Making prints out of your artwork

 Slowly building a printed collection...

As some of you may know, I am slowly trying to build my collection of prints and stickers, with the idea that in the near future, I may try to sell some... But this comes with its own challenges! 

If you want to see some of the artwork I've turned into prints or stickers, you can go check my Patreon, where I publish some of it!

Building the collection!

One of the challenges, and one I'm still very much struggling with, is to actually have something to transform into prints / stickers. I am not one of these artists that create 5 masterpieces a day, and when going through my sketchbook / finished pieces (not that I have many anyway), I find it very difficult to find art I'm actually happy with. Whenever I try to set myself to paint things specifically with the objective of making a print out of it, I get some weird creative block and it does not work out at all...

So what I end up doing, is more to work on creating a habit of painting, without the pressure of making something that could sell. Once in a while, I flip through my last pieces and select some that convey a nice feeling. Or it can happen that I'm very happy of a study I just did and decide to transform it into a print. 

The thing is, I am now only trying to find pieces with feeling, not perfect ones. Most of my artwork doesn't feel "finished", but I like it that way, and I am slowly learning to accept that!

Going digital!

Scan? Photographs?

Once you've selected some pieces, you still need to somehow make them appear on your computer screen. For this, I chose to use a scanner. I know that some artists prefer to take high resolution photographs, as they have better control of the lighting, etc. However, as I am not an experienced photographer, and I only take photographs with my smartphone, I find it very hard to get high-quality images. My scanner is the Epson Perfection V39 II, which makes some beautiful high resolution scans.

Of course, using a scanner comes with its limitations: 

• I cannot go behond an A4 size 
• When scanning something that is close to the binding of my sketchbook,I get some colors and lines distortions
• The lighting is perfectly flat and white, which may lose some texture

However, for what I want to do, I feel the the scanner works well. If my image is too big, I can always scan it part by part and then re-assemble it digitally.

Digital touch-ups

First, I have to turn & crop the scan. Then I may have to adjust the parts that are distorted / blurred. I do this using Krita (a free digital painting software). When I'm on Krita, I also sign (as I usually forget to do it beforehand) and sometimes clean-up the artwork (erasing some construction lines that were still there, etc.). 

Depending on the use of the scan, I may have to do more or less touch-ups. Some of my traditional artwork, I use to create small posters, with a digital background, or some quotes on top. Others, I use to make stickers. I then have to erase the background, and create a border around the sticker. When I did my business cards, I had to create a file with exactly the right dimensions, and tweak a little bit my artwork to make it fit within the borders. When I just want to do some "simple" art prints, I usually dont't have to change the artwork that much, except if it was scan in different parts ofc.

Printing

Once you have a digital file you are happy with, comes the printing part... And again, new challenges!

Of course, it is always possible to go with a professional printer. In this case, you need to check out the requirements on the file (resolution, color type, margins, etc.). Usually, you can also ask for a sample before committing to a bigger order. I never ordered with a professional printer (except for my business card, I used MOO, and I am super happy with the result), mainly because 1) it is costly, and for now I only print for my family and myself; 2) you can only order big quantities, and I don't have an outlet for my artwork (yet).

So, for now, I print on my own! I use the Epson ET-1810 Ecotank. It's not a professional printer, as those are super expensive. However, you can get a very decent printing quality!

The layout

First, I import my files on the Epson software (Epson Photo+). Here I can create the layout of my print (if I want to put 4 of the same, make a whole bunch of stickers, etc.). It is super easy to use, and you can save you layout if it is something you plan on printing again in the future. You can also chose some of you printing parameters (standard or high quality printing). And chose the type of paper...

Chosing the right paper

Chosing the paper is very important when you want to get a nice printing result. For now, I've tested three types of paper:

• my Hahnemühle watercolor paper (300gsm). It is slightly yellow and have some grain.
• the 190 Hahnemühle Sketch paper (190gsm). It is white, with less grain, but still a little bit of texture.
• A glossy photo paper / inkjet paper (169gsm).
• Basic sticker paper.

On the printing parameters, you can chose which type of paper you are using. It can be tricky as not all printers have the same terminology. Usually, I use the "Mat Epson" for the Hahnemühle ones and the sticker paper, and the "Coated Photo Paper" when I use photo paper (but there are many types of photo paper, so I may try another one also).

Transforming the colors?

Usually, what you will print will not have exactly the same colors as what you see on your screen (and of course, it also depends on your screen parameters). I find it especially tricky when printing digital art, as the finish can be quite off. 

When printing scans, I do not modify the colors, as I am usually quite happy with how they are printed (this may change case by case). Even if the colors are a little bit different from the original painting, I find that it can give a different (and nice) atmosphere to the piece. I am actually considering playing more with the colors digitally, to make series of the same painting but with different color parameters!

When printing digital art, I usually do quite some testing to find the right color balance that is truthful to what I was trying to convey digitally. Once I am happy with the whanges, I save them under a different name, so that I have the "printable" version of the artwork, and the original one. Usually, I also take notes on the modification I have made, to help speed up the process for the next ones.

Finishing touches

Once the printing is done, I'm almost done! Usually, I want to protect the print. I let it dry for a while, then apply a coat of anti-UV spray from Schmincke. It's important to wait until the ink is fully dry before spraying, otherwise you can have some weird blotches on your print. Once this coat is dry, I have a few options:

• When using the 190 Hahnemühle Sketch paper, I will put a coat of Dorland's wax medium. It enhances a little bit the colors, and gives a very nice finish, while protecting the print.
• When I use sticker paper or photo paper, I usually laminate the final result, to give extra protection. For this, I use the Olympia A230, with hot lamination pouches.

And once the prints are protected, comes the cutting part! I use classic paper cutter for straight lines, and x-knife for the stickers (which is not optimal at all...). I am considering buying a Cricut for the stickers, to have a cleaner result and spend less time trying to cut perfect circles. 

Watercolor paper.

Laminated photo paper

Sketch paper with a coat of cold wax.

The top left is on Sketch paper with a coat of cold wax. The one on the right is laminated photo paper. And the one below is printed on watercolor paper.

The colors are not exactly how I saw them, but it gives an idea of the difference between the three prints. I more and more like to print on sketch paper, with a coat of cold wax. There is a little bit of texture, but not too much, and the colors are very vibrant. However, for hanging stuff on the walls, I still feel more secured with laminated photo paper. The colors on photo paper change a lot during the drying process, so it's very important to wait until it's dry. Photo paper are very smooth so you can get a lot of details, but there is absolutely no texture (so it won't compensate for you scan!). Watercolor paper was just a test, but I don't think I'll continue using it for prints!

And then what?

For now I only go through all of this process for my own fun (and learning). Basically, I like putting stickers on my stuff, and putting prints on my office walls.

Putting art stickers everywhere! Only the bottom-left one is laminated here. And see how hard it is to cut circles...

Hanging prints on my office wall (the lighting at my office is awful... but I hope you get the idea!). All of these are laminated photo paper.

Selling?

This next step still needs to be defined, I have not come to this part yet... Selling comes with a whole bunch of challenges again: How to reach people? How to send the artwork? 

So yes, definitely one of my objectives, but I have no idea how to get there yet!

As always, don't hesitate to comment, ore ask any questions you may have :)