Recreated Image Using Illustrator

I wanted to have fun with my first project since it would really be about learning the tools and playing with Illustrator more than I have in the past.  I have to say I am really not a fan of the program (note: I am totally frustrated so I may vent here but will probably learn to love Illustrator as I hated Photoshop before and love it now).  Below you will find a detail of the process I took to get this image.

Adobe Illustrator:

• I used a Warp: Fisheye effect on the image to get the angles I wanted for the final picture.  Once I played around with it I setteled on: Bend - 80% / Horizontal - 5% / Vertical - 55%
• I then used the Arsitic Effect: Cutout to create a pop art effect.  In order to gain the effect I wanted I settled on: Number of Levels - 5 / Edge Simplicity - 2 / Edge Fidelity - 2
• Once I was happy with the Illustrator effects I exported it to PhotoShop.

Adobe Photoshop

• In Photoshop I was able to create my border around the image using the Tool: Paint Brush  on a setting of 68 px until I was contant with the way the line came out. 
• Lastly I worked on the tones of the picture by adjusting the Contrast - 25 / Brightness - 3 / Vibrance - 33 / Saturation 56
• I added a square box and text (Comic Sans) inside the box. 
• Lastly  I drew the outline of the image and I flattened all layers so that I could have one image.

Adobe Illustrator Image

Original Image

Artist Statement

My photography is the key that unlocks the hidden world of my thoughts and actions.  It provides a view to the world through my warped and twisted mind.  In a sense it gives the feeling of what ones sees then they step through the looking glass.

My obsession with photography began when I picked up a book by Jean-Baptiste Mondino entitled Déjà Vu in 1999; it was love at first site.  From the beginning the process of using a camera to relay my vivid thoughts to the world was like air. Although the cameras have become more advanced and I have gotten older I still approach every picture with every bit of my Enfant Terrible attitude that I did when I picked up my first 35mm camera. 

My aim as an artist is to capture is my subjects in real images.  It’s about exposing moments that express vulnerability, fear, tenderness and the emotion that is expressed through windows to the soul…the eyes. 

My work is about capturing what happens between the subject and myself during a shot.  It’s about the energy that is captured and then unleashed when the subject begins to strip away the layers and expose who they really are to the camera.  The photographs come to life through the emotion that is exposed and is captured by my lens.