That's right! I rasterbated all weekend long. And contrary to how it sounds, rasterbating is not a new self-pleasuring sex craze. Rasterbator is a computer application that converts any image into a larger image that spans dozens of pages, allowing you to assemble and create a large poster/ wall mural.
Rasterbator isn't the only program available that can enlarge photos like this. If you're tech savvy, you can use Photoshop, some programs that come with your printer, or you can use
Block Posters (I'm sure there are other programs available too). The key difference between Rasterbator and Block Posters is that Rasterbator blows up your photo into a larger image made up of small black (or any other color of your choosing) dots, whereas Block Posters simply blows up your photo as is. For my projects, I actually used Block Posters.
If you decide to give it a go
here's what you will need need:
- a computer
- a photograph ( I chose an image of a garden gnome from Flickr).
- a good printer to print off lots of pages
- mounting hardware of your choice (you can frame and nail the individual images to the wall or just tape them up. I placed mine in plastic sheet protectors and tacked them to the wall with poster putty).
For my project I first decided to tackle my dining room area
Then, I found a great picture of the city of Chicago at night and decided to cover my large, ugly, white closet doors.
Apartment Therapy has a number of web articles highlighting Rasterbated images in home decor.
Check out:
The Rasterbator
The Rasterbator: Huge DIY Artwork
Large-Scale Artwork on a Budget
Top 10 Affordable Wall Treatments
Look! Maps, Maps, and More Maps
Reader's DIY Tiled Wall Poster
And let me know if you want to rasterbate all weekend long. :P