Drifting Into Adulthood #2 - Collaboration

Johanne Brunet

Drifting Into Adulthood #2 - Collaboration

This is the second version of the image that I submitted four days ago. As I mentioned in the description of version #1, there were chances that I would still want to improve on it. Well I was not really satisfied with it and gave it another go.

The long crossing through adolescence and into adulthood is not always an easy one. For many young people, it often seems like a neverending path, flooded with tears, a river of dark and murky waters ...

The model in this shot is Abi, my RB friend Shelly’s beautiful daughter who is 15. She was photographed by her very talented mom

Work uploaded for a challenge in the Collaborations group.

              The challenge consisted in using one or both of the two
images on the left as a starting point to create something
new.
monocotylidono   Shelly Hiebert    
         

I chose to use both images, but also to add a 3rd collaborator.
  Vikram Franklin has kindly accepted to let me use this photo of a boat, and I used a bit of sky to improve on the new version as well.

I also added some textures of my own, as described below:
  This bit of agitated water was used mostly over the path. I simply copied part of the water from the image below into a new document and distorted the perspective a bit.
  One of my bad shots of a river. Nice to recycle into a texture!

Here is another photo of mine used as a texture:
  I use this photo of the St-Lawrence river in the fog very often in my composites. This time, it was used in at least 7 layers with various blending modes and opacities.
  I thought that the sky needed something and a crying moon was ideal. I used a photo of Jade, my 14-year old niece, added tears of blood and spherized it to create a moon. Played with the sky and shifted the thinning clouds to place the moon in a better position. Finally, I added a sheer layer of moon glow.

Featured in the group Images & Ideas on April 22, 2009

Featured in the Dream & Fantasy Art Group on April 25, 2009

Featured in the Collaborations Group on May 3, 2009

Featured in the group OLDER KIDS aged 8-16 on July 17, 2009

Featured in the Dream and Fantasy Art group on August 28, 2009

1st place winner in the Do me or Use me challenge of the Collaborations Group on April 30, 2009

Finished in 6th position of Top 10 in the Water challenge of the Dream and Fantasy Art group on August 28, 2009


Here is version #1. Please click on the image to view the page

Drifting Into Adulthood #2 - Collaboration belongs to the following groups:

! 100% !, ***♂♥♥QUORN♥♥♀, ART HOUSE PRODUCTIONS INTERNATIONAL, Canada *4/day & Please Review Rules B4 Submitting*, Creative, Talented, and Unknown, Digital Interface, Dream and Fantasy Art (photo manipulation, 3d, painting and digital painting), Enchanting Powerful Photo Manipulation (2 per day), Fantasy Fine Art Composites, Images & Ideas, Layered with Texture, Live, Love, Dream: , OLDER KIDS aged 8-16 2/24 *PLEASE ADD AGE*, Photo Manipulators, PixElations - The Art of Photoshop, Safe Haven, Shameless Self-Promotion, the love of Eerie and enchanting artwork, The Woman Photographer **7 Submissions a week only please**, Unconventional Artistry - 3 per day, Visual Collaborations (No Writing) and Woman Appreciation Available for sale as

Greeting Cards, Matted Prints, Laminated Prints, Mounted Prints, Canvas Prints, Framed Prints and Posters
Drifting Into Adulthood #2 - Collaboration by Johanne Brunet
Drifting Into Adulthood #2 - Collaboration by Johanne Brunet
  • Shelly Hiebert

    Shelly Hiebert

    Oh yeah Johanne! I have to say this one is much more polished and I love that you incorporated the moon in this version! Awesome, awesome work and good luck in the challenge :)

  • Johanne Brunet replied

    Thank you so much for your lovely comment and for the fav Shelly! I must say that I was never really happy with the first version, but I felt tilted and had to leave it for a couple of days before returning to it with a fresh point of view.

    I had tried to add the moon the first time, but never thought of changing the location of the thinning clouds (duh!) and didn’t like it so close to Abi’s head.

    I uploaded version #1 anyway four days ago, minus the moon, just in case I couldn’t come up with a revised version on time for the deadline. :-)

  • Thordis

    Thordis

    Fabulous work!

  • Johanne Brunet replied

    Oh Thordis! Thank you so much for your comment. Reading it made me suddenly realize that I hadn’t heard from you in a long time, so went to check your profile. Well, I won’t elaborate here, but my heart goes out to you and your family. And I also realized that your name wasn’t on my watchlist, so this is now corrected; I won’t miss anything from now on. :-) Many hugs!

  • Carole Brunet

    Carole Brunet

    Extraordinaire ma soeur, la lune fait une grande différence dans l’intensité du côté dramatique. J’aime bien aussi celle qui n’a pas de lune mais on dirait que l’adolescente est encore plus profondément encrée dans la peine et la noirceur de l’âme. C’est super que tu aies mis le visage de ma fille dans la lune, c’est très subtil mais “puncher” à la fois.

  • Johanne Brunet replied

    Thank you sister for you wonderful comment. I hope that Jade won’t get mad at me because I distorted her beautiful face to make it look more like a sphere in the moon. I really tried not to make her nose bigger, but there was no other way… :-/

  • Squealia

    Squealia

    Wonderful composite collab

  • Johanne Brunet replied

    Thank you Celia! :-)

  • Ursula Rodgers

    Ursula Rodgers

    Wow Jo! That moon makes a wonderful touch to a great composite!! You really are super at these things :)

  • Johanne Brunet replied

    Thank you Ursula! It does make it look more finished…

  • David Murphy

    David Murphy

    A brilliant shot, for sure!!

  • Johanne Brunet replied

    Thank you David! :-)

  • Vikram Franklin

    Vikram Franklin

    Yep. This is most definitely IT!! Fantastic work Johanne – really, really mean it!

  • Johanne Brunet replied

    I’m so glad that you like it Vikram; I have always loved this boat photo of yours and I’m really happy that you allowed me to use it here. Thank you for the lovely comment, the collaboration and for the fav!

  • Appel

    Appel

    WOW!!! That is AWESOME!!!! I knew I recognized Abi and the boat! What you did with them and all the other shots together is just amazing!! Makes me want to go experiment but I know I could never come close to this!!!! This is just incredible!!!

  • Johanne Brunet replied

    Thank you Appel! :-)

    It is not so hard, really! You just have to try adding layers and textures with different blending modes and opacities. Masking parts of those layers in strategic places helps bring out some details and focus on special elements.

    The more you experiment, the better you become at having an idea of which textures to use in order to get the effect you want.

    So really, experimentation is the key to success with this technique. Be ready to use lots of RAM though… Some images I work with can easily reach 20-30 layers and over 300MB before I flatten them to convert to JPG.

  • Colleen Milburn

    Colleen Milburn

    You’ve got my vote, Johanne – this is superb, both aesthetically and proof of your craftsmanship – well done!!

  • Johanne Brunet replied

    Thank you so much for your kind comment Colleen, I really appreciate your support! :-)

  • AnaCBStudio

    AnaCBStudio

    Featured in the Dream & Fantasy Art Group … Theme of the week: Splash of Red …Congratulations!

  • Johanne Brunet replied

    Wow! Thank you so much, I really appreciate the honour! :-)

  • monocotylidono

    monocotylidono

    Superb! Brilliant composition and such a poignant title, but then I wasn’t expecting anything less. I’m glad you used Vikram’s picture too. It reminds me a lot of the classic scene in Phantom of the Opera :-) Good luck on the competition!

  • Johanne Brunet replied

    Thank you so much George! I’m really glad that you like it, and yes, I can see the similarity now that you mention it. :) I had great hopes for the challenge, but it seems that I have lots of worthy competition! We’ll see! :)

  • monocotylidono

    monocotylidono

    Well done Johanne! You are the WINNER of Do me or Use me, the first ever challenge of the Collaborations group. Congratulations!!! :-)

  • Johanne Brunet replied

    Woohoooo! Thank you for letting me know, I’m so happy, but I had great material to start with, ya know! ;-)

  • Colleen Milburn

    Colleen Milburn

    YES, YES, YES!!!!!!!!!!! Brilliant and beautiful work – HUGE congrats on winning the challenge, my friend :))))

  • Johanne Brunet replied

    Thank you Colleen! You’re enthousiasm and support made me smile a little wider this morning. :-)

  • Laurie Search

    Laurie Search

    This is amazing!! Fantastic work!!

  • Johanne Brunet replied

    Thank you Laurie! :-)

  • Pamela Jayne Smith

    Pamela Jayne S...

  • AnaCBStudio

    AnaCBStudio

    Featured in Dream and Fantasy Art (Photo Manipulation)…
    Top 10 in the Water Challenge …Congratulations!

  • Johanne Brunet replied

    Thank you! :-)

  • Martin Dingli

    Martin Dingli

    Fabulous work

  • Johanne Brunet replied

    Thank you so much, Martin!

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