Forced Emotion

This is my second redux of an artwork idea I came up with sometime in 2011. It’s a personal piece that means a lot to me, so I’ve been wanting to improve upon it for quite some time. A few days ago, I finally found the old scene file from the first redux and took it apart then rebuilt it better than ever before. Although this piece could mean many things for many people, read the next paragraph for a summary of the symbolism if you wish or interpret it as you will.

There’s a lot of symbolism in this piece: She’s holding the famous tragedy and comedy masks which symbolize the mania and depression of bipolar I disorder. She is looking at the tragedy mask meaning she is more focused on the depression. There’s a wind-up key connected to her heart as she needs something external to keep her going. It’s bloody though, the key has had to be turned too many times and it’s starting to kill her. There are marionette strings controlling her meaning she has no real self-control over her emotions. The many clock elements represent how it’s all a matter of time before things change again and again though her time may now be running out.

As mentioned in my notes, I used the scene file of the 2012 redux as my base for the new scene. I changed the ratio of the canvas to square and updated/upgraded practically each and every element of the piece. Almost nothing stayed the same. I created an IDL light setup specifically for this scene with strong shadows and a rim light to frame her figure and the other scene elements. In postwork, I had to do a lot of digital painting to create the bleeding around the keyhole effects. I also postworked the entire piece in a brand-new way unlike the original or the redux; this time I went for extra detail and an overall golden tone.

Most of these items are available from the Renderosity Marketplace (unless otherwise noted):

• Nicola 3 by Dream9Studios