I don't get canvas from MPIX anymore. It doesn't really even look like canvas, the texture is VERY subtle. I would recommend getting a small image first to be sure you like it. I have also heard from others that they were less than thrilled with MPIX canvas. But the turnaround is great.
Most places I have seen just print the photo on a canvas and call it a painting. There are a few places that actually take the time to put in the texture needed to make it look like a painting.
DragonflyDM wrote:
Most places I have seen just print the photo on a canvas and call it a painting. There are a few places that actually take the time to put in the texture needed to make it look like a painting.
I am very intrested in this comment, I reciently had my first and perhaps last canvas print made.
It was dull and flat with no real texture and the final result just looked like a really bad photographic print that was under exposed.
The surface was coated with a protective resin that I suspect added to the flat and dull look.
I was expecting to see a painting-like effect with the canvas weave being very apparent.
So I had all but given up on canvas printing as an offering to my clients, but your comment above gives me some hope... perhaps it was just the lab I used.
Can you recommend a lab that can product such a print ?
I recently had a client who wanted what Mpix had to offer and I got her a 11x17 that she was thrilled with. It does look like a print on canvas with slight cloth-type pattern.
Another client wanted something more upscale and needed it to look like a painting. We used www.canvasondemand.com and they were very happy with the results. Fast turnaround from both of them.
Best,
There are 2 ways to make a canvas print -= 'giclee', which is ink jet onto a canvas cloth (may be synthetic, but the texture is there). the other is to make a regular print, remove part of the paper and useing a hot press, press the photo onto the canvas (or canvas textured board or masonite, etc). Coating is optional.
You have to ask each lab how they do it and then decide what you like best. My lab (profilmet.com) prints on Kodak paper and then peels the paper and presses it on canvas, masonite (teh two best options) canvas board (doesn't arrrive flat in my experience so ou must fram it) or gallery wrap/stretcher.
On the wrap, my lab does not wrap the print around the frame - the edges are bare canvas. other places do, but you need to know this to allow for the image to be the right size - is the finished item 16x20 (so the wrapped image is more than that) or do they take a 16x20 print and wrap it (making the finished size smaller)
I will tell you what I have done, but I won't do it for a business. I actually have gone to school for fine art. I have had my images printed on canvas and it looked exactly like that-- a photo just printed on canvas instead of paper.
So I took my paints and actually painted over the image a bit to create the artwork of it. However, it is time consuming and I don't think anyone is going to pay me what I would need to charge to do that work.
When I see companies saying that they can make the image look like a painting, I am really skeptical that they are just doing something cheesy.
If anyone actually NEEDED a real painting from the image, and their client is willing to pay, I can do it and it would be a REAL painting, but it is time consuming.
Does anyone know if there are different standards of canvas ?
e.g. can one request a coarse canvas that has very defenite wave pattern ?
The giclee process seems to be the one used by my local printer, but the results (as I mentioned earlier) are dull and flat looking, with an almost "plastic" look, which I'm putting down to the protective coating.
Over-painting sounds great and would have the desired affect, but the practical problems with applying this in a business have been explained already.
I have considered using an adobe brush-stroke filter to give the painted impression, has anyone seen this done ?
Ray I think that effect looks horrible. The best bet is to learn Paint IX and make a real 1950s painted feel about it and see what you can do from there.
I use painter and winkflash. I allow for the wrap around the stretcher. Clients absolutely love it. I always ask for a paint chip sample of the color they choose for the background.
my sports lab (and other labs) can add brush strokes to any print or canvas - teh sports lab showed me the end results - subtle, but in the right light i suppose it looks more convincing. looks like a clear laquer or glaze is brushed on in small strokes to give the brushed appearance. the size of the strokes makes all the difference.
prof_fate wrote:
my sports lab (and other labs) can add brush strokes to any print or canvas - teh sports lab showed me the end results - subtle, but in the right light i suppose it looks more convincing. looks like a clear laquer or glaze is brushed on in small strokes to give the brushed appearance. the size of the strokes makes all the difference.
Here is a template that I sent in to be put on canvas, and when it comes in, I will add actual paint to the canvas, but the nice thing is that you don't have to work every part of the painting to keep the painting feel
Here is one that I did for a friend of mine as a Christmas gift (and yes, I shot the wedding for him too. A miserable wedding in January on a dark nasty day with no good locations to shoot or time in the schedule for proper formals).
I will never do a painting with that many faces again. It is just too time consuming to do it properly, but as a gift-- I only spent a few hours painting this one.
