Finding Art
There is a countless selection of original works of art available. Whether it's by a street artist, a grand master or the child next door you should know what it is and the value it holds in order to frame it accordingly.
If you're looking for artwork and starting from scratch the Internet will help you narrow down what you're looking for. The next step could be approaching your local frame shop and chances are they have a searchable database where you can browse and order your dream artwork. Finally, find the art department at Universities or Colleges and see if they have any sales coming up. You will be surprised at the level of skill and creativity in student work today and be and you will be supporting developing artists at the same time.
Printed Art Types
There are many ways to achieve original prints. Sometimes it is difficult to tell certain techniques apart, but there is a method to the madness and a reason why styles are how they are. Though some terms are quite obscure certain terminology will surface after selecting artwork.
Canvas Transfer
This is a reproduction that has been adhered to canvas which gives the illusion of an original oil painting, especially when treated with a clear, textured surface sealant.
Edition Print
An Edition Print is the same as a poster, but without the text and borders. It will be signed by the artist and often printed on a higher grade paper.
Giclee
These are generated by a special computer printer that prints a continuous tone reproduction and is sometimes layered with the artists' craftsmanship.
Posters
These result from a printing process that involves a 4-color lithographic reproduction of an image. Posters often have text or borders around the image and are printed on low-quality paper.
Engraving
The image is scratched into a plate, but not exposed to acid. The ink is rubbed into the fine etches and printed through an intaglio press with a moist piece of paper.
Etching
The image is scratched into a plate and then deepened by acid immersion. Ink is rubbed into these grooves and the rest of the plate is buffed clear. Wet paper is laid over the inked plate and the combination goes under the intensely pressurized roller of an Intaglio press.
Linoleum cut
An image is created by chiseling a negative image into a sheet of linoleum. It will then go through an Intaglio press with a dry piece of paper.
Lithography
The traditional style of litho is when an image is drawn with grease on a slab of limestone. The stone is specially treated so only the grease will repel the water, and then when inked and printed on a lithography press, the image appears.
Monotype
Printer's ink is applied to an acrylic or metal surface and then printed on moist paper through an Intaglio press. This method can only create a single image, but the plate is sometimes fed through twice to create what's called a 'ghost image'.
Serigraph
This is essentially silk screening when stencils are applied to a silk or nylon mesh and ink is pushed through by a squeegee.
Woodcut
An image is printed in a block of wood so that the raised areas will print the ink, and the lower areas will print as clear space. The surface is inked with a roller and printed on a relief press with dry paper.