Artwork Description
Cut it Up Do it Yourself 3-Color Hand-Pulled Limited Edition Silkscreen Print on Cream Speckle Tone Paper by Shepard Fairey x Beyond The Streets Rare Street Art OBEY Pop Artwork Artist.
2019 Signed & Numbered Limited Edition of 500 Print Size 18x24 August 9, 2019 Beyond The Streets In Store Only Blue Variant
"ABOUT The Cut it Up – Do it Yourself print is an iteration of my Obey Icon Face inspired by my history of using an X-acto knife to create designs, make collages, cut spray-paint stencils, and cut illustrations from Rubylith (a graphic art and screen printing film). Many of my well-known images, including the Obey Icon Face, were created using an X-acto, a marker, a photocopier, and cut and paste techniques before I knew how to use a computer. The computer is a great tool, but it can be too safe and sterile… Don’t be afraid to cut things up, make mistakes, and get some overspray on pristine paper!" -Shepard Fairey
Shepard Fairey Cut It Up – Do It Yourself Blue Variant Silkscreen
Cut It Up – Do It Yourself (Blue Variant) is a 2019 signed and numbered limited edition silkscreen print by Shepard Fairey, created in collaboration with Beyond The Streets. Hand-pulled in three colors on cream Speckle Tone paper, this 18 x 24 inch print was released in an edition of 500 and sold exclusively in-store on August 9, 2019. Featuring Fairey’s iconic OBEY face reimagined through collage aesthetics, the piece reflects the artist’s deep roots in DIY street art culture.
OBEY Icon and the X-Acto Legacy
The composition divides the OBEY face into four quadrants, each featuring stylized hands gripping bold X-Acto knives in red and black. The fragmented layout references cut-and-paste techniques that defined Fairey’s early process—physically slicing Rubylith, assembling photocopies, and building imagery long before digital tools dominated design. The blue-toned background softens the contrast while emphasizing the raw, graphic shapes. As Fairey explains, the work is a tribute to experimentation: embracing mistakes, overspray, and the tactile energy of handmade creation.
Beyond The Streets Edition and Cultural Significance
Released as part of the Beyond The Streets exhibition, this blue variant stands as a collectible moment within Shepard Fairey’s broader OBEY print catalog. The cream Speckle Tone paper enhances the vintage poster aesthetic, while the clean three-color screenprint preserves the sharp, graphic impact. Limited to 500 signed examples, Cut It Up – Do It Yourself captures the ethos of independent street art production—hands-on, imperfect, and unapologetically bold.
