This is the eleventh image in the lost souls series, and I'm still experimenting with my process. It's complex, complicated and painstaking and intricate. No two images come out the same because the process really depends on the content of the image. I had the content of this image in my head, but I didn't think ahead to realize how hard it would be to accomplish. I'm somewhat known for my over-saturated colors. I love the look I get, but it's really a balancing act between getting everything too bright and getting it just enough and not losing too much detail. When I had the concept for this image, I just really dug what it had to say. I can't claim all the idea as my own. I based the guardian on Sue Barton's art doll, Guardian of Broken Hearts. I just created what I thought was an environment that character would be found in. I really enjoy using art dolls as models because I don't have to be realistic. I've never been an advocate of realism or photorealism. I'm an illustrator, I need my artistic freedom. If I wanted photorealism I'd grab my Canon and take a photo. This gets my in trouble with my fellow 3D artists, because it seems they value photorealism over trying to make genuine art. And that's fine, just not my thing. I want to evoke emotion, thought, feeling. I want to tell a story.