Limited Edition Art Prints Are Not Like Photocopies of Paintings

I  was discussing the blog post "Thomas Kinkade and Lionel Trains Celebrate Christmas 2012" with a friend that is so crazy for trains she and her husband actually have train tracks with model Lionel trains running around their house; and she said something that really took me back.

I mentioned that it was one of the last paintings that Kinkade completed before he passed away in April of this year and I felt the limited edition had some value besides the fact it was done by Kinkade.
She said, "I would never bother with a print, they are nothing but xeroxes of paintings, there's no value in that." 
Seriously?
At first I thought she was pulling my leg, and then I realized all the artwork in her home consisted of some gorgeous vintage posters and a lot of art done on canvas by her enormously talented mother and aunt.
I realized here are probably a number of people that feel the same way about prints and they shouldn't.

Fine art limited edition prints are an exact and true copy of the artist's original work. No one slaps a painting on a xerox machine and packs up the copies as they shoot out the bottom on cheap white paper. Instead it's a process. It's very normal procedure for the artist to work through the process with the production team from start to finish. Limited editions are often numbered and/or hand signed by the artist and they usually have value that increases over time because of the limited nature of the production. It gets down to this: since only a limited number was ever available - people got what they got and there's no more to be had. There are collectors that go after specific numbers in a given series.

The quality that goes into a limited edition print run is amazing. 
Along with only a select number being produced, then each print is inspected by the artist and signed, inspected again by The Publisher then numbered, certifying your art’s quality and individual identity.

Robert Finale's "A Winter Stroll"

A great example of a hand embellished Giclee print on canvas is Robert Finale's "A Winter Stroll".
Look at the how brilliant the colors and shades are in this print. His use of light elements just makes this piece pop with life. His attention to detail is amazing. 

Itzchak Tarkay's "Afternoon Tea"

Looking at this piece, you can imagine that someone in any of those windows is looking out and wondering what's going on - perhaps looking the window you're looking out of into the painting.

If you want to see a great example of a print on paper with colors that come to life, check out Itzchak Tarkay's hand signed and numbered limited edition on paper titled,"Afternoon Tea". Itzchak was placed in a Nazi concentration camp when he was only 9 years old and survived. He tends to paint bright colors and subjects that are fast snapshots in time. Like these ladies enjoying an afternoon tea together.
Spend a little time in our showcase and find an artist you relate to and start collecting their works, as you can see, a print can be a great investment.

See the selection now at http://www.gallerydirectart.com/dealer-gallery-of-fine-art-prints---posters.html

Animation Art - From Walt Disney to the Avengers

Sometimes you just want something different. You think still life artworks are nice but you don't want one for your walls. You think landscapes are alright, Bob Ross certainly made a living showing us all how to appreciate happy little trees; but you want something that defines both art and fun.
The answer can come in 2 words : Animation Art.

There are a ton of choices, from new releases like "Frankenweenie" by the imagination only Tim Burton could dream up to the classics from Walt Disney such as "Alice in Wonderland" and don't forget, long before "The Avengers" was a box-office smash, it was an animated series.

"Twisted and Evil" by  Trevor Carlton

You aren't limited to prints either.
Many of the art prints are available on hand-embellished, textured canvas. Look at the colors pop in this piece by Trevor Calton, "Twisted and Evil" and if you remember this evil queen, she certainly fits that title!

The attention to detail on this piece is amazing.
The best thing about hand embellished canvas pieces like these is since they have the one on one hand-work, they are truly unique, with no two being identical.

We're going to cover this in an upcoming article, but also consider the value of your piece. 

"A Fairies' Reflection"

Very often limited edition animation art pieces go up in value. So you can quite often consider that the piece you're adding to your collection (or someone else's collection if the animation art is a gift) is an investment.

A great example of a very limited edition is James Coleman's "A Fairies' Reflection (Peter Pan-Tinkerbell)".

Only 30 of these absolutely gorgeous prints were made and they are a mixed media print. Giclee on canvas with individually applied gold and silver leaf appliques. Each of these prints comes with a certificate of authenticity.


The superheroes on the big screen in the Batman franchise of films to the aforementioned "Avengers, all have animation art because that's where they started. There's no reason to think animation art can't be considered fine art as well.
You can see the huge array of choices in our Animation Art showcase.