Warhol made these paintings using a multi-step process. First, a pencil underdrawing of the soup can’s outline was made on each canvas, possibly by tracing a projection of a drawing similar to the one on view in this gallery. Next, the can and label were painted by hand, and the lettering for each variety was projected and painted onto each canvas. Finally, the gold fleur-de-lis at the bottom of each can were applied with a stamp cut from a rubber eraser. Despite this systematic approach, there are subtle discrepancies among the paintings. For example, the reds and whites differ slightly in tone from one canvas to the next, and the fleur-de-lis imprints vary with each successive stamp.