For this project we are going to create our own Pop Art using a photograph and the digital image manipulation software GIMP. Gimp is a free program that works on Linux, PC and Mac!Click here to download.
We are going to focus on the artist Roy Lichtenstein and his signature style comic book inspired pop art.
We are not using the same technique as Lichtenstein, but we will be able to produce a similar outcome.
Rather than use a comic source, drawing, project, trace and paint technique; we will take an original photograph and digitally manipulate it in GIMP using a vexel technique.
Before and After
Step 1
Take a photo of yourself using the app Cheese on your Netbook. OR you may download a picture of your choice to transform into Pop Art.
Step 2
We are going to use your picture from Cheese as our base image. Start up the app GIMP and open your picture from your “recently used” list. (Or locate the picture you downloaded in your “Downloads” folder.)
SAVE YOUR FILE USING THE .XCF FILE EXTENSION!
Click on File>Save As
Save your file like this:
NamePopArt.xcf
This changes your file to the GIMP format, keeping all your Layers separate.
Step 3
Feel free to Crop your picture to like a panel from a comic strip. (Make sure to leave room for your speech ballon.) Use the Rectangle Select Tool to draw a box around the part of the picture you want to keep.
Step 4
Use the Free Select Tool for this job.
Trace the outside of your face anywhere you see skin.
Step 5
Create a new layer to apply the fills. Right-click, go to Fill Path and choose a light color for the skin.
Choose a skin color and use the Paint Bucket Tool to fill the face.
Step 6
Repeat this process for the hair, lips, teeth, eyes, etc. creating a new layer for each part of the head*. It will look strange at first, but after we add the black strokes it will look better.
Hair * New Layer (shift+ctrl+N)
Mouth/Lips/Teeth* New Layer (shift+ctrl+N)
Eyes* New Layer (shift+ctrl+N)
Shirt* New Layer (shift+ctrl+N)
Add your Background * New Layer (shift+ctrl+N)
Step 7
We’re going to create the strokes now, using the Paths Tool.
First, create a new layer (shift+ctrl+N) called “Strokes“. Make sure it is on the top of all other layers. In the Layers menu, click all the “eyes” next to each layer so you can only see your original photo.
Step 8
Start creating the Strokes with the Paths tool. Click once where you would like the stroke to begin, then a second time when you would like the stroke to end. You can bend the line by clicking anywhere on the line. To “draw” the line, click Apply Stroke, set the line width to somewhere between 2-6 pixels, and click Stroke to draw the line. Watch this tutorial below:
Step 9
Repeat the process for all the strokes and details like the eyes.
Step 10
Create a dot pattern to add Ben Day Dots. To do this, create a new document with 16 pixels x 16 pixels. (Or just download the images below.)
Create a new layer, make it transparent, and delete the background. When you are done the Ben Day Dot file should look something like this:
Ben Day Dots for Face: (Click image to download)
*Note: After you download this file, Open it in GIMP and follow these steps:
In the menu bar, click Select>All (Ctrl+A). (This selects the entire image) The in the menu bar click Edit>Copy (Ctrl+C). (This copies the pattern into your clipboard.)
Double click on the Paint Bucket Tool, and the tool options will open up. In the Fill Type section, Select Pattern fill and then click on the square below to see the pattern options. Select the Ben Day Dot pattern from your Clipboard and use it to fill your face and background with Ben Day Dots.
Make sure you are working on your “face” layer.
Using the Paint Bucket Tool, click on your face to add your Ben Day Dots.
Step 11:
Now we will do this one more time using the white Ben Day Dots below:
Ben Day Dots for Background: (Click image to download)
*Note: After you download this file, Open it with GIMP and follow these steps:
In the menu bar, click Select>All (Ctrl+A). (This selects the entire image) The in the menu bar click Edit>Copy (Ctrl+C). (This copies the pattern into your clipboard.)
Double click on the Paint bucket tool, and the tool options will open up. In the Fill Type section, Select Pattern fill and then click on the square below to see the pattern options. Select the Ben Day Dot pattern from your Clipboard and use it to fill your face and background with Ben Day Dots.
Make sure you are working on your “background” layer.
Using the Paint Bucket Tool, click on the background to add your Ben Day Dots.
Step 12
It’s time to express yourself. Let’s make a speech balloon.
