Art collectors: What's the difference between giclee, lithograph, canvas, and print?

Question

I'm having a very tough time trying to understand this market. I want very much to be able to invest in something unique and special that is beautiful to me and will be a smart investment. I see so many things advertised as signed and numbered w/ COA or COL but surely they can't all be the best to collect. Can you help me understand and make an informed decision?

Answer 1

so hang in there with me this may take awhile a giclee in usually nothing more than a very high quality REPRODUCTION of something usually a photo of a painting or a photo itself. These can be made in the thousands and regardless of what guarantee you get... more can be done anytime by simply changing then a Small fractional amount and calling it a "second state" then a third yadda yadda yadda you get the picture

A lithograph can be one of three things it can be offset litho "read magazine and repros in the 1000s" or original litho from either a stone or plate printed by hand either by the artist or a professional who is trained in that kind of work, me for instances. that litho is a 40 step process by hand in fairly small editions and they are numbered ands signed by the artist with a certificate of authenticity that gives date paper type... artist ..printer.. and amount in the edition and how that amount is split up, artist proofs, printer proofs collectors proofs museum proofs regular edition, preferred edition (usualy on very fine paper Canvas is just that... either painting down on an exceptable substrate such as canvas, masonite etc then there are prints on canvas again another reproduction.

Prints can refer to anything from a book plate to a real hand made print like litho above or just another big batch run off by high speed machinery and barely worth the paper they are printed on even if they are signed by hand on the print you are basically either buying it because you like kittens or horses or whatever or you are paying for a name. A fine art print with documentation which anyone selling one should have with their siguature on it that you saw them sign and a registered stamp on it to boot. The very best thing that you can do is study study study get to know what it is you want to buy and then pick something that you really like to look at before the profit is a factor because it may never do what you want it to in the market but you would still have it for the original reason that you bought it becuse you liked it hope that helps try to get a used copy of The Art of the Print by Fritz Eisenberg it is the print bible

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Art collectors: What's the difference between giclee, lithograph, canvas, and print?
I'm having a very tough time trying to understand this market. I want very much to be able to invest in something unique and special that is beautiful to me and will be a smart investment. I see so many things advertised as signed and numbered w/ COA or COL but surely they can't all be the...

Answer 3

For the best answers, search on this site https://shorturl.im/avAM8

I think it is best to do a Giclee. Most of the expense is in the scan which is about 50.00. If you can take a good picture yourself of your art you can take a CD with your digital picture into the digital printer and have them print it for you. Then you can stretch your canvas yourself. I have a 16 x16 painting and the giclee was ninety dollars which included the scan (a one time fee) and stretching the canvas. When I took in my digital picture and stretched the canvas myself the exact same size cost $12.00. You can always paint over your giclee to enhance it and then seal it with varnish.

Answer 4

also,
prints are very tricky. i am a printmaker. most prints with with plates (etchings), you can see the imprint of the plate. lithos are over rated in the printmaking world. make sure everything is numbered if you're buying, unless it's a monoprint (one of a kind) or if you can get your hands of an A/P (artist proof) usually never sold, but worth getting it if you come across it. There are plenty of websites that break down the different print processes. good luck.