What is the most economical method to reproduce an original watercolor painting?

Answer 1

scanning would be very good, if you good with painting try to do it free hand, saves your time and sometimes looks better than doing before hand.

Answer 2

Depends. Is it a painting you've done, or have you collected a watercolor from another artist? If it's from another artist, be careful. You may run into copyright laws and such.

If it's a painting you've done, you need to ask yourself what's more important, a cheap method or a more detailed print? Why are you looking to reproduce it? Is it for a friend to have a copy or is it to make prints to sell (so you don't have to give up the original)?

You can definitely scan it or take a digital picture. Those are the cheapest ways to go, and now several stores and services have a presence online that allow you to upload the digital picture and get photos made of any size or even poster-sized prints made (see www.kodakgallery.com, www.snapfish.com). If you're looking for something maybe a little more high-quality, which can be important to potential buyers and art collectors if you're looking to sell copies, ask a local printer for suggestions. Many artists make giclee prints of their pieces to sell (either as limited editions or just as an alternative to purchasing the original); giclee prints use fade-resistant inks or dyes and often look very close to the original. Giclee prints may not be exactly what you're looking for, as they can get pricey, but it is a popular option.

I don't know what you're looking for, but best of luck.

Answer 3

Watercolors aren't paintings. They're watercolors.

Reproducing original paintings is a hell of a lot harder than making a copy of a watercolor on paper.

Answer 4

Giclee prints are excellent quality - they're printed on acid-free watercolour paper and the dyes are permanent (not like ink-jet inks). Ink-jet (or laser) only uses 4 colours, the giclee process uses 8 or more colours, resulting in a more true reproduction, often hard to see the difference.

You pay one fee to have it professionally photographed or scanned, and then the printer keeps your image on file and you pay only for the number of prints they make. You can print one at a time if you like, depending on the size, as low as $10 per print. Still cheaper than lithography.

Keep in mind, neither galleries nor serious buyers will accept ink-jet prints.

Answer 5

I would paint a landscape because in my opinion water-colours best suit landscapes. maybe one of a mountainous forest and lake with a girl standing thigh deep inside with her hair in the wind and a dropped notebook in the water on a misty morning

Answer 6

I often spend my half an hour to read this blog's posts daily along with a mug of coffee.

Answer 7

place it on your scanner. Scan then reprint at the size you want. Fast and economical.

Answer 8

Take a picture of it on your digital camera and download it and print it.