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I like the labor reducing (and cheapening) idea of printing on the canvas first and then painting on top. This removes the sketching time and eliminates the who

by aleyan 13y ago

I like the labor reducing (and cheapening) idea of printing on the canvas first and then painting on top. This removes the sketching time and eliminates the whole class of problems relating to proportion and perspective. The idea of shipping canvas in tubes has me less enthused. Most people can't stretch canvas over a frame on their own, so they have to get somebody to do it for them. That person probably isn't very cheap in their locale. This step is potentially done better at the factory. Next the stretched canvas needs to be framed. Once I have my 12" by 12" canvas stretched and then framed, I wouldn't be surprised that it cost me some multiple of the $53 price. Besides a costing a bundle more than quoted, I had to do some legwork in meatspace to get it wall ready. The quality of the work has to be good too, otherwise the prestige of a painting will be overshadowed by its gaudiness. Might as well hang the original photograph then. Overall, not an easy business to get right, but monetization is built in. I hope you succeed.

chrischen 13y ago
We're actually developing our own stretcher bars so that they can be assembled and stretched easily at home.
lnanek2 13y ago
Printing on canvas first seems to limit the artist, though. Not doing that would let them make a dogs head bigger to make the dog's expression the main part of the piece, for example, if you were getting a painting made of a favorite pet and wanted that - or whatever the goal is. The goal of art isn't to look as much like a photo as possible, so printing the photo first doesn't seem a good thing.
- pbhjpbhj 13y ago
  >The goal of art isn't to look as much like a photo as possible // Arguably Instapainting's "artists" aren't making art for Instapainting's customers, they're making photo-style reproduction in paint. Some artists work to create photorealism; I'd say it's fine to still call it art (but not art that does anything for me besides illicit awe as to the skill involved) despite it being perhaps better described as craft.
- gnaritas 13y ago
  There isn't a defined goal for art; it's whatever the artists wants it to be and in this case that's photo-realism.

by aleyan 13y ago

chrischen 13y ago

We're actually developing our own stretcher bars so that they can be assembled and stretched easily at home.

lnanek2 13y ago

Printing on canvas first seems to limit the artist, though. Not doing that would let them make a dogs head bigger to make the dog's expression the main part of the piece, for example, if you were getting a painting made of a favorite pet and wanted that - or whatever the goal is. The goal of art isn't to look as much like a photo as possible, so printing the photo first doesn't seem a good thing.

pbhjpbhj 13y ago
>The goal of art isn't to look as much like a photo as possible // Arguably Instapainting's "artists" aren't making art for Instapainting's customers, they're making photo-style reproduction in paint. Some artists work to create photorealism; I'd say it's fine to still call it art (but not art that does anything for me besides illicit awe as to the skill involved) despite it being perhaps better described as craft.
gnaritas 13y ago
There isn't a defined goal for art; it's whatever the artists wants it to be and in this case that's photo-realism.