Winter 2007-8
Go large! Print your work up to 44”/111.76 cm. wide.
The Giclée Portfolio

Autumn 2007
Artist’s Tips: Making the Breakthrough by Kit Beecroft

Go Large! New 44” wide Prints

The waiting is over. Those giant, knock-their-socks-off prints you’ve dreamed of are now a reality, thanks to our gorgeous Epson Stylus PRO 9880.

It reproduces your work faithfully on rolls of superb fine art papers or canvas - up to 44 inches/111.76 cm. wide. And prints can be as long as you like, so if you photographers out there have made a fancy-schmancy 360 degree panorama landscape, or you artists have a mega-masterpiece, why not print them in all their glory?

Whether you want prints with the “wow factor” for a large public venue or a special commission, Salt of the Earth can satisfy your craving with huge A0 giclée prints (84.1cm. X 118.9 cm.) – or something a bit more modest. The choice is yours.

Our new printer is not only bigger, but also gives you benefits of the latest technical advances in giclée printing, including:

A rich and subtle colour gamut equivalent to conventional 12-colour ink systems; more vivid reds and blues
2880 X 1440 dpi maximum print resolution for incredible detail
Smoother tonal gradations

Experience this new generation of giclée excellence for yourself. We look forward to making 2008 the year of creating grand, bodacious prints for you.

 

The Giclée Portfolio: How Professionals Present

Be honest. When you show your work to galleries or potential buyers, does your portfolio look really classy and professional? Or a bit scruffy?

All too often, original works on paper find their way into overloaded plan chests, while unframed canvases get stacked against a studio wall for lack of space. The result? Dog-eared, scuffed and faded work that lets you down just when you most need to make a positive impression.

An increasing number of the artists and photographers we work with are asking for a consistent, clean set of small giclée prints – usually A4 or A3 size – that can be inserted into acid-free portfolio sleeves. This makes it simple to flip through a binder of a related series of images, or examples showing a progression from one style to another.

Fine art and greeting card publishers sometimes ask for a disk containing jpegs of work for initial consideration. But the very next step – if they spot something that interests them – will be to meet the artist or photographer for a look at a physical portfolio. These are commercially-minded professionals, and they expect to see work that says, “here’s a creative person with the high standards we expect” rather than a dirty, mismatched clutch of time-worn images.

And remember:

Not only will our scanning and mastering process give you the high-resolution images needed for printing, but also the jpegs you need to send to potential publishers/licensers or buyers for consideration
Mastering from your original paintings or drawings gives you a permanent set of images, as sharp and accurately coloured as your original. So, if you sell a work, you can still reproduce it and generate further revenue from prints.
There’s no minimum order. You can create a portfolio set of your work, then order larger prints as and when you have demand.

 

Making the Breakthrough

Kit Beecroft (email: kitbeecroft@btinternet.com) describes himself as “an artist with a bit of wool on my back.” It’s a good old Yorkshire expression meaning that he’s got plenty of experience, a good reputation and staying power. Perseverance is essential for any creative person – particularly when trying to get noticed by galleries, publishers and potential buyers.

If, like Kit, you produce work that’s powerful and anything but middle-of-the-road, the challenge is doubled. His abstract oils on canvas – some in thick, carved layers of luminous colour, and his new Ancient Myths figurative series in subdued tones, appeal to a distinct and demanding slice of the market. So, when he decided to issue giclée limited editions, he knew he had his work cut out. Here are his insights and a few tips for other artists:

“Promoting oneself as an artist is not as hard as you might think. The first requirement is a brilliant partner who bombards the known world with emails.

“Don’t be afraid of galleries; they might not be as daunting as you fear, or as knowledgeable as they think.

“Magazine editors, both here and over the Pond, seem to me to be very obliging, offering good amounts of editorial if one gives them a bit of business (even a small advert).

“Don’t be dictated to by art publishers as to style or subject matter. Paint what interests you and stick to your guns.

“Give interviews if asked, and make sure you are articulate. It helps to be highly literate and be able to discuss Art at length.

“Finally, good manners aren’t always on offer in this business, so try to develop an extra layer of skin!”