Blue Luna – High Contrast

Next it’s time to paint the canvas.  This is easier to do if I transform the design into high contrast colors which I can easily distinguish as compared to the subtle shading of the design.

For each color in the palette, another is substituted.  This always makes a cool, pop-art kind of image!

HC–Blue-Luna, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Prayer: Father, grant her Your guidance and insight.  Help her to see her choices of treatment and of her journey, and to choose wisely among them.  Once they are made, grant her peace with them.

Blue Luna – Final Design

And here is the final design.

Blue-Luna-Design, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the beauty and light around us.  Help her to see and remember that beauty during the dark times.

Blue Luna – Subset

Now it’s on to the background!  To break up the work, I decided to concentrate first on a smaller design within the overall piece, which includes the moon and the moth, but not the words.  This design I may use again.

Blue-Luna-Saleable, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Prayer: Father, our needs are shared.  While each of us in unique, and experiences a unique life, many aspects are common.  Help her to see how she may benefit from, and benefit, others in similar situations.

Blue Luna – Text

The final foreground element is the text.  Her amazing, brave choice is

Always Victory!

Blue-Luna-Text-Context, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Prayer: Father, grant her strength and faith to continue to strive for victory in You.

Blue Luna – Tree

Unlike the other elements, I need to substantially change the tree.  I need a branch for the moth and the cocoon to cling to.  The challenge is to make the branches I introduce work visually as part of the tree the photo shows.  The branches should be similar, but not identical.

Blue-Luna-Tree-Context, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Prayer: Father, grant her support in her journey towards the light.

Blue Luna – Blue Luna Moth

I wasn’t sure about the green colors of the moth in this overwhelming blue design.  I was afraid it might clash without being different enough to stand out.  So I tried changing the moth to blue tones.

Blue-Luna-Blue-Luna-Context, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Comparing this with the green moth, I decided to stick with the original.

Blue-Luna-Green-Luna-Context, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Prayer: Father, I pray for balance and beauty in her journey.

Blue Luna – Luna Moth and Moon

The relationship between the moth and the moon is important in this piece.  Having designed them in isolation, I can check this relationship without the distraction of the background.

Blue-Luna-Green-Luna-Moon, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Prayer: Father, keep us moving towards the light, and let the light overwhelm our fear of the darkness.

Blue Luna – Luna Moth Design

Next up is the Luna Moth.  Designing it in isolation highlights for me its beauty and fragility.

Blue-Luna-Green-Luna, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Prayer: Father, our fragile lives shine in the darkness.  Help us to protect that light while letting it shine out to others.

Blue Luna – Moon Design in Context

I typically design each element against a blank background.  This simplifies the process, focusses my eye on the element, and makes the boundary of the element clear.

But after designing each element, it’s important to plug it in to the overall image.  This checks that the design is coming together well.

Blue-Luna-Moon-Context, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Prayer: Father, help her and her caregivers to focus on each element of her treatment, while keeping the larger context of her life in mind.

Blue Luna – Moon Design

The next step is to design each element at size.  I start with the foreground elements, then do the background.  So the first order of business is the moon.

The challenge is to show the brighter and darker areas we see and know, while still giving an overall impression of luminescence.

Blue-Luna-Moon, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Prayer: Father, even as You made her a light in the darkness, let her find Your light in her troubles.