Andy Warhol and pop art prints | KS1 | Primary

A yellow and black print of a banana with the artist's name written next to it.

What is pop art?

Pop art is art made about things and people, such as singers and actors.

Pop art became popular in the 1960s. It is usually very and uses bright and bold colours.

Andy Warhol was one of many artists who made pop art.

Watch: Andy Warhol - the pop artist

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Find out about the life and work of Andy Warhol

A photograph of Andy Warhol with his art. — Image caption,
Andy Warhol in 1980. © 2023 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Licensed by DACS, London.

Who was Andy Warhol?

Andy Warhol was an American pop artist. He was born in 1928 and died in 1987.

One of Andy Warhol’s most famous pieces of work is a of the well-known actress Marilyn Monroe.

Pop artists also made art about popular things. For example, Warhol is famous for his print of a can of soup.

Andy Warhol often repeated his prints many times. He used a method called to make many of his artworks.

Twelve prints of the same can of soup in different colours. — Image caption,
Andy Warhol made prints of a can of soup

Andy Warhol's print of Marilyn Monroe's face. There are ten of the same print but all in different colours. — Image caption,
© 2023 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Licensed by DACS, London.

Four prints of the same banana but in different colours. — Image caption,
Another well-known design by Warhol is a repeat print of a banana

Andy Warhol's factfile

Details on Warhol's date and place of birth, his type of art and what he's known for

Some of Andy Warhol's interests and inspirations

Andy Warhol is holding two shoe designs — Image caption,
Fashion

A polaroid of Andy Warhol holding a camera on a street background — Image caption,
Photography

Andy Warhol is standing in front of three of his famous prints: the banana, soup can and dollar sign — Image caption,
Prints

Some people screen printing. They are pushing paint over a design with a squeegee. — Image caption,
By pushing paint over a design with a squeegee, you can make many prints as many times as you like. This is called screen printing.

What is screen printing?

Screen printing is a way of making prints. The same print can be made lots of times.

A tool called a is used to scrape and push printing paint through a special screen. The screen is made of a material called mesh , which has small holes in it.

The design is on the mesh of the screen. The paint pushes through and prints the design onto paper or material.

You can make as many prints as you like from the screen.

How to make pop art like Andy Warhol did

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Image caption,
1. Materials you will need
First, ask an adult to help you get ready. You will need at least four pieces of card or paper in bright colours and some paint.
Image caption,
2. Paint your hand
You could use black paint or different colours to make your hand print. Dip your hand into the paint or use a paintbrush and paint your hand.
Image caption,
3. Make a handprint
Make a hand print on each piece of card or paper. You could make one hand print on each piece.
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4. Repeat your print
Then put the pieces of card or paper together to make your own pop art piece.

Activity

A black and white photograph of Roy Lichtenstein. He has short hair and is smiling. — Image caption,
Roy Lichtenstein

Did you know?

Pop art is short for Popular Art.
One of Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe prints sold for $195 million (£158.17 million).
A pop artist called Roy Lichtenstein made pop art inspired by comic strips.
Many famous pop artists are American but David Hockney is a British artist who made pop art in the 1960s.

Quiz

Glossary

Here are the meanings of some important words.

Eye-catching - Something that gets someone’s attention easily.
Popular - Liked by lots of people.
Print - An image made by pushing a design onto a surface. Screen printing - A way of making prints using a squeegee. The same print can be made lots of times.
Squeegee - A long tool with a rubber blade and handle. It's used to pull an even amount of printing ink across a stencilled image.