Holy moly is that good.
I made the clouds through the use of some photoshop filters. Mostly just rendered clouds, difference clouds, and extrude...i think...
Im a total newb when it comes to shading... and actually pretty much anything else, this is my first pic of this kind. Before this i did just some basic web graphics and game sprite mods and stuff. I should really get one of those photoshop for dummies book or something.
Those darkish waves in the back weren't meant to be waves, i think those where just some dark parts from the displacement map. I tried to kinda recreate what the bottom of a somewhat shallow area looks like in the dark....using my imagination though, I didnt really do my research there. I'm surprised at how it came out actually, I was expecting something really cartoonish.
My question for you guys is this, do you think this is something I should put in my portfolio for when I apply for an art major in UCSC? Or should I practice some more before I make the portfolio?
Thanks for all the suggestions, i appreciate them all.
Oh and does water reflect itself? I mean should the splash be reflected somewhat on the water next to it?
edit:
hehe, i just printed it out on that glossy photopaper stuff and showed it to my sister, she wouldn't believe that the background was totally fake. I had to prove it to her, that was great. Oh and i printed it out on some mead academe drawing paper and that looks pretty good. its not as crisp as the photo paper, and it gives it kind of a cool grain effect. The really cool effect though is that the picture kinda shimmers, especially the dark blues and the water. Its crazy.