Times Square (2010)

This is the largest image I have ever created, pushing the boundaries of the software and hardware as far as they can go. It was unveiled at the Photo Plus Expo in New York on October 28, 2010 as a work in progress. A 25 foot light box was constructed to display the piece that has been printed on a new material being introduced by Epson.
• The image size is 60 inches by 300 inches.
• The flattened file weighs in at 6.52 Gigabytes.
• It took four years to create.
• The painting is comprised of almost fifteen thousand individual Photoshop and Illustrator files.
• Taking a cumulative total of all the files, the overall image contains over 700,000 layers.

Excerpts from Wide-Format Imaging Magazine
Nov/Dec 2010

...Displayed at this year’s PhotoPlus Expo in NYC, Monroy’s “Times Square” is action-packed with color and detail. People lean forward to study the print’s many stories depicted under the illuminated signs and bright lights of the city’s iconic landmarks. Hundreds of colorful characters can be seen throughout the image in groups, traveling solo, pointing at the sights, dodging yellow taxis, aiming cameras, shaking their fists, chatting amongst each other, dragging luggage, gazing longingly out of windows, and in some cases even thwarting crime.

Printed on Epson’s DisplayTrans Media with the Epson Stylus Pro 11880 printer, Monroy’s masterpiece is the culmination of four years of work. The digital artist created each element using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. He built the 6.52GB image pixel by pixel, using more than 750,000 Photoshop layers. Monroy spent countless hours creating intensely detailed scenes, the likenesses of his family, friends and many luminaries in the imaging industry, and landmarks in and around Times Square.      

The image is a “who’s who” in the world of digital imaging, featuring individuals who have made a significant impact in the industry.  Adobe Photoshop founders John and Thomas Knoll stand in the main foreground, surrounded by digital imaging experts such as Russell Brown and Jeff Schewe. An assortment of photographers includes John Paul Caponigro, Greg Gorman, Jay Maisel and Jack Reznicki, each telling their own story. Monroy even included a cameo of his younger self, looking out from the window of a yellow taxicab, reliving a brief stint as a New York taxi driver.

A defining moment in his quest for new digital art techniques was seeing “Times Square” printed for the first time with Epson’s new backlit material designed for ink jet printing. “I was halfway into the Times Square project when I heard Epson was developing DisplayTrans Backlight Media for creating backlit signage to be used in a lightbox,” said Monroy. 

The opaque, polyester film has an opacifying layer that diffuses light throughout the printed image so it is evenly lit. "That extraordinary final print of 'Times Square' on DisplayTrans Media with the Epson 118000 printer was exactly the way I'd envisioned the result. The colors are beautiful and vibrant, the blacks are rich and dark, and the flesh tones are warm and natural," said Monroy...