The Reluctant Shepherd | Alien Art Contest / Beyond Human - Theme : Alien Diety (Edition 3)

For my current mixed media project, I participated in the themed contest "Beyond Human" in the Alien Art Hive Community organized by @ezuntimmy.

As stated in the contest post, for each round, one theme will be given to create your art based on that theme. The works will be judged and winners announced within a few days, with a new theme announced the following week.

This week's theme: Alien Deities

According to the contest post, participants are to design a god or celestial in its alien form or create a god for an alien species. Feel free to go wild with your concept, use any style or medium of your choice. To participate, visit the announcement post here: Alien Art Contest / Beyond Human -- Theme : Alien Diety (Edition 3).

Below is my project for this week's theme:

Tires screeched with a sudden braking that resulted in swerving across the road. The vehicle headed toward of the embankment. A few moments later, Jeremiah shook his head vigorously. Blood trickled from the cut above his eye. Regaining consciousness, he swiped his forehead. Memory returned, and he immediately shoved open the driver side and fell to the ground.

He jumped to his feet, then stumbled toward the back of his truck. "Oh no, he cried, as his prize goat, Monk, lay lifeless. He check his pulse, then scoured the landscape. Faint, but still alive. The next instance, the engine revved as it attempted to reverse course. But the tired were embedded to deep in the trench.

He returned to the bed and gathered Monk. He'd not leave him.

The climb up the embankment wasn't steep. Shouldering Monk was the burden. It would have been heartbreaking, and he'd never forgive himself if his goat died from a car crash on the way to the vet.

Once on the side of the road, he lay Monk among the brush. Whatever caused him to swerve from the road would probably still be lying there. Looking both ways, he finally spotted the cause of their crash.

She lay on the road. Wounded and bloody, a lone white sheep panting in agony with every labored breath pleaded with Jeremiah. He scoured the landscape again but couldn't determine from what direction she came. I must get Monk to the doctor before the office closes for the weekend, he thought. But now there were two injured animals.

The decision was not long in coming. He couldn't save one and allow the other to die.

From above, Arael peered from behind the branch. She smiled.

"I can restore him," the soft voice waffled toward Jeremiah and landed sweetly in his ear. She floated down from the cloud that stretched across the distance. Touching his arm, her white wings turned gray and folded inward.

Jeremiah jerked his head around as if seeing an apparition. He stepped back to avoid her touch. In an instant, the auburn sky drew dark. Its moon, darker as the portal opened. Long shadows cast forms of animals around him.

Inside the portal, images swirled. Pure white clouds opened up. The most remarkable creatures and animals floated from one side of the moon to the other. The feeling of love enveloped him.

He drew in a sharp breath, and his eyes grew wide as Arael spoke words he couldn't understand. Immediately, the injured lamb from the road flew into her left hand. Monk followed, and rested in the other.

"Who and what are you? You don't know me!" He shouted.

Arael ignored Jeremiah's apprehension. Instead she merely smiled and reached for his hand. The county fair came into view. But he and Monk weren't in attendance. A knowing dawned on him. They both lay down in the embankment. I've yet to reach thirty; have yet to find a mate; and yet to fulfill my desires, he cried silently.

"Drorac will be your name. You will lead our people and our flock. Your love and compassion for all animals led me to you. You were given a second chance. If you come, you'll not regret it, for I will make you a Shepherd of many," Arael promised.

Jeremiah's thoughts returned to his small, flailing farm. Monk was his ticket to upgrade his dream. A sanctuary for animals.

Slowly, the mist faded. He understood and nodded to Arael.

For my current Beyond Human theme, I created a mixed media collage design that portrays a human yet to obtain the status of deity. Only after he rescues an injured goat does he encounter an other worldly being. His life is no longer his own, as a higher purpose has designated him lord of another flock.

The steps to my theme I began with images I retrieved from the stable diffusion AI programs Wombo Dream and StarryAI. From Wombo, I was able to design an animal-like deity with horns that looped an connected. This program also produced the deity's flock of goats.

Deciding whether to use a male or female deity was difficult. I finally decided on the male version from Wombo Dream. I then tailored my short fiction story to make the gender. Also, I decided to use different elements in each image.

Wombo Dream	Wombo Dream	StarryAI	StarryAI
Text Input: "Four eyed bronze prince of goats. long tail and tentacles and horns"	Text input: "Lambs, some standing, some lying down in a fantasy land."	Text Input: *Full body of four eyed light colored prince of goats. long tail and tentacles and horns."	Text Input: Light and airy forest background with large, cream colored flowers.
Style: Surrealism v3	Style: Surrealism v3	Style: Etherealism Lite Quality: Fast / Seed: 995442864 / Image Strength: 50	Style: Fantasy

The remaining images I included in the collage are listed below. These include a dramatic night rose-colored landscape, tree branch, and a white angel with her back turned away from the camera. But it was the illustrative image that created the shading and texture for the goat's horns after I colorized them.

Rose colored night landscape with moom ~ Angel facing backward ~ Continent of Africa illustration ~ White wings ~ Brown tree branches ~ Wild Orchid Flower - Contributed to the #LIL by @borjan

I utilized Canva, my design program, to blend the different type images. I leave with you my procedures in pictures which began with a blank, white canvas. I then added layers of elements. One of the tools I used was to colorize the image. Filling in the goat deity's horns gave it color and texture.

I share with you my completed design for the Beyond Human Deity:

Thanks for taking the time to view my post. I hope you like my mixed media project.