Join me on Tuesday, June 28th for an art print marketing webinar.
The 2-hour program is packed with useful practical information designed to boost your career. It will run at 7 pm Central Daylight Time. Click here to register now. There is limited seating, act now to claim your spot.
My friend and colleague, Tim O'Neill, contacted me about producing a webinar on selling digital paintings in the art print market. He is a wonderful supporter of digital artists and quite successful as one on his own. He is the publisher of Digital Paint Magazine and also operates the Digital Art Academy. His suggestion hit home with me as a great idea and I readily agreed.
I hope you can join and use the information provided to boost your giclee and fine art print sales.
You never understood that it ain't no good, You shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you. ~Like a Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan
During the Q&A after a recent webinar I gave on how to achieve print market success, I had this question, "Do you think digitally created art is more difficult to sell than traditionally made art?"
While the question caused me to think art in general can be difficult to sell for many reasons, I came away believing artists today have the power to define their work and themselves as never before.
Digital art deserves respect. So do you!
Regarding selling digital art, it is valid to ask if selling it is harder. For me, the short answer is yes, depending on who is selling and who they are talking to. Nevertheless, I believe artists in the digital medium have the means to stand up and demand respect and fair market value for their work.
Isn't it true that nearly all artists find garnering success, acclaim, recognition and staying relevant a constant battle? These things do not come easily to most of us. We fight for our right to be seen and to be respected.
Genius can be plucked from obscurity
Yes, there is what seems like the occasional overnight success. One plucked from obscurity by some fluke occurrence as with Susan Boyle on some British talent show. But, I bet she spent thousands of hours perfecting her incredible voice, just like The Beatles spent thousands of hours in seedy bars in Hamburg perfecting their craft and, as the apropos lyrics from their tune Blackbird says,
I went on further in answering the question to mention there is Museum of Computer Art celebrating digitally made art, which is great sales cannon fodder. I pointed out the museum is mentioned in an Art Print Issues blog post titled, Overload - What Digital Art Tells Us About the Future. So, digital art is already on the scene, just maybe not conscious to buyers on Main Street. But so what, is that where your future is? Is Main Street where you will build your collector base?
The future is bright for digital art and any artist who seizes control of how their work is marketed
It does not take much investigation to find there numerous serious artists working in digital form. Take for instance, Bonny Lhotka. She has been around for decades and is a founder of the digital artist collaborative Digital Atelier. Other founding member are Dorothy Krause and Karin Schminke. The Digital Atelier® conducts research on digital imaging for fine art application.
The Digital Painting Forum is a beacon
Would a thriving community such as found on the Digital Painting Forum with a substantial viable paid membership be possible if there was not a bright future for digital art? In my opinion, making digital art is too compelling for many artists to be able to put it down or dismiss it. Giclee printing did not come from consumer or artist demand. It was a product for art publishers. Digital art is the opposite in that I see the demand on the artist side that eventually will take it into the mainstream.
I surmise in complete conjecture that perhaps older generations who can remember when a fax machine was cutting edge technology are less prone to accept digital art. But, those in subsequent generations have grown up on a steady diet of digital art. As such, I see the future as bright for digital art.
In short, my best advice in answering the question from the webinar is artists have control over how their art is defined if they are proactive. You can choose to let others define you, or you can choose to demand others take your perspective. How you roll on your decisions and actions is what will make the difference.
Confidence, courage and conviction will lead you to new art career heights
I know it takes true confidence in your work and what it stands for to be demandingly bold about its importance. As always, the meek will have a harder time controlling the buzz around their art. At the heart of it, you have to stand for something, believe in it and not let others, as Dylan says, "Get your kicks for you."
Certainly, if any one artist embodies what it means to stand by his work in the face of withering repression from those who wanted to define him, it is Bob Dylan. At the height of his soaring popularity as a folk singer, and unaccepted spokesperson for his generation title, he dropped his acoustic guitar and plugged in to begin writing the most powerful rock n' roll lyrics ever written, much to the deep dismay of his most loyal fans.
You can define how you and your artwork are perceived
In fact, "Like a Rolling Stone", tops Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest rock songs ever. I know you are reading this piece and that you are not likely to galvanize an entire generation with your artwork. Nevertheless, you can take a lesson from Dylan to realize displaying the courage to stand up for yourself and your art, to not be fenced in, to define yourself and to define your artwork is all in your hands.
The Internet flattens the playing field
Today, with the Internet greatly helping to flatten the playing field, the art arbiters have less power than any previous time. Artists are not beholden to galleries and agents to make their career. You can be as controversial as you want and still command respect and sales. The inestimable Hazel Dooney has proved this to all who admire her fearlessness when it comes making art and taking control of who her followers are and what message they get directly from the artist.
There is opportunity in market fragmentation
You are the artist. You are the message. You can use the Internet, blogging and social media to control the message. You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear, but if you are spinning silk, no matter what anyone else tells you or says about you, you can make art that collectors you develop will repeatedly buy from you.
Ring the bells that still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack in everything That's how the light gets in. ~ Anthem, Leonard Cohen
I talked a bit about market fragmentation in my webinar. It's made things different and all but sadly put traditional media such as Decor Magazine, Art Business News, Art World News, and tradeshows such as Decor Expo Atlanta and ArtExpo New York in the grave or on life support.
Use the cracks to let the light shine on you and your artwork
On the flip side, market fragmentation causes cracks. It is how the light gets in. It is in those cracks that artists, especially digital artists, can define themselves, create a market, and control the buzz about their artwork and themselves. That's a delightful unintended consequence that those paying attention are using every day to their distinct advantage.
It's my hope you are inspired by reading this to get your own kicks for you!
All giclee printers know when it comes to reproducing their original art, artists understandably are picky. One does not create art and not care about color and fidelity in giclee fine art reproductions. This makes the job of operating a professional digital fine art giclee printing service, such as Digital Arts Studio, a challenging occupation
Given the broad range of opportunities in the wide-format printing business, one can only conclude that those who decide to work in the fine art field do so as much for love of art and artists as it is a way to make an income. The bottom line is those who toil to make perfect giclee prints for visual artist could likely make more money with less hassle in a similar line of work.
Digital Arts Studio ranks among the best giclee printers
Fortunately for visual artists, there are numerous dedicated professional giclée printing services available to them. Digital Arts Studio ranks among the best of those in the field. Barry Glustoff, Robin Zelizer and Peter Leafman opened Digital Arts Studio in 2003. It was their desire to help artists take advantage of the growing interest in using digital fine art reproductions to grow their art careers.
These three partners each have many years experience in art related fields. Together they have worked more than 80 years in art reproduction, marketing and retail custom picture framing. In addition, Barry, Robin and Peter have put together an outstanding team of technicians, including skilled photographers, professional artists, graphic designers and digital imaging specialists.
Using state-of-the-art equipment and techniques is essential
DAS uses the latest and best possible technology available to help its fine artists clients achieve superior quality, color accuracy, and consistency on every project. Color management is not only about technical expertise; it requires and artistic background and keen color sense to be able to make a winning collaboration with all artists, regardless of their technical knowledge and expertise.
The staff at Digital Arts Studio combines its technical expertise and marketing savvy to show artists how to enjoy increased profits for works created using the fine-art giclee printmaking process. Whether artists are serious amateurs or seasoned professionals they find their images reproduce wonderfully as giclées with the technical quality to be museum collector items.
Digital Arts Studios uses the latest equipment and techniques in its giclee printmaking process. It specializes in creating archival prints utilizing affordable, state-of-the-art printing that produces true-to-the-original work in highly accurate full color. DAS furnishes related products and marketing support to artists and photographers nationwide. Its efforts are focused on providing new and established artists with the best possible technology, superior quality, color accuracy, and consistency on every project.
Providing full-service makes a huge difference in the level of service and trust
The team at Digital Arts Studio has earned a reputation in artist communities nationwide as a premium quality, full service, fine art giclée printmaker and custom picture framer. In addition to its traditional high-resolution image capture, large format giclée printmaking services, DAS is a one-stop resource for artists. It handles everything from printing and custom picture framing needs to order fulfillment services.
As a fine art digital giclee printmaking service, Digital Arts Studio is unique among other printing companies. It goes the extra mile in helping artists get to market by offering graphic design, sales and marketing assistance. An example of its unique service is its retail gallery space is made available to clients to display and sell their work without any fees.
An online e-commerce enabled gallery complements the retail gallery services
The company is dedicated to providing proactive resources to assist visual artists with all their sales and marketing efforts. Its FineArtMarketplace.com proves the point. It is an e-commerce web site created for clients to use as their "sales portal." Artists benefit with complete fulfillment services for print orders, payment processing and direct shipping.
DAS’ philosophy is that artists should spend their time creating art, and not having to deal with the mundane tasks of processing print orders. Their intentional action to help artists clearly demonstrates the company walks its talk when it comes to supporting its customer’s efforts in becoming successful artists.
Encouraging artists to learn about the business of art makes DAS stand out
Another example is it has routinely advised artists to read How to Profit from the Art Print Market. A book exclusively devoted to helping visual artists succeed in the print market. It has sponsored a live seminar with author Barney Davey and more recently a webinar with him, all in a continuing effort to educate its clientele and help them with their sale sand marketing efforts.
The company is a proud member of Adobe's Print Service Provider Network. It belongs to many other professional organizations. It also sponsors numerous local and national art and photography groups. It is a premier book sponsor advertiser in the Giclee Business directory, which contains listings from more than 500 companies with products and services aimed at helping visual artists operate their art businesses more successfully.
Digital Arts Studio is a premier giclee printer in Atlanta, GA. If you are seeking a digital fine art printing company to handle your work, you would be hard pressed to find a better operation.
DAS is remarkably devoted to helping its artists succeed, as evidenced by both its physical gallery and online Fine Art Marketplace showcase.
One of the book sponsor benefits package is an Exclusive Free Webinar on a topic of the advertiser's choosing. DAS wanted its customers to learn more about "Success Stories, Trends & Vision in the Art Print Market."
Here is the copy from its promotional email for the webinar:
For those of you fortunate enough to have participated in the standing room only live presentation by Barney a couple years back at Digital Arts Studio, you know that his practical advice for artists is indispensable. This webinar will discuss what happens when his advice is implemented to advance your art career, highlighting true-to-life success stories, industry trends and the future of the art print market.
Limited seating still available
Although space is limited, there currently is some additional limited capacity, DAS has graciously offered to open the webinar on a first-come first-served basis to Art Print Issues readers. Seating is limited, so you will need to act now to grab a spot for the webinar. It will take place on Monday, April 4 at 8:00 pm Eastern time - 5:00 pm Pacific time.
I am excited about the presentation and hope to see you there.
YOU MUST RSVP to secure a spot in the webinar. Use this link to request your space with DAS. Or, your can use the DAS Contact page to request your spot. Once you are accepted, you will receive an email with the call-in number and login ID. The call-in number is local, so you may incur long distance charges.
The Giclee Business Digital Fine Art Printing & Art Business Directory Debuts
If having a convenient, easy-to-use giclee printer directory, plus a digital fine art printing services and robust art business resources guide would help your art career, then you will love the Giclee Business directory!
Giclee printing and art business resources at your fingertips
Until now, artists seeking to learn more about how to get their original works reproduced as giclees have had difficulties finding giclee printers, fine art image capturing services and other fine art business resources.
Your problem is solved with the Giclee Business online directory of digital fine art printing resources and fine art business and art marketing resources. It contains a growing list of nearly 500 giclee printers, fine art digital printing service providers, and contacts for the art market's top art marketing and art business resources.
The Giclee Business directory connects visual artists and companies with services for them.
Here are some short videos to help you get started:
In addition to the videos, you will find answers to your questions on the Giclee Business Frequently Asked Questions pages. They are designed to help you find the information you need to get the most from the directory whether you are a visual artist user, or a company seeking to list and advertise to reach visual artists.
For giclee printers, and those companies providing art marketing and art business services, GicleeBusiness.com is a great place to affordably advertise to reach artists
If you want to reach artists in the most powerful way possible, this directory is for you. When artists and fine art photographers come to the Giclee Business directory, they will be seeking solutions to help them in their careers. There is no better time for your message to reach and influence visual artists than when they are actively looking for the products, services and advice you routinely provide them.
The Giclee Business Directory is produced by long-time industry pro, Barney Davey
This directory is curated and published by Barney Davey, author of How to Profit from the Art Print Market, a perennial bestseller on the Amazon.com "Business of Art" category since 2005. By being intimately involved in the fine art print reproduction market since 1988, he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this exciting new giclee printer directory developed exclusively for visual artists and fine art photographers.
Since 2005 he has published more than 400 hundred posts and articles aimed at helping artists learn how to work smarter and keep more of the money they make. Most of that information can be found here in the Art Print Issues archive, one of the most highly trafficked and well respected art business blogs on the Internet.
Digital Arts Studio Rocks How to Profit from the Art Print Market and GicleeBusiness.com
Our good friends and supporters at Digital Arts Studio in Atlanta and Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale are already enjoying the benefits of their advertising in the directory and also in the 2nd Edition of How to Profit from the Art Print Market.
The ad for Digital Arts Studio seen on the right can also be found in the book. Look for a profile about this the premier giclee printing studio in an upcoming issue. You'll want to learn more about them.
Part of its benefit package includes an exclusive webinar provided for its artists coming up on Arpil 4.
Because the book is produced just like giclees with print-on-demand technology, it is never too late to start advertising. You can get full details here.
Please help spread the word to publicize the Giclee Business Directory
I will greatly appreciate your help if you would kindly share this post with your artist friends, blog about it and link to it. It will be a way to make it more useful and to make the many hours in its production all the more worthwhile.
I am pleased to announce the new Second Edition of How to Profit from the Art Print Market is available at a special pre-order price. Your copy will ship in early December. You will only pay $24.95, plus shipping, instead of the $39.95 retail price.
If you have been looking for new ideas or new ways on how to get into the print market or how to sell giclees, get this book. It has four chapters added, a third more content, more resources and has undergone a total rewrite to update all existing material.
You will find this new edition completely rewritten with an abundance of new content and innovative ways on how to sell giclees and digital fine art print reproductions. The pertinent information, new chapters, and timely advice are geared to help you boost your art career and generate fine art print reproduction and giclee sales in today's changed marketplace.
BONUS! The Resources section has been vastly expanded and is sure to a source you will return many times to locate new business and marketing companies, products and services.
A minor investment to increase your art marketing knowledge today will make a major improvement in your art career tomorrow!
The First Edition was initially published in June 2005. It is hard to fathom the amount of change the art print market has undergone in the ensuing years. Despite the changes, I've been humbled to see the book remain a bestseller on the Amazon.com "Business of Art" category since it first hit the charts in the 4th quarter of 2005. It is a testament to the basic core value of its information. I believe this second edition improves on the knowledge imparted in the original version.
A need to follow up on changes sparked the creation of Art Print Issues. Part of the original motivation for this Art Print Issues blog was to help my readers stay abreast of changes within the industry, and to alert them to new opportunities. As I waited and waited for changes to slow down and the right time to publish a second edition, the blog evolved into as much a business advice for visual artists medium as it did report on the ever changing nature of the art print market.
The value of lessons learned in the past five years are included in this edition. The waiting provided perspective and much of the insights I've gained over the past 5+ years since the first edition are packed into this second edition. I trust when you read it you will find the advice, information and inspiration more than just worth your time and money, but rather a rich repository of practical advice on how to sell art, especially giclees and digital fine art reproductions.
Raise Funds for Your Arts Organization, Your Company, or Yourself!
Join my affiliate marketing group to use the 2nd Edition of How to Profit from the Art Print Market to make passive income. You can learn more about raising funds here. It will be an easy passive money raiser for your visual arts group!
A new book, The Artist's Giclee* Handbook, came to me for my review last week. I found it to be is as germane to the notion of why I publish this blog as anything I have covered. This blog's primary mission is to report and opine on any person, thing or event that affects an artist's ability to get work into the print market.
Admittedly, much of what you find on www.ArtPrintIssues.com is on the secondary mission, which is publishing information to help all pursuing a professional career in any creative field, which is due to marketing, branding, sales and so forth having universal principles.
This book, however, sticks to this blog's primary cause as it is very specific in providing visual artists with practical advice on how to get the highest quality digital fine art reproductions.
As I read it, I had to wonder, "How can it be that it took this long for a book like this to come on to the market?"
The author is Susan Fader. She co-founded Ditto Editions with her husband, Nick. They have turned the business into a highly respected giclee printing atelier with a well-deserved reputation in the industry.
Clearing the air on the digital printmaking process
There always has been much confusion and misinformation about giclees and reproducing them. I found this book to offer clear concise instructions for artists who desire to make digital fine art prints of their work. If you are making plans to get into the print market, you need this book. Its content truly reflect its title. It is the handbook that every artist working in or towards using digital fine art reproductions should have in their library.
Although I have rarely been successful in dissauding artists who wanted to try their hand at printing their own work, it was not without trying to help them understand the downsides and how much goes into taking an original artwork and creating a satisfying digital reproduction. I am sure referring them to this book would strengthen my case.
An argument against making giclees in the garage or basement
When one begins to understand the complexity and need for specialized equipment and training, it should come clear that popping a few thousand for a nice digital camera and a refurbished digital printer are not nearly enough to create high quality professional reproductions. What is often not considered is the value of time and the hidden expenses in wasted materials that come from compounding problems at nearly every level of digital printmaking.
At any point along the way amateur mistakes in mounting, lighting, scanning, color adjustment, proofing, equipment calibration and printing can create issues where chasing the problems becomes exhausting and expensive. I have always thought artists would do better spending the same time and money on finding new sources of buyers than trying to shave a few bucks off the cost of their printing.
There are exceptions to every rule
Before anyone writes to complain or debate, I will state I know there are some artists who have the tools, time, skill and temperament to make professional quality giclee prints. That this is so is a given, and it is also a given that only a small percentage of artists enjoy true success in getting the best self-made prints.
You will find honest, straight facts well-presented here
Although Susan comes from the printer perspective, she is careful not to color the wisdom offered with that perspective. The famous line from the Dragnet series, "Just the facts mam." applies here. With the The Artist's Giclee Handbook, you get straightforward advice and years of experience. Regardless of whether you are a seasoned pro or just getting started in the print market, this book is sure to help you get better results in the digital printmaking process. I highly recommend it.
Has the use of the term "giclee" outlived its usefulness?
A word, or two, on the use of the word "giclee." Susan was the first to mention the idea to me that the word giclee might have outlived its usefulness. I am certain is was a conversation with her that inspired this 2007 post, Is Giclee Passe? She addresses the question in the book. In fact, the * in the title leads to the sub-title, or sub-note, *Digital Fine Art Reproduction."
If one thing is obvious about the title to her book, it is that Susan is a realist. She knows that changing the use of the word giclee to digital fine art print is not something that will happen quickly, or maybe ever. So, while she makes an eloquent case for why moving on to a better descriptor makes sense, she realizes selling books, and art for that matter, most often requires going with the flow. You have to to give people what they want to get their attention. Once that is accomplished you then do your best to educate them to new perspectives. This book fulfills that ambition perfectly and much more.
When it comes to visual art, the finished product is all about the artist's perception. You fashion your work based on your reaction to how you see, feel and think about your subject matter. Those things mattered as much to Marcel Duchamp and his famously recycled porcelain sculpture, i.e. Toliet 'ready-made', as they did to Jackson Pollock methodically and randomly dripping and splaying paint, or Picasso rendering his exquisite Still-life with a Pitcher and Apples.
Are you an artist, or you an entrepreneur or a small business person? Your perceptions about yourself are equally as important to your art career as your artistic vision is to your creativity. What you take in, how you fell about your business, how you react to the changes and challenges to your business and how you present yourself are all part of your perceptions about yourself.
The point is if you want your art and your business both to be taken seriously by those who matter most. That list is comprised of your patrons, your partners and your pushers. Often times, the lines between these types is blurred. For instance, you may likely find your best pushers, i.e. those who work at promoting you, among your patrons and your partners.
If what you are passionate about in your art carries over to the rest of your life, it will immeasurably boost your art career. Obviously, you want your collectors to have the best impression about your talent and vision. You want them to buy into your story because if they do they are likely to become a repeat buyer, which is a key to your long term success as a visual artist.Your mission with your patrons is to have them hold you in the highest esteem possible as an artist.
Pushers are those people and companies that champion your art for you, whether paid or out of passion, or both, these invaluable resources can impart a near magical exponential effect on your career. You will come by some naturally. In other cases, it is incumbent upon you to actively form relationships with centers of infuence who just happen to love your work.
When it comes to the business side of your career, having great partners can be a huge help. Partners can be anyone or any company that assists you in some way to get your work created, or get it to market. Although there are many, two fine examples of companies that work with artists and offer ancillary services to help them market their art are Digital Arts Studio, a digital fine art printmaking studio in Atlanta, GA, and FASO, Fine Art Studio Online, a web developer and hosting company in San Antonio, TX that specializes in building websites for artists.
In both cases, these companies have created online galleries for their artist clients to use to help promote their art. Digital Arts Studio has created the Fine Art Marketplace for the exclusive use of its artists to have an online venue to present and sell their fine art giclee prints. FASO uses a complete directory of artists on its main site. Both serve the same multiple purposes. They help the painters get online recognition, it helps the partners get the same, and increases the odds of everyone involved succeeding at higher levels. What's not to like about that?
Take a minute to do a personal assessment to discover how you perceive yourself. If you already think in terms of being a successful entrepreneur, or artrepreneur if you will, good for you. If you don't, you only need to begin to act and think like you are to change your perception -- and your results. When it comes to partners, assess what are they doing to help you. It won't hurt to think about what you are doing to help them. This is especially true when it comes to your gallery partners.
When I realized it was more than a couple of thoughts or a quick reply, I decided to publish it as its own post so more readers would see it.
So here goes with more thoughts on why I am against limiting digital fine art prints.
Thanks to Alan, Maria and Daniel for commenting here. Alan, I'm glad you agree. Maria, yes, I am advocating against limited editions of digital fine art prints, aka giclees. I totally agree with your husband, Drew. Other than marketing gimmick, there is no justification for limited edition giclee prints.
It is not always easy to take an unpopular or controversial stand on an issue, especially when those pitted against you really get the knickers in a knot. However, I believe this issue is too important to ignore and will continue to champion open edition digital prints because in the long run every body involved will do better as this way of thinking gains traction. The change is underway, it is not whether, but when limited editions of giclees becomes passe.
Limited editions arose out of necessity
That necessity became a tradition in the art business. Now some dealers and artists have it in their head it makes their art "more elite" or "more marketable" or "more collectible." REALLY? Do the research. For every limited edition that makes it to the secondary market and sells for greater prices than originally offered, there are thousands of limited editions that never sell out. Why bother?
Do you know you have to comply with the laws of 14 states when you sell limited editions, including sales made over the internet? Who needs that for something you might otherwise be able to sell many more of at a slightly reduced price without the bookkeeping headaches of managing limited editions. This extra bookkeeping is annoying and is a hidden cost that puts a drag on the profitability of print marketing.
Buyers buy art they like, not limited editions
I believe most art buyers make the purchase decision on the fact they want to live with the art in their home or work place and that being limited is not a huge buying factor. I also believe there are many dealer and galleries addicted to the notion without realizing it is costing them money in the long run. Does anyone believe consumers are not fully aware that digital prints can be reproduced endlessly and perfectly? Then why in the 21st Century are we trying to pull the wool over their eyes with limited editions?
You can still sequentially number open editions
If you want to number them, fine. Just don't limit them. I believe there would be some prints that were open edition, but numbered, that would still find the lower numbers collectible. If you look at the crazy things that are in plentiful supply, but numbered somehow, and how the lower numbers are worth more, it says it all about the collector's mentality. Low number license plates in Delaware go for half a million. Does that make sense when you can get a brand new one for rack rates? No, but collectors don't care.
Give your buyers what they want
One of the greatest advantages, besides no inventory, to giclees is they can be made to order to suit the customer. This is a first for the art business and the industry has not picked up on the fact more art would be sold if you allowed people to order the size they want. We are completely missing a huge opportunity to fill the needs of buyers in ways never before possible, and it is easy.
Show me any other art form that artificially limits how many will be sold. You would laugh at recording artist who limited sales to 1,000 copies of their CD, or film makers who only let 10,000 people see a film, or a Broadway play that closed in two weeks when the demand for tickets was still high. Yet, this is exactly what artists do when they artificially limit the number of pieces of their work.
What if Maxfield Parrish only sold 1,000 copies of Daybreak?
Other than blindly sticking to hidebound tradition and being fearful of not being capable of getting good prices for open editions, is there any viable reason for dealers and artists not to favor open editions? What if Maxfield Parrish or Ansel Adams had put all their works into only limited editions? Can you even imagine what a loss to mass culture and art appreciation that would have been?
I can understand an artist creating a limited edition of a print that is also open with the difference being the piece was handworked by the artist after the printing. In such a case, the artist would probably not want to make more than a 100 or so prints that way. This would be a way to make a small limited edition that makes sense and is worthy of the effort. And, can be done without sacrificing the ability to sell open editions of the same image.
This brings up A/Ps (Artists' Proofs) for digital prints. What the heck is that about? A way to jack up the price on a more limited edition of the same print? If limiting giclee is a gimmick, then A/Ps take the notion to another level. It flies in the face of the original idea which was that the first prints off the press, which traditionally are Artist Proofs, would be the crispest with the greatest fidelity before the plates wore down, and thus more valuable. Explain how that works with digital prints.
Later made digital prints should be better than the first ones
This brings me to Daniel's excellent observation about improving and changing images to make them better. I have argued his point before as well. That is, digital printmaking is an evolving art form. It is most likely that by the time an artist makes the same print in the thousands, or for years to come that the process to make them will be better. Improved printers, substrates, dyes, inks and software help printmakers to continue to turn out better reproductions than the first in the batch. Not to mention the improved skills of the printmaker, too.
This evolving situation turns the whole notion of A/Ps upside down when later prints stand a greater chance of being better than the first. We are living in different times. Consumer tastes are changing, we need to keep up with or be in front of their desires. I don't see how limited edition digital fine art reproductions fit into the equation when the demand is for authenticity and transparency with a potential backlash against anything that doesn't meet those standards.
Limited editions limit the income of the entire pipeline
Why should artists, dealers, galleries and printers be forced to shut off their income stream when a print with viral potential gets shelved because we are beholden to an antiquated form of marketing that doesn't make sense for anyone?
I believe a well-made compelling great image can be sold as an open edition at a fair price that approximates what the price of a limited edition would be. Anyone who doesn't believe this is possible is not selling on the value of the artist and the work, but is instead selling on some perceived notion of exclusivity and implied potential future value. Any truly good art salesperson should be able to easily transition to selling this way with no real loss of volume or income.
Things are different now and they are not going back - Time to get with it
It seems to me if those who continue to rely on these outdated tactics are going to have an increasingly difficult time in the future. It was not that long ago that many people in the industry thought giclees and digital prints were the worst thing that happened to the business. Turns out print-on-demand was one of the best things in the past 100 years for the business. It's time now to move so the marketing of this wonderful technology catches up with the benefits the technical development have brought us.
It is interesting how one thought leads to another, and sometimes how one blog post inspires someone else to add to the conversation.
This action and reaction is one of the many things that makes interaction on the Internet so compelling. Without question, such occurrences extend well beyond the art business.
Not too long ago, I wrote a post titled What Is the Secondary Art Market? It attempted to give some definition to the what the secondary art market is and speculate on where it is headed. It is lengthy, but worth the read I shamelessly suggest.
The piece attracted the attention of artist Peter Leighton. In addition to being a visual artist, he also is the founder of Penny Prints Press, a 13-year-old fine arts digital press located in Austin, Texas. Peter also pens a blog on his www.PennyPrints.com Website. The image here is from his most recent post.
He had some interesting things to say in response my post. His was titled The Printmaker's Dilemma. Here is an excerpt:
Over the past year, I've certainly seen a dramatic downward trend in giclee
print prices online... Original digital art prints, for example, in the 17x22 inch range and
once selling for $200-$300 are now being offered at below $100. Many of
these images being sold by print-on-demand online galleries attempting
to aggregate as much content as they can in one place to get the biggest
bang for their buck. Thus feeding the notion that digital art prints,
no matter their perceived quality, are disposable art objects, to be
enjoyed for the moment, but not collected... My only concern with
this trend is that not all digital printmaking processes are equal.
While there are numerous ways digital prints are made, there are yet more sides sides to the issues of how to get the most value for artists and collectors from digital prints. As Peter noted, they are not all equally made, which creates a marketing and perception problem for serious professional artists who publish reproductions using the giclee printing format.
I left this comment on Peter's blog:
We can all pretend things are the same, or we can face they are different and never going back to where they were. Somehow, I believe those truly committed to making a career at something, such as professional artist, always will find a way to make do.
There is no question some big opportunities are gone or diminished, but I see more opportunities now than before. The big fat pipes of distribution are getting smaller as new much smaller, even micro ones, come into play. As I have said before, it was never a walk in the park in the good old days to garner great success. That is one thing that remains the same.
I still find artists who successfully are managing their careers at a
very high level selling originals and limited edition prints of their
work. One thing I note is those who have such success have many things
in common. In particular, they all built their collector base
methodically and over time. There aren't any overnight successes among them. They went down many paths and drilled many dry holes on the way to their success.
As my comment on Peter's art blog indicates, it was not easy back in the day to build an art career. Obviously, it is not easy now. It is just different. I believe trade magazines and tradeshows were instrumental tools in helping artists then build a solid dealer base. I still believe these vehicles have their place and can be used effectively. But, like broadcast television, their reach and influence has peaked.
What artists have today are simply amazing new ways to make and reproduce affordable high quality art reproductions.Print artists also have the means to find collectors on their own and to build a distribution mix of dealers and direct-to-collectors channels that did not exist just a few years ago. Certainly, what we take for granted would astound previous generations.
This at a time when consumers are much more tuned to digital printing, in the form of what is still widely called giclees, as a great way to buy art. I am committed to help you find new ways to capitalize on this interest and the challenge to tap it.
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