Detailed below is an overview of the techniques used to reproduce the fine art pictures available at the Gallery

Lithography : Offset Lithography : Giclee : Silkscreen
Authenticity of Limited Editions

Lithography
This process uses a “planographic” technique, whereby prints are made on a special press that uses a flat stone or metal surface. The surface is chemically treated so that ink only sticks to the design areas. The non-image areas repel the ink. Lithography was invented in 1798 and has been used with great success ever since to produce high calibre prints.

Offset Lithography
This is a special photo-mechanical process, in which the image to be printed is transferred to negative plates. This process works particularly well for colour reproduction. Limited editions tend to be printed using this technique. Special care is taken to destroy the printing plates to ensure that limited editions are truly limited.

Giclee
Giclee is a French word that means a spray of paint. The quality is such that originals can be reproduced to a very high standard. With oil paintings this technique can even capture the texture of the original. Colours and details are also captured to give an impression of a beautifully hand-painted quality. This method of reproduction tends to be more expensive as the artist and printer must add the human touch in many of the reproduction phases.

Silkscreen
Silkscreen is a very old technique based on stencilling. The number of colours required to reproduce a picture, depends upon how many were used in the original. Typically up to 30 colours are used. Photography and computer treatments are used to make stencils. These are used with inks to build up the copy, layer by layer. The inks are individually mixed and this process can be used to include special varnishes, texturing and gold leaf.

Authenticity of Limited Editions

The number
Most limited edition prints will be hand-numbered to guarantee authenticity. In general, the number of limited editions produced will be somewhere in the region of 400 to 850.

The signature
Each edition will bear the signature of the original artist. Again, this authenticates the image and ensures that the artist is satisfied with quality of the reproduction.