INKS
How important it is to use archival inks when printing
photographs for use in mixed-media paintings? One of the
advantages of using your own photographs rather than
finding images in magazines is that you have control over
this aspect of your work. Therefore, the use of lightfast inks
is advisable. The most well-known manufacturers all sell
some printers with inks that will not fade for fifty years,
provided they are not displayed in full sun. Some of the
inks will last for 200 years, we are told, though we won't
be around to test the claim. If your work is going to be put
120 I CREATIVE PA I N T W ORKS HOP
away in a drawer and never displayed, it doesn't much
matter what inks you use. But if you plan to frame, exhibit,
sell your art, or pass it on as a gift, you will want it to look
good for as long as possible. Some of Picasso's collages
containing newspaper have yellowed with age, but they
still look good. On the other hand, museum conservators
are employed to ensure that they fade as little as possible.
Unless you become very famous, you may not enjoy this
luxury!Watching Winter Fields.
Ann Baldwin, 3 0" x 40"
(76.2 x 101.6 em). digital
photos. acrylic, ink, col-
lage on canvas. Private
collection.The juxtaposition of close-
up images and distant
trees creates an interesting
spatial effect. Landscape
photos can be printed
in various sizes. Smaller
images in a large painting
give the illusion of distance.