Old building covered with green vine and moss. Green creeping plant climbing on wall of house. Eco-friendly building. [online] Dreamstime. Available at: https://www.dreamstime.com/old-building-covered-green-vine-moss-creeping-plant-climbing-wall-house-eco-friendly-facade-decor-ivy-sustainable-image243459279

Pngtree. (2016). Vine PNG Image, Vines Vine, Vine Clipart, Vines, Vine PNG Image For Free Download. [online] Available at: https://pngtree.com/freepng/vines-vine_1254399.html

Thumbnail 5:

De Ro, J. (2015). Porous Rocks. [Photo] Available at: https://www.photobash.org/free#/porous-rocks/.

Multiple images used from set

cleanpng.com. (2025). Abandoned Ruined Building - Unlimited Download. cleanpng.com. [online] Available at: https://www.cleanpng.com/png-turbosquid-building-ruins-3d-computer-graphics-sky-744778/

Postmedia.digital. (2025). Available at: https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/edmontonjournal/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/edmonton-alta-september-6-2015-2015-storm-water-pours2.jpeg

Pngegg.com. (2025). Building Ruins, buildings, condominium, skyscraper png | PNGEgg. [online] Available at: https://www.pngegg.com/en/png-zsygf

Getty Images (2023). Aerial view of cement factory with high concrete plant structure and tower cranes at industrial production area at night. Manufacture and global industry concept. [online] Unsplash.com. Available at: https://unsplash.com/photos/aerial-view-of-cement-factory-with-high-concrete-plant-structure-and-tower-cranes-at-industrial-production-area-at-night-manufacture-and-global-industry-concept--6Xk37IAo0Q

Wikimedia.org. (2025). Available at: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Factory_Emitting_Smoke.jpg

Istockphoto.com. (2025). Available at: https://media.istockphoto.com/id/624723490/photo/retro-toned-picture-of-an-old-oil-pump.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=rj9YRyDtuwZAXyAdbqbuEydeIoPK4BhZS5HJTvQL8YA=

Wrecked Plane. (2016). Available at: FREE (2025). PHOTOBASH - High Quality Reference Photos & Masked PNGs for Artists & Creatives. [online] PHOTOBASH - High Quality Reference Photos & Masked PNGs for Artists & Creatives. Available at: https://www.photobash.org/free#/wrecked-plane/

Multiple images used from set

Thumbnail 6:

Pickpik.com. (2025). Available at: https://i2.pickpik.com/photos/721/405/66/cabin-cottage-lake-refelction-preview.jpg

Thumbnail 7:

Alamy Limited (2025). Exterior view of the Chas. M. Stimson Library, built in 1904 on the Occidental College Highland Park Campus, ca.1908. [online] Alamy.com. Available at: https://www.alamy.com/exterior-view-of-the-chas-m-stimson-library-built-in-1904-on-the-occidental-image66406051.html?imageid=2805D42E-9B25-48A2-966C-0CF3B57020C3&p=199177&pn=1&searchId=a0e3ab96f9508d67d1e05fd76115b03d&searchtype=0

Hill, E. (2007). Sphinx Observatory. [Photo] Available at: By Eric Hill from Boston, MA, USA - Sphinx Observatory, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3919777.

Final:

Hill, E. (2007). Sphinx Observatory. [Photo] Available at: By Eric Hill from Boston, MA, USA - Sphinx Observatory, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3919777.

Instagram. (2020). Quality Minerals on Instagram: "• Tourmaline 🍥🪻 “Not for sale ‘ Aesthetic tri colour tourmaline grown on swirled Albite matrix and smoky Quartz. ~Paprok, Afghanistan 🇦🇫 .PayPal Accepted / Shipping worldwide. #crystals #crystalhealing #crystalsofinstagram #fineminerals #crystalporn #crystalcommunity #crystalcollector #crystaljewelry #gem #gemstones #gemporn #gemstonejewelry #minerals #mineralspecimens #mineralporn #mineralcollection #opals #opal #ethiopia #wirewrappedjewelry #wirewrapping #aquamarine #beryl #usa #tucson #usaminerals’. [online] Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/C38H54RILrd/?img_index=2

Behance.net. (2024). Behance. [online] Available at: https://www.behance.net/gallery/30017205/Claire-T-Carney-Library-UMass-Dartmouth/modules/193088001

Quinn, M. (2010). Grand Canyon National Park: Desert View Watchtower D4325. [Photo] Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/grand_canyon_nps/4690626735.

R‌eferences:

Birkus, V. (2014). View on Lake Louise and mountains from above. Forest and buildings by the lake, blue sky with white clouds, on a summer day. Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:View_on_Lake_Louise_and_mountains_from_above._Forest_and_buildings_by_the_lake,_blue_sky_with_white_clouds,_on_a_summer_day.jpg.

Fastly.net. (2025). Available at: https://nt.global.ssl.fastly.net/binaries/content/gallery/website/national/regions/northern-ireland/library/carrick-a-rede-rope-bridge-1146625.jpg

Etsy.com. (2025). Unique pretty natural white matrix quartz crystal specimens. [online] Available at: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1620986674/unique-pretty-natural-white-matrix?epik=dj0yJnU9czdEVnF4cWh3OUo2V1NXQlM2Mkw3bmpXUjBSZVlnZkgmcD0wJm49RUZjZDgyR3hld2xOVlVVeXN1NzA4QSZ0PUFBQUFBR2NNRGpn

Pinimg.com. (2025). Available at: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/61/15/42/6115428bae147bd7b0dd78ed17a3773a.jpg [Accessed 9 Jan. 2025].

Pinimg.com. (2025). Available at: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/b3/7f/a6/b37fa66a14c8383a8ddedc7d5e5aeb1a.jpg [Accessed 9 Jan. 2025].

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