Getting artwork in print

[andy_b]

I know the market isnt as good as it use to be, but how do artists get print runs going. Do they have to cough up in advance and help that they all sell?

If you go through someone like Alex Rede do they finance things?

Just wondering. To be honest I think my makrer work isnt what people are looking for, maybe the computer generated art is? I dont know

The artis impression of the VLR 307 is mine by the way, and its fairly photo realeastic.

What is everyones opinions and experience in getting prints then?

[redshoes]

Can't answer any of your questions but have to say the 307 pic is very impressive. A lot of the time Autosport and the like use people like Jim Bamber and they get a more cartoon-like result. Nothing against Bamber's work but it never gives a good impression of what the car actually looks like.

[andy_b]

thanks. Autosport use a guy called Paul Laguette (spl?) who is the art editor for Racer, a publication in the states and his artwork is really awesome. Does lots of bits for the champcar guides etc. Very very impressive.

[Andrew Kitson]

I started by publishing my own prints. I, like many other artists was a bit 'green' at the beginning and thought they would sell out quickly but it doesn't happen like that - well not until you are very well known and then you have to have the right subject that everybody wants, preferably driver signed. This too is getting very expensive. It can cost thousands to have an F1 driver sign a couple of hundred prints and is a nightmare dealing with these guys and their managers to arrange things and actually get it done. Years ago, the driver would have the original painting in return for signatures. Not anymore!

You do too have to accept that half or more of your prints will be sold to people like Alex wholesale - usually 50% trade discount but then many dealers/vendors will take them on consignment and pay you when / if they sell. The cost of a print run differs greatly from printer to printer. It depends upon size, amount of prints, even the paper they are printed on. But make sure you have them printed with Light Fast Inks. If not, the image will fade over time and you will get irate customers wanting money back! However good modern printing techniques are, the original colour of your original will not be duplicated 100%. It is always a great delight to see an original again that has been printed. You become accustomed to the slightly different colouring seeing the prints regularly and forget how the original was. Hopefully print technology will catch up.
You can strike lucky though with print deals. I was approached by Damon Hill to paint his Spa win in '98 as he wanted to publish a print through his fan club. It was an official Damon print, they printed and marketed it and it was one of the fastest selling Limited editions of race cars that we have ever seen. Very successful all round.

If you do take the plunge and publish yourself, good luck. It may break even after a couple of months or even a couple of years. It is very difficult to know what will sell print wise at present. Two years ago, anything 'Schumacher' would sell. After Austria last year, you could not give them away!

[Dwain]

Great question andy, I have been wondering that myself for a while. Andrew or anyone else, have you ever done any giclee' prints if so how is the quality of such a print as opposed to a serigragh print. How much PR work is envolved in getting your work out and is the best way just to show your work at the tracks. Sorry about all the uninformed questions but it is nice to talk with someone who has had success at automotive painting.

[Andrew Kitson]

Dwain, I have never had any of my work reproduced as giclée ( pronounced 'zhee-clay') but have considered it. I confess that I need to know a little more about it first. Some say the quality is better than usual Lithographic printing but apparantly the inks used are not light fast. The quality is definitely better than serigraph which is known here in the UK as silk screen printing. Randy Owens is probably the best known motoring artist in the USA who prints his work by the serigraph method. As each one of these serigraph prints is done by hand, using probably 30 different coloured inks and many screen masks or templates, they can be considered as hand made prints, each very slightly different.
Does anyone know more about giclée and can confirm the types of inks used? I know the process involves printing with an Iris continuous tone ink printer and can be printed onto canvas or watercolour paper for that 'original' look. The examples I have seen are very close to the originals I must say.

[Dwain]

The reason i asked about the giclee is because of how they can be reproduced. I have been told that after the image is scanned you do not have to print a certain number, until they are sold. Would that not help the worries of a having several limited editions waiting to be sold? Also I have heard that there are archival inks "designed to last longer than the original" (?) on 100% rag paper. What types of ink, i must say i have no idea. Something that might help with the fading of colors is to place your work behind conservation glass when framing(i know TRU VUE makes some). It is glass coated on one sides keeping out 90 + % of UV light. It is not etched like non-glare but is clear and does not distort the color or image. It slows down the fading process. Andrew, i have seen some of Randy's work, very intersting process. The Joest 962 at Lemans is probably one of my favorites of his. Since college I have not messed with any type of serigraph or printing methods.

[Andrew Kitson]

Dwain, interesting comments.
I do not think it is good practice to produce a few prints at a time as 'Limited editions'. I think it should be clearly stated when the first print is made how big the limited print run will be and adhered to.
There have been a couple of published prints that I have seen that have been advertised as a Limited Edition of say 500, yet 2 or 3 years later, lots of unsigned ones appear on the market of the same image! Hardly a Limited edition.
Likewise, if a print or Giclee is marketed as a Limited edition of say 100 and only 20 are produced, it is a 'Limited edition' granted but not good practice. I think the public who buy them would like to think they are getting the product as advertised.

[Dwain]

I totally agree with you Andrew. If you market it as a limited edition you should honor the number that you say and that is it. I was just curious that if an artist starting out such as myself (not being well known) would have more success at just selling and printing a few at a time. Not selling them as limited editions, just as a print. Explain it to the consumer and make them aware that it is not a numbered piece. That way if I am not able to sell say a edition of 500, i would not be out of more money. Not very optimistic, huh? Is this way of thinking not the best, just searching for a way to get started without a lot of money. Of course the limited editions would probably sell better to the collector and later on bring a higher resell price (if that is what they are interested in).

[Andrew Kitson]

This is probably the best approach when starting out Dwain, as you say. Release it as an open edition - that is unlimited print quantity. Therefore if you want to print say 10 Giclee prints to see how they go - no worries. But the retail price will not be as high and lower value than a Limited edition.
Most open edition prints I have seen retail at somewhere around £10 - £25 ($16-$40). Lower end of this price scale if unsigned by the artist.