Final Individual Prints

After changing a few things, I finalized my project. I chose not to print a calendar on the back because I thought it cheapened my project. I did, however, remove the more graphic pornography (see old November), lined up the text for the months, added dates in front of the overlapping models, and rearranged some quotes so that they didn’t push their boundaries on the models’ figures.

Please note that these images are grainy and a little off-color because I had to convert them to .jpegs to post them on wordpress :(. Without further ado, month by month:

The Final Project

How to Turn the Explicit into Art

This is the step-by-step process that I went through for each of my months. Each print probably took me a combined 2-3 hours, but I got faster as I learned how to work smarter.

Step 1: Find a backround and models that you would like to use. The better quality and the more of the body, the easier it is to work with.

Step 2: Cut the models out of their picture using magic wand with high tolerance for bigger pieces and polygonal lasso for details. After the bodies are completely cut out, magic wand the bodies, click Apple->Shift->I, and click delete. Tada! The models are cut out of their background. Touch up using polygonal lasso tool.

Step 3: Fill in missing body parts. Examples here. Save as a .psd.

Step 4: Move into Adobe Illustrator. Create a new document for print. File->Place->your .psd.

Step 5: Click “Live Trace” at the top of the screen. I like the preset “Black and White Logo” for the smoothest appearance. If you use this preset, be sure to set its color back to CMYK for ideal printing.

Step 6: Punch in your wallpaper, calendar, and quote, and you’re done! Be sure the colors and quotes match the month :).

Self Portrait

Here is the original photo:

Here is the original picture

This was taken of me at the Great Wall. I originally picked it to play with because I love the color and contrast. However, when I really dove into photoshop, I decided that I wanted to completely redefine what someone sees when they look at this picture. After distorting, sketching, playing with layers and color, the final result looks nothing like the original picture. I like it… I’m cartoony and playful, but at the same time have a sad and somber expression.

Self portrait

Notes about my father’s recent talk at Georgia Tech to come…