Blog by Andrea Sperling: What is a Giclee?

Sunday, January 4, 2009

What Are Giclee and Digital Prints?

Digital images are created from photographs taken with a digital camera or from scanned images. Fine art prints that are made from digital files generally are created from high resolution files, not small jpg files that most of us use with our point and shoot cameras.

With todays high-end inkjet printers, ultra chrome pigmented inks, and professional grade papers that are fade resistant, photographic images can be created that can last a lifetime. One of the advantages of high-end digital printing is that the images can be optimized for color accuracy better than other methods of print reproduction.

Giclee (pronounced zheeclay) prints are fine art digital prints that use 8 or 12 color inkjet printers. Giclee is a French word meaning spray or a spurt of liquid. Giclee printing can produce beautiful detailed photographic prints at various sizes and on different surfaces like watercolor paper, canvas or other fine art papers. The prints longevity is based on the media (the paper) and inks being used generally 90-100 years. Remember, the stability of the print will vary due to environmental factors, too. Proper matting, framing, and lighting conditions in the room will all affect the longevity of the image.

With the advent of high-end digital printing, once an image is digitally archived, artists can print on demand without any change in the quality of the final print. Also, with digital printing, images can be reproduced onto various media (canvas, watercolor paper, etc) and at most sizes. Today, galleries often display and sell high-end digital prints. They sell at prices similar to other contemporary fine art prints.

Andrea Sperling is the founder of the online fine art photo gallery for the home called Will It Look Good Over The Sofa. To see her site, visit: http://WillItLookGoodOverTheSofa.com

A giclee becomes a one of a kind when the artist uses the high-end digital print out as a stepping off point for further exploration. The artist has control after the print is made as to which avenue he or she wishes to travel. Images may be short runs with a certificate of authentication stating how many images in total are to be created. Images may be printed as a one of which makes it an original. Finally, some artists are doing what I have adopted as my practice for the past three years and go on from the print to alter, highlight, paint out, paint in, apply various medium/texture.

How do you know if a work is an original or not? Knowing the artist is the best insurance. If it is a multi-run, make sure you get a signed certificate which you should keep on the back of the work of art.

How do you know if the artist is not going to reproduce the exact image that you have purchased which is painted in water colors, acrylics or oil? You don’t. We have all seen the wolf portrait painters in malls all over North America. They slavishly reproduce the same image much as a painter in a china factory paints the plates.

An artist takes pride in what he or she does. Betraying trust with a customer is a betrayal of the artist as well as the one who walks away with the work. We both lose.

Get to know the practice of the artist from whom you are buying.

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What makes us like Stars on Ice?

Picture of Star Gazer Lily with filters

Picture of Star Gazer Lily with filters

Chipping the ice away from the back step, I thought to myself that in order to take steps you have to first see the steps. We in Kelowna’s North end are all clearing the way for ourselves to engage in a normal work a day world.

We have not had the snow plow down in our neck of the woods after each snow fall. Frequently the ice underlying the snow layers is treacherous. Greasy brown snow up to the hub caps presents the surface experience.

It is all in the technique. Some drive achingly slowly trying to adjust to the rush of adrenaline that comes when their tires find the grooves in the road that were created on a warmer day when we ventured out through deep snow. Evening freezing left trenches which lie beneath the surface. Others seems to believe that all obstacles should be met with bravado. Swinging out around the corners, they tear into the gas pedal to fly over obstacles. There are fragments of fenders by some of the stop signs in Knox Mountain village.

Ten more centimeters is predicated to fall in the next two days. I am going to be out of the shoveling game for a while because I managed to fracture the knuckle on one of my fingers from the weight of the snow.

Why are we like Stars on Ice? Because we need technique and we need awareness of conditions. The shoveling and dragging our legs through snow drifts has done much to condition the body. I put on my winter pants yesterday and the crotch was down between my knees. Now if I just pull my underwear up and tuck my shirt into it, I will be rad or cool or whatever it is the diaper wearing teenaged cohort calls it.
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Also, there is an element of performance anxiety as we get into our vehicles. Will we be smoothly sailing off across the ice, or….

In life and when you are a star on ice, it is good to remember that one must first see the steps before one can take them. I have cleared the back steps. Now I can take out the garbage and recycling. Keeping the house peaceful is now easier.

Tuesday, we will take my art up to Gallery Vertigo in Vernon to hang on the members wall and in March I will put work up in the Mission library. http://www.galleryvertigo.com

January will be a wonderful time of teaching classes and showing others how much fun exploring the world of creativity is. http://web.ubc.ca/okanagan/continuingstudies/welcome.html

It is not nearly as challenging as skating on ice.