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 10/10/2010 10:40:39 AM · #1
I'm a noob when it comes to scanning and printing art from an original. My wife does pencil portraits and is starting to get into drawing scenes and famous people and we are looking to start selling the prints. From what I read Glicee seems to be the way to go but it seems that she cannot have a decent resell value with this process. I went to a local printing shop and they want to charge $7.99 for the CD and $18.99 for the scan. I don't know how much it will cost per print after this but does this seem like a reasonable price for a scan? What are the options out there for this style of drawing?

Here is a link to 3 pieces she has done already. She has one other of the Louisiana Superdome completed and is working on a photo of Rita Hayworth currently.
10/10/2010 11:05:55 AM · #2
No help from me but I want to say your wife is a very good sketcher. Those three portraits are very well done, the highlights look fantastic.

First pic was taken with a P&S and the second was overhead lighting but your wife did a splendid job of recreating their look and personality. (I'm reading this atm; Realistic Drawing Secrets by Carrie and Rick Parks) I know these images come from people who may have P&S cameras and that your wife may not have a choice. I just wanted to point that out because in the end your wife's art will look better if it's drawn from a properly lighted portrait. I hope I didn't overstep here because your wife is light years ahead of me in skill.

Does she have any other work for us to see? Would love to take a look.
 10/10/2010 12:31:54 PM · #3
Your right she grabbed our P&S and took the photo's before giving them to the parents and that's whats on our site. I'll try to take a decent picture of the Superdome that she has finished and her progress so for on the Rita Hayworth in a minute.

Your comments are dead on about the pics though. I want to make sure I find her a place that can do a great scan but also is affordable so that we can sell the print's for maybe $20.00 a piece. I want to make sure that every detail in the pencil stroke shows in the print.She's just getting started in the selling world. There is a market for commission around here which she will probably charge $85.00+ for but the scenery she is getting into does not have a huge market if you are not well know so she wants to keep her prints low. Probably will only start out with selling the original's for around $100.00- $300.00 depending on size, detail, etc.... and the prints for $20.00 signed and numbered to 5.
 10/10/2010 12:37:11 PM · #4
Sorry to be pedantic, but it's "giclée". Ghee-klay, as opposed to Glick-ee.
 10/10/2010 01:07:43 PM · #5
Originally posted by Louis:
Sorry to be pedantic, but it's "giclée". Ghee-klay, as opposed to Glick-ee.


Told you I know nothing about this. This is a learning experience and I want to do it right the first time around. Thanks for that info.

Jac- here is one that I just uploaded. I've added a "work in progress" section to our website and will try to update that with other pics soon.



Message edited by author 2010-10-10 13:08:36.
 10/10/2010 01:25:55 PM · #6
Wow, your wife knows how to work her values into her work very well. Her shading is spot on and this is far from being complete.
The classic lighting in that photo is exactly what I was talking about. Superb choice to test her skills.

Can't wait to see the complete sketch.

Thanks for sharing. :)
 10/10/2010 01:48:39 PM · #7
Originally posted by SEG:
Your comments are dead on about the pics though. I want to make sure I find her a place that can do a great scan but also is affordable so that we can sell the print's for maybe $20.00 a piece. I want to make sure that every detail in the pencil stroke shows in the print.She's just getting started in the selling world. There is a market for commission around here which she will probably charge $85.00+ for but the scenery she is getting into does not have a huge market if you are not well know so she wants to keep her prints low. Probably will only start out with selling the original's for around $100.00- $300.00 depending on size, detail, etc.... and the prints for $20.00 signed and numbered to 5.

While I approve in general of selling prints at an affordable price, I don't think you'll find a pro shop making giclee prints at a cheap enough price, and $20 is way too low for a limited edition (especially so small!) -- maybe sell signed but unnumbered prints for that price.

From what I read "giclee" is just a made-up marketing word for an inkjet print made with archival inks and substrates, and highly accurate as to color reproduction. For the kind of quantities you are proposing, I think you should consider getting a high-quality 13x19 printer and making them yourself.
 10/10/2010 03:25:00 PM · #8
I've previously lookeded into getting a printer but the printing is not the issue. The scanning is what seems to cost too much for us.
 10/10/2010 04:02:28 PM · #9
How large are the original drawings, and how much do you want to pay for a high-resolution (>300 dpi at final print size) scan?

An alternative is to make "copy photos" or use a copy-stand if the originals are small enough. You need a tripod or copy-stand, camera, two matched lights, and some way of affixing the original flat on a wall if large.

Set your camera at the lens's optimum focal length to avoid distortion, and position it so the original almost fills the frame, with the sensor plane absolutely parallel to the original and centered on it. Position the lights on opposite sides of the original and at an angle of about 30° -- this gives you the most even coverage without hotspots. If the original has a significantly panoramic aspect ratio, position the lights at the shorter sides. A copy-stand has a mount for the camera and arms for the lights to take of all of this.

You can use any lights, from clip-ons with aluminum reflectors to halogen shop lights; just position them appropriately and set a custom White Balance. I'd also bracket exposures; once you have the setup, taking several exposures with a variety of settings takes only a few minutes, and (especially if set at extremes) may yield pleasantly unexpected results -- perhaps useful for some future project if not now ... :-)

This diagram shows a vertical copy stand setup for shooting books, using a sheet of glass to hold the pages flat. With a single-sheet artwork, you should be able to hold it flat without glass, otherwise the diagram should work for your situation, just (optionally) set up on a wall instead of a tabletop.



Message edited by author 2010-10-10 16:05:12.
 10/10/2010 04:38:43 PM · #10
We used to do that to copy our vinyl album covers so we could hang them in our rooms. I used to use four lights, from my college days, and got very good results too. I still have my prints from back then. Good idea E but have you ever compared a scan to a photo copy? Would like to see if there is a noticeable difference.
 10/10/2010 05:12:29 PM · #11
I would prefer a scan for flat artwork, but quality scanners larger than 8-1/2x14 inches start to get expensive, though I admit I haven't priced them lately. It all depends on how large the originals are.

Even the local pro photo/graphics lab I'm most familiar with only scans up to 11x17. :-(

Message edited by author 2010-10-10 17:20:54.
 10/10/2010 08:42:06 PM · #12
Nice pencil art but I think Rugman1969's wife's peanut butter finger art puts your wife's stuff to shame.
 10/10/2010 11:14:31 PM · #13
Originally posted by Jac:
Good idea E but have you ever compared a scan to a photo copy? Would like to see if there is a noticeable difference.


For your purposes (high-fidelity reproduction of detailed pencil sketches) high-quality flatbed or drum scans are far superior to what you can produce via the copy-stand route via your dSLR. I have some experience in this because of involvement in producing replica books of out-of-print originals, and even in the smaller size of books the detail differences are noticeable.

The cost of making the scans is just part of the cost of business. You're pricing the prints too low, if you can't afford the scans, is the bottom line. IMO anyway...

R.
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