Use pop art to pep up your portraits with Photoshop

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Posted Mar 12, 2023

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Pop art is a popular art movement that emerged in the 1950s and has since then made a significant impact in the art world. Artist Andy Warhol's brightly colored images of Marilyn Monroe and Campbell's soup cans are some of the most recognizable examples of pop art. One of the techniques used in this genre was cutting holes into stencils, which were then applied to monochrome photos, and exposed sections gradually built up with applied paint to create colorful works.

Nowadays, it's easier than ever to create high-impact pop art pictures using Photoshop CC or Photoshop Elements. By mixing photography with old-school artistic techniques like screen-printing, Warhol created distinctive and vibrant portraits that still resonate today. With just a few image editing tools and some creative screen-printing techniques, you can transform any photo into a pop art portrait and create multiple versions for added visual impact.

In this article, we'll guide you through the steps to create your own pop art portraits using Photoshop Elements adjustment layers and other image editing tools. We'll show you how to delete the white background, select the portrait layer with the magic wand tool, create different color variations with threshold adjustment layers, inject bright colors into specific areas of the portrait, fill in skin tones with varying shades of pink and yellow, paint hair strands with bold colors like green or yellow for a genuine screen print effect, add striking lipstick shades to luscious lips, and finally change hair color hue to achieve 1960s pop art style that fits perfectly with clashing color schemes. So let's get started!

Discover Exciting Camera Deals, Prizes and the Latest News

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Are you passionate about pop art and looking to capture stunning images using your camera? Look no further! Our website provides unmissable photography news, camera deals reviews, product advice, and competitions that will help you take your pop art photography skills to the next level. Whether you're an amateur or a professional photographer, we've got everything you need to know about cameras and lenses.

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Discovering the Enigmatic World of British Pop Art

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The 1950s and 1960s were an exciting time for contemporary art in Britain. The Independent Group, which included Richard Hamilton, Edouardo Paolozzi, Peter Blake, John McHale, Lawrence Alloway, and Peter Reyner Banham, emerged as a force to be reckoned with. These artists experimented with new forms of art that reflected the changing times.

The Young Contemporaries Royal College exhibition in 1961 marked the beginning of British Pop Art. Peter Philips, Billy Apple Barrie Bates, Derek Boshier, Patrick Canfield, David Hockney, Allen Jones, Norman Toynton were among the artists who participated in this groundbreaking event. They employed bold colors and images from popular culture to create works that challenged traditional notions of art.

Richard Smith and Jon Thompson are two prominent figures in British Pop Art who explored themes related to consumerism and mass media. Their works have been exhibited in galleries around the world and continue to inspire new generations of artists. Overall, British Pop Art represents a unique blend of artistic innovation and social commentary that has left an indelible mark on the world of contemporary art.

Uncovering the Origins of Dadaism

The dada movement was born in Zurich, Switzerland during World War I. It was an anti-art expression that aimed to challenge traditional notions of art and question the role of the artist in society. One of dada's most famous contributions to modern art was the use of objects ready-mades, which were ordinary items like a snow shovel or urinal upside down that were transformed into art simply by being presented as such. The actual mass-produced object became the art object itself, challenging the idea that only certain objects could be considered art.

Discovering Neo-Dada: The Roots of Early Pop Art

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In the formative years leading up to early pop art, a movement called Neo-Dada emerged. Duchamps lead the way in this movement by purposely selecting low-brow popular imagery and reproduced 3-dimensional objects, such as Jasper Johns' beer cans in 1960. This movement was a response to the dominance of abstract expressionism and paved the way for what we know today as pre-pop art and early pop artists.

Discover the Ultimate Selection of Acclaimed Pop Art Works

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Pop art is a unique style of art that emerged in the 1950s and has since gained an influential impact in the art world. This art painting covered themes that were popular images or mundane mass design prevalent in society. The pop art style utilizes fine art techniques to transform everyday objects into compelling works of art. Modern pop art lets artists explore their creativity by using vibrant colors, bold lines, and playful compositions.

If you are looking to discover ten famous pop art paintings that showcase this iconic style, then look no further! From Andy Warhol's "Campbell's Soup Cans" to Roy Lichtenstein's "Whaam!", these masterpieces have become some of the most recognized works of pop art. Each painting captures a different aspect of popular culture and highlights the beauty found within everyday life. So, take a journey through the history of pop art and uncover some of the most groundbreaking and iconic works in the art world.

1. Campbell’s Soup Cans by Andy Warhol (1962)

Campbell’s Soup Cans by American-born pop artist Andy Warhol started work in late 1961 and premiered in 1962 divided into 32 canvases. In this series, Warhol used the Campbells brand range printed using the silkscreen process. This was a stylistic re-appropriation of popular commercial designs meant for mass production, which was typical of the pop art movement that emerged on the West Coast of the United States in the early 1950s as a reaction to traditional philosophies of elitist high art. Warhol's delivery of expressionless intentionally mundane objects found great pleasure in applying techniques derived from an era of modern commercialism that saw mass market as its original intention.

The exhibition debuted at Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles and quickly became a prominent art form with ardent supporters standing behind it. Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans are his most famous works and have been widely analyzed for their noticeable commentary on society during the modern commercial era. Despite its initial controversy, this piece is now seen as an iconic representation of pop art, transforming everyday objects into celebrated works of fine art.

2. Whaam! by Roy Lichtenstein (1963)

One well-known work of American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein is "Whaam!" from 1963. This renowned pop artist is noticeably identified by his thick black lines and colors inspired by comic books. Lichtenstein used the ben-day dots printing technique to cheaply create colors commonly seen in comics, making his pop art canvases stand out even more. His pop art drawings portrayed planes engaged in aerial combat, hugely inspired by Irv Novick, a comic book illustrator who also served in the United States Army during World War II. The painting depicts planes engaged in warfare spreading across the two panels of the "Whaam!" 1963 diptych (image courtesy of Roy Lichtenstein [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons).

3. Flag by Jasper Johns (1955)

Jasper Johns' work, Flag, is one of the most well-known artworks in the pop art movement. The pop art movement extended beyond painting and printing; it included subsequent movements such as the neo-dada movement. Symbols appropriated from commodity culture helped lay the initial groundwork for the then-burgeoning pop art movement. In Flag, Johns intentionally chose to depict an easily recognizable flag, which measures 107 cm x 153 cm and was created with oil paint caustic and newspaper print. The non-political nature of this artwork, with its commercial aspects and print predominant over painting, made it a perfect embodiment of the pop style that Johns was known for.

Flag is just one of over 40 American flag-themed artworks that Jasper Johns subsequently created over a period of 24 years. Alongside other notable artists like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, Johns helped shape the pop art movement into what we know today. His use of human figures in his pop art portraits was groundbreaking in its time, but his flags maps are perhaps his most famous works.

The flag depicted in this painting includes 48 white stars on a blue background and thirteen red-and-white stripes. Despite its simplicity, it represents much more than just a piece of cloth; it embodies American history and values. Perhaps that's why Flag has gained considerable success since its debut at Johns' solo exhibition Flag in 1958.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Pop Art in the 1950s?

Pop Art in the 1950s was a movement that used common images and objects from popular culture as inspiration for art. It challenged traditional artistic conventions and celebrated consumerism, mass production, and advertising.

Who were the predecessors of the pop art movement?

The predecessors of the pop art movement were the Dadaists and Surrealists. They paved the way for artists like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein to challenge traditional artistic expression with their bold, colorful imagery and use of everyday objects as subject matter.

What does it mean when a portrait 'Pops'?

When a portrait 'pops', it means that the subject appears to jump off the page or screen, creating a sense of depth and dimensionality. This effect can be achieved through various techniques such as lighting, composition, and post-processing.

What happened to pop art in the 1970s?

Pop art continued to evolve and expand in the 1970s, but it faced criticism for its commercialism and lack of social commentary. Some artists moved away from pop art towards more politically-charged movements like conceptual art.

How to make a portrait look like a painting in Photoshop?

To make a portrait look like a painting in Photoshop, use the "Oil Paint" filter under "Filter Gallery" and adjust the settings to your liking. You can also add texture, adjust colors and shadows, and use brushstroke techniques to enhance the effect.

Darrell Heemskerk

Writer

Darrell is an avid traveler and adventurer, always seeking new experiences and cultures to explore. He has visited over 30 countries and counting, and loves sharing his travel tips and stories on his blog. When not traveling, Darrell can usually be found hiking or skiing in the mountains near his home.