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HOW IT'S DONE: Color pencil, offset lithograph, and giclée print Reina's color pencil drawings are created with Prisma color pencil on Stonehedge paper. Stonehedge is a 100% rag paper that is generally used for printing. Its weight allows the artist to apply heavy layers of color pencil without tearing the paper. It has enough tooth or grain on the surface to hold the color pencil and give the drawing its brilliance. Prisma color pencils are a wax based pencil. They come in assorted bright colors and make up the palette of colors that Reina uses in her work. Unlike other wax based pencils they cannot be smeared or thinned with turpentine. Large areas of solid color are created with many layers of pencil. The drawing begins with a regular lead pencil to create the initial line drawing. This “under drawing,” if applied too dark on the paper, will show up as a “ghost” under the lighter colors. Every line must be true since nothing can be erased or altered once the color pencil is applied. Next, a solid base of color is applied, filling in large areas of the drawing. Then, slowly, layer after layer of color is drawn in to create the brightness and depth desired, blending one color on top of another, creating countless hues. This effect must be achieved in four or five layers or the paper will become saturated with color and the pencil will no longer hold onto the surface of the paper. After the drawing is completed, she finishes the piece with several coats of a spray fixative to insure color stability. As with all works of art, common sense must be used to protect the color from fading. Drawings must never be exhibited in direct sunlight. The artist has color pencil drawings in her private collection that are over thirty years old. These pieces still remain colorful and vibrant. Because these are works on paper, they are more vulnerable to damage than paintings. Always store unframed works in a flat dry place and frame under glass. ARCHIVAL GICLEE PRINTING PROCESS Reina has a new series of limited edition giclée prints. These fine art archival prints are museum quality reproductions of original artwork. Every step of the printing process was closely monitored and approved by the artist. The process begins by making a high-resolution digital scan of an original drawing with a scan-back camera. Many hours are spent cleaning the digital image of any imperfections and correcting the color so it matches the true colors of the original artwork. Test prints are made and compared to the original work. After the artist has approved the color quality of the reproduction, the edition is printed on the finest 100% rag paper with high quality archival inks. After the printing is completed, these high-resolution giclée prints are then inspected for flaws. Every print is then hand-trimmed, numbered and signed by the artist. Editions are small to protect the value of the print. A
Certificate of Authenticity accompanies each giclée print. These certificates
state the exact number of prints in the edition, including any artist's
proofs. They also give the title of the print and its dimensions, the
year it was created and what the original artwork was. The printing
studio is listed along with the printer, paper and inks used in the
process. OFFSET LITHOGRAPH PRINTING PROCESS Reina has created a series of limited edition offset lithographic prints. These prints are taken from an original drawing and transferred into a four-color printing process that is closely monitored by the artist. Every process from the color separation to the plate-making and printing was approved by Reina. She worked with the printer on the entire process until the prints were completed. Each print has been through the press 6-8 times. The intense blue sky was achieved by masking it out and printing the color blue twice. The black, in the center of the poppies, went through the press twice to get the saturation of color needed. Highlights were printed twice to achieve the desired depth, and many times the artist worked on the negatives to intensify colors, shadows or clouds. It is hard to tell the original drawing from the print when they are side by side. The paper that Reina selected is an acid-free printing paper called Quintessence. It is a coated paper, allowing the ink to sit on top of the paper instead of absorbing into the paper. This produces good color saturation and definition of detail. After the printing was completed, each print in the edition was inspected for flaws. Only 300 prints out of the entire run were selected to be in the edition. Each print was trimmed by hand to create a deckled edge and was signed and numbered by the artist. All other prints were destroyed and no other edition of these prints will be made in the future. A Certificate of Authenticity comes with each print. HOW IT'S DONE: Color pencil, offset lithograph, and archival giclée print |