Above are the 3 sample prints I ordered from "iprintfromhome.com". I know the photos are crooked and the light isn't great but the quality is kind of beside the point. The thing I really like about making art and selling on etsy is that people are able to purchase an actual handmade item which is one of a kind(yes I have issues with the prints). But everybody is feeling the economy's squeeze these days and so I'm torn....prints are much more affordable that an original but with encaustics the depth and texture is the whole point of the medium. The elephant(Forget-Me-Not) looks ok but the woman swimming in seaweed is drab and unremarkable. I think "fish farm" looks awesome as a print. It was the first thing I ever painted in wax and from that moment I was smitten. I will never part with the original so maybe a print is ok??? It's amazing how many things you have to do as an artist. Before I started in encaustics I was making ceramic art tiles and had my work in 5 galleries. But the pieces I was doing were custom and I framed them...by the time I stopped it had become more about the framing than the tiles. And now with etsy I'm becoming much better at data entry, photography, packaging and shipping and now printing archival copies????
7 comments:
Hi, yes being an artist is so much more work then painting, (ore do what ever your dicsipline is), you should read the latest blog entrie from Megan Chapman, she wrote it down like it is so to speak. http://meganchapman.blogspot.com/
(a tip from Michelle maule)
I find my self doing a lot of things besides creating maybe 60% of the time i spend on my arts. Some times it's really frustrating, but it's something that goes with the job.
The prints like you can see them here on your blog look a bit dark, and i think not so deep as encaustics should look. I don't really know what you can do about it, i have a epson 1400 printer,this is not the best of bestest, but fairy good.
Goodluck.
To print or not to print?? I struggled with this for awhile. I had some prints made of my paintings a few months ago, and I wasn't as pleased with them as I thought I would be. I think it's hard to get prints to translate a painting that has layers, texture, and depth. I had them in my shop for awhile, and they did ok, but they didn't sell as well as I had hoped.
Maybe you could consider doing some illustrations, or some ACEOs. I decided to do this, and I really discovered how much I love to draw :)
Leililaloo is right too! Check out Megan Chapman's blog. She has some of THE best advice and insight as to what it means to be an artist :)
Thanks for the link to Megan Chapman I'm headed off to check out her blog right now...I think my gut feelings about doing prints is right. I'm going to just keep a steady stream of smaller paintings in my shop which I can sell at a good price. The prints just don't capture the living quality of encaustics and I really want to sell original art. Michele I love the ACEO I purchase from you(spools of thread w/stitching). It took me almost 2 weeks to send it off because it was just sooo sweet. Thanks for your words of wisdom ladies!
Hey
Yes it is an interesting thing...
when I first discovered the etsy site I thought 'Hey prints aren't handmade'
There were sooo many people doing them that I thought it must be ok... and I kind of figured that I do them myself and don't get outsourced.
But the originals are way nicer then the prints, I guess it does depend on your printer.
I will go now and read meganchapman...
Thanks
Katherine
katherine...your paintings are so beautiful and almost like "illustrations" I think that your work translates into prints very nicely and I can absolutely see your sleep sisters in a book format???
Hi!
My ears are burning.. : )
Thank you for reading my blog. I am glad to find yours too.
Being an artist is very complex these days for sure. Print or not to Print, packing and shipping all that...
It does have its rewards sometimes!
I will check back here often, and add you to my blog roll.
Best wishes-
Megan
I've just set up shop at etsy, and i've decided to do small paper paintings and canvas to sell rather than prints. I have however, made zillions of fridge magnets with a photo print of my artwork inside - they are fun and look bright and cheerful!
Good to find you. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the page.
Post a Comment