Environment Concept for Starfish by Peter Wete

Starfish Environment

Reference I used to make to make the concept. I also photo sourced a bunch of different elements to finish the concept.

I modeled the scene based on what read in the story. A bunch of people that are misfits of society are offered an opportunity to work at this facility because they are either criminals or victims. These events make them good candidates to undergo a transformation that allows them to live underwater. one of their lungs is replaced by a machine that allows them to get oxygen from the water and they also get enzymes from creatures that live in the deep sea that allow them to survive at those depths. 

I did a few renders of the scene in Maya until I got the lighting I wanted.

Tweeking lighting.

Tweeking lighting.

Tweeking lighting. I decided to render several to see if I could layer them in Photoshop.

Here is the final concept after layering photos and textures.