FAQs

What are giclèe prints?

A giclèe (pronounced zhee-clay) is a high-resolution copy of an original artwork printed onto an archival quality paper. They are printed using specific 12 pigment-based colour printers from a fine art scanning of the original artwork.

My giclèes are an open edition and printed to order onto Hahnemühle Photo Rag® Bright White 100% cotton paper. It is a textured museum-quality paper for the highest level of age resistance.

What is limited EDITION/VE? 

All of my screenprints are limited edition, which means there are only a certain number of that print made shown by the number in the bottom left hand corner. For example 3/12 means there are only 12 made of that design in that colour, and it is the third print to be signed out of that 12. Some of my designs may be made in more than one colourway, but it is a separate edition as the colours will be quite different from each other and made at a different time.

If you have an edition numbered with 3/12 VE this means it is part of a variable edition. A variable edition is when there is a very slight difference within the limited edition. In terms of my screenprints, a word may be positioned slightly differently on each print in the edition, or in the example of ‘Heart I’ the background has been pulled in a way as to show different textures.

If something is numbered 1/1 this means there is only one of those exact artworks. You will see this for example of my mounted miniprints. They are collages or mini printed pieces and are unique artworks that can’t/won’t be created again in the same way. As some of these unique miniprints are made from similar materials, they can be displayed as a set or individually.

An open edition is when there are an unlimited number of prints available. This only happens with my giclèe prints, which are printed to order from my original artwork (see ‘what are giclèe prints?’ FAQ)

What’s the best way to frame prints?          

How you frame your prints is completely up to you! You can go for a neutral white, grey or black, to let the artwork sing, match to the room it’s being displayed in or pick up a colour in the artwork to make it extra jazzy.

Regardless of which colour and style frame you go for, there are some things I like to keep in mind;

·       Choose a UV absorbing glazing– the screenprint inks I use are fade resistant, although the fluorescents can be prone to fading more than others. A glass or acrylic that absorbs the UV will help to keep your artwork looking tiptop for years to come.

·       Keep the artwork away from the glazing – you can do this by choosing a simple mount, or choose a frame with spacers to keep the artwork flat but away from the glazing.

·       Choose a larger frame to include a mount – a mount will keep the artwork from pressing against the glass and will also make the overall artwork larger

In the basic sense, screenprinting is a way to create a larger number of the same design. Monoprinting means that a design can just be printed once. I use my silkscreen for both screenprinting and monoprinting. When monoprinting I paint directly onto the screen and then push that design through the mesh onto the paper below. There will only be one copy made of that design and to produce another monoprint, the screen needs to be cleaned and dried before being able to paint another design onto the screen. I hear you asking another question…if you have to paint onto the screen, why not paint directly onto the paper? Ah well, with printing you need to take a simple process and make it extra complicated! And, with using a silkscreen to monoprint, you get the finish of the paint, but the smoother texture of a screenprint; you can build layers of colour without the volume of a painting. There is also the element of the unknown! You can paint onto the screen but you don’t quite know how the design will come out until you lift up the screen after pulling.

Most prints will be rolled in acid free branded tissue paper and shipped by 2nd class signed for with the Royal Mail, in a plastic free alternative to a postal tube – all made of cardboard with square ends instead of round.

For smaller prints, these will be packaged in biodegradeable and compostable cello sleeves (EN 13432 certified film) and posted 2nd class signed for in a hard backed envelope.

Framed prints will be sent padded and boxed 2nd class signed for.

All my packaging is plastic free, biodegradable, compostable and recyclable,m. This includes the stickers and tissue which are printed with soy based inks compostable cello sleeves that are EN 13432 certified. The only time you may see plastic is if I re-use bubble wrap that I have received in packages myself, and would encourage you to reuse yourself where possible!

I will only send my prints ‘signed for’ to avoid the artwork getting lost. All p+p charges are the cost price of shipping to your designated country – I don’t mark up for shipping, or charge anything towards the cost of packaging so I can keep the shipping costs the bare minimum while trying to guarantee the safe arrival of your artwork.

Although there’s always ways to improve here’s what I do to try and stay as eco-friendly and sustainable as possible;

• Plastic- free/biodegradable gift wrap and packaging (take a look at ‘HOW DO YOU SHIP ART’ FAQ for more info)

• Water-based printing inks

• FSC certified papers from local London suppliers

• I buy all my materials, equipment and supplies from U.K. companies, using London-local where possible

• I reuse as much as I can! Test prints and seconds are available to buy, and I reuse as much as I can for scrap paper and stencils