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Hug Your Monster Dragon Plate by trgatesart
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Fine Art America Prints Part 1

I few posts back I mentioned opening an account at Fine Art America and adding some of my art to be made into prints and canvas. Last Friday, I ordered four prints - two of my "Sharing with a Friend" painting and two of my "Magical Moonlight" painting. All in varying sizes and papers.

Even though on the site it said that all four would be shipped rolled in a tube, they arrived today in a large, flat box (which I prefer). Shipping for all of this was around $13 USD through FedEx. Each print was separated from the other with wax paper. The entire group protected by two pieces of thick cardboard taped together, another piece of cardboard securing them and all of this wrapped in enough bubble wrap to secure it in the box. Yes, my prints were well packaged.

I decided to buy two prints, 9" x 12", on glossy canvas. I chose rolled canvas rather than having it stretched on wooden bars. While they also sell frames and mats for your prints and canvas, I decided against having this done this time around.

Here are photos of the 9" x 12" canvas prints:

"Sharing with a Friend" on glossy canvas.

Close up of "Sharing with a Friend" on glossy canvas.

"Magical Moonlight" on glossy canvas.

As you can see, they both came with a wide white border. I have to say I like the texture of the canvas. Both prints came out very close on color to the original. Magical Moonlight measures exactly 9" x 12" (not including the white border) and because of it being digital art on canvas, seems slightly softer than the original. Sharing with a Friend measures near 9.5" by 12" (excluding white border) due to uploading it at an unusual size. The over all print is vibrant.

 Continue on to Part 2...

Fine Art America Prints Part 2

Since "Sharing with a Friend" was originally created with watercolors on illustration board, I decided to order a print of it on watercolor paper at the same size as the original.

"Sharing with a Friend" 11" x 14" print on watercolor paper

As you can see in the photo, this is a stiffer paper with a little curl, which can be remedied by putting it behind a mat, or glass. Of the two prints I bought for this artwork, I like this one the most. It is near identical to the original, slightly brighter, but with the added watercolor paper texture (as seen in the close up below). The details are clear and crisp. I'm highly pleased with how this one turned out.

Close up of "Sharing with a Friend" print on watercolor paper.

Last, but definitely not least, is the second print of Magical Moonlight. This one came out so beautiful. The photos of it do not do it justice.

"Magical Moonlight" 16" x 12" on Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper.

It was printed on Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper. The colors are rich, vivid. The paper itself is extra glossy. The moon and fairy dust really stand out. I'd say they almost glow. You can't tell by my photo, but the whites are brilliantly white. It's really a beautiful print. This one is my favorite of all four print papers/canvas.

All in all, I'm impressed by the prints by Fine Art America and feel they are a great option for prints. I plan to try out their acrylic prints and gallery wrap canvas soon. I encourage artists - traditional, digital, photography - to try them. As long as you have a high resolution photo of your art you won't be disappointed.

While you're at it, please check out my artwork through them at: Tracey R Gates Fine Art

-Trace

Return to Part 1

Dragon and Chickadee

© 2012 Tracey R Gates

I just finished this fantasy art drawing of a dragon and chickadee. Still haven't thought of a name yet. This is one of a set of drawing/paintings I'm working on. So, look for the painted version to show up sometime soon.

Those who know me, know that I love chickadees. The ones that come to our backyard are just as friendly as they are curious. I couldn't imagine anyone harming the little beauties. Not even a dragon!

Drawing was done with woodless graphite on acid-free recycled sketch paper (with more detail than shows up on the computer).

-Trace

Magical Moonlight

One of the programs I use for my digital art is Corel Painter. This past December I decided it was time to upgrade from version X to 12. Ok, not so much as decided as had to since my Painter X was destroyed in a flood. I chose the right time since the program was on deep sale.

I can say that so far I'm definitely not disappointed in version 12. 

That's not to say that Painter X was bad. Just look at this painting I created on it in 2008.

Magical Moonlight, © 2008 Tracey R Gates

It was my first attempt at making a digital painting and still one of my favorites. While I've been spending a good deal of time playing with my new granddaughter, I plan to get back to drawing and painting this year.

For Christmas 2011, my wonderful husband bought me a Wacom Intuos4 medium tablet. The drawing space is larger than the one I had on my Intuos3. I also like the texture of the drawing area. It feels more paper like rather than the extremely smooth surface of the Intuos3. Although, I will admit that the nibs seems to disappear a lot faster than those for version 3.

The combination Wacom tablet and Painter program really helps me create digital art as I would with traditional acrylic, brush and airbrush on canvas. There are settings for acrylic, oil, pen, pencil, marker, etc.. The program is set up so that each medium behaves just as it would traditionally. The tablet is set up so that it really does feel like I'm holding the brushes, pens, or other artistic tools. 

I still paint traditionally, but this is great for those times when I don't want to drag out all the supplies and easel. Especially since my craft room looks a bit like a tornado went through at the moment, but, hey, it's getting back to normal. 

Prints of "Magical Moonlight" are available at my artist page through Tracey R Gates artwork at Artist Rising, or at my online shop at PixieLed Originals.

Sharing with a Friend

Sharing with a Friend
©  2009 Tracey R Gates

After a hiatus that ended up being much longer than expected, I'm returning to my love of creating art. So, look for more artsy blogs to continue.

I've also decided to enter my art in a few contests. One of which is being hosted by Thalo Magazine  through Facebook. Winner gets their art on the cover of their magazine, $250 cash and $250 in artist supplies.

The entering period is over. Now we're onto the second phase: Public voting. Third phase will be voted on by a panel of judges.

I've entered the painting at the top of this post, entitled, "Sharing with a Friend". It's of a fairy sitting on a mushroom and sharing a sunflower seed with a curious black capped chickadee.
To vote for it go to http://apps.facebook.com/promotionshq/contests/180443/voteable_entries/41269713 . You can vote once daily until January 31, 2012.

Thank you to all who vote. And don't forget to check out Thalo Magazine for artist tips, articles, and job listings.

My Art on Fabric

For a long time I've wanted to put some of my art designs on fabric for my own use. I've tried doing it myself by using both pre-cut fabric sheets for the inkjet and using a product called Bubblejet Set. Of the two, I liked Bubblejet Set. It worked great in my printer and it didn't feel like plastic when I was done.

But I own a printer that only does normal 8.5" width sheets. So if I wanted a yard, it would take a bit of printing and sewing.

A while ago someone pointed me to an online fabric printing company called Spoonflower (http://www.spoonflower.com). There, designers can upload their designs and order what they need as a sample, fat quarter, yard, or three yards amounts. As of this post, they do not offer it for sale to anyone other than the designer.

I thought I'd give it a try.

The uploading process was quick and easy. I chose to use TIF format for my photos, but they allow jpg and png as well. After the image is uploaded a new section comes up where you can chose how you wanted the image printed. As it is, repeated horizontally and vertically, or in bricks and half bricks.

At $18 a yard, the price to me is a little steep, especially if you plan to sell your own fabric designs. However, their shipping prices are low at the moment. I chose to have three of my designs printed (the designs in this post, of course) as fat quarters ($11 each). I probably should have gone for the sample sizes to make sure they'd print right, but I wanted to have enough to add to a quilt later.


Spoonflower is still in Beta testing, which is why their site says it will take three weeks to process your order. I got mine within a week, two days after they emailed me to let me know it shipped.

First thing I noticed is the colors weren't as dark as I'd like them to be. Two seemed faded. That is through no fault of Spoonflower. Monitors are different and I was afraid my prints would come out too dark. Easy enough fix. I darkened the images and uploaded again. Of the three prints, Minta fairy was my favorite. Now that I've looked at them some more, I realize they're good just the way they are.

I also noticed that the images were larger than I hoped for. Their program showed what my fabric would look like by checking which size I was buying, so, I should have known better. By shrinking the image on my graphics program I fixed that for the next time.

As for the material, it's 100% cotton. Nice feel. It's a little too thin for my liking, but most quilters who've used this service like the fabric. Probably light to light medium thickness. Seems close to my bleached muslin, which is what I use when I use Bubbleset jet.

I have to admit that I was a bit surprised at the large white border around the print. I haven't measured yet, but I'm pretty sure the print is in fact a fat quarter.

All in all, a good service. My suggestion is to order samples to make sure the colors, print size, and lightness are the way you like, and then tweak the photo. I plan to buy more for my personal use. I haven't decided if I like it enough to sell. Well, at $18 a yard right now, it's probably a no unless someone shows a real interest.

To see more designs visit my profile at http://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/pixieled

Trace
http://pixieled.etsy.com