Moribund Planet

I hadn’t shared any work in several days because I was busy with other things. The project I just finished turned out to be quite an interesting and intense experience, especially with the number of layers and the final result.

Late at night, while distracting myself with videos, I suddenly felt the urge to create something. I sat down at my computer and began exploring my textures. I had a series of concrete textures from the same wall, all similar, with holes and grooves. I decided to use them all to see how they would overlap and what patterns they might create when combined with each other—and with some other concrete textures I had, here are some of them:

The result of these initial interactions intrigued me, especially the way the spots concentrated and how the holes and grooves aligned when layered together.

But it was clearly just a starting point; it needed a lot more work. I remembered a texture of an out of order water valve box cover, which I thought would fit well with what I already had in my workspace.

Once I added that to the composition, everything clicked. The image that started to emerge looked like a rocky planet surrounded by clouds formed from the concrete stains, while the grooves resembled window bars.

I decided to follow that direction and began looking for textures that would contribute to this "cosmic space" feel. I found three rusty, stained metal textures that I often use in my projects and layered them throughout the existing stack.

As the composition took shape, I realized I needed to either remove or tone down the grooves. I used the "heal tool" to blend them away, and for other unwanted details, I relied on masks.

The project came together quickly after that. For the finishing touches, I used two textures that I always turn to for color and patina, along with a dark blue vignette.

Finally, after 19 layers, I completed the piece, which I titled Moribund Planet.