Conceptual Wallpaper

[galathea]

Yesterday I went into a mad art frenzy and got completely immersed in a wallpaper for hours and hours. In order to stop me from meddling with it any further, I need to get it off my hard drive and out in the open. I figured you all won't mind. *g*



The First Seal: This wallpaper deals with the angels and demons' fight over Dean’s soul, so to speak. Basically I wanted to make this wallpaper ever since the words: "We laid siege to hell!" came out of Castiel’s mouth in On The Head of A Pin, which conjured a very powerful image in my mind. Of course the end result is nowhere near that powerful image. I was simply not skilled enough (and didn’t find the right images to work with) to create something like what I had in my mind, so I settled for a compromise. It still cost me an insane amount of hours to put this together though, and I am still not sure if it at least conveys the idea I had in mind. By the way, I want to say that this piece was heavily influenced by uglybusiness, whose level of perfection with these kinds of manipulated wallpapers, I aspire to.

So, in my mind this is the moment where Dean breaks from the torture Alistair subjected him to and he gets off the rack. He is defeated at Alistair’s feet, who triumphantly towers over his new 'pet'. To the left we see the angels, trying to battle their way into hell, but they are too late, they won’t reach Dean in time. I incorporated both Castiel’s as well as Alistair’s quotes from On The Head of A Pin into the wallpaper, because I wanted both perspectives in the piece. Visually I tried to build a little cave within hell, where Alistair kept Dean separated and tortured him. I used a volcano, smoke, rocks and fire sparks to recreate hell and a couple of flying/exploding bricks where the angels try to break through. The red/orange colour scheme obviously corresponds with fire/hell, and the piece goes from light (where there’s hope in form of the angels) to very dark (where Dean cowers in darkness).

So, that’s it. My next project is a companion piece to this, that deals with Sam as the one who breaks the last seal.

The First Seal

1024x768 | 1280x800

You all know the drill, no posting elsewhere and no pretending it's your own. Just for private desktop use! *g* Resources as usual over at Salt'n Burn!

Comments

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Chris, you are amazing. No wonder this kept you occupied for so long! That is one hell of a powerful concept to be working with - I'm so happy that you re-discovered your art muse! It is a beautiful piece. ♥

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Aww, thank you, hon! *hugs* Yeah, my concepts are usually way more elaborate than my actual art skills. LOL Not that I am bad or anything, but sometimes my mind runs way farther than my hands are able to follow, so to speak. I wished I could actually paint.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Well, you don't do too badly! I couldn't even begin to create the kind of art you manage to put together. This piece might not be as complex as the no doubt ridiculously complex concept in your brain, but is nonetheless excellent :)

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Heh, well, you don't use PS for 4 years on a regular basis, so nobody expects you to. *sticks tongue out* ROFL I would find it worrying if you would be able to do something like this, actually. *g* But yeah, I am okay with the piece, even if it isn't what I thought it would be. It's the best I could do and that's what matters. :)

[helpspb.livejournal.com]

Oh my!! This is just perfect!! I'm lost for words *thud* I'm so happy to see some new art from you. Lovely work!

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks, hon! :) I am happy to make new art as well. I had moments this summer where I thought about quitting fanart. But at the moment I feel quite motivated again! :)

[helpspb.livejournal.com]

That's great news!I'd miss your art and not to mention we all would lose a great artist in you! So YAY for you having your fanart mode back :)

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :) Well, the next one is Sammy. I have the concept pretty much ready in my head, so it only needs to work out. *crosses fingers*

[helpspb.livejournal.com]

Awww, Sammy ♥ Can't wait to see it!Hope it's done soon :)

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I hope I get it done before the weekend. LOL It's review time again from this week on and that takes up a lot of time too. *g*

[nuarity.livejournal.com]

Wow! This is gorgeous! Great idea & implementation

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much! :) I am glad you think soo!

[impalalove]

♥_♥

I really have no words, but this is amazing. :D

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Heh, well, you had some words, Kallie! *g* Thank you, glad you like it. :)

[chiiyo86.livejournal.com]

Oh, beautiful! I really like how you symbolized the breaking of the seal, and the positions of Alistair and Dean.

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :) Yeah, I had a lot of different positions for Dean and Alistair, but this one was what worked best in terms of pics available for manipulation. But in the end I am really happy with this one, since Dean's submissive pose here kind of breaks my heart.

[saintsghost.livejournal.com]

That. Is awsomness.

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :) I am very happy you like it. :)

[nikkimisplaced.livejournal.com]

Wow honey this is AMAZING!! Definitely up there with my favourites of all time :D So glad you are so inspired lately and PS is being so good to you *hugs*

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Awww really? Amongst your favourites? Thanks, hon! *hugs* I am really enthusiastic over arting lately. Seems like the time-out was good for something after all! :)

[fotw-sv.livejournal.com]

Whoa! That is fantastic! *Eyes pop out* The coloring and lighting are crazy good. Just the glimpse of what you had envisioned was executed beautifully and powerful! You have a wonderful imagination when it comes to this kind of art and I applaud you. It is great to see you creating more again and I can't wait to see what you have up your sleeve for the companion piece. :)

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :) Very happy you love the piece. I spent so much time on this wall (15 hours straight), I lost all distance to judge it. *g* It's not all me, it's the show that fuels that kind of imagination in me. I'm not sure where I would be artistically today, if Supernatural and my love for Sam and Dean wouldn't have egged me on. :)

[fotw-sv.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! Although SPN has better writing and continuity, I feel that passion you have towards my SV show. It's all TW's fault!...lol...He inspires me but I sure see how SPN can inspire you to do such amazing pieces. Lots to work with. I'd like to improve on my conceptual pieces since I've spent so much time on just manips lately. I hope this season will give me the opportunity.

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Supernatural surely delivers a lot of emotional themes, as well as epic, storytelling one's, so it's always easy to find something to art. I have a whole list of concepts and ideas that I never got around to do so far. I guess we all have this sort of passion for the things we art. :) I've never watched SV, to be honest, I tried once with S4 for Jensen Ackles, but I couldn't sit through one episode. LOL Plus, I am not really all that much into the whole super-hero theme, so there's that.

Your manips are fantastic and manipping skill always comes in handy for wallpapers like this one, for example, where you create a complete setting that never existed in the actual show from scratch. Not to mention that manips are enormous fun to do. *g*

[fotw-sv.livejournal.com]

Aww thanks. Yeah manips are fun and you really can create your own AU. What your doing in your manips just always makes my chin drop in awe.
I wouldn't keep watching SV without Tom Welling as Clark so it's really him that keeps me watching. I'm not really into the superhero thing either!...lol...Go figure. ;)

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

ROFL it's funny how certain actors can make us watch stuff that we wouldn't usually consider. :) But hey, it's the passion that allows us to art, so we can't complain. *g*

[bowtrunckle.livejournal.com]

I'm continually amazed by your work. I don't recognize your image of Dean kneeling. Did you manipulate another non-Dean image to make that (because, wow, I can't tell)? I love the arch of the angel's wings and how they balance Alistair's light colored shirt.

I really enjoy reading your thought process and what you were trying to achieve. Fascinating.

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I am glad you like the piece! :)

LOL yeah, Dean is actually manipulated from an image of Alistair kneeling, he's even wearing the same shirt, just it's not that recognisable since it's all torn and bloody. *g* Alistair himself is manipulated, too. I manipped his right (viewer's perspective) arm, the blood and the weapons in. Manips are a lot of fun. I do A LOT of manips in my wallpapers, even for normal episodic ones. Sometimes I want a certain facial expression and the cap doesn't have the right body stance attached, so I am forced to swap heads. *g*

Thank you! I am glad people aren't bored by my ramblings. :)

[shawn-anne.livejournal.com]

Oh... yeah... *dies of happy*

DUUUUUDE!!! That piece is fecking STUNNING!!! *fangirl squee*

OMGOMGOMG!!! I could seriously injure you in a hug just now. I could squish you!

Just... really awesome work! *admires teh pretty*

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Hey, no dying! *makes resuscitate attempts*

Heh, I really appreciate your enthusiasm! *squishes right back* So, the long hours I put into that piece are already worth it for your squee alone. ;)

[marilyne-22.livejournal.com]

Ok first I'd really like to point out how clean the composition looks, from what I see I can't even tell where a stock starts and another finishes and that is pure brilliantness! It really brings your piece to life in a way only you and your magnifiscent skills can <3 Second of all, OMG WOMAN YOUR ATTENTION TO DETAILS!!!! You even put kickass shadows!!!! Not to mention the overall lightning and the blood drops! And have I mentioned the beautiful and strong emotion behind this? Everything looks so perfect!

In other words: I worship you *bows*

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Aww, thanks for the fantastic feedback, hon! :) It's so rewarding if other great artists sit down and have a closer look at your work. *hugs* The stockwork basically makes the scene I created here, so a lot of effort went into it. I am glad it shows. Also, it was my first attempt at this kind of shadowing and I am not sure if it holds up to close scrutiny, with the different lightsources in the piece and such, but I think it gives the wall a very dramatic edge, so realism comes second in my consideration. *g* And that with all the stock drama going on the emotions still transport strongly to the viewer makes me very, very happy! So, thank you for noticing all this and commenting on it! *hugs*

[3mmet.livejournal.com]

You always comes up with the best concepts... and the way you art 'em is always astounding! From the start and the background you've really built this wall great, the placement of Alistair and Dean and the cave in hell behind them creates a great balance in the piece. I esp. love that Dean only has darkness infront of him, to face him, and Alistair and hell behind him, where he knows he's heading/staying. Underlines the concept. But damn how you built that cave with the colours, the fire, the smoke and the volcano is just beyond me, it looks so incredibly stunning and realistic! And the hope that you've portrayed with the blues and the wings adds a great twist to the darkness of the piece, which I love because it gives a story line, and that's really hard to do in one frame! Again that Dean faces away from this makes the wall so interesting. So flawless piece, honestly it's so beautiful and exciting at the same time!

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Wow, thanks for the great feedback, Matilda! *hugs* I am so glad that you think the storyline I tried to build here worked. I was a bit worried that the commotion caused by the angels would be too chaotic and mabye distract from the bleak situation I wanted to convey for Dean. I think Dean facing away from it all was really important to emphasise his isolated position, he has no hope, has no idea of how near salvation is. Poor Dean. /sigh

Anyway, I am really happy you like the piece so much! :)

[3mmet.livejournal.com]

No, no distraction imo, like I said it gives the wall another dimension in my eyes, which is thrilling! I think that because you kept the rest of the wall in a red tone and made this shine in blue you kept it from becoming chaotic, the colour contrasts holds this back. And yes, my heart goes out to Dean! I just re-watched 'On the head of a pin' and it's hard even to begin to understand what he's gone through in hell...

*hugs back* I showed your piece to my brother and he thinks you're such a rockstar :D He only uses your pieces on his desktop!

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Yay, thanks for dispersing my worries. :) Colours are such a great way to separate single events in a wallpaper, without breaking the flow of a piece through edges and such. Glad it worked! :)

Dean's suffering is unimaginable, and unfortunately I think the show didn't really do enough to hammer that point home. So we need to make art about it. *g*

Aww, I am glad your brother thinks so highly of my art. *blushes* I am always humbled at what people draw out of my art. I am happy that it means as much to them as it means to me. :)

[3mmet.livejournal.com]

I think that they rushed the beginning of season 4, maybe it was necessary for the show to keep up with a certain pace but with that beginning it was hard to grasp how long he was and how much he had suffered in hell. Even though Dean is not the character to whine to drag others with him down in his sorrows he still wears his heart on his sleeve many times and his trauma was not shown enough(atleast in the first part of the season) imo. I hope that Lucifer's rising won't be as rushed, I actually wanna see some real chaos!

Haha yes fanart totally makes up for what we miss in the series', that's why I love the community! It's like a deep dive into our shows *obsessed*

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I mainly think that it was a mistake on the writer's side to play an amnesiac!Dean storyline in the first part of S4, instead of dealing with his pain right away. The progress of the return of his memory was handled badly as well, very inconclusively. And in the 2nd part of the season they only ever dealt with the 'Dean, the torturer' issue but never with the 'Dean, the victim' issue, downplaying what was done to him, in favour of exploiting what he did to others for the sake of the mytharc. :( So, yeah, I was very unhappy with how they handled Dean's post hell arc.

[sothcweden.livejournal.com]

Found this (and Derelict and Don't Mess With The Winchesters) over at spn_favorites. I'm only commenting once so as not to spam you, but your work is gorgeous. I prefer wallpapers that are visually darker, so your style really appeals to me. Looking forward to examining the rest of your work!

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

I don't mind the spamming. *g* Thank you so much. I am glad you enjoy my art. Unfortunately real life kicks my ass right now, so I have barely any time for art anymore. I hope I can get back to it soon.