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There are now a wide range of sophisticated fine printing methods. The following selection cover all the work in our Limited Edition Print collections.
Our print publishers employ only the finest processes, materials and artistic direction to ensure the faithful translation of original painting to Limited Edition. Print-making is in itself an art form, and the traditional print-maker guarantees the true reproduction of original oils, watercolours and pastels into editions of superb quality.
Limited Edition Prints have never been so collectable and allow an artist's work to be enjoyed by more collectors. Most of our editions are reproduced to a maximum of 850 copies. The hand written number which appears on each print is vital, it guarantees not only the size but also the authenticity of the edition. The plates, films and materials involved in the reproduction are all destroyed following printing, which further ensures the authenticity and integrity of the Limited Edition Print.
Most prints bear the unique signature of the artist. This signature authenticates each reproduction of the artist’s original painting and also ensures the edition is to their complete satisfaction.
Giclée (zhee-clay) is a French term meaning "spray of ink". This process utilises a revolutionary new technique whereby a continuous inkjet printer sprays a staggering four million droplets of ink per second onto the paper or canvas. Requiring highly sophisticated printers and specially tested colourfast inks, this blend of fine art and state-of-the-art technology produces exceptionally good reproductions.
Giclée prints render deep, saturated colours and retain minute detail, subtle tints and blends. The prints may be hand embellished by the artist using paint, ink and gold foil stamping for a mixed media effect.
This printing technique uses a planographic process in which prints are pulled on a special press from a flat stone or metal surface. The surface has been chemically sensitised so that ink sticks only to the design areas, and is repelled by the non-image areas. Lithography was invented in Germany in 1798. The early history of lithography is dominated by great French artists such as Daumier and Delacroix, and later by Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, Braque and Miro.
A special photo-mechanical technique in which the image to be printed is transferred to the negative plates and printed onto papers. Offset lithography is very well adapted to colour printing. In the process of producing limited editions the finest reprographic techniques are used to split the original painting into the four printing colours. High quality mechanical printing then enables the translation of this image onto paper.
This method is a modern development of stencil printing. Paint is brushed through a number of fine silk screens, held taut in a wooden frame, onto the paper. One screen is used for each shade.
The screen traditionally used comprises a fine weave silk, or similar, pulled over and secured to the frame. The silk is then masked excepting those areas where the paint is required to pass through. As each individual colour and shade requires a separate screen the whole process is lengthy and requires considerable skill. Slowly then, screen by screen, with precise alignment the final image is worked towards. The artist is involved during the creation of each edition, approving various stages and often making changes and additions, adding to the originality of the final item.
These prints are hand-crafted by the artist using a variety of materials and techniques making each piece unique.
Created individually using a traditional etching plate and needle, then hand-coloured by the artist. This method ensures an unusual degree of clarity and strength of colour.
Throughout our website you will see images described as 'hand-embelished'. When the fine art print has been produced, it is placed alongside the original; under the direction of the artist certain elements of the image are then highlighted with hand-applied paints, inks, or gold and silver leaf. This is done to bring the piece closer to the essence of the original, and the effect is phenomenal.
This is a photographic term used to describe various prints that we stock. All true black and white papers are made with silver in the chemistry. This makes all prints made on true black and white paper silver gelatin prints. This term originally came from B&W film, which is made with tiny platelets of silver called silver-halide gelatin. The same silver-halide gelatin is used in making all true black and white papers. |
