Imperium:
Expectations VS Reality
Welcome to my first blog for my first official piece!
This blog will be longer than the others as it’s not only my first independent piece, but it also went through a huge number of changes during the entire creative process.
As a general format, I’ll be writing each blog in the following order. Firstly, the meaning behind the piece, the ideation, the main assets used, concept sketches, drafts, the finished piece and lastly a closing reflection.
​
So whether you're here to see the creative process of just look at the piece in full, enjoy!
Imperium
(noun) (Latin: “command,” “absolute power”)
"an outpost of their economic imperium"
Imperium depicts the innocence lost under another's sinister power. A person so tainted under another’s evil influence they start to lose their identity, their beauty, and their purity. Eventually becoming shells of their former selves with nothing but regret over the part of them they lost. However, despite mourning the loss of themselves, they turn right back into submission for that is all they know now. Unable to think for themselves anymore. Unable to act on their own anymore. Unable to breathe without permission, they resign themselves to the control and power willingly. Like an addiction taking over. No more independence. No more free-will. Only someone else’s Imperium.
As you can tell, this is a tonally darker piece but something I still really enjoyed creating. As I see it, everyone is under someone’s control. No one is truly independent as there is always some entity holding nearly total control over them. And whether we regret it like in Imperium, accept it, or are totally ignorant of it, we all willingly submit to someone else’s will.
IDEATION
This piece was radically different from what it was supposed to be. So much so that I had to make it a separate piece entirely as the meaning behind the original was completely lost. This is why the subtitle of this entry is Expectations VS Reality. My wild expectations could not quite meet the reality of my practical skill and thus I had to revamp my idea completely which resulted in something totally new.
So, what was my original idea? Harry Potter. Having just read all 7 books, the inspiration to make my first piece something Harry Potter related was stronger than anything else. Therefore, I set out to make a project called Imperio as part of a three-part piece based on the 3 Unforgivables from the series. Imperio makes the victim indisputably obedient by wiping any thought and worry from their mind leaving them highly susceptible to suggestion. As such, I set out to make a piece with very specific traits in mind. I knew I wanted the following things:
​​
-
A subject who showed undeniable happiness
-
Using flowers to show emphasise the hopeful goodness of the piece
-
Show parts of the subject’s face detached from themselves to convey a literal sense of detachment
-
Add subtle sinister elements to show not all was as joyful and right as it seemed
I set out to look for a suitable subject for the piece as this was the most important part of the project. I had a very specific idea and look in mind which led to my search taking a way larger amount of time then I expected. This was my first sign into managing my Expectations VS Reality. I realised during this project that I was never going to find a subject that fit the image in my head, and I had to be realistic and pick the one that resembled my ideas closest. This is a lesson I’ve since carried forward to my other unreleased projects. Despite being a rather obvious lesson, the reality of a situation can catch you off-guard more often than you might think.
MAIN ASSETS USED
After my very long search, I finally found my main subject as well as the other assets I would primarily use:
SKETCHED IDEA
DRAFTS / PROGRESSION
Draft 1:
Decent start but not very convinced of the execution. Something wasn't right yet. Maybe more flowers or a different cut?
Draft 3:
I quite liked this one. Out of the four eventual drafts this was my favorite and I can see a lot of potential here. I absolutely loved the yellow flowers that matched the glowing eyes. Glowing eyes are also famous in media for mind control and helped convey not everything was as it seemed. But despite that I still couldn't get it to look right. Were the flowers too small? Not enough? I also didn't like the color of her shirt not matching.
Draft 2:
Way too many flowers. I tried something new and created a sort of explosion of flowers effect but this did not gel well with the overall piece.
Draft 4:
Way too much. I extended the flowers from before and added a flower crown. But it looks like she's wearing a helmet now. The lighting is all wrong and despite spending hours trying to fix it, it was just not working out. My least favorite draft yet and this was the turning point for me. I had to stop pushing forward an take a step back instead to figure out how to proceed
A CLEAN SLATE
After 4 drafts and many days poured into the piece, I was forced to realise I wasn't capable of creating my initial vision. Not because the idea was too difficult, but because my skills as a digital artist were not at the level I needed yet. No matter how hard I tried, each draft was missing something that made the piece pop. I also realised that the lighting of the subject did not match the way I was using the flower assets. This created a lot of problems as I couldn't figure out how to correct the lighting and draw shadows that were realistic. Every attempt I made to brush shadows and highlights made the image look worse for wears. The entire picture had very strong lighting to it therefore any amateur attempts at drawing shadow looked exactly so.
At a loss of what to do and seeing that I simply couldn't ring my idea to life, I decided it was time to start fresh. It was time to rework the project from scratch and do so in a way where it was within my capability to pull off. I had to manage my Expectation with the Reality of my work and find a balance in order to create something proper.
​
I decided to change the following as a result:
-
Find a new subject that was in a dark environment. This would allow me to cover up my current amateur skill as opposed to a bright environment which would accentuate my flaws
-
Find a subject with soft lighting. This would further remove any need for me to struggle to add shadows and highlights
-
Keep it simple. I needed to do something simple and within the realm of possibility and not go over the top like I had planned
-
Keep the following elements: Detached face, flowers sprouting from within, an evil presence
NEW ASSETS USED
NEW SKETCHED IDEA
NEW DRAFT
New Draft 1:
Very different but something I could do properly. This draft was nearly finished and only needed a few touch ups in terms of lighting and color as well as the addition of the tear drop from the sketches. It was kept simple yet contained all the previous elements that I Initially wanted from Imperio
SOMETHING UNEXPECTED
Despite retaining the important elements I wanted from the start of the project, the piece no longer resembled anything like what I had originally envisioned. This piece while sharing themes with the original idea, represented something completely new and not at all what I had expected. It was darker physically and also tonally which changed the meaning as it emphasized the sinister elements of the piece instead of subtly eluding to it.
​
While I wasn't pleased I couldn't pull off my original idea, I am happy with the vastly different end result. I accepted that Imperio and as an extension the 3 Unforgivables were an idea I am not ready for at the time. However, the thought of revisiting that idea and executing it when I'm a better digital artist one day does excite me. It's something to look forward to in the future.
​
As for the piece at hand, while I can see it is not perfect, I do think this is a strong starting point for me as a digital artist. It is a simple piece yet it conveys a deeper message. I'm quite happy for this to be my first independent work of art and believe it has set the stage for me moving forward. This piece taught me a valuable lesson about being realistic with my expectations which I have incorporated since then. It has also taught me many techniques which I'm continually refining with the other projects I'm already working on.
​
The word 'Imperio' is derived from the Latin word 'Imperium'. Given how I derived this piece from what would have been Imperio, I decided to name it Imperium as a result of the twisted irony. Imperium also encapsulates the the power and control depicted in the piece making for a very fitting title for the overall final piece. This is the first but is far from the last and is a first step in the right direction.
​
​
