Canvas? Metal? Acrylic? Foam Board Prints? What kind of prints do I want, and what do they look like? Like many of you, I've seen beautiful prints that I have loved.   I've seen many prints with a similar vibe, but just felt flat and boring. Not something I would want in my house! Keeping my own preference in mind, I have recently decided to upgrade the quality of the prints featuring my artwork that I sell online and at art festivals. So I did some research on all the different kinds of material that prints can be made with. Wow is there a lot!

Most of us have seen and possibly ordered Canvas Prints. They are currently very popular and are made by printing a photo onto an archival grade canvas, then stretching  and stapling it over a wooden frame. I have personally seen wonderful artwork painted onto canvas. but is it the best for a print? Let's look at a couple pros and cons of canvas for prints.

Pros:
1. Canvas prints do not require framing. This makes covering the most wall space for a reasonable cost.
2. The matte finish of the canvas is glare free and works well for large places with strong lighting. This would make it great for commercial use.
3. It is flattering for photographs that have rich earthy tones and already look like a painting.

Cons:
1. Canvas can only reproduce about two thirds of the printable color spectrum, which makes it less than ideal for image vibrancy or clarity.
2. The edges of the photograph or artwork are usually wrapped to the side of the canvas to give the canvas a finished edge, cutting off much of the image when viewing it from the front.

Overall canvas prints can be a wonderfully affordable product that is light weight and easy to hang, but lacks a lot of the vibrancy of color or detail of the work.

1/4

Baseball games are cancelled, the Olympics have been postponed, and we are all bored at home. Oddly enough, this is the perfect time to buy artwork.

Since many art festivals this season have been canceled because of the Covid-19 outbreak, this is now a time many artists are able to catch up from commission work and back fill inventory. Many will be working on uploading new work onto their web sites and other online selling sites. This is a wonderful time to see brand new artwork, rather than picked over pieces from the festival season. Search online art websites for the for the perfect eye-catching piece for above the fireplace, the gorgeous entryway piece you know everyone is dying to have, or that dramatic piece for your office that would be a great conversation piece.

ArtPal, Artfinder, Saatchi, TurningArtist, and FineArtAmerica (as well as personal websites owned by your local artists) are a few of the online websites selling artwork from prints to original artwork. Most are very easy to use. With pull down menus and search buttons you can search for exactly the kind of artwork that would be perfect for you. Whether you are looking for floral, landscapes or wildlife you can find it on different medium such as oil, acrylic, or scratch board.

So pick up your ruler, swatches of your favorite colors, and snuggle up on your couch with a glass of wine or a cup of coffee and get ready for a great day of shopping for art at the online galleries. See you there!

Today, as many days, I was at Hobby Lobby. I'm guessing many of you were too, since it was quite busy. As is usually the case, I started talking to other crafters and artists. "What is new?" and "What's on sale?" Then we move on to, "What is your craft?" As you all know, I say " I'm a pet portrait artist." Eyes always get big and the typical response is "I've been wanting to get Fluffy's portrait done forever! I've looked for a good photo but cant find one I like."

Here are a few pointers that may help with taking a photo of your pet that would make a wonderful portrait.

• Looking down at our pets is a normal everyday thing; however in a portrait it can be very unflattering. The best angles are with you on the same level as your pet, it looking straight at you, his head cocked listening to you, or looking right past the camera.
  
• Take your pet's photo in natural light, preferably outdoors.
  
• Some cameras are just better than others. Some phone cameras work great, some not so great.  Look at your photos and enlarge a small area. See if it is blurry when enlarged.  Of course, if you have a real nice, expensive camera, your details will be better because of the focus and color. The most important thing is the eyes and nose are in focus.
  

Have fun taking photos of your pets. I can't wait to see them. Check out my website for more pointers. JanetFunk.com .

     Many times while I'm at an art show or a demonstration I am asked,  "What kind of artwork are you doing? "What is it?" "What do tools are you using?" and "How long does it take you?" So I thought it would be fun to answer a few of these questions over the next couple weeks on this blog.

     Today I will answer the first two questions; What kind of artwork do I do? and What is it?  I have worked a lot with Pen and Ink and Painted with Colored Inks, but my favorite medium and what I work mostly with is Scratch Board.

     Many people say, "Oh I remember using that in Kindergarten!" Yes, you probably used something similar to it. Your teacher probably had you color with crayons on a piece of paper and then painted it with a coat of black ink. You then you scratched it with a popsicle stick. Or she bought some similar paper at a craft store with an outline of a picture printed on it for you to scratch off.  That is usually called Scratch Art.

   Scratch Board is similar but different. The panel is an art board that is made of wood, next it has a smooth absorbent white clay layer, then coated with a high quality Indian Ink. Instead of the black Indian ink, some artists spray their own Clay Board (the panel with just the white clay layer) using a colored ink and an airbrush for the top coat to give their art a very unique look. Either way, these panels will not tear, bend or crack. The artist scrapes away the ink with many different tools to create intricately detailed work and show the beautiful white clay underneath. If color is desired, colored ink is most commonly painted on for brilliant yet translucent color. The artist can then scratch any highlights to make a very life like look. To insure the artwork is preserved typically it is sprayed with a varnish or clear fixative.

      Scratch Art is available at many local craft stores and is a great way to start Scratching.  It may take many hours to get the desired look you want but it is fun to see the result of your hard work. If your decide you would like to advance to Scratch Board you may need to purchase it online, especially to get unique sizes. Best wishes and have fun.