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Silkscreen Printing Unit Lesson 2: Gathering and Manipulating Source Images

This is an image of a female student sitting in front of a computer. The computer screen shows a black and white photograph of a middle aged African American woman. The digital photo editing software Adobe Photoshop is open and shows multiple options for editing on the screen.

Photo by Sean Carroll

Students practice Andy Warhol’s processes of gathering images for source material, using appropriation, photography, and still life arrangements. Students will digitally manipulate their images using Adobe Photoshop in order to create a film positive to expose onto their silkscreens.

Objectives

  • Students discuss Warhol’s photographic process and use of lighting, cropping, editing, and contrasting to manipulate images as source material for his art.
  • Students use digital cameras or phones to take photos for source imagery for their silkscreens.
  • Students demonstrate working knowledge of Adobe Photoshop to digitally manipulate images.

Vocabulary

  • Adobe Photoshop: Image editing software that allows users to manipulate, crop, resize, bitmap, and adjust color on digital photos.
  • Cropping: The process of removing portions of a photo to edit out information, create focus, or strengthen the composition.
  • Contrast: The degree of difference between the white and black tones of a photograph, or other image. High contrast images have bright highlights and dark shadows.
  • Levels: Refer to the brightness, contrast, and tonal range of an image.
  • Bitmap: Bitmapping turns a grayscale image into a series of dots representing different values.

Discussion Questions

  1. How did Warhol use lighting, cropping, editing, and contrasting to manipulate his source images for photographic silkscreen printing?
  2. Warhol’s source images were usually tightly cropped and highly contrasted before sending them off to the printer to be exposed on a screen. Why did Warhol do this? What aesthetic was he trying to achieve?

Image Gallery

This is an image of a computer screen showing a black and white photograph of a human skull sitting on a table. The skull casts a dark shadow against the wall. The digital photo editing software Adobe Photoshop is open and shows multiple options for editing on the screen.

Digital image of a skull opened for editing in Adobe Photoshop.

Photo by Sean Carroll

Digital image of a skull opened for editing in Adobe Photoshop

This is an image of a computer screen showing a black and white photograph of a human skull sitting on a table. The skull casts a dark shadow against the wall. The digital photo editing software Adobe Photoshop is open and shows options for adjusting the brightness and contrast of the image on the screen.

Adjusting the brightness and contrast of an image in Adobe Photoshop.

Photo by Sean Carroll

Adjusting the brightness and contrast of an image in Adobe Photoshop

This is an image of a computer screen showing a black and white photograph of a human skull sitting on a table. The skull casts a dark shadow against the wall. The digital photo editing software Adobe Photoshop is open and the bitmapping and resolution box appears for editing

Bitmapping the digital image in Adobe Photoshop.

Photo by Sean Carroll

Bitmapping the digital image in Adobe Photoshop

This is an image of a computer screen showing a black and white photograph of a human skull sitting on a table. The skull casts a dark shadow against the wall. The digital photo editing software Adobe Photoshop is open and the halftone screen box appears for editing.

Photo by Sean Carroll

Adjusting the half tone on the image in Adobe Photoshop

This is an extreme close up of an image of a computer screen showing a black and white photograph of a human skull. The skull shows a series of dots that make up the image. Some dots are lighter and some are darker.

Photo by Sean Carroll

A close up of an image that has been bitmapped in Adobe Photoshop

Materials

Procedure

  1. Review the Gathering and Manipulating Source Images Powerpoint as a class. Discuss Warhol’s photographic process and use of lighting, cropping, editing, and contrasting to manipulate images.
  2. Students take photographs using digital cameras or phones, either inside or outside the school building. Possible Warhol-related subject matter: still-life arrangements of popular objects, abstract patterns found in nature, portraits, or architectural elements.
  3. Upload the images onto the computer and open them in Adobe Photoshop. Distribute tutorial handouts. Explain to students that they will use the tutorial to crop their images and transform them into high contrast bitmaps.
  4. Students follow tutorial instructions independently (or work with a partner) to create a bitmap of their manipulated image and save their work.
  5. Assist students in printing their images onto clear film using an inkjet printer, or print images onto paper and then copy onto transparency film to create their film positive. Be sure to select the clear film suited for your type of printer or copier.

Wrap-up

When all groups are finished, hang up the film positives and discuss as a class:

  • Are all of the images properly bitmapped? (Example: if the dot looks too small it most-likely will not burn properly to the screen.)
  • Compare the bitmapped image with the original image. Is it adequately cropped and high contrast?

Assessment

The following assessments can be used for this lesson using the downloadable assessment rubric.

  • Communication 4
  • Creative process 3
  • Creative process 5

Handouts