Photoshop Studio with Bert Monroy: Digital Painting

Chapter 7. Oyster Bar

Complexity and Precision

The Oyster Bar restaurant is a little hole-in-the-wall place in midtown Manhattan. I first got the inspiration to paint it in 2001 while on a trip to my old hometown of New York City. When in New York, I often stay at my friend John’s apartment overlooking Times Square. Across the street sits the Oyster Bar restaurant. The red glow from its neon sign miraculously beats the competition of all the other lights on that stretch of 7th Avenue and 54th Street.

I planned the painting (Figure 7.0) for years. In fact, I did not paint it until 2005. The complexity of the scene kept me from attempting it sooner than I did. The vast number of layers needed for each detail made the file sizes far too great for earlier ...