DemonAngel Graphics || Closed Forever

World Wide || Graphic Contest Entry

1STCORNDOG

Prompt Number: 2

Why I chose the prompt: Well, I love doing covers for anything fantasy and/or sci fi, especially dark mysterious themes.

How did I make the cover:

I used Photoshop and it was a very long process (spent more than four hours on it). First, I had to search for a girl with her back visible enough so that the "robotic" parts and wires are more visible. For the record, I searched for a male before that but didn't find the right one for the cover.

Next, I used a gradient map to apply the right hue until I settled on that olive bluish color. After that, I fixed the exposure, applied a black/white adjustment layer (overlayed it and brought down the opacity), played around with the levels curve to get the correct light/dark level. After that, I used a binary code brush for the binary numbers in the background and then used a world map brush to add another dimension to the cover. Then, I drew some rings in the center to make it look more futuristic and sci fi. 

Next, I selected the model and removed her from the background and after that, I applied a lot of effects on her to match her hue to the background and make her metallic. I know some people apply the same hue and effects on both the background and model at the same time but that doesn't work in this case since I want her skin to be glossy and metallic, similar to a robot. I also want her to be the center of attention, separate from the background. 

So, the effects applied on the model were a gradient map, high exposure, medium curve level, desaturation, Gaussian blur on the skin only. Next, I drew some black lines on the model's joints to make it seem like she is assembled and not human. I applied a black inner shadow, whitish outer shadow and smooth bevel. These effects were applied to the lines to make them look real and not just simple black lines. 

I did the same thing with the "holes" in her body but used a chisel hard bevel instead of smooth. Next, I overlayed a scrap parts png inside the holes so that it looks like she has wires and metal scraps inside of her. I gave them all inner black shadow to add to that realistic effect. 

Now, we are done with the tough part and it was smooth sailing from there. I overlayed honeycomb pngs on her skin and added a glow effect on them. I brought it's opacity down to blend it in more with her skin. Finally, I wrote the title and added a dark light olive gradient, shadow and inner glow to it. I added the final touches to it like a very light honey comb png and glowing rings png on top of the O for the futuristic effect.

And that's it, I hope my explanation wasn't too extensive.

Story behind cover:

In a world where robots are wealthy, one female cyborg finally had enough of the corruption of the ones leading her planet. She has no choice but to bring down the government by becoming a world leader. It turns out that all the robots were a manifestations of the cyborg's multiple personality disorder and her real fight is one to regain sanity. Will she be successful or will she be defeated in front of the whole world wide planet?

Model used: