Inky Thump was honoured to be included as one of the artists selected to exhibit at The Lansdowne Hotel in Eastbourne last weekend, hosted by Peter Patterson of New Art Gallery.

Now a monthly event, Peter hosts a selection of Sussex’s finest contemporary artists. Peter offers a unique insight into the world of art, his personal touch makes artists and clients feel welcome, whilst his experience and understanding of modern British artists, means he can find that special piece of art to satisfy even the most specific client brief.

The New Art Gallery will be hosting its summer exhibition at the Lansdowne Hotel over consecutive weekends of the 28th / 29th of June and the 6th / 7th of July. We look forward to seeing you there.

Inky Thump will also be the featured artist of the New Art Gallery in the near future, so watch this space.

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Many people are confused as to what giclee prints are or even how to pronounce the word (Gee-clay). Put simply, the word giclée (spelt with an accent over the first e) is derived from the French word gicleur. The French technical term for a jet or a nozzle. Une giclée means a spurt of some liquid. Coined in 1991 by printmaker Jack Duganne (he settled for the word Giclée) for fine art digital prints made using inkjet printers. The name was originally applied to fine art prints created on a modified Iris printer in a process invented in the late 1980s. It has since been used widely to mean any fine-art printing. This is usually archival, printed by an inkjet. It is often used by artists, galleries, and print shops for their high-quality printing.

What makes a print giclée?

Three factors must be considered to determine whether a print is giclée or not. Firstly the original image quality, the print quality and then the material the image is printed onto.

Image quality

To make such a high-quality print, the camera or scanner used to capture or scan the art must be able to do so with a high level of resolution. To compare, most digital photos are recorded at a resolution of 72 DPI on the screen, or “dots per inch,” and the image file of an art print needs to be at least 300 DPI. This is because the more dots of colour can be printed in a small area, the more detailed your final image will appear. Inky Thump Art captures images of the original paintings at 600 DPI. This allows for giclée prints up to twice the size of the original painting to be reproduced without losing any of the original images’ definition.

Print quality

Standard inkjet printers use a four-colour printing process made of CMYK colour in cartridges (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black). This is sometimes referred to as digital printing as opposed to litho printing which uses 4 CMYK colour plates printed one at a time, plus any special colours such as Pantone. Giclée printing uses a similar 4-colour process for printing as a base. However, additional colours are added to achieve smoother gradient transitions and greater depth in colour (such as light magenta, light cyan, light and very light grey). Inky Thump Art uses a giclée printer with 12 different inks to achieve larger colour variations and an almost identical representation of the original painting. As well as colour depth and variation, giclée inks are far less prone to fading over time.

Material

Giclée printing is generally applied to substrates or papers considered archival. Various substrates are available on which an image can be printed with such inks. These include various textures and finishes, matte photo paper, watercolour paper, cotton canvas, pre-coated canvas, or textured vinyl. Inky Thump Art always uses archival-heavy 300gsm paper to obtain the best finish.

Is a giclee print right for me?

The additional processes and equipment listed above do make giclee printing a more expensive option. However, the reproduction quality and longevity of colour in the prints far out ways any additional cost. A digital print positioned on a wall opposite a window will fade over time. A framed giclee print on archival paper will not fade. Even in direct sunlight, giclee prints hold their colour and value for much longer than regular prints. They are known to last approximately 200 years before they start to fade. They are museum-quality prints that are printed to last.

Due to the additional cost of production, artists will generally produce giclee prints in small runs. These are signed and numbered, adding value to any resale. Over time these pieces are far more sort after by collectors and prove to be a better investment as well as being statement pieces in any room.

If you are looking for a quality reproduction, one that will last a long time and retain value, you can’t go wrong with a beautifully framed giclee print.

You can view a selection of framed giclee prints by Inky Thump Art here.

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In 1966, The Beatles played 5 night in Tokyo. Going to Japan was somewhat anticlimactic for The Beatles as they didn’t see much of it due to the heavy security surrounding the band. Nevertheless, the band created a world of their own in their hotel room, thanks to the high-quality art supplies they were gifted. Equipped with fine Japanese art paper, watercolours, oil paints and brushes, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr created what would become the only known painting made and signed by each of them. 

The Beatles gave up touring two months after they were in Tokyo, and they never went back on tour as a group. That’s one of the reasons this painting is so special, the band never had this kind of time together again, stuck in a hotel room with nothing to do. The photographer Robert Whitaker had joined the band on tour, and his colour photographs brilliantly capture this snippet of time.

While The Beatles’ contributions to Images of a Woman seem decidedly abstract, the work acquired its current name in the late-1980s after a Japanese journalist thought he could see female genitals in Paul’s quadrant. While Lennon and McCartney favoured black paint for their portions, Harrison and Starr relied heavily on watercolour, and they united the quadrants with a punchy vermillion background to heighten the overall graphic effect. When the work was completed The Beatles removed the table lamp and signed an area of the remaining large white circle adjacent to their art.

If it was not for The Beatles’ generosity with their fans and supporters this piece of art may have been lost to us forever: It was typical of The Beatles that they would gift something to a fan or fan club without a second thought. They welcomed the president of Japan’s official Beatles Fan Club, Tetsusaburo Shimoyama, into their hotel suite, and gave him the painting.

If this piece is out of your budget, or you would rather a picture depicting the band, Inky Thump has recently finished a work or art showing the Beatles in the early 1960s. The painting is also available as a print.

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Commissioning art

When property developer Unica Capital were commissioning art for an office renovation they had just completed in Soho, London, they asked Inky Thump to produce 4 pieces of original wall art.

By working together from the very beginning of the project, a comprehensive brief was created. This gave Inky Thump the scope to produce vibrant images that reflect the artists style. It also delivered on all the developers aspirations. 

By keeping an ongoing dialogue throughout the duration of the project, which included briefing sessions, presenting initial ideas, sketches and then refinements, the final artworks were well received by all parties.

The four portraits created, set out to reflect the vibrancy and diversity of Soho. They line the entrance hall to the offices, adding vibrancy and interest whilst creating a sense of arrival for visitors to the property.

Inky first created a set of striking backgrounds. By using different coloured paints applied abstractly, the cosmopolitan, inclusive nature of Soho is reflected in the pieces. A layer of black ink was then applied using a silk screen printing process. All the portraits were created in this way -striping out colour from the models demonstrates we are all equals regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexuality, age, etc.

Finally, a distressed layer of gold paint was added to define the figure’s outlines.

How do I begin the process of commissioning art?

Commissioning art for an office is a lot less daunting than many people think. Be it for a commercial building, small office or your home. The process is straightforward forward if you engage with the artist from the outset. It is important that both artist and client communicate throughout the entire process. Do this and you will end up owning a unique piece of wall art that is personal to you or your company.

What should you do if you have a project that requires a unique mural of piece of artwork? You can begin by researching artists that you admire. Engage with these artist, explain the project and manage expectation from the outset by being open about your budget. Most artist are open to commissions and relish the opportunity to work closely with clients.

If you have a project that requires this approach, please contact Inky Thump to discuss your requirements in further details.

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