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Greetings!
Happy May! Here in Colorado, April went out with a bang - and we experienced all four seasons in a week - from summer-like temperatures one day to snow the next, with wind and rain completing the picture. If there is one thing you can count on about the weather in spring - it's that you can't count on the weather in spring!
One thing you can count on, though, is Fine Print's commitment to helping you be successful in your art business. From our lowered prices on art copy and drum scans, to our bi-weekly specials, to our new products (have you tried Duraplaq mounts yet?) to our online print gallery - everything is designed to help YOU be successful!
We will be announcing a few new services in the near future - including postcard and business card design. Look for an announcement soon!
Another thing you can count on is Fine Print's commitment to the environment. Within the lab we have taken many steps to reduce our waste, switch to more eco-friendly products and help support conservation initiatives. We are currently partnering with Art for Conservation to sponsor a $2500 printing grant for conservation artists. See the story below for more details.
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Want to Save Your Nest Egg?
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| © Judi Blumenthal  |
It's easy! Here's all you have to do to save some cash on your next
order:
Between May 1 and May 15:
1. Place any size order through Fine Print Imaging and
mention code MAY2010
2. Order up to $99.99 and get 5% off the entire order!
3. Order between $100 and $149.99 and get 10% off the
entire order!
4. Order between $150 and $199.99 and get 15% off the
entire order!
5. Order $200 or more and get 20% off the entire
order!
Click here for more information
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Beth Erlund: A Risk Well Taken
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| Beth Erlund  | by Kate Dardine
This is the first of the long-promised series of
interviews with Fine Print Imaging customers.
My hope in publishing these
interviews is to give you a glimpse into the life of the artist making - or
trying to make - a living with his or her art. And perhaps to share some
insights into the nuts and bolts of art marketing - specifically the marketing
of fine art reproductions.
It is fitting that the first interview be with
batik artist Beth Erlund. Beth has been a member of our Fine Print family since
1990, one year after I started my career with Fine Print!
Beth,
how do you describe your work?
I
create batik on cotton or silk, which is dyed over 50 times to achieve detail
with encaustic wax added for additional texture.
How
long have you been selling your art professionally?
I
started selling my batiks 34 years ago in Japan. I went
completely professional 29 years ago.
What
motivated you to choose this path - how did you get started?
I
was educated as a zoologist/chemist and did research for seven years at Tulane
University in New Orleans. I had always loved art but my parents did not
encourage that path and so I just read a lot and played. When my husband
got sent to Japan in the military, it provided me with an opportunity to learn
different art forms. I had some success there and when we returned to the
states and moved to Colorado, I was doing my art for enjoyment and selling
enough to pay the expenses of my habit.
Not long after (early 80's), I
got a divorce and there were no jobs in Colorado that would support me and my children. I had a friend who was a painter and she suggested that I try the art
path. I told my kids that we were going to be artists for two years and
if that did not work, we would sell the house and move...
Read the whole interview...
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Greening Your Art Studio
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|  by Kate Dardine
I'm not talking about color here, I'm talking about eco - and health -
friendly. Most of us paint away without considering the ramifications to
our own health and the health of the planet.
My intention for my Earth Day blog was to write about all the ways that you can
"green" your studio. The reason was two-fold: to learn ways that I can,
as an oil painter, lessen my environmental impact, and to share that
info with you. I naively thought that after typing in a few keywords
into Google that I'd come up with enough info to write a book. Hardly.
There is very little information out there, and what is available can be
ambiguous, contradictory and in many cases, impossible to interpret.
But I was determined...
Since I am an oil painter, I decided to
start there. I use mostly Gamblin paints. Gamblin has a long history of
environmental conscientiousness. Their website contains a lot of great
information about studio safety. Their odorless mineral spirits (Gamsol)
can be used as both a painting medium and a brush cleaner. Unlike
regular turpentine, dirty Gamsol can be recycled with paints at the
local recycling center.
Continue reading...
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Announcing the 1st Annual Art for Conservation Grant!
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| Mark Lukes, President of Fine Print Imaging and Art for Conservation,
has announced the 1st annual Art for Conservation Grant - a $2500
printing services grant from Fine Print Imaging.
"We are well aware of the power that strong visual imagery can lend to
science initiatives." said Lukes. "That's why we're looking for the trail blazers and story tellers who
stand out from all the rest."
The Art for Conservation grant will be awarded annually to a
photographer or artist who is using their imagery to deliver a
compelling conservation message.
Grant applications will close on June 30, 2010 and the winner will be
announced on July 31, 2010.
For more information and a grant application, go to Art for Conservation Grant.
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Giclée or Inkjet?
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| © Natalie Morris  | What is the difference between a giclée print and an inkjet print?
Technically, they are the same. Giclée is simply a loosely translated
French word for "spray of ink." And technically, both giclée and
inkjet prints are made by spraying ink onto the surface of a material,
most commonly watercolor paper, canvas and photo-like paper.
However, in the print world, giclée has become synonymous with
fine art reproductions printed on watercolor paper or canvas using a
high-end inkjet printer and pigmented inks. Most photographers selling
inkjet prints on photo-like paper refer to them as "photographs," pigment prints or inkjet prints.
To be truly considered a giclée, a print should:
Begin with a high quality digital file, either from
professionally scanned film, digital capture or computer created art
that has been color worked and profiled for the intended output.
Be printed using state-of-the-art inkjet printers which
have been calibrated in a closed-loop color management system.
Be printed with archival pigmented inks, specifically
formulated for the substrate.
Be printed on an archival fine art paper or canvas
Be printed by a master printer, who has demonstrated
thorough understanding of color theory and imaging software and who
has the experience and artistic talent to interpret and replicate your
artistic vision.
We at Fine Print Imaging pride ourselves on the fact that our
digital staff are not only master printers, but are accomplished
artists themselves. We stand behind our work, and offer a full money
back guarantee on our giclée prints. If, for any reason, you are not
satisfied with the quality of the print we have produced for you, we
will either reprint the image or refund your money.
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Dexter's Wag
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|  Did You Know?
We offer DuraPlaq mounting?
DuraPlaq is a cost-efficient, environmentally friendly and contemporary mounting system for fine art prints and photographs. Want prices? Click here. We are proud to be DuraPlaq's exclusive northern Colorado outlet. Want to see samples of DuraPlaq mounting? Click here.
We offer discounted ONLINE printing using the ROES system?
If you have a fairly good handle on preparing your images for printing and want to save some $$ and only need one or two prints of an image, check out Fine Print Express - from photo prints to canvas gallery wraps, we've got a great selection of printing options with very attractive pricing!
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