by Rian Fiske, Artitudes Design Inc., Project Manager
I had the privilege of attending Photoshop World in early September. The amount of talented individuals humbled me greatly with their inspiration and their skill. This was especially true as I met one of my Photoshop heroes, Bert Monroy at the event. He was showcasing his latest work in progress… a panorama of Times Square. Drawn completely by hand in Photoshop. Every meticulous little detail from the manholes on the streets to the billboards in the sky was crafted using nothing but the computer and the software. No scanning or tracing whatsoever. And yet when one looks at it, it appears to them as a photograph.
Bert has been doing ultra-realistic drawings in Photoshop for many years. His drawings don’t take weeks. They take years. Some of his files are so large, they’ll take the fastest modern computer over 10 minutes just to open it and another 10 minutes to save it. Day to day, he is knee-deep in pixels and virtual paint… so much so that in a way they have defined him. They are like an extension of his mind and soul.
The world is full of people like Bert, both within and outside of the design community. I’m always amazed at people who not only possess gifts that no one else can do, they seek work that requires those same gifts. When they do, these people reach that magical moment where work ceases to be work… but instead becomes what they were put on this earth for. To them what they’re doing is simply an extension of who they are. For everyone around them, they’re climbing the mountain no one else is crazy enough to climb.
To learn more about Bert Monroy and see some of his fantastic Photoshop art pieces, be sure to check out his website here.