e-Powersellers Art & Artwork Definitions &
Glossary
Art & Artwork Glossary
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Art & Artwork
The terms and definitions guides below are strictly the opinions of e-Powersellers and should not be relied on as for insurance or appraisal. These guides are only to offer assistance in understanding basic terms and conditions. We realize that different people have different ways of grading or determining value. If there are any obvious omissions or errors and you are a qualified expert in your field, please contact us at info@e-Powersellers.com so we can adjust the guides accordingly
Acid Free Paper is any paper having a
pH level of 7 or higher. Acid free paper or
acid free matting prevents any deterioration
of the piece or the mat over time.
Animation Drawing generally describes
the series of animator's drawings which are
used as the basis for creating animation
cels
Animator's Rough is typically very
sketchy and loose, created to establish the
look and emotions of a character in that
particular moment.
Artist's Proof are prints or
impressions set aside for the artists use
from a limited numbered edition are the
first few prints created for the artist's
approval before the start of the numbered
edition usually 3-5 Artist Proofs for any
size edition. Almost always the prints will
contain the initials "AP" for Artist Proof.
Also know as EA in Spanish editions such as
early Dali prints.
Aquatint is an etching process for
the creation of tonal shaded artwork. Small
grains of resin is sprinkled on the surface
of the plate and fixed by heating. The plate
is then placed in an acid bath where the
resins protect its surface, so the acid only
takes to the places between the grains. This
results is tiny pits that will hold ink
creating a granular tone. When printed the
large number of tiny spots create a textured
area with tonal effects close to that of a
watercolor wash.
Cel is a hand drawn clear material
representing a single animation frame. The
material is usually celluose or Mylar.
Certificate Of Authenticity / COA: A
document created by the artist or publisher
that provides a guarantee that the work is
original.
Conservation Framing is when the
frame in where the artwork is not altered
from its original state, where all parts are
acid free and museum grade mats to protect
the items value for generations.
Edition is the total number of
impressions made of a single print or image.
Engraving is the oldest intaglio
process where ink is forced into depressions
in a plate and then transferred to paper
under massive pressure. This process goes
back hundreds of years. True engraving show
an impression of the plate around the edge
of the image. A photo of an engraving will
be absolutely flat.
Etching is a contrast to engraving
where acid is used to cut the plate. Once
the plate is covered with an acid-resistant
coating various tools are used to scratch
through the surface exposing the metal. The
plate is then immersed in an chemical acid
bath that dissolves the exposed metal,
etching a groove that holds the ink. True
engraving show an impression of the plate
around the edge of the image. A photo of an
engraving will be absolutely flat.
Extreme Drawing is often a very rough
drawing that shows the character at the
beginning or end of a movement or action
Foxing is a reddish-brown spotted
area on a print, paper, book, or canvas. The
foxing is really a fungus and if caught
early can be stopped or removed.
Fresco, a long admired technique of
painting on moist plaster with pigments
ground in water so the plaster absorbs the
paint, making the application a permanent
part of the wall itself.
Giclee is quite new, and is a French
term that translates to a "fine mist". This
technology is quite advanced and requires
very high resolution printers that spay
millions of microscopic partials of ink onto
paper or canvas. The original file is
created by high resolution scanners,
scanning the original.
Half-tone is a dot screen of
different sizes and/or colors that is
generally used in magazines and newspapers.
Easy to see under simple magnification.
Hand Colored prints are ones in which
colors have been added by hand after the
item has already been printed and dried.
Because this is a hand done process, any
limited edition print that is hand colored
has more value then the others.
Hand Painted Limited Edition Cel are
created in very limited numbers using the
same hand-painting technique as production
cels. They may be derived from actual
artwork used in the film or cartoon moment,
or from artwork created by an animator or
director inspired by a favorite moment.
Limited edition cels are often signed by the
artist or director.
Hand Signed art is just that, artwork
that is manually signed by the artist. The
signature is authentic and not reproduced.
Signatures are usually done in pencil as
this is the most difficult to mechanically
reproduce.
Impressions is used generally by the
printer to determine how many prints can
come off a single block.
Intaglio comes from an Italian word
meaning, "cut in," intaglio prints are made
from images cut below the surface of the
printing plate. Ink is forced into these
cut-out images and then forced onto the
paper in a press exerting great pressure.
Limited Edition items refers to any
piece or pieces of art that has been created
with a predetermined quantity and then never
produced again.
Linocut is a printing process in
where the design is transferred to the
surface of a linoleum covered wood block and
then the linoleum is carved. The negative
areas of the do not transfer ink during the
imaging process.
Lithograph is a flat printing process
based on two repelling mediums. A design is
created on a smooth or flat surface by using
a greasy substance like a litho-crayon. Once
the stone is dampened with water, the water
is repelled by the greasy surface and only
settles in the blank spaces. The surface is
then rolled with a printing ink, that is
also greasy and it adheres to the area that
the design was originally drawn and repels
from the areas that contain water. The drawn
image is then transferred to the paper to
create a lithograph.
Master is a term that usually refers
to the original stone or plate used.
Medium is not a size, but is the
primary material used to create the artwork.
Media can be mixed, for example a pen and
ink project can also be mixed with a
watercolor. The primary piece would be
considered a pen and ink as the watercolor
is a supporting medium.
Offset Lithograph is when the inked
image is set off the stone or plate onto a
rubber transfer cylinder before printing.
Open Edition Productions are
mechanically reproduced images that are
published with no restrictions as to the
number of copies that will be made.
Plate Signed is when the artist signs
the original plate and a reproduced
signature is copied on every lithograph,
poster or print created. Frequently the
artist name appears backwards due to the
left-right reversal of the printing process.
Some artists carefully draw their signature
backwards in order to have it appear correct
in the final print. All Picasso prints have
backward signatures.
Printers Proof or sometimes called a
Publisher Proof, which is an impression set
aside for use of the printer, identical to
those sold. Look for the initials PP next to
the signature.
Production Background typically
identifies an original background painting
used in the final version of an animated
film or short. The background establishes
the location and overall mood of the scene,
and often for the entire film. Typically, a
background layout artist creates a drawing
to establish the content of the scene,
placement of characters, perspective and
camera angle. Based on this drawing, the
background artist creates a preliminary
painting then the final production
background to be used in the filming.
Backgrounds which contain specific subject
matter or content that identifies a
particular scene or the film or cartoon are
referred to as Master Backgrounds.
Proof is an unfinished impression, a
trial or working proof.
Provenance describes this history,
the story, the liniage of the item in
question. If you imagine a movie camera
doing a documentary of the piece from
conception until it is in your hand you have
the Provenance of the piece.
Remarque: is small original sketch
done by the artist, often outside the actual
image of the print. It may be in pencil,
watercolor or pen and ink. A remarqued print
is more desirable to many serious art
collectors. A remarque adds value to a print
in that it then becomes one of a kind with
the addition of the original artwork by the
artist.
Restrikes are a modern-day print of
an antique print that may or may not be make
from the original plate that was used to
make the first prints. Restrike prints
should be labeled as a restrike.
Sericel is the term used when
editions are meticulously screened onto the
back of an acetate or cellulose cel one
color at a time. Sericels are usually open
editions and not hand signed.
Serigraph or sometimes called a
Silkscreen comes from Serigraphy.
Serigrapy is the actual term for the
silkscreen printing process where limited
editions are created by screening the colors
of an image onto the surface of canvas or
fine art paper. Each color is separated and
then transferred onto a stencil, which is
actually a stretched sheet of silk where the
printer has blocked out areas. Ink is then
transferred through the unblocked areas and
this process is done over and over until the
process is complete. Silkscreens are usually
overviewed and approved by the artist and
then hand signed. Every color applied in a
serigraph requires a separate screen to
print. If there are 3 colors of green, then
there were 3 separate screens for just the
green. There is no blending except in a
technique called FOUNTAIN. In this
technique, different colored inks are
applied as stripes on one screen. The
printing process causes the colors to blend
together as in a rainbow. Each subsequent
print is slightly more blended than the last
until after a very small number, the rainbow
of the fountain is just a muddy color
Signed is when the artist signs the
original plate and a reproduced signature is
copied on every lithograph, poster or print
created.
Signed & Numbered is when each print
is signed by the artist and each print was
signed in order until the series is
complete. If a print shows 20/100 then it
was the 21st item signed in a series of 100
pieces. In this case it can be that the 21st
piece is really the 1st one made public as
this is a common number to start the limited
editions and have the first 20 be artist or
printer proofs. Artist and Printer Proofs
are traditionally done before the edition
numbering. Numbered prints are as nearly
identical from the first to the last if
prepared by a quality printer. There may be
20 prints including the imperfections, APs
and PPs before they reach a consistent
quality.
Textured Canvas is a limited edition
canvas which has been embellished to
represent the artist's brush strokes of the
original painting. Framed without glass,
textured canvas s adds dimension and luster,
and the appearance of an artist's original
painting
Unique art is anything that is one of
a kind, not reproduced or in any production.
When your child comes home from art class
with an ash tray he or she made, that piece
would be unique.
Watermark is a manufactures mark that
is translucent to the eye. The watermark can
be found in different ways, by viewing the
item at a certain angle or with specific
tools.
Woodcut art is a printing process in
where the design is transferred to the
surface of a wood block and then the block
is carved. The negative areas of the do not
transfer ink during the imaging process.
Wood Engravings were common in the
18th century and used mostly for
illustrations in book. Typical wood
engravings print white against a black
background.