The Key Reasons Why Art Prints Are Worth Your Investment

Words Shemaiah Gold

Whether you’re starting your first art collection or you’re an experienced art collector, here’s why you can’t afford to miss out on investing in your first art print. The misconception can often be that art prints are not as valuable as the original art piece, however artists such as Joe Webb have proved that the investment value of art prints are increasing rapidly with some of his prints selling for £225 just a few years ago and now being sold for up to £5,000. Art prints are not merely copies of the original, they can have nearly the same value and on some occasions even more than the original. The fine detail and attention paid to the process of printing contribute to the increasing value, not to talk of those that are signed and hand finished. This is your ultimate step by step guide for investing in art prints, it may be quite overwhelming if it’s your first time so keep reading to learn more.

Firstly, consider that original art prints give you more than one investment option when starting your journey and art pieces are a great asset which always has the potential to grow. Art also offers a level of security that may not be available in other forms of investment, one of the strongest attributes being its tangibility which gives it significant value beyond just personal wealth. With art prints, unlike bonds and stocks where you’re at risk of it losing value quickly, it often has a higher residual value, more so than non-tangible assets. Keep in mind, there are many more reasons to own an art print, but here listed are just a few of the many.

Ultimately, no matter what happens in the art market, you can always sell your art. The art market is constantly growing and the market value is also increasing. One of the golden keys of adding to your art collection as an investor is looking for good quality prints that will appreciate over time and Joe Webb is amongst the group of quality artists who’s prints are increasing in value rapidly after breaking the internet, becoming a viral sensation with his dreamlike, thought provoking and surreal prints. Joe Webb started making his pieces as a response to his computer-focused graphic design job. Turning away from the screen, he revelled in the simplicity of using two or three print images to create totally new worlds. He first creates his hand made collages with a message whilst reimagining found imagery using simple and concise edits to make thought provoking artworks looking at issues such as the environment, war, inequality and questions our place in the universe which he then creates printed versions of. His prints are delicately screen printed on paper, often with a glitter varnish, signed, titled and numbered by Joe Webb.

So what is the best reason to invest in original art prints? Art itself is beautiful. Through art, you can experience joy, peace, serenity and quiet reflection. Art can provoke you into thinking, having more conversations and easily enhance the quality of your life, it’s not just about the wealth you create by investing in it. For art investors, a diverse portfolio would prove to be more successful so keep an open mind and don’t be afraid for some pieces to lose value and some to gain, it’s healthy to create a balance. When an artist sells open edition prints, there’s no predetermined limit on how many prints will be offered. This does not mean that an art print will be available indefinitely, so when you discover art you love, it’s always a good idea to act on it.

Although printmaking involves reproducing an image, a print is more than just a copy of an original. Fine art prints are something else entirely, resulting from a close collaboration between the artist and the print studio. Printers — the people who work with the artist to produce an edition — are highly skilled technicians, and can be described as artists in their own right.

Prints are not made in large production runs intended solely for commercial sale, a limited number (known as an edition) are produced, with prescribed routes for initial sale — either through the artist, a commercial gallery or a publisher. As a result they are true works of art, and as important to the artist as drawings or other works on paper.

The printing process in itself is very interesting with the different methods and paper available, for example canvas prints are museum quality giclée (Pronounced “gee-clay”) reproductions, created using an advanced ink jet printing process specially designed to capture the look of painted pigments, and capable of reproducing more than 36 million colours. Where with screen printing, an image is cut into a sheet of paper or plastic film, creating a stencil. This stencil is then placed in a frame, which has a layer of fine mesh stretched across it, forming a ‘screen’. A sheet of paper is placed below the screen, and ink is pushed through the stencil from above, using a rubber blade or squeegee, only the cut-out portions of the stencil print. In addition to stencils, a photographic image can be reproduced on the screen using light-sensitive gelatins. This was a hugely important innovation for Andy Warhol and other members of the Pop generation, who would appropriate commercial photographs and popular images alongside the technique.

Fine art paper prints are also high quality giclée reproductions, which often features soft colour fidelity on a slightly textured surface similar to watercolour paper.

We can’t deny that art prints make investing in art more accessible. Take Banksy for example, imagine if there was just one original girl with balloon, it would make it impossible for some Banksy fans to invest in this iconic art piece as the cost would be extreme and only one lucky individual could be the owner. Prints present the opportunity to own an authentic and iconic subject without a seven-figure price tag attached to it. It is a great way to get started, a way to acquaint yourself with styles and artists in the same mode as other mediums but at a different price point.

Artists make prints for a variety of reasons, some might be drawn to the collaborative nature of the print studio, or the potential for innovation the medium offers, or for a print’s potential to document each stage of a creative process. Prints can offer a completely different creative outlet to the artist’s primary working method. Some artists consistently make prints throughout their entire career — Jasper Johns and Pablo Picasso are famously prolific examples. The choice of paper is an important part of the printmaking process because it can directly influence the nature of what the printed image looks like. Jasper Johns is famous for having pushed for higher quality, heavier paper for his prints, whilst Andy Warhol loved cheaper, thinner paper for his Soup Can prints from the 1960s to emphasise that they were meant to be enjoyed by the masses.

An artist may also produce a limited number of artist’s proofs, often marked A/P, that are identical in nature to the standard edition. Here again, fractions may be used to indicate the total number of proofs, and the print number (e.g. A/P 1/4). Other proofs may be made at an earlier stage, as the artist and printer develop an image or test different compositions. These are known as state proofs, trial proofs or colour proofs. These can be unique, with differences in colour combinations, paper types or size. Andy Warhol started to sell his trial proofs as unique colour-combinations separate from the edition, and they’re now some of the most coveted works in his print market.

Lastly, how you frame your print is the most important long-term decision you make when it comes to caring for and keeping the art piece. If a print has bright colours, don’t hang it in direct sunlight, ensure it is kept away from any source of moisture and don’t trim the sheet to try to fit it in a frame.

So, what steps should I take next?

Start your art collection here, Joe Webb’s latest print, ‘Dark Matter’ 5 colour silkscreen with glitter varnish, Somerset enhanced Velvet 410gsm Paper with an edition of 100, signed, titled and comes with a certificate of authentication.