Carlos Jimenez Varela brings an intriguing twist to the world of digital art with his series, Nocturnal Animals. This collection merges the essence of wildlife with the glitzy, futuristic backdrops of cyberpunk cityscapes. Varela combines elements from royalty-free platforms to craft surreal compositions where wild animals roam amidst glowing neon lights and stark contrasts. The interplay of natural and synthetic is depicted through imaginative scenarios that bend physical laws and scale, showcasing his expertise in Photoshop retouching and compositing. These visual narratives explore themes of adaptation, juxtaposition, and the unexpected harmony between untamed nature and manmade urban realms.
Each piece in Varela’s series offers a vibrant escape into an alternate reality where nature weaves its way through the rising maze of steel and holographic imagery. Through meticulously crafted contrasts, he conjures an atmosphere that is both fantastical and eerily plausible. The shimmering hues of neon reflect on the sleek surfaces, punctuating the darkness with an alluring glow that inspires introspection. These artworks challenge the perception of environments, suggesting an unseen symbiosis between the organic and the mechanical. Through this striking visual synthesis, Varela’s work stunningly captivates the imagination, encouraging a deeper exploration of coexistence in the ever-evolving tapestry of modernity.
This is a series of composites of wild animals within a foreign context for them. For homogeneity, I went with a “cyberpunk” kind of aesthetics. Night scenes with lots of contrast and color provided by neon and different light sources. Surrealism rules apply so I can change things like scale or how gravity affects them in order to make things interesting. Most of the original photography for these composites was found on well known royalty-free websites such as Pexels, Unsplash, etc. I love this kind of project for the possibility of sharpening my tools in both retouch and compositing in Photoshop, but it also is a really good creative exercise.
Carlos Jimenez Varela
More info: Website, Behance, Instagram.
