Start doodling.

In Photoshop, create a new file. Select the Pencil tool and make a sketch on one layer. It doesn’t have to be perfect; you’ll add detail later. Lower the opacity (Layer Panel > Opacity) of the sketch layer. (I set my opacity to 40%.)

Layer up.

Get that analog printing look by building up digital color layers. Create a new layer above the sketch layer and set the new layer’s Blend Mode to Multiply. (This will allow you to “mix” colors later.)

Color it in.

In the new layer, color every part of your sketch that you want to be either yellow or green. Choose a yellow shade from the Color panel, and then draw a selection with the Lasso that follows the outline of an element of your sketch, like the sweater in my drawing. Choose the Paint Bucket tool (nested under the Gradient tool in the toolbar) and fill the shape with yellow. Deselect each shape (Control+D on a PC and Command+D on a Mac) before drawing another.

Mix it up.

Create a new layer and set its Blend Mode to Multiply. This will be the layer where you select and color the sketch elements that you want to be either blue or green. Where the blue overlaps with yellow, green appears. Now add another layer, set it to Multiply, and color in any places you want to be pink. Layer it on top of green to get the color brown, yellow for red/orange, and blue for purple. Play around and see how the colors change.

Add texture.

To mimic the imperfection of analog printing, use a brush to add texture. For instance, I selected the shape of the planter using the Magic Wand Tool, and then selected a brush (I used Asahi1, which you can download using the Copy to Your work link above!), set the brush mode to Clear in the Brush Settings panel, and stamped it on top of the image. Play with the brush size to get different effects.

Carve it out.

I used both the Eraser and Lasso tool to punch through layers, exposing the colors underneath, to carve out details such as the print on the sweater. You can move between layers when using these techniques to get different effects. To use the Lasso like an eraser, just draw a shape and hit Delete. Finally, hide your sketch layer.

Offset it.

Analog printing isn’t always perfect, so different colors don’t always line up. To replicate this offset look, select all objects on an individual layer and move them around just a bit so that the edges don’t precisely match the other layers. You can get even more detailed and move individual objects, such as the woman’s hair style. Be bold and experiment!