April Musings: Professional Giclée Prints? Yes Please!
Hello! I hope you have had a lovely April and are enjoying the arrival of spring (Yay!). I have been ready for a bit of warmth, longer days and better light for a while and it makes me so happy that it seems to be finally here - phew! It has felt pretty full on this year exhibiting at the Fountain Gallery at the end of January and Art:Surrey art fair in March, so I decided to have a work free (ish) Easter Holidays whilst the kiddies are off school. It was very much needed and so good to hang out with the family, get out in the garden and relax! It also meant that when the kiddies went back to school I felt refreshed and itching to get working again….and I most definitely have been; I have been planning new work and expanding on an existing series, but more about that at a later date.
This month I wanted to chat about prints! Giclée prints are a great way as an artist to increase your income especially if a piece has taken you many hours (which mine tend to do) and they can make art affordable for those who can’t afford but love an expensive piece of art. Win-win!
When I started creating and selling my work I had a selection of my work printed by scanning on my A3 printer, editing them on photoshop and then ordering the prints. It was online, so it was easy, inexpensive, but, it did take me a while to get my head around photoshop (I’m still not there!) and then actually do the editing.
It also always made me a bit nervous as I never knew what the prints would look like until they arrived so it felt like I was putting a lot of faith in my scanner and my photoshop skills (what can I say, I like to live on the edge;) Thankfully, it worked out well…until my original work becoming bigger than my scanner that is.
Ever since I completed The Seasons people have been interested in purchasing prints of them and it’s partly because of the price of the originals. I completely get it; however they are big pieces which means more work went into them, there are four of them and they are professionally framed with non-reflective glass all of which makes the originals expensive. So, it went on my to-do list (18months ago cough, cough!)
I decided after yet more people asking for prints at Art:Surrey last October I was missing out on sales and this was not good business, so, I started talking to other artists and doing a bit of research. I learnt very quickly that having your work professionally scanned can be very expensive; one company was charging £145 per scan and then printing on top expensive!
I then looked into the other option which is to have it photographed and then printed.
Initially, this was easier said than done. I needed somewhere local-ish so I wasn’t spending lots of time travelling to drop off and collect prints especially as my time is currently limited to the school day and to be honest I want to create and maximise my time in the studio. After further researching, asking my framer and other artists Atelier Sturgess at Wimbledon Art Studios was recommended and I am so VERY glad they were!
I contacted Martin Sturgess through his website and arranged to drop off The Seasons. Once they had the originals, they were photographed and edited ready for my appointment.
During the appointment I worked with Hebe to colour match the edited photographs against the originals, test prints were made and changes continued until we were both happy. At that point we looked at different papers and the prints were then made.
I had a lovely morning at Atelier Sturgess, Martin and Hebe were so professional and friendly. I asked so many questions which they were more than happy to answer. The whole process was relaxed and not rushed, it really was a pleasure to meet and work with them.
And the Giclée prints? Honestly, I can’t tell the difference between the prints and the originals! The colours were perfectly matched, the pen lines crisp and sharp and the quality spot on. I am so impressed with them and feel really excited and proud.
Martin and Hebe were so open when I asked their advice on the print run, the paper for the prints and pricing.
As an artist, I work a lot on my own, which I actually enjoy, however, I feel I am now taking those next steps to find other independent businesses that I respect and trust to help me develop my work and the business side. I have a fantastic framer and now an amazing printer. Oh and I added a great big tick on my to-do list!!!
Although it takes time to edit the photographs it is all so easy once it is set up. I had several prints of each of The Seasons panels, and there is also the option of printing on demand, Atelier Sturges will even package and post out prints which is such a great option during those busy periods. They send an email with a TIFF, high resolution JPEG and smaller JPEG of each photograph of your work. This is great for social media, promotion and websites!
So once, I had collected them, my next job was to add mounts, backing boards and pop them in a wallet, along with writing and adding photographs to the certificates of authentication. Even though I say it myself the prints look great! I feel very proud of these prints and they proved to be popular at Art:Surrey art fair last month, to the point where I need to order more especially as they are on my website!
I’ve been so impressed with the quality of the prints that I am seriously thinking about having a few of my other larger pieces unframed, photographed and printed. Sometimes a piece, especially if it is large and expensive can take a while to find its forever homes and so prints over a great alternative for both artists and customers. It is definitely something I will be expanding on! I will keep you posted!
Take care, and I’ll see you next month!