In this composition, I had some fun creating a photo collage illustration of a fantastic creature by combining unrelated photographic images. 

The biggest challenge was unifying all of the elements so they made sense as a whole in the same space. The heart was sourced from a medical illustration and while it was realistic, it looked like a 3D model. Some of the octopus arms from the original image were blurry while others were in sharp focus. I used either Gaussian blur or Unsharp mask for these areas, as well as feathering within layer masks. The light source in the original images was also incongruous so I used airbrush tools to make simple shadows while minimizing others.

Using blending modes, lighting effects, and textures, I created an aged, distressed look and darkish mood.