Fine Art Giclee

 “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” – Pablo Picasso

 Giclee art prints is the newest medium in the art world. This technique of reproduction paintings has earned much attention and debate.

What is a Giclee Fine Art Print?

A Giclee fine art print refers to a machine-made reproduction using the latest and most sophisticated ink-jet technology. The name comes from the French word GICLEE (pronounced Zhee-Clay) that means “spray". In this printing method, the media is carried by a spinning roller while infinitely small pixels of rich, vibrant archival inks are sprayed on it at a very high speed. This renders an amazingly smooth and consistent image true to the original painting, a superb quality fine art reproduction.   http://www.colours-art-publishers.com/giclee.htm

Here is the Original and the Giclee so you can see the difference.

Original Giclee

Green Dreams by L.AFREMOV 

The Process of Making a Giclee:

Step 1: Calibrate your monitor.

Step 2: Photograph Image

Step 3: Edit photo

Step 4: Select medium wished to print on.

Step 5: Profile your printer, ink, and media.

Step 6: Print a proof.

Step 7: Color Matching

Step 8: Embellishing by hand, if desired (most artists skip this).

Step 9: Apply Top Coat

Step 10: Clean up edges by trimming or deckle; Any other finishing procedures

Step 11: A process called "curating"

Step 12: Pack and Ship to the customer

Top Coat Effects: The Brushstrokes Effect

Main giclee pieces have a brushstroke effect added after printing. This this textured pattern is applied by hand and makes the print more realistic. The pattern is applied to look like the brush strokes from the original thus reflects light very similarly.

This is what a Giclee Workshop looks like:

http://www.mfatalon.com/studio_giclee.html

“Since technology has become an important part of life, it is inevitable that it be employed in the creation of art.”- Ben Laposky

 Additional Comments on Giclee:

-Can enhance color to achieve 

-Lasts up to 15 - 20 years

-Sold by the square inch or square foot

-Can be printed on any medium, Canvas is the most popular

- Printed using Pigmented ink 

-Considered to be museum quality

-There is usually a minimum when buying. Either a price or quantity.

-An excellent tool for artists that don't have the customers to mass produce their work, but wish to make reproductions as needed/on-demand

-Each piece is archived to allow for ease of reordering.

My Thoughts

 

 I have mixed feelings on this application. While in some respects it's amazing what technology has allowed up to do, but with this new application do we lose that appreciation for art (and the process)? I have painted for years. As an artist I feel almost cheapened on the true appreciation of art from society. But the thrifty college student says this is great. Now we are able to more artwork in peoples hands. So from here I ask my self, what is the true reason we create art. We are trying to express this feeling inside of ourselves. This is a quote that caught my attention, it is from a scene in the TV series Friday Night Lights- 

 Matt: What is the most important tool for an artist to have:

 Sherman (artist):The most important tool an artist can have is selfishness. It means you're going to spend your life trying to express some dark corner of your life…you'll express your love, thoughts on God and everything else. So you gotta push away everyone in the way and be selfish to get it out.

Many photographers print their photos using this application. In that regards I think it's brilliant. It allows their work to be displayed at it's best. 

I think what it really comes down to is that I am going to be an interior designer- and to be able to spec a painting, any painting, enhance the colors/change the colors and in any size is wonderful and allows for endless possibilities.  These prints are also much more rugged then a print in a frame with glass in commercial settings. 

For lesser known local artists this is also a great tool. It allows them to sell more copies of their work thus allowing them more time and money to paint what ever they please. 

Having been to a giclee gallery, I can see that people are buying more art- because its affordable.  This is great! As a whole, Americans have lost the appreciation and application of art. (In all mediums, singing, painting, dancing, etc.) But that people are buying any art during a recession fabulous.  

Personally for me, I want the original. There is something about being able to see the brush/palette knife strokes, see the paint 3 dimensionally piled up that you just can't express any other way. To me that is half the beauty of a painting.

What are your thoughts on giclee?

“The intrinsic value is in the original, not the reproduction, but the emotional value is in both.”-Gary Kerr