Wonderful photograph

Great one~!

Rather nice image author, love the colouring

Well done. Excellent values, I can see your entire image!

It' s Floyd.. It' s excellent ... It' s fav

Nice choice of tune and even better execution of idea. Brilliant eye candy here, author!

very nicely done
i like the creativity and the execution

Great image.

Amazing,perfect,unique...i could go on and on with this entry...this will be one of the my most favored favorites...best of luck author...

You'd better be making tuts out of those well made SBS. Nice touch with the bubble brush, it really works & it makes this look pro !

Realy cool, author, and great colors for this.

Thank you all so much for the favs and great comments!

Super spectacular work..., the imagination, excecution, color combination..., everything is perfect.... I love thease kind of images.., good luck author.... This one have my fav...

Really Fantastic work!! Very organic feeling. Love it!!

I got to say you are serious competition. This is way cool in conception and execution. Good luck author.

really well done.

Fabulous!!!

Amazing work

Congrats Arca fantastic work

Way To Go ARCA!!! congratulations, well deserved.

awesome entry, congrats.

Congrats!! Most well deserved!

congratulation...

Congrats

Congrats!!!! Wonderful creation, Arca!!

Awesome and Congrats.. wonderful use of your own photos as well!!!

Fabulous piece author...Its shame about the last week contest,this one would be 1st without any doubt...GL

This is an amazing piece with a lot of detail and work put into it. My only issue is with the perspective of the furthest rocks (top right) which somehow feels wrong in relation to the perspective of the lady at the window. But I still love this to bits!

@Mad Funny you should mention that. It has been bothering me too so I have been working on it. Tried a variety of different layouts and I think this one is the best. Hard perspective on this piece. Thanks for the great observation and comment.

@erathion Yeah it was too bad I did not get it finished in time but just too many little details and not enough time. Thank you so much for the comment.

Fabulous work !

nice image ,GL

I really love entries like these. Thought provoking and well done. Just great!

SO SWEET ,GOOD LUCK

Beautiful entry...,the excecution is so realistic.., Good luck author...

I like your step 12, a really good tip. I am impressed with the all the detail here, you've really thought of everything. Her reflection in the window is perfect, just barely there, like it should be. A very powerful image with the girl on the edge of the rocks like this. Touching........

Thanks all!

Bravos, words cannot express! Stunning work.

I have a question about step 16: by Non desctructive.. you mean dodge/burn in the high pass layer / making another gray layer / using simple white/black brushes with layer blending or how? Feeling noob-ish here.

@greymval - ur not a noob just poor SBS explaning on my part You can do the dodge and burn either in a new layer (see below for direction for that) or If you are using the High Pass layer to sharpen (which is what I usually use it for) I sometimes do some Dodge and Burn work in that layer (and neutrilizing the sharpening where it is too strong). I don't usually do a lot of D&B there but when I only have a little to do I will utilize the High Pass layer rather than create another layer. (NOTE: High pass layer and neutral gray layers are both set on Soft Light Blend mode).

Direction for a Non Destructive Dodge and Burn layer (no HIgh Pass layers were harmed in these instructions)
You create a new layer (hold Alt key - click on the Create new layer icon - bottom layers palette>in new layers window pick Soft Light blend mode and check the Fill with Soft-Light neutral colour (50%grey) box). This will create a layer that can be used to Burn (using Blacks & Darker grays or Dodge (using White and lighter grays).

There is a rose in Spanish Harlem ....

Well actually.. There is a rose in Spanish Edge-of-a-Cliff and OMG if she opens that window she's going to fall and go boom.. and wait till she get her hands on that girl IN THE WHITE Night gown wondering around on all those sharp rocks... EEEEEEKKKKKKKK

(couldn't resist author.. LOLOLOL)

Very wonderful image, has that whole should be hanging in a castle feel

@ slushy

Actually it is more Heather on the Scottish lowlands .... and she has no intention of following her sister ... she is the sensible one (or restrained or sane or less crazy depending on your point of view)

Heather Does the Scottish Lowlands? ..(oh I'm bad.. I'm really really bad) smooch and FLEE

Flee, fi, fo, fum ... I see a slushy on the rum! (not a typo)! Mwwwhahahahah

Burp

Congrats, Arca...a well deserved placement!

Thank you all so very much!!!! Big hug!

Congrats for your first place, Arca! Lovely image!

Congrats arca,awesomely made entry.

Congrats for 1st

Congrats for 1st

congratulations...

Congrats Arca another beautiful piece

Congrats!!

Congrats, you deserve it = )

Beautiful work...congrants

Nice job Congrats on 1st Place

I love it!

Original, and with nice tones.

This is beautiful! Great colors and work with the bears.

This has potential to be super korny, but you made it awesome! I can't stop looking at it, great job author, and good luck!!!

NOW THIS IS AMAZING!!! You really have such talent author!

Lovely ethereal quality!

I like this one, it reminds me of The Golden Campus movie = )

Thank you all so much for the wonderful comments and another big Thank you to those who faved.

Great work author...love the color selection and different positions of bears inside of Aurora...well done

Congrats for your great first place, Arca!

Congrats on first place!

Congrats, Arca!! Good job!!!

CONGRATS....WELL DONE!

Congrats!!!

Congrats on your 1st place

I can see it too! How far into the Vampire Chronicles are you? (Interview with the Vampire is the first)

@ How far into the Vampire Chronicles are you?
Up to Armand but after that and I lost interest. I have also read the first 3 Mayfair Witches books. I know the two series tie in together at some point and one day I will have to give it another try.

Armand was the last I read and the last in the series.

I thought "Tale of the Body Thief" was one of the best but Interview, the book is definitely better than the movie. "Queen of the damned" movie was a mockery to Anne.

Read half the first book in Mayfair Witches but totally got bored when she started in on the journal. Anne became a Born Again Christian and wrote this novel called "Christ the Lord, Out of Egypt " Her take on his life as a 12 year old. It was interesting. Then she renounced Christianity earlier this year. She's quite a Fascinating woman.

Nice association with such an awesome author. GL!

I didn't know about all that stuff with her and the Born Again ... seems strange for her in a way but then I gather she has had a very strange life!

Thank you for the wonderful comments

She's actually an awesome person, a great humanitarian and a voice in the fight for Equal Rights here in USA.

Oh, and I can see why you might have lost interest in The Vampire Armand" In the book, Marius is a pedophile. Was that was turned you off?

It wasn't so much that ... I found that Anne's writing changed (or I did). And I just couldn't get through them anymore. I really must give it another shot though as I loved her writing so much at one time. She was the inspiration for my trip to Italy (after reading Cry to Heaven).

Congratulations for your beautiful photo!

Thanks all for the votes, favs and comments!