An all new deck from artist J Edward Neill
54 original artworks. 54 haunted cats.
Casino card quality. Shuffles like a dream.
Ships in a sturdy white flip box.
Now available! Click the pic below to get yours tonight!
So…
You say you’re in the market for some art prints.
First of all, awesome. After all, art prints have great upsides. They’re an inexpensive alternative to buying original art. They’re typically smaller than big canvas paintings. They can be put into stylish frames. They’re easier to handle, and even replace, than larger, hard-to-ship art.
Sounds great, right?
But there’s just one question.
How do you know what type of art print is right for you?
Now, when we talk about the ‘type’ of art print, we’re not looking at the art style. That’s a entirely different conversation. Maybe you like kittens, or watercolors, or abstract art, or…if you’re looking at my work, crazy dark surrealism. It’s all good. But what we’re talking about today is the material of which your future art print will be made of. Be it photograph paper, inkjet lustre prints, velvet giclees, canvas prints, or mounted canvas, there are more styles of print than most people realize.
Many, many more.
Which is a good thing. It’s always nice to have options, right?
Let’s get straight to it.
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Photographic style prints are your entry-level art print. If you buy from most artists, this is the basic style they will offer. Photo-style prints are inexpensive, durable, and provide a quality that most art-lovers find very much acceptable.
What’s the scoop?
This type of print typically uses dyed inks on digital photograph paper. If you’ve ever held an actual photograph in your hand (I say this only because so many photos these days are strictly digital) then you have a general idea for the quality of a photo print. The paper stock used is thicker than standard printer paper. It’s durable stuff, and the colors of most paintings (especially line art or art with plenty of strong, bold colors) will look good. It’s easy to frame, easy to ship, and not particularly pricey. What’s more, this style of print can be made to be glossy, semi-glossy, matte, or even metallic, depending on the artist’s (or buyer’s) tastes.
In short, it’s versatile stuff. And in today’s ever-growing art market, it’s what you’ll see a ton of.
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Suppose you want to step up your art print game. You want better color saturation. Better paper. Something longer lasting.
And more than anything, you want an art print that picks up every detail of the original artist’s work.
Giclee prints might be for you.
In today’s world, there are many styles of giclee prints. There’s deep matte, a printing process which carves out any hint of shine, leaving only the deep, dark details. There’s somerset velvet, a smooth, luxurious-feeling print, capturing the subtle color notes in a detailed piece of art. If you see words like Lexjet, Lexjet matte, Somerset velvet, or 100% cotton, then you’re dealing with a high-quality giclee.
In short, giclees are gallery-quality prints printed using pigmented inks (instead of dyed inks) on archival (typically cotton) paper. If the original is unavailable, and a buyer, gallery, or even the original artist wants an excellent reproduction, giclees are most likely what they’ll go for. The paper is much higher quality than photo paper, which allows excellent color saturation and detail. When framed properly, a good giclee will resemble the original painting in almost every way (unless it was a highly-textured original.)
The only drawback? With giclees, buyers should expect to pay two to four times more than the price of a standard photographic print.
As the saying goes, you get what you pay for.
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Still further up the art print ladder, we find canvas prints.
Similar to giclees (and made using the same pigmented inks) canvas prints typically are excellent, top-notch reproductions of art. Whether created by traditional artists after their originals have sold or by digital artists who desire a physical copy of their work, canvas prints are a superb method of displaying art.
Firstly, they’re flexible. Printed on the thickest, most durable materials, canvas prints are bendy, tough to damage, and easy to trim/manipulate for framing. Even more than giclees, they’re a long-lasting print style, and can be varnished with protective coatings to last many decades (or possibly even centuries…given that the technology used to create them is still relatively new.)
If you’re a collector who wants the best possible reproduction of a piece of art, canvas prints are likely for you.
The good news? While pricier than inkjet or photo prints, canvas prints are typically only 10-25% more expensive than giclees.
The challenge? Canvas prints come loose and in need of (usually high-quality) framing.
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Mounted canvas prints are quite simple, really.
They’re the same as canvas prints, same material, same color quality, same durability.
But they’re stretched and mounted on a wooden frame, and are 100% ready to hang.
For collectors who don’t want to pick out custom frames, and for art-lovers who like to hang art just as it looked in the original artist’s studio, mounted canvasses are a great option. Like standard canvas prints, they can be varnished. The wooden frames (typically 1/2″ to 2″ thick) offer stability, ease of hanging, and true-to-life colors which often match the original work.
Personally, I’ve hung multiple mounted canvasses of my own work (after the originals are gone) and I can’t really tell the difference between them and the original paintings.
They’re that good.
The good part? Original-looking art which typically costs far less than original paintings.
The only drawback? The cost of stretching and mounting the canvas is significant, meaning these are usually the most expensive print option.
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Of course, there are other print options out there. Custom paper styles. Custom finishes. But in general, 95% of what collectors will see in the market today will fall under these four art prints styles.
I hope, for all you art-lovers and artists out there, this article proved helpful. If you have questions or want to chat about print styles, reach out to me at any of my social media links right here.
And of course, I invite you to take a look at my own selection of art prints. Click the pic below and fall into my surreal world.
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Until next time…
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J Edward Neill
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The Dreams & Incarnations oracle deck contains 52 lushly-illustrated cards, featuring original artwork by J Edward Neill and card definitions by Heather Neill.
Ravens, moons, cats, crocodiles…skeletons, towers, and otherworldly landscapes… The theme of the deck: dream symbolism and powerful, personal self imagery.
The deck ships in a sturdy lux box.
As an intuitive deck (readers are encouraged to find their personal meaning using the artwork) the guidebook will be primarily online. A free downloadable PDF is here. For those with e-readers, a guidebook will be available on Amazon Kindle. For those who prefer physical guidebooks, they’ll be available at Amazon (Prime w/ fast shipping) for just $5.99.
Dreams & Incarnations is available at Etsy – ShadowArtFinds. Individual decks, as well as discounted reseller bundles, are available.
Also…a series of six special edition 8 x 10 prints is already available (including full oracle card text) to celebrate the deck. Available here.
For a full video crash course, please head here.
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Now available, the Dreams & Incarnations guidebook on Amazon…
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Normally, if you asked me what kind of music I listen to, I’d hit you up with the strangest of combinations. “Death metal, classical soundtracks, and more death metal,” I’d say. I might rattle off a list of obscure soundtracks, old school death metal albums, and artists from the early 90’s, and you’d probably roll your eyes.
It’s okay. That’s a normal reaction. Contemporary music just isn’t my thing.
But…
When I get down to painting…
I sometimes get even more obscure.
So let’s dive right in.
These are my top ten music selections, whether artists or individual albums, to which I listen while painting away my days and nights.
Please enjoy…
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Hildur Guonadottir
Say her name three times fast, I dare you. So, what can one say about Hildur? Most probably know her as the Oscar award-winning creator of the Joker soundtrack. But really, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Hildur has several albums, soundtracks, and collaborative pieces with other European artists, ALL of which are amazing. For melancholic string work, atmospheric vocals, and emotional yet subtle compositions, no one is quite like Hildur.
For starters, try her solo album, Without Sinking. The string work alone is enough to make my paintbrush move without my even touching it.
And then move right along to Saman, whose atmospheres and moods aren’t like anything else on this list.
Late at night, while the rest of the world dreams, there’s a pretty good chance I’m wide awake, painting my heart out, absorbing hours of Hildur’s work.
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Hans Zimmer
Ok. Let’s go a little more mainstream.
Everyone knows Hans Zimmer, right?
The composer behind the Gladiator, Interstellar, and Inception soundtracks?
All credit to the master. I’m sure I’m but one of thousands who are inspired to create based on Hans’ work.
I mean…just listen to this.
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Agalloch
Up until about two years ago, I’d never heard of this band. And then one day I devoured this album, and I knew there was no going back.
Agalloch is a bit louder and more aggressive than most of the sounds on this list. And yet…the depth and length of their albums are enduring enough to inspire plenty of art.
When trying to categorize Agalloch, I sometimes lack the words. They’re not really metal, nor classical, nor contemporary. The way they blend acoustic guitar with slower, chunkier, heavier riffs, and the sheer longevity of most of their songs allows one to fall into a creative ocean…and not need to surface for hours.
I prefer listening to these guys when creating larger paintings. I let the drums set the pace for my background brush strokes, and then I forget what time of night it is.
Sadly, they’re no longer making music. But their catalogue is more than enough to occupy your ears for days.
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Depeche Mode
80’s fans will instantly recognize the name, and no further questions will need to be asked.
For everyone else, I’ll say only this. I don’t generally care for most 80’s bands. They’re much too poppy, too concerned with their hair.
But then there is Depeche Mode, one of few artists from that long ago decade capable of creating a genuine dark mood. Yes, plenty of their songs are about addiction and broken hearts. But I’m not really here for the lyrics, after all. I’ve here for Depeche’s moody beats. Their heavy sense of regret. Their darkness.
And more’s the better for painting.
Here. My personal favorite song, Waiting for the Night.
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Johann Johannsson
Every once in while, as many of us know, Spotify will deliver us down into a musical rabbit hole.
It was on one such night, while I patiently worked on another of my giant dark tree paintings, Johann emerged onto my playlist.
We’ve talked about Hildur Guanodottir already. Johann Johannsson is quite similar, if darker and more heavily produced. His soundtracks are truly all over the map in terms of depth, mood, and tonal range.
For starters, there’s the super intense Sicario soundtrack. But then there’s this bizarre gem, which I can’t even begin to categorize.
There are nights during which I simply set my music box to ‘Johann’ and never look back. My only grief is that he passed away recently, and thus won’t be able to create more of his wondering, ethereal music.
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Type O Negative
You might ask yourself, “What the hell are these guys doing here?”
Well… Everyone once in a while… I need to add a splash of anger to my art.
And who better than Type O?
I remember being fresh out of high school. And yes, that was ages ago. I heard Peter Steele booming away on albums which seemed to last forever, and I was hooked. As an artist, and as someone who needs to set the mood…and then for it to last a while, I’m not sure there are too many better choices for angst and anger than this here album. Or this one.
Do they truly fit in with the rest of my cello-heavy, moody-acoustic choices? No. Not at all.
And yet here they are.
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Max Richter
Speaking of moody, here’s a little something.
Max Richter is the master of one thing – long, enduring, ethereal soundtracks. Yes, he has shorter works, such as this beautiful piece. But primarily he deals in songs that seem unending, songs with a limited range but a very striking hook. There are no words (literally everything he does is instrumental) to describe some of his albums, one of which, at 8 hours, 24 minutes, he created with a theme and mood so simple, one could put it on in the background and fall into a waking dream for days.
If I want calm, and if I want to paint with slow, serene strokes, Max is my choice.
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Danzig
But then again, if I want raw, dark power, I turn to no other than the evil side of Elvis, Glenn Danzig.
Look, say what you will about Danzig’s newer works (which aren’t very compelling) his older music is unparalleled. Yes, he has the one soundtrack-ish album, Black Aria, but for my deep, dark art nights, I turn to his original four compilations, Danzig 1-4.
If a painting requires fury, sorrow, and perhaps more than a splash of dark passion, I go here, or especially here.
And my paintbrush and I will never look back.
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Robert Rich / Alio Die
Ok, let’s go completely off-grid.
If someone had asked me ten years ago, “Do you like New Age music?” I’d have slapped them in the jaw and shot fire out of my eyes. “New Age, you say? Are you out of your mind?”
Fast forward to today, and I get it now.
There’s something meditative about certain albums I’ve (accidentally) unearthed, and after lengthy experimentation, I’ve decided Robert Rich (and Alio Die, but primarily Robert Rich) is my go-to as far as shadowy, murky, atmospheric music. For example: this. And this. I’ve found myself listening to these and others not only while painting, but while driving long-distance, and finding inspiration whether standing before my easel or riding the long, lonely road.
How far will I follow my New Age curiosity? I suppose time will tell.
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Gregorian Chants
Ok, so…yeah.
At times, I find myself craving the most classical of classical music, the purest, simplest form of human noise-making.
And that, my friends, is chanting.
I don’t have a favorite album for this sort of thing. In fact, other than the Tallis Scholars (whom I adore) I don’t know the names of most of the artists/monks who create this wonderful expression of voice.
But on some afternoons, if the sun is shining just so, and if the mood so strikes me, I’ll put on an hour or five of Gregorian chants and forget I live in the 21st Century.
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If you haven’t guessed by now, pretty much all I do is listen to music and make art.
My art is here.
I hope it makes music for your eyes.
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J Edward Neill