Life Size

Working large has always been a challange for artists. We often question our ability to take on projects that test the limits of our physical and mental skills. It is sometimes difficult to commit to large scale projects because as it grows in stature, so does the budget, time conmmitment, price of failure, etc.!

In the three-dimensional world, there are structural problems such as, "how do I support such a large canvas", or, "will this sculpture break from it's base in a strong wind?". Another common concern, "I need so much material, how can I accomplish this physically and financially, and in what timeframe?". In the digital world, there are similar and new concerns. If the image is to be outputted (made physical), then material questions will come up; but while in the digital stage, there is another problem: memory usage. Here is an example-

In Photoshop, a 24" X 70" RGB image @ 240 DPI = 276.9 Mb
The same image in GRAYSCALE = 92.3 Mb
Of course, this does not include any extra layers!
Saved as a JPG, thie RGB will be several Mb in size.

The most important challange of scale that artists have to face is FEAR. How can I fill the space? Are my ideas worthy of such grandure? How will I be judged?

Why Work Large?
Art is expression. It is a way to communicate experience and emotions. Large-scale works confront the viewer in a way that forces them to take notice. Walk through a museum. It is near-impossible to ignore the presence of a giant face created by, say, Chuck Close. His work takes up so much real estate, that it takes energy not to notice it.

Project Defined:

Work from a photograph or sketch.

Subject matter is not important, but work ACTUAL SIZE. I suggest a full-body self portrait, but you may suggest another subject for my approval by the end of the project's first day.

Use your own work. Internet images or source images from anywhere other than your own creation are not acceptable.

Simplify at first, adding detail and refinement as you go. By working in discreet segments, you will be able to make progress without the overwhelming imposition of the whole. Near the end, you will make sure that these segments integrate with one another. Do not dally or fuss with small issues, or you will hopelessly fall behind.

RESOLUTION: Your overall image should be no smaller than 2' x 4' at 240dpi. (Actually, we will experiment a bit with the resolution part, based upon memory restrictions)

You will be using IMAGE SIZE and will need to CROP often.

Save each component as you go along. I want ONE (1) LARGE PIECE! Turn it in by saving as JPEG (level 5 quality setting). Name it as in this example (but with your last name and correct project number), "mcginnis2a.jpg", "mcginnis2b.jpg", etc.