Prints, prints, prints.

[Bella B’e]

Hi,

You could put a black or dark blanket/cloth over scanner.

I have done this when scanning from books.

[Susan Cuss]

Thanks Karen! Good to know……….the last time I had anything printed was back in the 90’s and it was pretty expensive then.

[Susan Cuss]

Thank you for that laugh! I needed it today.

[Kaye Boggs]

We have a professional photographer in my town who belongs to a gallery who does print work.    He takes your original painting and makes a small print of it; for you to check for  coloration and approval.  He will make any changes and then makes prints in any size and quantity that you wish, gives you a statement of authenticity to attach to your work  along with making greeting cards w/envelopes and return them to you with sleeves and boxes with a copy of the final proof.  When you need more copies you just call him and he reprints from your original order that he keeps on file.    I would suggest you check with your local galleries to see who they recommend or if they have a member who does this. Also check watercolor magazines for companies who specialize in printmaking. It isn’t cheap to have this done but if you do a lot of shows it’s worth it.

I am able to take photographs with either my camera or cell phone and download them to HP printer to manipulate to my liking, then I print a copy and take it to my local copy store for a black and white copy enlarged to the size I want my painting to be.  I then trace the image over a light box (or hold it up to the light on a window if you don’t have one) onto watercolor paper to paint.  I use a gum eraser to lighten the trace marks to just where you can almost see the outline.  I can use the large black and white copy (from the print store) to check the values.

Since I’m a procrastinator, I usually do this with 2 or 3 images at a time so I always have something to paint.(or  not)

[Susan Cuss]

Great ideas Kaye!

[Doug Moore]

You can take photos of your artwork yourself, but the end product will dictate the quality of camera that you need. If you want small prints made, you can get by with a good smartphone. For large prints you may need larger camera – more megapixels.

There are a few ‘requirements’. The first is a tripod for your camera and your artwork held steady on an easel. Use the self-timer on your camera so you don’t touch the camera and cause shake. The other is bright, even lighting. You can even set up in bright, indirect light outside. You’ll also need software to crop and resize your photo afterward. Most print shops require 300 dpi. for the best quality.

There are plenty of online sources for printing. I’ve used overnightprints.com for printing notecards with envelopes. I’ve thought about trying a printer that does giclee printing, but haven’t made that move yet. I have one bookmarked that will print 8×10 giclee prints for under $5.00 each. Maybe someone here has a resource.

If the photo set-up is more than you want to tackle, there are shops that will set up and take the digital photo for you. It may not be worth the cost though unless you end up getting many prints done.

Hope that helps!

[Anonymous]

Thanks for this information. Very helpful.

[Daniel MacBride]

Ahhhh, that is what is known in my circles as “percussive maintenance” or “applying the attitude adjustment stick” 😀

[Dawn Ash]

I am not really sure about how it works in Britain but here we have a multitude of Art Clubs and Groups.  I recently found out that I can (for free) take my artwork up to one of them to get really good images made of them.  I do not even have to take them out of the frame as they have a professional, HUGE camera mounted that can photograph right through the glass with no glare.  I have not gotten the photos back for the first set but they HAVE to be better than what I was doing with my personal camera. You should check into this and see if you have something local that can help with this.

 

Dawn Ash

[Mary E Roff]

Is anyone scanning and printing their own artwork and if so, which printer are you using?  I love my low end Epson except for the fact that it won’t take anything heavier than cardstock and I’m thinking I would like to print some small prints on heavier paper…maybe.   Just looking for info.  Thanks!

[Doug Moore]

I just started using the Canon PIXMA PRO-10. It has great reviews and has given me good results so far. I hope when life slows up to do a lot more prints. I use Inkpress watercolor rag which has a decent texture. The hardest art is getting the first print to look right. After that I have a saved print setting in Adobe Lightroom to repeat those settings.

For the ‘copy’ of the painting I set up an easel with bright natural lighting (North window) and take a high resolution photo of it. This past summer I’ve sold a few prints. It’s more of a hobby for me at this point.

Hope that helps!

[Mary E Roff]

Thanks, Doug, that is helpful.