Hello! It seems I only show up here when someone dies. Had another family friend pass away and want to prepare a dedication "mixed media" piece (mixed as in all digital, but with scanned elements of scratches, sprays of paint etc, all woven in.

I'm having trouble with composting- layers, objects, blending transparencies and bitmap fills to create a cohesive whole.

Here are the reference samples I'm trying to work against:

http://axcy.deviantart.com/art/Little-Bird-346005991
http://axcy.deviantart.com/art/Robot-Boy-WP-207389863
http://axcy.deviantart.com/art/Miss-Murder-32107151

Now, I posted eons ago that, as a starting point, I'm using Big Franks mini tutorial here:

http://www.talkgraphics.com/showthre...aitphoto/page2

And then adding vector scratches, splashes, equalized for color, etc. But it looks like pedestrian junk. There's no cohesion.

Anyone have some updated ideas and resources where I can get the hang of properly compositing colors, swatches of watercolor, scratches, sprays, and the main "big franked" elements (faces) to achieve this?

I have the basics, the beginning, the end point, but I lack the formal art training to see what the middle process is like (how the 'sausage is made', essentially, in creatively layering elements to look like a pleasing cohesive whole in the end)

Apologies for essentially updating an earlier post, but a lot of time has passed, and there may be some new blood and new ideas here, no? Xara-specific workflow? Youtube link? Couple more "big frank" type tutorials? Compositing tricks to take me further toward my goal?

PS: here's another artist whose style is somewhat similar:
http://neo-innov.deviantart.com/art/...pt-4-178061580

Really appreciate any group input and brainstorming