How to Make Photoshop Cubism Art (5 Steps)

By Kahlea Pendleton

Cubism started in the early 20th century.
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Cubism is a movement in art that uses geometric shapes and sharp lines as well as light and dark shades to show various sides of an image in a two-dimensional representation. Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque started this movement, and their artwork helped to influence modern art in the early 20th century. If you'd like to create Photoshop cubism art, a very plain image can be transformed into a Cubist image by slicing each part of the original into multiple layers and then applying a variety of Layer Styles in Photoshop.

Step 1

Launch Photoshop. Scroll to "File" and open a simple background and image. On the left side of your screen click on the "Marquee Tool" or click "M" on your keyboard to select a section in your image. Then click "Ctrl+J" to create a new layer with the section you just selected. A layer under the "Layers" tab on the right will appear.

Step 2

Double click the layer with the selected section and a window will appear called "Layer Style"; select "Inner Glow" on the left side of the window. If not, Scroll to "Layer" on the top of your screen, scroll to "Layer Style" and choose "Inner Glow" and the same window will appear. Under "Structure," change the "Blend Mode" to "Multiply" using the drop-down tab.

Step 3

Increase the "Size" to 136 and and reduce the opacity to "36%" in the "Layer Style" window. Click "OK." Choose your new layer, scroll to "Edit" and then click "Free Transform." Use the size box handles to stretch the image. To rotate the image, move your cursor just outside the corner until you see a bend arrow and move your cursor back and forth. To bend the layer, hold "Ctrl" and move your cursor around until you are satisfied with the position. Once you're done, double click the image.

Step 4

Click the original image layer under the "Layers" tab on the right of your screen. Repeat the steps that you did to create a new layer. Create and select sections of the original image until you have 25 to 30 layers. Stroll over to the "Layers" tab on the right side. Hold "Ctrl" and "Right-Click" on one of the layer images that you created and then click "Copy Layer Style." Paste the style to other image layers when you create them.

Step 5

Experiment with other patterns. Choose one of your layers. Hold down "Ctrl" and "Right-Click" on one of your layers and choose "Pattern Overlay." Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer by scrolling to "Image," "Adjustments" and then "Hue/Saturation." Adjust the color sliders and then click "OK." Save your cubism image and you're done.

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