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If you are a fan of pop art and the

work of Andy Warhol, then this is
the 
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ccc tutorial for
you.

The first step is to find an

image/photo. Warhol created his
silkscreen prints from a variety of
sources and subjects. There really
is no limitation on subject matter at
all when you consider that Warhol's
work ranged from Coca-Cola
bottles to Marilyn Monroe.

I have chosen to use one of my

own photos. The picture shown
right is a scaled down version of
the end result I achieved.

At the end of this tutorial save the file to disc, take it down to your local print shop and get a lar ge high-quality
print. It will make a fantastic piece of Andy Warhol inspired art for your wall or a great gift! Let's get started...

a) Preparing the Photo

G 

c
cc  /soon-to-be-masterpiece in Photoshop and duplicate the background layer. Just click
the layer calledŒ
 Πand drag it to this icon at the bottom of the layer window to
 


 


  this new layer "Photo" or something similar. 

ð


 ( ). Make this new layer white. Drag it below the "Photo" layer and rename it
"background". You can delete the original layer called Œ
 Œ. Your layers window should look like the one
in the picture below.


èow working on the "Photo" layer we need to clear out all the unwanted parts of the photograph. In this case I
want to isolate the kissing couple and delete the rest i.e the background walls and sofa. 

To cut out the couple I use the 
cc. èow to some-up how to use Photoshop's pen tool in a few sentences
isn't easy...if you have never used the pen tool before, do the !"
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 G first.

Remember to make sure the pen tool is set to 

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See below.


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You could use the eraser tool but the results won't be as professional. Make Andy Warhol proud! 
Take the pen tool create a path around the couple and then $

 c
c .  

c (CTRL
+ Shft + i) and hit
.


º
the photo (Ctrl + Shft + U) and ðc so that the photo has an interesting composition. 


Adjust the   %ðc 
 
&&

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Obviously the settings will be different for your photograph. Just adjust the sliders until your photo becomes quite
dramatic. èow comes the fun part... 

b) The Cutout Filter 

Apply the ðc Filter to the "photo" layer with the settings approximately as shown below.
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&&

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Adjust the  (Ctrl + L). You want to adjust the sliders until your photo is black, roughly 3 shades of grey,
and white. 


èow apply the cutout filter again. This time increasing the edge simplicity. The idea behind this is really to
abstract and simplify the photo. Of course don't just use the numbers shown below, trying experimenting! 

Adjust the levels again if you feel the urge. I like the look of 3 tone (white, black and grey). Below is my image. 


Don't forget to  

èow let's organise the canvas and create an Andy Warhol inspired layout.
You are now ready for Step 2
The Repetition Layout >>

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ð 

Preparing the Canvas 
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  (Ctrl +è) with the settings shown below. The size is A3 (landscape)...you could make it
bigger or smaller, but A3 is a good size poster/print, especially if you get it framed. We use 300 dpi for the best
quality print . Plus make sure the mode is set to CMYK if you intend to print it. Click OK


èow go back to your original canvas. Click on your "photo" layer and drag and drop it onto you new "Warhol"
canvas.

Put the "photo" layer into a set. To 


, simply click this icon ( ) at the bottom of the layers
window. Place the layer into a set by click dragging them onto the set. Rename the set appropiately e.g "frame
1". Your layers window should now look like the image shown below. 

ð


 and rename e.g "bg1". Make sure it is in the "frame 1" set and below the "photo" layer. See
the following image.


Working on the "bg1" layer take the  
cc ( ) and drag a rectangle to the size of the "photo" layer.
Make sure the mode is set to  
 before you draw the rectangle!!!! Lots of people make the mistake
of checking this!! See image below. 


The image below shows you how your work area should look now. Don't worry about the size of the "photo" and
"bg1" layers, we are about to adjust that. 


Make sure your  are on (ð
*
), and drag two guides to divide up the canvas into 4 sections. Take your
time and get it exact. See below. 

 
Make sure SèAP TO GUIDES is on and use the rectangular marquee with the IèFO WIèDOW to measure
distances.

èow click on your "frame 1 "  in your layers window. We are going to transform the two layers of this set. 

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Hold down Shft as you scale up or down so that pic maintains it's correct proportions. You want to achieve
something like the picture below. See how the bottom-right corner rests in the centre of the canvas.
Press !  to complete the scaling.


Right click on the "frame 1" set and select º 

. Do this 2 more times so you have a total of 4
sets. 

Rename all your sets to "frame 2", "frame 3", and "frame 4".

èow move all the sets into the right positions. If you hold down Shft as you drag the sets, it contrains the
movement to only vertical or horizontal...very handy!

Right so now your work area should look like the image above. Almost there! 

Actually now might be a good time to remind you to .

Use the move tool and the keyboard arrow keys to move the sets apart a little and get the composition just right.

You are now ready for Step 3

The Color >>

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+

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The second half of this tutorial should be relatively fast...provided you can decide on the right colour
combinations!

Someone once asked Andy Warhol...

"What are the right colours? How do you know which are right?"

Andy Warhol's reply...

"Well I don't know, after you finish it you know what's right." 

Adding the Color

Change the "bg1" color for each set by double clicking on the 
  as shown below. Select a colour
from the Color Picker window that pops up and then click OK. 

èot sure what color to use? Use the Andy Warhol picture below as a guide. 


èow to add color to the people. There are two methods here so you can experiment around a little to see what
you like best. 

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Create a new layer in the "frame 1" set and rename it "pc". (That stands for eople olor, not very imaginative).
Place this layer between the two existing layers. See below picture.


èow holding down Ctrl click on the layer "photo" in the Layers Window. You will see a little dashed-line square
appear on the cursor hand. See image below.

èote if you are *,"-
G!þ
# *
*!
G,!, instead click on your "photo" layer in your layer
palette then

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Look at the canvas and you will find the "photo" subject/s perfectly selected. èow still working on the "pc" layer,
grab the paint bucket tool and fill the selection with you a vibrant color.


èow click on the "photo" layer and change the mode to Screen. See images below. That's method 1 done 


The result I achieved with method 1... 

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Working on the "frame 2" set now, c 
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. However this time we are going to take it a little further.
Link the "photo" layer and the "pc" layer. See image below.


èow merge these linked layers (Ctrl + E).

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þ 
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Create a new layer and rename it "pc 2". Place this layer on top of "pc 1" layer 

Ctrl click on the "p1" layer to perfectly select the image again. Fill the "pc 2" layer with a vibrant color.

èow set the mode of the "pc 2" layer to þ . Your layers window should look like mine shown below.


The result I achieved with method 2... 


"G#
!.!þ!" / Try different color combinations. Try different modes. Try linking all the layers in one set
together and merging THEè adjusting the *%c (Ctrl + U) on the layers. 

Once you have completed all 4 sets and are happy with the result 

You are now ready for Step 4

The Finishing Touches >>

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a) Adding a Signature
If you have a tablet, simply create a new layer above all the other layers and sign your name. 

èo tablet? Please don't write your signature with your mouse...it will probably just turn out a mess. DEFIèITELY
DOè'T USE THE TEXT TOOL...that is not a signature!

Get piece of real white paper and do your signature with a black pen. Scan the signature. Click on the layer in
the Layers Window and drag and drop it onto your Warhol canvas.

Move the signature into place and scale it to the right size.

Quite often with scans there will be some unwanted grey marks. What we want is nice black lines on a perfectly
white background. You will probably need to 
'

ð


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ð

First make sure your image doesn't have any colour...

 &&
'&&º 
Then... 

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'&&ð 



The line in the "Curves" dialogue box will appear as a diagonal. Click on this diagonal line twice and drag these
two markers until your line forms an "S" shape (as shown above). The lower marker will increase the black
values as you pull it down. The upper marker will decrease the grey values as you pull it up. The exact shape of
YOUR "S" curve will depend on YOUR signature image, so watch your image as you move these markers until
you achieve the desired result.

Finally set the mode of the signature layer to Multiply.

Save your photoshop file. I called mine "warhol_unmerged.psd". This way I can also change the colors and make
more interesting prints in the future.

b) Adding Canvas Texture

Lots of print shops can now print your photoshop files directly on to canvas which is really cool but it is also
expensive. If you can afford to do this stop here. Simply flatten your image. Save the file to disc and go to the
print shop. 

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If not try this...

We are going to apply a canvas grain effect to our picture, so it's going to look like a print from a canvas
original...which I happen to like the look of. This step is optional, you may not like it. I think you should try though,
to see what it turns out like.

Flatten your image.

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Change the mode to -.

(&& 1&& 12

The settings I used are shown in the image below but have a play round for yourself! Remember the keyword
is  !!

Change the mode back to ðþ
. 

. I called this file "warhol_merged.psd"

Off to the printer you go!

So that's it! That's how to change you photos into Andy Warhol inspired masterpieces. I hope you found this
Photoshop tutorial helpful. Feel free to c 



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  if you have any questions.
On the following page is some amazing results that others have had following my Pop Art tutorial.

G,!
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From time to time people send me pictures of their work that they have achieved through following my tutorials. I
decided to put some of the best here ...


 

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èotice how Paul left the whites of the eyes white...This gives a really nice effect!!
Maybe try it on your Warhol-inspired picture!


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