How to Print Like Warhol | Tate

Discover how artist Andy Warhol made his colourful and iconic silkscreen prints.

From Brillo boxes and black bean soup to portraits of films stars, Andy Warhol is famous for his bright and bold paintings and prints that celebrate 1960s popular culture. This style of art is called pop art.

Printmaking appealed to Warhol as it allowed him to repeat a basic image and create endless variations of it by using different colours or sometimes adding paint to the printed surface.

Isn't life a series of images that change as they repeat themselves?
Andy Warhol

In 1972, Warhol made a series of screenprints of Chairman Mao, the leader of communist China. Mao may seem an unlikely celebrity, but in the early 1970s America’s president, Richard Nixon, visited Beijing and Mao’s portrait was everywhere – making him something of a contemporary icon. Warhol used a photograph from the cover of the Little Red Book (a book of quotations by Chairman Mao) as the starting point for his portrait.

List of Materials for 'How to Print like Warhol':

Making the stencils

• High Contrast Black and White Image (e.g. photo of Michael Manley)
• Tracing paper (to print the image onto)
• Paint brush
• Black acrylic paint
• Drafting film (for autographed/hand-painted stencils)
• Photographic positive (created by printing the black and white image onto the tracing paper)

Making the screens

• photo-emulsion + sensitizer (mixed together to create photo-sensitive emulsion to coat on the screen)
• screens
• Coating trough
• Drying cabinet
• Exposure unit (in which to expose the screens)
• Water / hose (to wash off the emulsion after exposure)

Making the inks

• acrylic paint
• acrylic screen printing medium

Making the prints

• Hinge/Jiffy clamps
• Secure base (e.g. mdf board fixed to table top)
• Masking tape & Parcel Tape
• Spatula
• Cutting mat + Stanley knife
• Card (to create registration marks)
• Acetate (to create registration sheet)
• Squeegee
• Paper for printing
• Sponge
• Bucket & Water
• Newsprint

[elihauser]

there’s nothing better and more stressful than screen printing in a classroom full of other people screen printing

[kahyangni]

This is the cleanest screenprinting studio I've ever seen in my life.

[markusferris]

Oh okay. Let me just go ahead and try this in my apartment.

[LaallaDahdie]

Was searching for a quick diy tutorial. Looks like I just need a small factory and then I can get at

[driesketels]

This is why I love our century so much. Legendary musea, explaining how to print like master artists in high quality video format, delivered to your doorstep for free on YouTube.

[michaelmadison]

wow... this was so cool I think I looked at Warhol in the past and internally said, "oh that's simple" -- holy crap, it is not!! this is actually quite awesome. I have a whole new appreciation. this series makes an artists work really come alive for me. it unlocks something in your mind that allows you to see things you otherwise wouldn't. thanks for this.

[guysmalley]

I was fortunate to be friends with Andy in the 70s I was in art school at school of visual arts SVA I was invited to an art show and met him, he invited me to his show, studio. A unique man. He helped me through the maze of the art field. A special time in NYC then

[bernardofronza]

I'm so lucky to have seen these works in the museum itself 🙏

[mystikalecho]

5:07
“As Artists, we never know how it’s going to turn out. And THAT’S where the excitement lies!”

[ferouihamza]

i love it when youtube recommends me new channels with good content

[USA_JH]

more process videos please! you never find process videos like these in a fine arts context. thanks!

[frankj.]

Tell us how to print money like Warhol.

[KR-nvru]

Thanks. This was very instructional. I had no idea before this video about how Warhol made those iconic prints of his.

[jrlakin]

Warhol was brilliant. Can’t wait to go and see the exhibition in Jan. 👍

[swamisalami]

Actually Warhol painted the colors by hand directly on the canvas and then did the black screen print over it.

[hrnekbezucha]

No wonder he called it "factory"

[olafvivas]

Gracias por tomarte el tiempo de crear este vídeo. Me inspiró mucho <3

[sousiago]

I just finished reading Susie Hodge's "The short story of art" and came here to understand how silkscreen is made. Great explanation, thanks!

[zulfaalfaridzi]

Looks like using adobe Photoshop with manual

[LightningCube]

"a screen printing table can be set up anywhere" So I can just go to Michaels and set all that up real quick in my bedroom😂