Digital drawing on a Mosaic Portrait

Before I can actually begin to make the mosaic itself I spend quite some time on the computer and drawing board. (There is also an actual hand drawing part that comes after the computer work). 

But today we will stick to the computer part. The main point of this post is to show you how the order in which you apply effects to a picture is having an impact on your end result.

Even when I make a colour portrait, I build my mosaic on top of a full scale Black and White printed model. There are 2 reasons for that : A colour print would be way too expensive, and I get a better definition in Black and White.

I use graphic softwares at the beginning of the process. Photoshop is too complicated for me, I either use Photo Deluxe, it is a very old ancestor of Photoshop, probably totally obsolete, but I know how to use it; or GIMP, the Linux version, which is to me of easier use than Photoshop. GIMP is also free! 

Here I started from an original picture of another talented young French musician.

I first applied a few filters to adjust colours and sharpness of the image. 

After that, I applied 2 more filters, of various intensities or levels, in a different orders.

The two effects I used were :

• Colour to Black and White.   B&W
• Posterization.   P

I used 2 levels of posterization :

• 6 levels   P6
• 7 levels   P7

So I ended up with 4 different images :

• B&W > P6 : Colour > Black and White >  6 levels posterization.
• B&W > P7 : Colour >  Black and White > 7 levels posterization.
• P6 > B&W : Colour > 6 levels posterization >  Black and White.
• P7 > B&W : Colour > 7 levels posterization >  Black and White.

Colour > Black and White

Colour > Black and White >  6 levels posterization.

B&W > P6

 Colour >  Black and White > 7 levels posterization.

B&W > P7

Colour > 6 levels Posterization : 

P6

Colour > 6 levels Posterization > Black and White.

P6 > B&W

 Colour > 7 levels Posterization.

P7

  Colour > 7 levels Posterization > Black and White.

P7 > B&W

I basically end up with 4 different Black and White images. 

I decided to use the images at 6 posterization levels.  The colour image to define the colours of my tiles, and the black and white one to actually draw the model.

More on this charming young lady and the progression of this project later !

I am a French Mosaic Artist. I live and work with my 2 dogs, 2 cats and many chickens in Alabama and have a second studio in France. You can see more of my mosaics on my mosaicblues page. 

If you would like to discuss or commission a portrait mosaic, or any other type of mosaic, please call me at (334) 798 1639 or drop me an email at  frederic.lecut@gmail.com.

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