What makes prints valuable

As a result they are true works of art, and as important to the artist as drawings or other works on paper. Artists make prints for a variety of reasons. Lucian Freud would create etchings only in black and white following his days in the painting studio, while Ellsworth Kelly applied the same fastidious understanding of colour and form to his editioned work.

Some artists consistently make prints for their entire career — Jasper Johns and Pablo Picasso are famously prolific examples —while others come to printmaking in bursts of activity, such as Barnett Newman.

Typically these periods can be aligned to working with a particular print workshop. Here again, fractions may be used to indicate the total number of proofs, and the print number e. Other proofs may be made at an earlier stage, as the artist and printer develop an image or test different compositions. These are known as state proofs, trial proofs or colour proofs. These can be unique, with differences in colour combinations, paper types or size. When the image is perfected, a proof is made and signed B.

The rest of the edition is matched to this image, which is unique and traditionally kept by the printer. Our catalogue entries will always explain how we have reached the conclusion that a print is an authentic original. Finally, we indicate how the work is numbered, and whether it is from the standard edition or a proof. A sign of a true print specialist is not only their interest in technique but also their obsession with paper. The choice of paper is an important part of the printmaking process because it can directly influence the nature of what the printed image looks like.

Johns is famous for having pushed for higher quality, heavier paper for his prints, while Warhol loved cheaper, thinner paper for his Soup Can prints from the s to emphasise that they were meant to be enjoyed by the masses. Our condition report also notes whether an item is the full sheet or with full margins, which means that the paper has not been trimmed in some fashion, itself an issue that affects the value.

These workshops can be huge production studios with large-scale equipment or small-scale operations with only a few employees. That's just a small selection, however, and we are always finding out about new studios. This proposal is subject to the following conditions, which are expressly made a part of the agreement for appraisal services:.

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They are all acceptable methods. Of course, any digital camera will work too. Many devices such as cell phones, tablets, personal computers, etc. However, this will depend on the artist and whether their demand and popularity increases over time. When considering the value of contemporary art, the artist is everything. It helps to know something about prints: how they were made, to what degree was the artist involved in their production, how many works were printed at one time, who is the printer etc.

These factors, plus the quality of the work and the renown of the artist, determine the real value of a contemporary art print. A high resolution signed limited edition print is worth a lot more than a standard photograph poster stuck to a canvas!

Their scarcity makes them more sought-after! After all, each impression is largely identical, perhaps with only minor differences from the press or artist. Generally speaking, for contemporary art to steadily increase in value the size of the edition is best kept low, perhaps between 10 and 50 editions. Higher limited editions are usually reserved for iconic works from highly collectible artists like Charles Blackman or John Olsen.

Because these prints still sell out, these artists can enjoy the fame that a popular print-run brings. Limited edition prints retain and can often increase in value. Whether this is the case however, depends on the artist. Our advice is and has always been, collect art you love — and when or if it appreciates in value consider this an added bonus. A Chop Mark is a mark or seal made with an embossing tool in the margin of an etching or lithograph. The chop mark holds particular meaning for the printmaker and publisher.

Charles Blackman - 'Visage II'. Charles Blackman's 'Visage II' is adorned with both a chop mark from Port Jackson Press the work's publisher and a stamp that reads the artist's name in Japanese. The stamp was obtained during Charles's successful exhibition at Tokyo's Fuji Television Gallery.

Not only a sign of authenticity, these marks also indicate that Charles was satisfied with the finished print — he signed off on it.