Hello everyone,
It’s that time again I provide more documentation on my art collection, Analog Distortions. Today marks the minting of #9 of this collection, The Maw. This piece is probably one of my more stylized pieces. I’m looking to dig deeper into the weirdness of this setting that I’m producing dubbed “The City.” Thank you all for diving into this wild ecosystem with me and taking time out of your day to consume a little bit of what Analog Distortions is all about.
World Building
I set out to explore some creativity when I embarked on the Distortions. I wanted an outlet to be able to provide some clarity in the human condition while incorporating my love for analog sci-fi horror games and short films. Each hooded figure is making its way through an eerie futuristic metropolis and each represents turmoil we all go through on this quest we call life. The use of flashing lights, chaotic animations, and dystopian settings all represent the cloudiness our minds can put us through and the emotional rollercoaster we go through each day. The clarity comes in the lore I provide in each piece, showing how there will always be this chaos but the focus and drive we all have can overpower these feelings and you can beat anything life throws at you. The hooded figures win each battle and carry forward through this purgatorial state.
That brings me to my theme of the entire setting, limbo. The city scape is a purgatory of sorts. It’s something I’m very particular about when making my base prompts in Midjourney. I want certain color palettes for each region and will eventually push all of these together into one map of the city and have each Analog Distortion resting in their respective spots in the city. Some areas are bright and jovial while others are dark and brooding. This is a representation of the constant battle our minds can put us through daily. Sometimes you may be in the Sakura region of the city, gazing over your past and leaving it behind to have a happier future, and sometimes you may be at the edge of the city staring into the dark reflective pit that is The Maw. Regardless, the hooded figures are equipped each time to overcome and thrive in these parts of the city that harbor denizens that may never stop to gain such clarity.
The Maw
I wanted to create an area of the city that was emaciated and almost Lovecraftian. I set out to create a part of the city with the most fatigued and battered souls. Figures beaten by their own thoughts and succumbing to this giant flesh entity that haunts the edge of this city. The piece follows one of my most favorite generated hooded figures staring deeply into the emptiness of this flesh entity hovering above the edge of the coastline. It’s power has almost taken over every segment of what once was a thriving part of this city.
The gaping maw of this entity is the true test for those who trek to the outskirts. The reflective nature of the void in this entity is what consumes those around it. However, in my story, the hooded figure sees the vibrant cityscape reflected in this void. The shaking, darkness, and cries of those around it are mere static pieces of a small part of this entire world. The hooded figure sees itself in this void and gets true perspective that its own mind is holding it in this place and it does not need to be consumed by the entity. It may leave. In the Outskirts video linked above, you see the inhabitants of this area in their fullest. The inhabitants are consumed and still, almost content with living life in this brutal environment. The hooded figure passes them by acknowledging their battle and carrying forward with its newfound conviction.
My process
I’ve never truly given a run down of how I make these pieces in much detail. I will eventually put pen to paper of each process because I feel like we can all share skills in this realm of digital art.
I begin with a base from Midjourney. This process has been refined as I’ve been utilizing this tool and my prompts get tighter as I learn more about how the software works. The prompt for The Maw is as follows: “cinematic focus shot, style of horror, ominous haunted demonic hooded figure with tattered robes, tentacles coming out of giant hole in cyberpunk wasteland background, purple pink blue teal — ar 21:9 — s 750.” This was run in version 5.2 of Midjourney. I turn up the stylization to 750 to really dial into the sci-fi/horror elements more as I get into these darker spots of my setting. I then get my first four sets of generations. Version 5.2 of MJ has multiple avenues to create variations of the generations from these prompts, and after a few hundred times cycling through strong and subtle variations, I ended up with the base for The Maw.
I then bring the base into Photoshop, my almighty tool of all tools. I use object selection and create a copy of the hooded figure. In this piece, I also cut each portion of the flesh entity and the floor, carefully cutting out the pink elemental pieces as well. I then create multiple layers of each, throw on some motion blur, wind/pixel stretching, and formulate an animation that is coherent and conveys the jarring nature of what my overall theme is of the collection. I then create a frame animation and set the FPS to 25 and export it out.
Thank you
Genuinely, for anyone who reads this, enjoys my content, and buys my art, thank you. You have each individually helped me find a way to create a world that I love and vibe with and it’s incredibly fulfilling. I hope I can give you all the appreciation you deserve each day.
