Giclee Printing On Canvas : A Guide For Consumers
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The term fine art giclee is very loosely applied and overused nowadays. There are a lot of misconceptions, misunderstandings and straight untruths spread around on the internet which can make it very difficult for people to understand and judge the quality of the printed work they are buying, whether as a retail customer or an artist getting into prints for the first time.
A lot of people will be familiar with photography stores and printing shops that offer prints of photographs transferred to canvas but what most do not understand is that this does not necessarily qualify as a giclee print. In fact in all probability it is not even close.
Specialist giclee printing requires a good deal of equipment and time if a quality reproduction of an original Painting is going to be produced. This is why we recommend that artists seek out a specialist when ordering prints of their own work.
The printing process requires that the print maker is familiar with colour profiling and has both the hardware and software, along with the knowledge of how to get the best out of them, to ensure that the finished print will match the original as closely in tone and colour as possible. Working with digital images requires knowledge and experience as well as costly programs if the job is going to be done right. Of course it also requires a wide format giclee printer utilizing specific inks/pigments to ensure the longevity of the finished work.
Here at Arteccentrix we only produce giclee prints for artists. Unlike the photography/print store in town or the local industrial park, we are not a mass production facility, we are a husband and wife team, and each and every giclee we produce is carefully prepared, printed and finished by the same person. We do not print flyers and business cards and everything in between – our printing business is geared solely to producing quality art prints.
For canvas giclee prints, after the image has been satisfactorily edited for best/most accurate reproduction we normally produce an in house proof just to ensure that there are no issues with tones and colours before printing the full size work. Once this is done, the print is allowed to dry for at least 48 hours.
After this waiting period the canvas is cut and trimmed and then sealed with a UV protectant, sometimes sprayed, sometimes applied by hand. Although the canvas used is waterproof and acid free, this sealing process is very important and is what you should expect from any giclee printing service working with canvas. Once the sealant has been applied the print is left to “cure” for at least another 24 hours.
Once the print is fully dry it is then stretched onto stretcher bars – all our prints are gallery wrapped so that they can be hung without framing if preferred. A gallery wrap ensures that the image wraps around the stretcher bars so that no bare canvas is visible. You will see many sites online offering “gallery wrap” on canvas prints advising that you will lose an inch or more of the image by choosing this option! Rest assured that we know how to produce a proper gallery wrap and will prepare the image correctly prior to printing so that none of the original painting is lost. (Services that suggest you have to sacrifice any part of your original painting are doing you a disservice. The reasons and excuses for this could be numerous but laziness, incompetence or “rush jobs” are the most common).
After a very careful final inspection the finished canvas is then sealed carefully in a protective clear bag and labeled ready for sale/delivery.
As you can see, the time and work involved in producing a fine art giclee on canvas is quite considerable. You can now also appreciate that anyone who claims they can produce a canvas giclee in a morning while you do your grocery shopping, or “while you wait” is being a little economical with the truth. Prints on canvas vary hugely in quality so you should never assume that canvas automatically translates to high caliber giclee fine art print.
It is not uncommon to see prints labeled as “giclee” that are, in actual fact, lithographs printed on very poor quality paper. There is nothing wrong with lithographic prints of course, but we have often seen blatantly poor quality “cheap” prints touted as something they are not. This adds even further to the misunderstandings surrounding reproductions and the pricing/quality/value equation.
As with quality, pricing varies enormously but in general you will get what you pay for. there are plenty of sites online that allow customers to calculate the cost of a giclee print on various substrates and in various sizes, framed, unframed etc etc. If you spend time comparing like for like products on a number of sites you will probably be very surprised at the range of prices you are quoted.
Our own research has proved that there are people out there who are ripping customers off pure and simple, others are cheap but not offering true quality and those who are charging a fair price for their labours. Some can offer a complete service from scanning the image right through to framing and others offer less comprehensive services. Whatever your needs, shop around to get the best deal you can for your needs and remember that in the world of giclee printing, the caveat of “buyer beware” should always be kept in the back of your mind. As an artist, If you can get the work done locally we would recommend you do so. This will enable you to be far more closely involved and less likely to end up with something you are not happy with.
We have not yet published our retail price list on the internet for a variety of reasons and promise to do so soon but judging by what we have seen elsewhere we do consider our work extremely reasonable. We have deliberately tried to keep our prints affordable with a high value for money quotient and without compromising quality in any way. As a small family operation we keep our overheads to a minimum and try to pass on our cost savings to our customers.
As a guideline, at the time of writing, a stretched, unframed canvas giclee measuring 24″ x 18″ normally retails at CI$135.00 (that is approximately US$165.00) Bear in mind too that these reproductions are all of original works by well established and widely collected artists. Don’t take our word for it though, shop around for the same item online and see what others are charging.
If you are an artist having prints of your own work made that you intend to resell you have to consider your own profit margins too and how much you can command for prints of your work. So, as an artist you should really be looking to work with someone who will offer you a wholesale deal if at all possible.
Arteccentrix is currently the only service of its kind in the Cayman Islands. We are here to serve artists, retailers and direct customers, negating the need for work to be shipped overseas as has always been the case in the past. We only use the finest quality acid free archival papers and canvas – we do not do cheap alternatives.
(Due to our close working relationships with the artists at Arteccentrix, we sometimes produce signed limited editions as well as hand finished prints on occasion or if specifically required. All signed limited editions would be numbered, hand signed by the artist and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity also signed by the artist).
Further note for artists:
In order to produce a truly high quality print, a high resolution digital scan or photograph is essential if a printer is to do your work justice. At present we do not offer scanning or photography services. We do aim to change this in the future but for now, you will need to provide the digital images for us. Digital photographs should preferably be in RAW format – this will mean large file sizes. If you have a quality DSLR camera and tripod there is no reason you cannot produce these yourself. The ideal is to produce three photographs, one correctly exposed and one on either side, one stop up and one stop down. A lot of DSLR cameras have this facility built in. The alternative is to ask a professional to take the photographs for you. If you have access to a high resolution scanner, even better!
If you have any questions at all, please contact us and we will do our very best to help.
Original Paintings For Sale
Cayman Art – Original paintings from the Arteccentrix artists can be viewed below.
Cayman artists include Nickola McCoy-Snell, Randy Chollette, Nasaria Suckoo-Chollette, Gordon Solomon, Sue Widmer, Renate Seffer, Al Ebanks and Luelan Bodden and others may well be featured either now or in the future.
Where prices are quoted, they do not include shipping.
All of these Cayman artists are established names and are widely collected around the world and most will work on commissions if requested. They are all in the top percentile of Cayman’s artists in terms of both artistic output and commercial success. Please contact us here at Arteccentrix for all enquiries and purchases.
The following originals are currently available for sale. Please check back regularly for updates to available pieces or subscribe to the Arteccentrix feed where we will post details of new paintings when they become available.
Click on any image for a larger view and details of prices.
Win An Original Painting By Nickola McCoy
Good news! A prize draw for all customers.
As part of the launch of the Arteccentrix website and the giclee printing business, we have decided to do something very special for all of our current and future customers.
Everybody who has already bought a print or buys one over the course of the next couple of months will be entered into a prize draw to win an original Painting by Nickola McCoy. All print purchases will qualify. At present it has not been decided which painting will be the prize, but, rest assured it will be a genuine original and will be shipped directly to the winner, or delivered if the winner is local, with absolutely no charges or conditions.
The potential value of the painting could be several thousands of dollars, but we hope that the chance to own an original is more important than its monetary value.
The draw is going to take place just prior to Christmas so someone is going to receive a superb surprise for the festive season. If you have ordered a print already, rest assured your name will be entered into the draw. There is no limit on what you spend, all customers will automatically qualify for a chance to win.
We will update you with more details on the chosen prize painting when we can as well as the end date for qualifying orders.
We’re really excited about giving someone the chance to enjoy an original piece of Nickola’s work as a thank you and we hope you will be excited too.
Giclee Printing Information from Arteccentrix
Stingray by Nickola McCoy
Arteccentrix is the only place in Cayman offering true giclee prints made on the island. You can read more about the process of giclee printing and what it actually means through the following links:
Fine Art Giclee Printing and Giclee Printing For Artists
Nickola McCoy and her husband decided that there was a shortage of affordable art on the island and whilst Nickola earns her living as a full time artist, she has always been a great believer in making art accessible for everyone. The cost of original paintings is often beyond the reach of many and Nickola felt it was time to give back more to the local people of Cayman who have been great supporters of her work for many years. Many of the top artists on Cayman have achieved commercial success but the corresponding rise in prices for their creations has, she feels, separated them from their roots and where they come from.
Another problem came from an artist’s perspective. Nickola knew that there were many working artists on the island who would like to offer reproductions of their work but the cost was often prohibitive as everything had to be done off island and the choice was usually between quality and high prices or to compromise on the product to make it affordable for a much larger number of people.
With the recent closure of the Morgan Gallery, Nickola decided it was time to step in and take over the service of reproductions for artists. The alternative was a return to sending all work overseas for reproduction.
Deciding at the outset to concentrate on quality and affordability Nickola and her husband purchased everything they would need to continue what the Morgan Gallery had started. The result has been a new arm of Nickola’s “Arteccentrix” and to prove the willingness to offer affordable high quality reproductions for everyone, Nickola decided to offer two signed limited edition prints on opening the new website at an unbelievably low price.
How can Arteccentrix produce quality and yet keep the prices so low?
Usually, low prices mean a corresponding sacrifice in terms of product quality. However, as a small husband and wife team, the entire process is kept in house and operating online keeps overheads to a minimum. Unlike many commercial printing houses overseas, each job gets the personal attention to detail it deserves and Arteccentrix concentrates on fine art and fine art photography prints as opposed to general printing services. The specialized printing equipment and software does not exist anywhere else on Grand Cayman.
In an attempt to keep prices down, Nickola works closely with other artists to negotiate fair prices and reasonable royalties for their work whilst ensuring that they are happy with the quality of the reproductions. This is a big concern for artisans who are proud of what they do and have concerns about sub standard copies of their paintings. There are very few places in the world where you will find high profile artists offering giclee prints at such reasonable prices and this is something we are very proud of at Arteccentrix. A quick online search will soon show how competitive our work is in this arena whether you are a wholesale or retail buyer or an artist.
Heritage Kitchen by Renate Seffer
Although still in its infancy Arteccentrix has big plans for the future! Already working with leading Cayman artists including Randy Chollette, Sue Widmer, Gordon Solomon, Nasaria Suckoo-Chollette, Renate Seffer, Al Ebanks and Luelan Bodden to name a few we are also happy to be providing wholesale services to several businesses on Grand Cayman, enabling them to offer the same quality reproductions to their own customers. you can see physical examples of some of our work in retail outlets such as Bodden Town Art Shop, Pedro Castle and Renate and Mikael Seffer’s gallery in West Bay. We are also proud of our association with the National Museum for whom we have also provided giclee prints.
Nickola says “Arteccentrix” has always been my dream, a dream I have nurtured for many many years. I am finally able to start working on that dream and turning it into a reality. Eventually, the ultimate realization of that dream will be to open a high end fine art gallery on the island and to put the name of “Arteccentrix” over the door.”
Anyone who knows her will know that she won’t quit working until that dream comes true!
So how can Arteccentrix help you?
If you are an artist we can work with you to produce prints on both paper and canvas in the format that suits you. We can produce prints for you to sell or we can work with you by producing prints and selling them as your representative whereby we would pay a royalty on every image sold by us.
Knotty Roots Nasaria Suckoo-Chollette
We can produce single prints with no price penalty, so if you have a customer who wants a specific Painting or photograph, we can help you.
If you are a retailer we can provide reproductions at excellent wholesale prices with no minimum order. At present we cannot offer product on consignment however. Unfortunately as a new operation we cannot justify or afford to work in this way, but we believe that as we can sell in very small numbers if desired, this is still a great opportunity.
We welcome new enquiries and we always try to do our very best to ensure a fair and satisfactory business arrangement for all parties. At present we feature the work of local artists for sale on this website at no charge and again, interested parties are asked to contact us for details and to discuss what we can do for you.
Arteccentrix and Nickola McCoy-Snell look forward to working with you and bringing quality fine art to a larger audience for all to enjoy!
Prize Draw News – All Customers – A Chance To Win A Nickola McCoy Original
Hot Gossip Limited Edition Giclee Print
Nickola McCoy-Snell is offering a second limited edition giclee print this month and as with Lassie’s Sanctuary it will be a limited run of 1000, signed by the artist.
The print is produced on acid free archival quality textured fine art paper and measures 16″ x 4″. Each print will be accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Arteccentrix which will also be signed by the artist.
In order to keep down costs and to enable customers to display the print according to their own preferences and tastes the prints are not matted or mounted. There is a one inch white border on three sides and a one and a half inch border on the bottom to allow for the artist’s signature to be prominently placed.
Hot Gossip is a rare foray into realism for Mrs McCoy-Snell and features two Cayman Parrots, the national bird of the islands, sitting on a single branch. The Painting is fairly minimalist and the effect of the solid and very plain pale blue background is to make the two main characters of the painting “pop” and draw the viewer’s attention directly to them. The birds themselves are quite finely detailed and offer a glimpse into another talent of this multi-faceted artist, probably best known for her abstract work.
For lovers of Mrs McCoy Snell’s art, this is a great and affordable way to own a rarely seen piece of her work.
The original painting is an acrylic on canvas and has been exhibited very briefly only once before. It is also available for sale. Please use our contact form for information about the original artwork if you would like to know more.
To secure your print of Hot Gossip online for just $30 plus shipping , click on the “Add To Cart” button below and your cart contents will display in the right hand sidebar where you can complete your order.
All customers Get Entry Into Our Free Prize Draw To Win A Nickola McCoy Original Painting
(If you are on island please contact Nickola before ordering online).
Artist Nickola McCoy-Snell Limited Edition Print – Lassie’s Sanctuary
The Painting “Lassie’s Sanctuary” has just been released as a signed, limited edition (1000) print by artist Nickola McCoy-Snell.
The prints, measuring 12″ x 9″ come on high quality archival textured fine art paper and are unframed and unmounted. All prints will be hand signed by the artist. They will be numbered and will include a certificate of authenticity also signed by Nickola.
The decision to offer these prints unframed was taken to allow purchasers to mount or frame them according to their own preferences and as a result they are very reasonably priced and affordable for everyone who would like to own their own copy of this famous painting by Grand Cayman’s highly respected and most prominent female artist.
This is a great opportunity to acquire a beautiful and rare print of this famous local landmark, the home of the late “Miss Lassie” , artist and poet, who lived in this traditional Cayman dwelling until her death. Now considered a national monument, the property, situated along the coast road south of George Town, is undergoing complete restoration in order to preserve this slice of Caymanian culture and heritage.
The original painting, an acrylic on canvas, resides in the Cayman Islands National Museum for current and future generations to enjoy.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with any other questions you may have and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Order Your Signed Limited Edition Of “Lassie’s Sanctuary” Today For Just $30.00 plus shipping. (If you are on island please contact Nickola before ordering online)
Free Prize Draw Entry For All Customers – Win A Nickola McCoy Original Painting
