Not real

You wake to find a dark and cold chill running down your body...a cold like none you had ever felt before in your life. A strange veil begins to envelop you from all sides. Immediately you jump up to survey where you are only to find that you don't know what you're looking at. The world appears abstracted, as if you had stepped into a portrait or dream world. At first you think it might be a dream or perhaps a hallucination, so you immediately disregard it and try to see if you can wake up. The ground seems to rise up and segment apart, as if it were a dripping ceiling of paint that was dripping toward the ceiling. Quietly and carefully you move about this strange new landscape, with each sight before you appearing more and more alien as you pass by. Trees that appear to corrode and age right before your eyes until they're nothing but blackened, lifeless husks, various shrouds of mist that appear black as the sky or a bloody crimson, dulled spheres of light that seem to bleed light over the ground as it slowly is absorbed into the "dripping grounds." Questions are constantly ricocheting in your mind as. What are you doing here? Who or what brought you to this strange, alien world? Are you still awake or have you been trapped in one of your own nightmares. As you continue forward you notice a sound emanating through the thickened air. At first you think you might simply be hearing things once again, however the sound begins to resonate more and more vividly through your darkening surroundings. Panic begins to set in; you start to run faster and faster though this world. Objects blur about you with each and every step until you stop dead in your tracks at a very strange sight. Three figures appear before you; two from the mist and one from the very ground itself. The two shrouded creatures appear to be a wild and vicious pair of wolves, their fangs bared as the mist pours off their forms. The final figure appears as a beautiful young woman; her porcelain skin accentuated by the dark crimson dress adorning her body. The dress hugged her body tightly and almost seemed to drip like the world around her; like an unclosed wound of reality. Her eyes glowed when she looked at you as a smile appeared upon her face. At that very moment, you are unsure you if you ever escape this world...or if you're just another predator's prey. Not real, created by *aditya777, presents us with a very strange and altered world that many of us have ventured by wish never to return.

The one thing that will immediately grasp the attention of the viewer would have to the overall design style implemented here. The artist has once again refined their style and has presented the viewer with a very eye-catching and dark image. The female subject's details are quite good, with each curve and shade upon her body appearing that much more lifelike from the gentle wisps of her hair to the shine of light that dances upon her form. This same though can be applied to the wolves as they carry a very abstracted form to their appearance much like the setting their in, which works quite well in the composition's favor. The detailing utilized into the three subject further adheres to the dream-like atmosphere presented in this piece and resonates forth created a very eye-catching presentation for the viewer that allows their mind to wonder and soar forth through this land and for them to create their own thoughts toward it.

However, while there is much working in the favor for this piece, there are a few things that could be done to improve this piece. As good as the piece looks, some of the detailing on the wolves could be improved a bit. More specifically, some parts of them should appear more abstracted and mist-like and others would look more of a wild wolf, better building on their ghostly presences. As for the background and foreground, it could definitely use some expanding upon. Try and build on the background and overall scale of the piece as much of the atmosphere comes from its appearance as well. Design an abstract forest, a clouded and misty landscape or anything you can think of that would perfectly accent the female subject and two animal subjects in this piece. Keep experimenting with what you have, trying different approaches with this design and see what you can come up with further improving on this piece and taking it from good to great.

What lurks in the plains of dreams can never be sure. Some would find a paradise, with all their wildest dreams coming true at last while others are introduced to a dark and foreboding landscape that becomes the breeding ground for all of their darkest nightmares. While we may never know, Not real definitely illustrates the un-tempered beauty that can be extracted from such strange and alien plains. From the overall design style reminiscent of one's own inner thoughts and imagination, thoroughly grasping our attention and never letting them go. Great work Aditya and we look forward to many more pieces from you! <img src="e.deviantart.net/emoticons/c/c…" width="20" height="20" alt="" title="Clap"/>