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Interview With Bert Monroy - Photoshop Artist Bert Monroy Talks About His Career
April 09, 2010
Bert Monroy was born and raised in New York City, where he spent 20 years in the advertising industry as an art director and creative director for various agencies as well as his own. Upon discovering computers with the introduction of the Macintosh 128 in 1984, he embarked on a new digital career. He embraced the computer as an artistic medium and is considered one of the pioneers of digital art. Here is an interview with Bert Monroy by Ed Werzyn and the PSd Team, couretsy of PSD Magazine, which is a great free resource. Make sure to signup to receive their free newsletters.
You consider yourself as a Hyper-realistic artist. Can you explain what that means?
My style is similar to Photorealism, however, I do not fully fit the criteria as a photo-realist. Photorealism adheres to a photograph. Depth of field and certain atmospheric effects are part of the painting making them look photographic. If you study one of my pieces you will find that it is not photographic because everything is in focus. I call it Hyper-realism because it is more like being there. Wherever your eyes looks everything is clear. It is as if you were actually standing in one of the places I have painted.
How has your work changed over the years?
The advancements in hardware have allowed me to work on higher resolution and larger canvas sizes giving my greater detail than before. The advancements in the software have given me new techniques that I can apply to get greater effects.
How has the advancement of digital imaging tools changed your creation process?
I think I answered that in the previous question though I can expand on it. The evolution of digital imaging tools has changed my creative process by forcing me to take greater risks in my projects. I am challenged to make things more realistic. Textures, for example, are no longer left as assumed in the eye of the beholder, every thread of a garment has to be there. Every sign of wear and tear must be put into an object no matter how small.
What changes do you like, or dislike in digital imaging tools available today?
I have a strong say in what goes into a lot of the tools being created so there is much to like since I am getting what I ask for. What I dislike is when something I want is not in the tools. I understand that some of my requests are not mainstream so they don’t get much attention. One such item is the addition of grouping of Paths like Layer Groups in Photoshop. It is not common for users to have hundreds of path sets in one image so I understand why they don’t hurry to implement this feature.
Do you have any book that you are currently working on and when do you expect their release?
Right now I am focusing only on my latest painting. The only time I spend away from it is to write the magazine columns that I responsible for and the occasional article for other magazines. A book requires too much work and I don’t have the time for one right now. I will be writing sections of two books. One is for Adobe on the new 3D features of Photoshop and the other is a collaborative book with Jack Davis, Cher Pendarvis and Jane Conner-Zizer on painting with Photoshop.
These books are slated to be worked on later this year. A series of video training for Lynda.com is my next big project. The series will concentrate on the creation of my latest piece. I have been working on it for over three years and hope to be finished by mid-year.
What recommendations do you have for people just starting out in the digital imaging field? What do you recommend in the way of books, coursework or tutorials that they can help them discover their own digital painting skills?
My best recommendation is to sit there and play. The best way to learn a new program is to open it up and push all the buttons to see what they do. There are tons of resources for learning. Online offers many free sources. I have 160 free episodes of my weekly podcasts interview available at revision3.com/pixelperfect. I did end the series recently but all the episodes are still available for downloading. Books are plentiful with new titles coming out every day. With the release of CS5 we can expect many, many more to arrive on bookshelves soon. Still, the best way to learn is to push those buttons and see what they do.
Do you have a tour schedule for upcoming events?
I have many tours planned in the future. I have a series of events in Italy this year as well as a seven country tour of South America. When CS5 releases I will be starting my Creativity Tour with Kelby Training again that goes to a different US city every month. I also speak at universities and other organizations around the globe. The News and Events section of my website announces most of the public events.
How will the recent 3D animated movies inspire people in the digital painting field?
The same way all movies inspire—by stimulating the senses. What these new 3D movies do provide is a new vehicle for work prospects. All those 3D objects need texture maps that are an entirely new venue for artists that did not exist before. What do you like or dislike about the new 3D animations? I like them all. Some are better than others. One thing that is always important is storyline. 3D and special effects are great to watch but the true experience is the story they help to tell.
If you could "do it all over again," what you you change in your professional career? What would you leave the same?
If I had to do it all over again I would not change a thing. Everyday is a change. My work evolves. Each day brings new challenges. Yesterday is gone. I try to only focus on what is ahead.
What tools or computer systems would you recommend to a new person considering digital painting?
The fastest Mac they can afford. I prefer Macintosh computers because they are what computers should be—transparent. They provide the tools and ease of use without all the extras that only get in the way. Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator are my tools of choice. I think people should try whatever is best for them. Oils, watercolor, Photoshop, Painter? It’s what makes you feel comfortable that is important. The tools are ≠only the means to your end product.
How do you know when you are finished with a piece of art work? Do you have a tendency to tweak and change it after it sits for a while or do you know when it is finished and leave it be?
I have what I call the “once-over file”. This is the final composite file where all the elements of an image have been assembled to form the final piece. I will set the view of this image to 200% on my working screen. On my view screen the image will be set to 100%. I start at the upper right-hand corner and move down one window space at a time. I look for imperfections, mistakes or necessary additions in each view. I make any necessary changes. When I reach the bottom I move to the right one window size and start moving up. When I have reached the last window size on the lower right I am done. The image is renamed the final title and I never touch it again.
What tips can you give Photoshop users on learning and advancing their the skills?
Sit there and play. Think of it as a journey that has many things for you to discover and enjoy along the way. It should not be work, it should be fun.
Thank you for your time Bert.
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Skin Retouching Tips In Photoshop CS4
