Structurally, I tried to balance the piece by creating a composite along the horizon using the sides of the valley, the bridge and the sun. The sun represents the main focal point and emphasis of the piece. The hanging board is in the position it is for this exact reason. Furthermore, one may say the scale of the sun is disproportionate to the rest of the scene. This too is intentional since its size, from a technical standpoint, evenly lights the scene without giving glaring highlights or lowlights, and a structural standpoint to become the main focus, unify the piece.
As for the developmental devices of the scene, there's a flow of lines pointing back the sun and bridge, where the main content of the piece lies. Moreover, the water reflection draws one's eye back the center of the scene. I worked hard to make the texture as life-like as possible. From a technical perspective, the cliffs are a collection of specular maps, normal maps, bump maps, texture maps, displacement modifiers, and hand sculpting to give a realistic and tangible feel. Fortunately, space is a breeze to composite in a 3D application since objects can be arranged how they would be outside of the computer. Lastly, the color choices came from inspiration and reference images to attempt to make the most realistic scene possible, still keeping a unique and hyperreal conception.
