Andy Warhol Soup Cans

Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Can painting has come to symbolize the pop art movement.

WEEK 1: Give the students a 9" x 12" sheet of paper, along with a 5" wide oval template that is the shape of the top of a can (in perspective). Show them how to trace one oval at near the top of the paper, slide the oval down about 7" and trace again. Connect the outside edges, erase the curve that will not show, and add the same curve to the middle of the can. After this, it is helpful for them to look at a Campbell's label to add details in their own style. I encouraged students to make up their own “flavor” and to cover all their pencil lines with a thin black marker.
WEEK 2: Prep work is needed here. Each student’s art needs to be xeroxed down 50%, and then duplicated 4 times. The students will then take all 4 copies of their original art, paste them down in a grid, and colored them in with colored pencils.

Warhol Cat Drawing

Here's a little different take on a cat drawing, one where you can focus on drawing the face, and then kind of generalize a sitting position for the body. It's actually an attempt to copy Andy Warhol's famous "Red Sam" which is a very cool painting by a very cool artist.

1. Start by drawing a large, rounded "W" in the middle of the paper, and connect the tops points together to close in the head. Add a small curve at the bottom to make a chin.
2. Add two ears that sit at angles at the top and erase the inside lines. Draw two eyes and a nose that extends down to an upside down triangle.
3. Complete the face by drawing whiskers from the cheeks. Draw the cat body around the head by adding a large curve at the top and two bumps at the sides for the hips.
4. Add feet at the bottom and a long tail wherever there is room. After the pencil drawing is complete, trace the lines with a black Sharpie marker, taking care to make the lines fuzzy and broken like fur. Distribute watercolor paint and have fun filling in your beautiful cat!

Andy Warhol Portraits

Andy Warhol's repetitive style is fun to duplicate and the perfect example for students to create their own repetitive drawings using Sharpies on acetate.

1. Review some of Andy Warhol's portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, etc. Collect several photos of celebrities or of the student's themselves and copy in black and white. Let the student's choose one photo, and give them 3 sheets of acetate and a black Sharpie marker.
2. Ask the students place the acetate over their photos and trace the edges in black. When tracing is complete, the voids can be filled in with colored Sharpies. After one drawing is complete, the students are to make two more, using a variety of colors.
3. Trim the acetate if necessary. Using colorful card stock, cut three paper frames to fit the size of the art. Tape the acetate to the back of each frame. The panels can be posted flat to a wall, or taped together to make a z-fold card.
This sample was made by a 2nd grader.

Andy Warhol Style Christmas Tree Mural

Andy Warhol (1923-1987) was one of the 20th century’s most creative artists who defined a decade with his groundbreaking Pop Art. His commercial art background must have influenced him when he created this Christmas Tree print in 1958.
My mural has 24 pages and is 37" by 50" when complete. I can email my printable pdf file with instructions for just $5. (Click “Add to Cart” to access PayPal for same day delivery.)
Note: I love a new coloring product that I discovered and used on my sample, Crayola Twistable Slick Stix. I like the set of twelve which include a pretty gold and silver, and are super smooth to color with. They are much cleaner to work with than regular oil pastels and seem to leave little to no residue on the paper. One of the best features is the sturdy plastic holder for each. I can’t tell you how many pastels have died an early death in my room by being stepped on not only by students, but by myself as well. That soft “squish” is the worst feeling! Anyhow, try these out, I think you’ll like them.