The creation of this artwork was a cummulative creation using inspiration from the works of Amy Ross, Massive Attack's Teardrop, and Pokémon. I chose to entitle this piece 'The Circuit of Life' as a way to illustrate the overall meaning of this artwork in that of life. The 'circuit' of the title was in reference to the inspiration of Pokémon, as it has played an influential part in my upbringing. To me, Pokemon was something that had a significant role in my childhood, and the subtle teachings and morals illustrated in the game and show, helped shaped the person I have become today. So it only seemed appropriate to include something that has been so important in my life in an artwork about art itself. It is also expressed through Pikachu, the face of Pokémon, who is an electric-type. Although it may seem farfetched, the idea of electricity for me is directly related to light, which is metaphorical for anything related with light. For example, when someone is walking into the light, it is a metaphor for someone crossing over to the afterlife. Also, upon the birth of a child, the first thing they see is light, showing that light is also a signifier for birth as well as death. The latter of the title is interpreted in the foetus and every other additive in the piece as a way to successfully construe the overall message of the creation in that of life.

In order to manipulate the original piece (Massive Attack's Teardrop foetus), a significant amount of facial reconstructions were neccessary to make it look anything like Pikachu. Things like broadening the face, removing the ears, manipulating the mouth, reducing the nose, increasing the eye size, thickening the neck and widening the shoulders using the liquify, smudge, and clone stamp tool helped create a realistic looking Pokémon.
Broadened face...


Nose reduction...


Eye and mouth manipulation...


Ear removal...


Shoulder and neck broadening...


Upon creating the idyllic facial structure, I had further complicated manipulations to perform like the new ears and nose, colouration, texture, finer details, and lighting, which were all transfigured together using an array of blending options, diffirentiations in layer opacity, airbrushing, erasing and much more.
New ears...


Partial colouration and texture...


More colouration...


More texture...


New nose...


Altered lighting...


This image, if not obvious, is an creation of a Pikachu foetus. The foetus resembles a kind of vulnerablility that we face in life, as the baby itself, especially when still developing in the womb, is entirely dependant upon their mother and how they choose to care for their baby can change the outcome of the baby's life completely. The vulnerability of the foetus is also transgressed through the ears of Pikachu, as normally it is seen with its ears up, but when confused or worried about certain situations, the Pokémon is seen to have its ears down as shown. The diminished and darkened light of the piece symbolises the mystery of life awaiting the immature soul, also emmiting an unnerved sense of feeling as to the destiny of our lives. The underdeveloped stature of the foetus is a direct relation to youth, as Pikachu was a key factor in my development and my life helping to make a summation as to what the whole artwork is about, also trying to incorporate how the best years of our life were the ones of our childhood into the ultimate concept. So if not yet clear, 'The Circuit of Life' is my interpretation of the cycle of life.