For the first piece of the self-portrait, I used a photograph. It took about 20 hours manipulating the photo (low contrast on the pants and high contrast on background, plus I divided it into nine pieces) to get it the way I wanted it. I used MS Paint and a freebee that come with my computer. I would print one of the nine sections to find out that the registration of objects did not match other pieces that I had already printed. It was a long and frustrating process.
So my husband, bless his wonderful heart, suggested that I download a free thirty day trial of Photoshop. Not doing this earlier in this process was a big, big, BIG mistake. Over a few hours yesterday and today (probably about 8) I have adjusted the contrast on each section of my body but also divided the torso piece and the head piece into the nine pieces. I have printed them all and checked the registration to find that it is perfect with the first printing! Awesome product. Advice to any illustrator or artist who uses photos in their work -- buy Photoshop! It will pay for itself in a very short while.
