How Our Icon Reproductions Are Made
The practice of reproducing art, including scared icons has been around from centuries, making treasured art works (in this case, icons) accessible to a wider audience. An original, hand-painted icon takes anywhere from a week to several months to complete, depending on its size, complexity and the level of detail. Consequently, the cost of an original icon can be considerable.
Our aim is to make more high-quality icon reproductions (rather than originals) that capture the appearance, colours and details of the original icon painting as faithfully as possible, at an accessible cost as compared to the cost of an original, hand-painted icon.
+ THE PROCESS +
1. Hand Painting the Original
Each reproduction begins with an original icon, hand-painted in acrylics, using images of older icons as a reference. Creating an original painting right here in our home studio serves as the foundation of the entire high-quality reproduction process.
2. High-Resolution Scanning & Image Proofing, Processing
Once the painting is complete, it is digitalised using professional, high-resolution scanning. (The objective is to capture maximum amount of visual information, preserving the fine details, subtle tonal variations and relationships between colours that give the icon its distinctive character.)
The more faithfully an original painting is captured, the more accurately it can be reproduced in print.
In order to achieve the closest possible colour accuracy of the print to the original, after the image has been scanned, the scan is colour-corrected, using a specialised calibrated Eizo monitor. Several test proofs are printed, which are compared directly with the original icon painting. Adjustments are made until we reached a satisfactory is result.
Our goal is to match the original icon painting as closely as possible, paying attention not just to individual colours but also their relationships, tonal balance and subtleties.
Through high-resolution scanning, a careful managed colour workflow and repeated proofing, we strive to reproduce the original painting as faithfully as possible, ensuring that its intricate details and distinctive qualities are preserved.
3. Giclée Printing - The Gold Standard
Giclée printing is a premium inkjet printing method, which is used for limited edition prints & high-quality reproductions. This method uses archival quality inks and archival quality substrates (in our case, canvas) to reproduce high-quality artwork with exceptional detail and colour accuracy.
Our large-format inkjet printer uses 11 tank, containing advanced pigment based inks, designed to reproduce a broad colour gamut and subtle tonal variations. Which enables us to capture intricate details, nuanced shading and the colour relationships of the original painting.
An average home or office printer uses 4 ink colours limiting it’s colour range and restricting the variety of colours and tonal subtleties it can reproduce.
All our reproductions are printed on 100% cotton Hahnemühle canvas, selected for its fine-art qualities, longevity, and suitability for high-quality image reproduction. Combined with pigmented based inks, this canvas allows us to reproduce a wide range of colours, fine details and subtle tonal transitions.
Pigment inks are valued for their resistance to fading under appropriate conditions. The longevity of a print depends on several factors, including exposure to light, humidity and the surrounding environment.
Our professional printing process is designed to achieve greater colour depth, smoother tonal transitions and a faithful representation of the original painting. The final result depends on the combined quality of the original scan, digital processing, colour management, inks and printing surface. Each element works together to achieve the best possible reproduction.
5. Protective Coating
No stage of our process is rushed. Each print is allowed ample time to dry, after which it is sprayed with a protective coat, which is followed by an additional coat of varnish which is carefully rolled on to the canvas.
6. Hand-Stretched on Solid Teak/Hardwood Frames
Once dry, each icon is carefully hand-stretched onto a solid hardwood frame. We chose teak which is valued for its strength, durability, and natural resistance to termites.
We strive to create a reproduction that represents the original painting as faithfully as possible. Achieving this requires a careful process in which each stage builds on the previous one: from capturing the maximum possible information through high-resolution scanning, to carefully processing and colour-correcting the image, and finally translating that information into print with, we meticulously attend to every detail, to produce a faithful reproduction of the icon.
With God's grace, we can gratefully say that many who see our reproductions find it difficult to distinguish them from an original hand-painting.
This is the standard we continually strive towards: creating reproductions that are faithful to the beauty of the original , while making it accessible to a wider audience.
