How to Use Color Halftone
A halftone effect is created through the use of small dots placed over a solid color which the human eye interprets as a continuous color or tone. The dots are printed in different sizes and frequencies to produce numerous shades and designs. Mid-19th century printing techniques heavily depended on the use of color halftone to produce secondary colors like green, orange and purple, as well as gray and various skin tones. This also served as a cost- cutting measure since less ink had to be used during printing. American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein is famous for reproducing color halftone imagery from comic books in his paintings, which were enlarged to highlight the dots.
- Canvas
- Newspaper
- Acrylic paint (red and yellow)
- Large paintbrush
- Small paintbrush
- Digital imaging software
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Instructions
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1
Place your canvas on a flat surface covered with sheets of newspaper.
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2
Apply a coat of yellow acrylic paint to the surface of the canvas using a large paintbrush. Allow the paint to dry for 15 minutes. Apply a second coat of yellow paint once the first layer is dry. Allow the second layer to dry for 15 minutes as well.
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3
Dot the canvas with red paint using a small paintbrush. Keep your dots consistent in size and spacing. Allow the dots to dry for about 10 minutes, then add a second layer to create an overlapping effect.
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4
Open a photograph in a digital imaging program.
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5
Select the color halftone option from the program's image filters menu. Adjust the available modification options, such as dot size and color frequency, to create a halftone effect on your image.
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Click to accept the changes and save your image.