As an artist, deciding whether or not to make prints of your original work can be a challenging decision. Prints offer the opportunity to reach a wider audience, but they also raise concerns about the value and uniqueness of your art. With so many options available, it’s crucial to understand the impact prints may have on both your creative journey and your art’s market value.
On one hand, creating prints can help make your work more accessible, increasing its popularity and reach. However, many artists worry that producing copies could dilute the exclusivity and significance of their original pieces. The balance between artistic integrity and commercial success becomes even more difficult in an age where art reproductions are becoming increasingly common, thanks to advancements in printing technology.
So, should you make prints of your art? In this article, Should You Make Prints of Your Art? How To Decide, we’ll explore both sides of the debate, helping you determine whether creating prints aligns with your artistic goals and vision.
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Prints Versus Originals
An art print is a copy of an original artwork that can be made into various materials using various materials. Prints are always much less expensive than their original counterparts and might contain “less” of the artist. For example, an original piece will almost always have the artist’s signature
, while a print might not.
They can also be much smaller in size and lower in quality. Nevertheless, prints are exceedingly popular and have shaped a considerable portion of the art world as we know it.
Reasons To Make Prints of Your Art
There are many reasons you can decide to make prints of your art, including:
- Making artwork more accessible and, therefore, more popular for those who most likely cannot afford to buy the original painting.
- Since not everyone will have the financial means to obtain the original artwork, having prints scratches the itch of being able to have a physical copy of it (despite being non-original) for viewing or decorating as desired.
- If you’re good, you’re good. If you’re already an acclaimed artist and have made your mark in the art world, having prints made of your work cannot harm your standing or take away from the value of your art.
- If you make a limited number of prints of your art (for example, only a hundred), even these “lowly” prints become incredibly high in value after enough time has passed. Their price would also significantly increase as they can become as scarce as the original work, especially if the artist became more famous by then.
- Art is an investment. If you’re more interested in making quick money, printing is the way for you since it can ensure that more people flock to your work and purchase it. On the other hand, if you create a piece with no prints, its monetary value will be higher, but it might take much longer to find a prospective buyer and therefore take longer for you to profit from it.
- If, for whatever reason, you want to keep that original artwork for yourself, making prints will be the way you can commercialize and popularize it without losing it.
Reasons Not To Make Prints of Your Art
On the other hand, there are also valid reasons not to make prints of your work, including:
- Some artists believe that if their work were accessible to everyone and anyone, it would significantly decrease in value since it’s so spread around. No prints of it make it scarce and much higher in value as an art piece.
- The “one and only perspective.” Artwork with no prints is exceptionally high in value (both monetary and intrinsic) and tends to be more expensive since they’re not so commonly available. Obtaining a piece that no one else has ensures you have a one-of-a-kind piece that is purely for you. No sharing.
- Since times have changed, the printing world has also evolved. Living in the digital age, a world where it’s so easy to make copies of almost anything, along with the higher quality of duplicated work, it can be much more difficult to discern the original from the fake. Therefore, not making copies of your work can ensure the integrity of your work and preserve it as “the only” original piece.
- Prints are much lower in quality than their original counterparts. Whether it’s the color, the texture, or the overall look, a print or a copy will never match the realness of an original work. Those who aren’t as invested won’t mind, but it would make a world of difference to the keen observer.
- Paintings can be costly. You can ensure whoever eventually buys your work is a true fan and lover of the work versus making an affordable print where it gets purchased because it is cheaper and not because the buyer is an authentic art lover.
- Is it the best for the environment? In some places the material used for glossy prints cannot be recycled; the glossy paper used to print photographs cannot be recycled.
Albrecht Dürer and His Influence on the Art World
Albrecht Dürer to the Germans is the equivalent of Leonardo Davinci to the Italians. He was a painter, writer, and printmaker during the German renaissance. He rose to fame and made most of his profits selling prints of his artwork.
He can be regarded as the father (if not a very prominent figure) in printmaking who paved the way for artists after him to walk this path and popularize prints. Moreover, engravings became an important tool of communication for the dissemination of religious images, science, architectural examples, and these were easily transported all around the world. One of his most famous works is “Praying Hands.”
However, let’s not forget that printing techniques have existed for quite a long time before Dürer. His greatest accomplishment was increasing the status of the single-leaf woodcut (an image sold separately).
Some of the Most Popular Art Prints Right Now
Naturally, the art world is ever expanding. Every day, artists all around the globe create tons of new designs. However, some works have cemented their place in the art world. The most famous art prints are:
- All is Pretty by Andy Warhol.
- Between the Leaves by Emma Brownjohn.
- Indigo Rock 17 by Jen Garrido.
- Farewell To Anger by Leonid Afremov.
- Luskentyre by Bluebellgray.
- Equilibrium by Doug Chinnery.
- Waiting by Hannah Cole.
- In the Stillness by Kathy Ramsay Carr.
- The Great Wave Off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai.
- Starry Night by Van Gogh.
- Storm On The Sea Of Galilee By Rembrandt.
Final Thoughts
Deciding whether to make prints of your artwork is a personal choice that depends on your goals as an artist. Prints can make your art more accessible to a wider audience, allowing more people to enjoy your work, while also offering a potential source of income. On the other hand, some artists prefer to maintain the exclusivity of their original pieces, believing that this adds to their value and appeal.
Ultimately, the choice to create prints should align with your artistic vision and business objectives. If you want to make your work more commercially available while still retaining control over its distribution, prints could be a smart option. However, if maintaining the rarity and uniqueness of your original pieces is a priority, you might decide against it.
In the end, Should You Make Prints of Your Art? How To Decide is a question only you can answer based on what feels right for your art and your creative journey. Whether you choose to embrace prints or focus solely on originals, understanding the pros and cons will help you make a decision that supports your growth as an artist.