Sketchbooking for next years FMP...

Although I am currently working on my book project I have got 1 eye steadily on the future and have decided to start sketch booking ideas ready for next years Final Major Project.
I am not entirely sure if I want to base my ideas on an environmentally concerned topic as it is something I have used as a theme throughout my time on this course.
I have this grand idea of producing a variety of work from different areas that will show off my digital manipulation skills, almost like a showcase for my digital imaging.
I really like this idea but I somehow always get drawn back to my influence being nested in the natural environment and other engaging topics.
Below is a pictured guide to how I quickly sketchbooked this idea together. If I were to produce this work for my final major project I would have to take the images myself rather than using Yahoo image search.




The concept behind the idea is again environmentally concerned, I want to blend the waste that we discard with the natural elements that are usually effected by it such as animals and plants. The idea is to blend them seamlessly so that it appears as if the living things are moulded from or by the waste items.

This was my first attempt at creating a fully artificial background using Photoshop. I am happy with how this technique works although I can definitely see areas to improve it.

I then very loosely sized up the 2 images and roughly lined them up where I wanted them. This is really easy to do when one of the images has a lower opacity. 

Next I used the magic wand tool to remove the background from both of the original images and made some minor adjustments to the positioning and size of the objects. The 2 images are now lined up ready for the blending stage.

Using multiple layers of the same image along with Vivid light I managed to create a realistic looking transition from can to bird.

I then used layer masks to refine and smooth the transition. This can be time consuming but it really is a case of the amount of effort and time you put in determines how good or believable the image will be.  

As this was really just an experiment to se if the idea would work I really didn't want to spend too much time on it. With that said, the use layers and masks along with working in non destructive way allows for endless adjustments. In this example I have made adjustments to the area where the word 'organic' shows through the feathers of the bird, I feel it is now blended in a more realistic looking way.