How a canvas print differs from a painting: checking a picture before you buy it in Almaty
How a canvas print differs from a painting shows up within a minute, once you know where to look. A print is not a fake and not a trick: it has a job of its own. Only one thing is wrong, selling a copy as an original and charging an original's price for it.
What a canvas print is
The image is printed on canvas with pigment inks, stretched on a frame and varnished. The technique is often called giclée. The source can be anything: a photograph, a drawing, a scan of somebody else's painting.
The key difference: the ink soaks into the cloth instead of sitting on it as a layer. Every sign below follows from that.
How a canvas print differs from a painting: a table
| Sign | Oil painting | Canvas print |
|---|
| Surface | raised brushwork, paint sits as a layer | ink absorbed, the plane is flat |
| Under magnification | canvas weave and the edges of strokes | a regular grid of dots |
| Canvas edge | paint runs over the side unevenly | the image stops on a straight line |
| Sheen | uneven, stronger where there is more oil | identical across the whole surface |
| Edition | the work is one of one | repeats as many times as wanted |
A separate case: a print with gel texture laid over it. The relief is there, but it lives its own life. A stroke runs where the image has a flat fill and breaks off in the middle of a form.
Five checks that take a minute
Done in the room itself, with no instruments.
- Side light. Stand so the light runs along the canvas. On a painting the relief casts shadows; on a print the plane stays flat
- Phone zoom. Bring the camera close and zoom in. A regular grid of dots means a print. On oil you see canvas weave and the edge of a stroke
- The edge. Look at the side of the stretcher. On a painted work the paint runs over it unevenly, in patches. On a print the picture ends on a straight line
- Your hand. Run it a centimetre above the surface, then touch the edge. A layer of oil can be felt; absorbed ink cannot
- The back. Look at the reverse. A number like 12/150 means an edition. A signature on top of a print does not make it an original
When a print is a sensible choice
Honestly, often.
- A large size is needed for a rented flat and the budget is limited
- Two identical works are needed for paired interiors
- You like a particular museum piece, and the original hangs in the museum
The only questions are the price and an honest name. A reproduction costs what a reproduction costs.
What an original gives you
The work exists in a single copy, and the traces of the work show on it: where the brush moved fast, where the palette knife took a layer off. The relief catches light, so the picture looks different through the day, while a print looks the same.
The subject can be agreed before anything starts: size for the wall, palette for the room, what to leave out of the reference. With an edition that conversation does not happen.
A ready work or a commission
From stock. The painting is already made, you see all of it, you can take it today. A ready work in stock starts at 22 000 ₸. It suits a deadline. To see what is there now: works in stock.
On commission. Subject and size are chosen for your place. A commissioned painting starts at 60 000 ₸, an original landscape at 55 000 ₸, a portrait of a person or a pet at 80 000 ₸. Check current prices on WhatsApp at +7 707 413 32 05.
No sketch is made before payment: a sketch is a separate piece of work. Instead the subject and the palette are agreed from photographs and references before the start. The stages are covered in how to commission a painting, and choosing for a room in how to choose a painting for an interior.
Where to see originals in Almaty
Looking at painting online makes little sense: a screen has no relief, and a print looks exactly the same there. You need side light and an arm's length of distance.
At the ArtMix studio in Almaty, work by Anna Chernysheva can be seen in person. Academic training: Zhurgenov Kazakh National Academy of Arts. Around 300 commissions have been completed over eight years, and the gallery currently holds some 50 works. All of it is oil; no prints are sold. The catalogue: the work portfolio; amounts by type: painting prices.
How to find us
ArtMix art studio: Almaty, 69A Satpayev Street, corner of Gagarin, 1st floor, office 101, Bostandyk district.
It is better to come by appointment. The address and map are in studio contacts.
Questions and answers
How does a canvas print differ from an oil painting? On a painting the paint sits as a layer and gives relief; on a print it is absorbed into the cloth and the surface is flat. Under magnification a print shows a regular grid of dots, while oil shows canvas weave and the edges of strokes.
How can I tell a painting is done in oil? Put the light to one side: the relief of the brushwork will cast shadows. Look at the side of the stretcher, where paint on a painted work runs over in uneven patches. Bring a phone camera close and zoom in: there should be no dots.
Can a print have texture? Yes, gel relief is applied over prints. You can tell by the logic of it: on such a relief the stroke does not match the image, it runs across a flat fill and breaks off in the middle of a form.
How much does an oil painting cost in Almaty? A ready work in stock starts at 22 000 ₸, a commissioned painting at 60 000 ₸, an original landscape at 55 000 ₸, a portrait of a person or a pet at 80 000 ₸. Check current prices on WhatsApp.
Where in Almaty can I see originals rather than reproductions? In museums, galleries and artists' studios. At the ArtMix studio at 69A Satpayev Street the works can be seen in person by appointment, in proper light.
Is a canvas print a bad thing? No, as long as it is sold as a print and priced accordingly. For a large format in a rented flat, or for paired interiors, it is a reasonable choice.
Where to start
Take the nearest picture in your home and check it: light from the side, zoom on the phone, a look at the edge. After that the eye works on its own.
If you are after an original, write to WhatsApp at +7 707 413 32 05 and we will arrange a viewing. New work and the process of painting go up on the studio's Instagram.
Read also