How to Work with Prints & Editions
Sarah Kravitz began selling prints in a market stall in Brick Lane. Now, she is a leader in the screen print community running FAWW Gallery and was best placed to introduce us to the world of print and editions in the commercial art market. Here are our key takeaways:
Do you want to work with an artist to create limited edition prints?
Ensure to produce the print on standard-sized paper to give potential buyers the option of framing their print with a bespoke or ready-made frame.
Rule of thumb for a print run is 30 for an edition when you're new as either a gallerist or an artist.
First Floor Studio in Bermondsey is a great place for your artists to try screenprinting (Sarah’s tip: Join as a subscriber to have access to all the materials so artists don't have to buy the materials themselves, apart from the paints)
Are you new to finding collectors?
Doing research to ensure you are exhibiting in the right areas and working with artists who already have a bit of an audience will get you on the right track.
If you want to engage with a new collector base, pricing artists’ screenprints anywhere between from £75 to £300 will allow you to build and nurture new relationships with young collectors.
Remember! The more editions you produce with an artist, the less exclusive it becomes - so the bigger the edition, the lower the price point will be.
Advising an artist on what to create for a limited edition print run?
You can photograph an existing work and create digital prints, or encourage the artist you are working with to try their hand at screen prints or linocuts, for example. Coming up with something new to actually explore the medium for what it is and what it represents is how really exciting things can happen!