Take a look at Andy Warhol’s self-portrait. How was it made? What about those colors? And why did he include four images of himself rather than one? He made some unusual choices. Find out more about his life.

Andy Warhol created this self-portrait in 1986, the year before his death. He used four photographic images of himself (with his trademark “shocked” hair) and silk-screened them, off-kilter, onto a 6-foot square canvas. The result is four big heads, set in supercharged pink and yellow against a glossy, dense black background. The effect is intense and unsettling.

Warhol said he was deeply superficial (is that possible?) and that there was absolutely nothing behind his work. Do you think his statements fit with his self-portrait? Is it superficial?

Interested in making your own self-portrait using new technology?

Here’s an example of something you can create:

Using a digital camera and special graphics-editing effects, Ben created his self-portrait. He gave some thought to the pose he wanted when he was photographed with a digital camera.

Next, Ben manipulated his digital portrait with an image editing program (such as Adobe Photoshop). He experimented with special-effects filters until he arrived at the color scheme he wanted. Using a smudge tool, Ben created a fierce appearance. To elongate the jaw, he used an oval select tool to isolate and copy the area around the mouth.  He then pasted it to a new layer, so it could be worked on without affecting the rest of the picture. He stretched and smudged the mouth until the desired effect was achieved. Finally he used the brush-tool to paint the eyes.

Ben continued to experiment with filters to change the color scheme. The finished product looks like a wolf-man from a 1950s horror film!

Ready to try it yourself? Follow the instructions in the Make a Digital Self-Portrait worksheet and have fun!