Creative Process / Printmaking / More

More Glossary Terms:

Artist's Proofs:
Although there is a limit to the edition of a print, there is a custom that the artist reserves the right to print and additional 10% to 15% of the total numbered edition for personal use (including sale to dealers, or gifts to museums). These extra prints are identical in quality to the numbered prints and are usually identified on the left margin (in place of a number) by one of the following markings: Artists Proof written in longhand, A.P. (abbreviated version of same), Epreuve d'artist in longhand, E.A. I (abbreviated version of same), H.C. for the French Hors Commerce (literally: out of trade).

Artist's Monogram
A monogram bearing the artist's initials or personal sign, either stamped or drawn on the print. The monogram can also be drawn on the stone, or inscribed on the plate.

Atelier Stamp
A stamp put on an artist's work by his/her estate at the time of the sale of the works in the studio after his/her death.

Bon a tirer (RTP, Ready to Print)
A French term meaning "good to be printed". This is a special proof which is generally signed in pencil and designated to advise the printer of the artist's approval. This is the go-ahead to proceed and print the edition.  Such a proof is naturally rare, and would be a desirable acquisition to knowledgeable collectors.

Cancelled Plate
When the edition is fully printed, the plate is either destroyed or cancelled by the artist. Most artists mark or deface their plate in some way to show that the edition is completed. Sometimes, the artist will donate or sell the plate to a museum ,where the plate serves to instruct the amateur and professional alike. Some plates, being in excellent condition, have been reprinted with the canceling lines indicated.

D'apres art ("After")
A hand-numbered, limited edition print "after" an artist of significance, whose signature is plate signed to the piece. These pictures are reproductions of oil paintings by significant artists and are made by a photo-mechanical process similar to the copies of oil paintings on view in every secondary-school lunchroom. They are decorative, but not fine art, and sell for much less, it is highly doubtful that these "afters" would ever increase in value.

Edition
A run of points, usually limited by modern artists; a complete printing. On a numbered plate, the higher number of the fraction tells how many of that print were made. Thus the inscription 34/50 reveals that there were fifty prints issued, the one at hand being number 34. This doe not necessarily mean that this was the 34th print to come off the press or that it is better or inferior in quality to higher or lower numbers. Since the artist destroys badly printed proofs, all are of equal merit.

Edition Size
The size of an edition is determined to some extent by the technique used. Intaglio printing yields many less successful prints than lithographs or relief prints. Editions of less than 100 are considered small. The contemporary artist often limits his/her editions to 30-50 prints, especially if he/she prints them. An average edition is one of 100 to 300. Many prints are made to accompany a written text, and such editions may number in the thousands. The value of the print is often determined by its rarity, but quality has nothing to with the numbers of impressions made.

Portfolio
A collection of prints by one or more artists published together. Usually the sheets are loose, not bound in book form.

Printing
Each print must be done separately and if the artist does the printing - which most contemporary artists do - he/she usually uses a hand press. Naturally, if each color on a print has to be  printed separately and each print carefully inked, the task is a long and time-consuming one. However, many prints are actually taken by professional printers. This has no importance in itself. The main criterion that determines originality is the degree to which the artist has created the task for the print or done the actual work on the plate itself.

Provenance
The history of previous ownership of a work of art. If available, the provenance aids in establishing authentication and value.