Sustained Investigation 5

Idea: Oil is a huge commodity in Alaska, and the hunt for natural gas is encroaching upon the last true intact tundra in Alaska, The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This is one of the most crucial ecosystems on the planet as it is home to over 100 species of migratory birds such as the Snowy Owl, Pacific Loon, and the Spectacled Eider, all of which are declining rapidly and beloved animals of the Alaskan wilderness such as Polar Bears, Caribou, and Muskoxen. An oil deal was signed between the US government to begin drilling oil in the Arctic in 2017. This deal later was denied after much deliberation by the Biden administration. I wanted to display what could happen if they began drilling and show the synthesis and prominence of all of the aspects I detailed.

Materials I used imgaes from Behance and google image search for the base and also used photoshop brushes to accomplish more specific details.

Process: I started by bringing in a picture of the Arctic National Refuge and took out the caribou and added an oily black color to it. Next I yellowed the grass in the background and added a dark sky, this will be more cohesive later. I put in an oil drill that I cleaned up from an image of it burning. I wanted to really show the severity so I found a sever photo for the oil. I added a glowing aura around it using a gaussian blur. I found a polar bear on Behance and cleaned it up and added a shadow next I added a salmon dead in the water next to the polar bear and also added an oil sheen to the whole image. Finally I added a caribou spine opposite from the bear and made the sheen more dramatic.