Gorgeous digital art collage sheets for crafters and artists

If you’re an artist, handmade crafter, jewelry designer, scrapbooker, maker of homemade labels, tags, business cards, stickers, ATC’s, jewelry, magnets and more, we’d like to give a shoutout to our friends at Digital Kiss. You will not only find both high resolution images to use for your crafting projects, but you’ll also find small background card sized art in collage sheet format, beautiful framed tiles and unframed giclee prints. Here’s a couple of their newest offerings. You must go check them out! Everything in the store is just gorgeous. Digital Kiss is also available for custom work, should you need custom designed business cards, tags, labels, stickers, scrap cards, background cards, invitations, custom greeting cards, save the dates, and so much more. One of the most exciting and diverse resources for both digital and traditional artists.

Photographers, make paintings from your photos.

I am not a photographer, nor do I play one on TV. I freely admit my technical skills as a photographer leave much to be desired, as far as TTL (Through-The-Lens)  know-how. Much to my everlasting regret, I pretty much forgot everything I learned when I studied photography as a kid.

No, I do my manipulation in Photoshop. It is not depth of field or light through the lens that I play with, it’s using the photo as a blank canvas for a digital painting after the photo is taken. Now, I know, for purists, this is a blasphemous remark. It may even make you shake your head with pity. That’s okay. I am more of  a digital artist than I ever was a photographer.  But if you can get past the “purity” thing, you will definitely expand the depth and breadth of services you offer to your clients by being able to offer them paintings or images with special effects in addition to traditional photography. Or, more importantly, these programs can enable you to explore new horizons for your work in a way you never dreamed.

With a digital program like Photoshop or Painter, there are so many ways to parlay your digital and photographic skills and learn how to make digital paintings or add stunning special effects to your pieces…opening up an exciting new market. In this post, I just want to offer some possibilities for you think about and experiment with. The upshot of it all is this: you will not only find an expanded market for your work, but you might find yourself enjoying yourself tremendously and giving your work a whole new level of depth. In fact, you might become addicted to all the artistic possibilities of no-holds-barred digital photographic manipulation. Whether it’s full blown digital paintings you want to create, or unique special effects that dramatically enhance the images, the main thing is to have fun. Because if you’re not having fun, it defeats the purpose and will definitely show in your work.

Photo to painting by Mindy Sommers.

Now, we all know photographers who run their photos through Photoshop’s native filters–a few clicks and they’re done. And that’s exactly what those pieces look like-a click of a few filter buttons and that’s it. That’s no more digital art than Hamburger Helper is cooking. Here are some filter, plugin and software recommendations to start you off with your experimentation. Hopefully, one or more of these ideas will prompt you to find your own voice and embark on a whole new level of photographic creation. None of these filters are ends unto themselves–no filter is, nor should they ever be. They are, however, means to an end. With them, talented photographers (and artists, too)  can use them as jumping off points to their new creations.

Gertrudis Pro
Gertrudis Pro is a fabulous stand-alone software with which you can create some stunning paint and brush effects. Load your image, click “auto sketch tool” and you’re ready to rock. Your photo will act as the “trace” image and Gertrudis will pick up all the colors, shapes and shadows automatically as you move your brush around. Gertrudis Pro comes with its own native brushes, like “Van Gogh” and “Scratch Style”,  but you can create your own brushes to use over and over again by changing the density, size, direction, stroke and color settings of your brushes, and a host of advanced settings. Gertrudis does not allow you to work in layers, but you can easily export your image to Photoshop (or another program).

Alien Skin Snap Art
Alien Skin Snap art is a Photoshop plug-in that turns your photos into beautiful paintings, sketches, illustrations and even cartoons. You don’t use brushes with this software–you apply the effects to the whole image at once. However, you do have control over the filter’s parameters before you apply it. This control includes paint coverage, style, light, canvas texture, etc. I like working with layers for painting programs, putting the paints on separate layers…that allows me to fully control the intensity of the effects I apply and the way in which I choose to apply them.

Color Efex Pro by Nik Software
This is not a painting program, but one that revolves around Color with a capital “C”. This is, hands down, my personal favorite coloring program because the sheer diversity of effects, possibilities and ability to control each effect is just stunning. I couldn’t live without Color Efex Pro, a Photoshop plugin filter.  The sheer number of effects (around ninety if you get the Complete Edition) boggles the mind with exciting possibilities. From tonal and color contrast to old photo and full-control-black-and-white, this program is an amazing amalgam of powerful effects that will turn into an addiction. You will go nuts experimenting. I promise.

Filter Farm (free)
One of my favorite filters is called Filter Farm, one of the best-kept secrets in the digital art world. A simple little program, and only accessible through Photoshop as a plug-in, Filter Farm uses random algorithms and non-predictability to create the most beautiful transitions and color effects. No two effects will ever be the same, and the author claims that they “grow genetically” based upon the users’ choices and image data. I use Filter Farm as a separate layer for my image, enabling me to control the amount of effects I want. Filter Farm comes the closest to magic, and I highly recommend it.

Art Rage
Art Rage may look like a simple program, but it’s not. It’s a sophisticated stand-alone software that gives you many ways to make beautiful paintings. Art Rage supports layers, and you can export/import layers and create new ones within the program.  You have the option of using a “tracing image” to paint over and the program will automatically select all the subtle gradations and hues that are picked up from your image, or you can paint freehand. And you’re not just limited to a paintbrush—there is a palette knife for scraping and smoothing, glitter spray, airbrush, paintbrush, and more. You can also control the amount of “water” added to the paint (thinner), how much paint you want on your brush, the brush pressure, and opacity. (The glitter brush is really cool, it has three dimensional texturing). Art Rage supports Photoshop format files.

Virtual Painter
Finally, a fun little stand-alone program (it can also work as a plug-in) which offers lots of fun options but virtually no control. Virtual Painter will automatically take any image and turn it into any one of a variety of styled paintings including oil, watercolor, gouache, pencil and more…for a total of sixteen styles. Just click and the program will do the rest. You do have some control over the intensity of each effect–such as variations in canvas, color, scale, deformation and focus. While it’s not exactly a serious artist’s tool, it *can* be used in a more sophisticated fashion for serious artists when used as part of a layer or group of layers.

To sum, the world of digital art continues to become not only more exciting, offering an ever-increasing array of fabulous filters and plugins for the digital artist and photographer, but digital art itself has gained the credibility and respect once garnered exclusively to the paint-and-brushes canvas artist. The sheer amount of tools, techniques, programs and options now available to today’s digital artist require a massive array of knowledge and skill to adeptly master. Certainly the breadth and possibilities of effects available to the digital artist is something Van Gogh could only have dreamed about. Like my husband says, “if you’re not growin’, you’re dyin’.”  The skilled artist is always changing, growing and adding to his/her arsenal, and the tools outlined above are a wonderful addition to any artist’s.

Important news for resellers and artists-wholesale minimum lowered to $250.00

Hi everyone,

If you are a reseller who wants to carry our products in your store, or an artist who wants to resell their art on our products, our minimum wholesale requirement has lowered to $250 per order from $350.00 per order. We are doing this temporarily–for the summer–in order to support the artist community.

Please contact us via email or phone if you would like more information.

Tel: 802 287 9098

Email: www.colorbakery.com/contact.php

New Color Bakery’s New Products! NEWS!

At Color Bakery, resting and being content with the status quo is simply not an option. We are constantly thinking about beautiful new pieces of wearable art, art gifts or home decor accents with which we can customize with original artworks.

We’re recently partnered with a major custom product manufacturer, and, together, have been discussing, developing and implementing ideas about how to implement my “wish list” of products that I want to carry on Color Bakery. This “wish list” is based upon what you, our customers, have asked us for, and some other products I know would be both beautiful and unusual.

LARGER GLASS CUTTING BOARDS
Our first new product is here, and it’s one I’ve wanted to offer at Color Bakery for a long time. It’s a large size glass cutting board. I can’t even remember how many requests I’ve received over the years for a larger sized cutting board, easily dozens…..there is clearly a demand for it. Our standard size cutting board is 16″ x 12″, and our new cutting board is a little over 19″ x 15″. Those three inches make a huge difference as far as ease of use and eye candy power. You can now purchase this new, larger board online by clicking here and selecting the bigger size from the dropdown menu.

8 x 10 GLASS TILES
There are no words. For some reason, this glass receives ink like a color symphony. Now we can print art on glass rectangles instead of forcing them into squares, and the color is vibrant, rich and almost pulsates. You have to see them in person, no photo can do them justice. This glass is the highest quality I’ve seen. They are online and available, and every original art piece available on Color Bakery can be customized for them. A little more expensive than our other glass, they’re worth it. You can use them as decor accents, arrange them beautifully on your walls, put them in easel displays, or use them as accent tiles for your kitchen and bathroom. Purchase them here.

12″ x 12″ TUMBLED STONE PORCELAIN TILE CLOCK
We can take any Color Bakery image and custom print it on these *real* stone tile clocks, imported from Italy. They have a definite vintage flavor, as they are made from real stone and, as such, have wells, jagged edges, faultlines in the stone. Although any art image will work with these stone clocks, they are especially beautiful when customized with art from our Vintage Gallery and our Zodiac Gallery. Click here to purchase.

CRYSTAL JEWELRY-NEW!
Imagine being able to customize any piece of art on stunning crystal pendants–ovals, teardrops, rectangles. Imagine delicately sloped bevelled edges, and the effect of looking through a still pool of water at the artwork within. Everyone who has seen this jewelry has fallen madly in love, and you will, too.

Though this custom crystal jewelry is sold as necklaces/pendants, they can also be worn as earrings. They come in four different shapes/sizes: large oval, large rectangle, small rectangle and small teardrop. Click here for more info.

LAPTOP TRAVEL BAG
This is a really cool laptop travel bag–very roomy, with a special pocket for your cellphone or iphone. The custom art is printed on the flap, and the rest of the bag is a rich inky black. Click here.

LADIES’ MIRROR COMPACTS
The custom artwork  printed on the cover, and the compact is made from a modern, well-made chrome finish.They are rounded squares and a nice, generous size.

METAL KEYCHAINS
The keychains I’ve seen around that can be customized are pretty crummy. Plastic (PVC), and cheap-looking. That doesn’t cut it for Color Bakery. We’ve wanted to offer keychains for a long time, but until now, haven’t found one that meets our quality standards. This one does. Nice and substantial with some weight on it, the keychain is not plastic, but metal and takes ink beautifully.

LADIES’ PURSETTE/LARGE WALLET
Whether you use it as a small clutch or a generous wallet, you’ll love this beautiful pursette. Black leatherette and the full front fold is customized with original art. Click here.

Our blog is the best place to look to find out when new products are online, not to mention sales, promotions and closeouts. So please bookmark us and visit us often.

No, I don’t like Cafe Press.

Like many artists, I was excited when I found Cafe Press. About ten years ago, I was looking for a way to print and resell my art on products, and Cafe Press seemed like a dream come true. I was able to simply upload my image, have them print it on products, fulfill the order, and I would just sit back and collect the commission checks. I wouldn’t have to worry about building a website; I wouldn’t have to deal with stuff like inventory, production, shipping, customer service, credit card processing. Not only that, I was able to preview what my product would look like before I created it, and I could do that right online with their nifty software. Wow, such a deal! Who can resist that?

My first red flag came after my computer crashed and I lost a goodly amount of original art. As a digital artist, my life is literally residing on my computer. Although I have huge eight external drives today, in those days I was working off one shaky hard drive, and when it finally exploded I knew I was in deep trouble. I had to beg Cafe Press–and I mean beg, and even cry hysterically on the phone—to talk them into sending me a disc with my own artwork on it.  After many phone calls and emails during which my sanity hung on a thread, they finally did, but grudgingly.  I found myself thanking them with embarassing, sniveling, tearful humility even though in actuality what I was asking for was not unreasonable–access to my own art. As I look back on that episode, it’s really no surprise that this arrogance manifested in many other, more sinister areas.

As many artists do, the first order of business when signing up with Cafe Press is creating products and ordering stuff for themselves, as well as for friends and family as gifts. I was no different. When my delivery came, the excitement with which I tore into the box subsided quickly once I saw what was inside. Crap. And no, I don’t think I am being harsh here. The wall calendar and greeting cards were printed on crummy, low quality paper stock and the colors were as washed out as if the pages been tossed in a washing machine; the tile coasters were not terrible, but the colors were way off–blues were too green and reds were more orange than red, and the tiles had none of the subtle gradations in hue and levels present in the originals; the clock was made from the crappiest, shoddiest plastic and I immediately dumped it in the trash–it was more suitable for a political slogan than for a piece of art. Okay, I thought: I’ll stick to the tiles and mugs and maybe my customers will like it.

But the real surprise came when I received my first order. I was told a “Mary” from “Oregon” had bought some mugs. I was very pleased about the sale and I couldn’t wait to thank her personally. I looked at my customer information, but couldn’t find any way to contact “Mary.” No address, no phone, no email. Nothing. Not even a last name. Confused, I emailed Cafe Press and asked them to send the my customer information. “We don’t do that,” I was told. Company policy. Were they kidding? Evidently not, as they didn’t consider Mary my customer, but theirs–even though it was my artwork she purchased. This was simply outrageous. I couldn’t believe they were actually getting away with this incredibly unfair policy, but, seemingly they were. Let’s get this straight: the artist is Cafe Press’ customer, the only one. The end buyer is the artist’s customer. Period. This glaring, unethical lack of transparency is terribly unfair to artists, not to mention exploitative. But there was nowhere else to go, so I continued promoting and adding to my store, but with markedly less enthusiasm than before.

And then I received an email from a lady in Colorado. She absolutely loved the multiple sets of “Black Cats” coasters she had purchased six months before; could I possibly make them for her in another color? I started to write back–of course I can change the color–but then I realized I never received any notification (or commission) from Cafe Press regarding this order. I logged in, checked my stats to make sure. Nothing. I emailed the customer, asking her if she was certain she had purchased from my store. “Oh yes,” she replied, and attached her invoice. There it was, in black and white. I wrote to Cafe Press, armed with proof of their error, but did not receive a response.

After another customer thanked me for the “pretty mug” she bought, another order I was first hearing about, I logged into my Cafe Press account, and angrily deleted my store. I called Cafe Press to complain about what happened and to tell them why I shut my store down and what I thought of the way they ran their business. They apologized, insisted it was an honest oversight, and though I asked for a full accounting of my orders and due commissions, I never received it. However, I did receive a check in the mail about four months later–without any corresponding accounting.

Now, I doubt very much if Cafe Press needs to steal commissions from a couple of mug and tile sales to make a profit. It probably was an oversight, and an honest  mistake. I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. However, this is the kind of thing that happens when you have zero transparency and refuse to give a vendor artist access to their own customer information–information they most certainly have a right to access. It’s also dumb business practice–nobody will promote their art the way the artist will, and to deny personal interaction between the artist and the customer—with the accompanying personal touch, news, sales, promos, works in progress, answers to questions–is undoubtedly costing them revenue. But hey, secrecy works for them, the artists don’t question/fight it, so it doesn’t seem to be hurting them.

When Glen and I opened Color Bakery in 2004, our goal was not only to custom print/manufacture my own work on quality products, but give other artists the opportunity to do the same. Cafe Press is the largest of an array of companies who offer custom printing and fulfillment services for gift and apparel items, but the fact remains that artists have precious few avenues to produce and resell their art on high quality items, items like glass and tumbled marble and fancy wood or metal serving trays, as well as items with lower price points.

It is a little frustrating when I hear from artists who are inquiring about the possibility of Color Bakery custom-printing their art on their products for resale, and they initially compare us to Cafe Press. If I say that comparison is akin to comparing a stick figure to a Renoir, people will call me arrogant. I’m really not being arrogant, I’m merely telling the truth: the breadth of our services, intensive personalization, customization capabilities, product diversity and quality is a million universes away from what Cafe Press does. I make it a point to work with the artists with issues such as color management, cropping, and product mix. I guarantee you nobody at Cafe Press sits at their desk fretting over a low resolution image (I’ll enlarge it); or taking a washed out scan and correcting the levels/removing the moire pattern; or making sure a rectangle crops into a square without compromising the artwork. In fact, I defy anyone to do those things

Bottom line? If someone is making and selling Obama tee shirts, Cafe Press is probably a great way to make some supplemental income. But artists who care about quality and the integrity of their work need to look around for other options.

Should artists use reps to sell their work?

Should artists use reps to sell their work? Only if they like the idea of watching their money swirl and disappear down the commode.

When my husband and I opened Color Bakery over five years ago, one of our main concerns was getting our products (custom decorative tiles, home decor accents, art gifts, art wearables) into stores–i.e., wholesaling. Yes, we had a website, but was it enough? It was a new site, we hadn’t been online long enough to properly promote it, so we worried that not very many people would find us. At the time, we assumed that most of our sales would ultimately come from bulk purchases from resellers–not consumers. We envisioned all different kinds of stores buying from us: art stores, art galleries, gift shops, flower shops, home decor furnishings, etc. Reselling to these stores, we reasoned, was where we would make the bulk of our income. Not from the end buyer/consumer. So we proceeded with those priorities in mind.

We did our homework, and researched our options carefully before diving in to the rep world.  We had a plan. First, we created two pricing tiers: one for retail, one for wholesale. We joined a large rep member organization that specialized in matching rep organizations with manufacturers (artists can be included with the manufacturer category). This organization required a hefty annual fee, but in return, they provided us with a huge list of possible rep matches for our product line. Some listings they provided were individual reps (what they call “road reps”), but most were corporate entities with large staffs and fancy showrooms in all major US cities. Since we had a relatively large and diverse product line, and had the ability to customize over fifty art images with over one hundred products, we were confident that our line was deep and versatile enough to attract these “creme de la creme” rep firms. The very best of these firms, we heard, were very judicious about who they took on. The product line, we were told, had to be exceptional for the best of these companies to even consider representing us. A little nervous about how we would rate with these big firms, we were nonetheless confident because the website was already beginning to generate some very nice sales, and word was rapidly spreading about us. The feedback we were getting online was wonderful, and we had great hopes for the reps.

We contacted the reps we felt were the best match for us, and spent hundreds–probably, more likely, thousands–of dollars in the manufacture of product samples they demanded. I designed a beautiful catalog and we had it professionally printed. Any kind of collateral promo material I was able to think of—sales sheets, price list, order form, business card, etc–I designed and redesigned until I was satisfied they employed a mix of easy utility and eye candy. I even made a video slideshow of our products. Along with expensive samples–like glass tiles–we sent some pretty impressive packages out to these rep groups in the hope that they would agree to take us on. And it paid off. They responded with great enthusiasm and complimented us on our artwork, unusual product line and customization capabilities. We were going to do great things, they assured us, because the product line was as beautiful as it was unusual.

We were quickly signed up by the top gift reps in the country. They demanded twenty percent off the wholesale (which left very little profit for us, but we hoped to make it up in bulk sales as well as name recognition potential), as well as huge showroom and show fees. Talking about show fees: having a rep group represent us at gift show at the Javits Center in New York City–along with all their other principals’ products–was over a thousand dollars, for example. And that didn’t include the cost of manufacturing and shipping product both ways, nor did it include breakage. It was worth the huge expense, my husband and I reasoned, so we wrote the checks and made sure they had everything they asked for.

Months went by. They sold next to nothing.

My husband and I scratched our heads. Were we doing something wrong? Or worse, was our line substandard? Was my art lousy? We talked about it candidly. If the internet sales was any indication, the answer to those questions was a resounding “no.” Our retail sales were booming and growing at a rapid clip. So what went wrong?

The reps took very little to no time to learn the line, and the many possibilities that go hand-in-hand with our kind of unprecedented (and singular) customization. The abysmal sales from the reps confounded us, and not just because our website was bringing in a substantial amount of orders from enthused customers around the globe. It was the downright lazy mentality of the many reps. Please let me explain: there’s pretty much nothing we can’t print on our products–whether it’s my own original art (the lion’s share of our sales) or that of the masters like Van Gogh or Klimt. Further, we can even customize an exclusive product line for any given store. For example, we can custom manufacture a beautiful photo of a Martha’s Vineyard scene, do a lovely font treatment and print it on any of our products.  Therefore, tourist gift shops in Cape Cod, for example, would actually be able to design their own exclusive product line to their own personal specifications. To our utter amazement, the possibilities—a color-soaked dreamscape on ceramic tile, a Klimt on a glass cutting board, a vintage art pastiche on a keyhook, an Alphonse Mucha jewelry box–eluded them. Instead, the sales reps wanted two things: a very low price point (no more than ten or fifteen dollars wholesale, even if the store they called on sold Faberge Eggs) and they wanted to plop the product down on the counter without any explanations or discussion of possibilities or options. We wondered if they even took the time to look at what we did or visit our website. They certainly never asked us meaningful questions about our capabilities or special services. All they cared about was low price points and paper sales sheets for each item so they wouldn’t have to explain anything to the store owner. In time, we began to understand that these were symptoms of a much bigger problem.

The reps themselves seemed to live in an altogether different time, a time before the internet existed. For example, the idea of showing a video sideshow to a customer instead of the paper brochures to which they were married, terrifed them. Carrying a laptop instead of a brochure was just as alien to them as emailing, instead of faxing, their orders. It was like Maxwell Smart showing up on the set of Seinfeld.  In time, I learned the internet was an anathema to them; they hated it, feared it, and avoided it with universal vigilance.

Long gone are the days when artists, small manufacturers and crafters badly needed reps to get their name out to a large-scale audience. In their glory days, reps alone held the keys to big visibility and the potential for lucrative sales because there was no other way for the artist to garner recognition on their own. The internet has changed all that by handing the back the power where it belongs–to the artists themselves. Because this power dynamic has changed, today’s reps are like Steve McQueen in “The Blob”, frantically running from a huge, unstoppable force which very few try to harness. Trade show attendance shrinks dramatically every year; store owners can find new products by Googling; artists can reach millions with their website. Who, then, needs reps? Theirs is an industry whose time has come and gone. They are dinosaurs sucking in their last gasp of oxygen; they are standing in front of a tidal wave with three big W’s emblazoned on its crest. Few of the rep groups we dealt with had their own ‘net presence; and, instead of using our own web site as a the sales tool it might have been, they avoided it like a rabbi at a luau.

This is not to say that, somewhere, there are rep firms that do well for those they represent. Perhaps there are. This is also not to say that there are zero benefits to hitching one’s wagon to a rep group. There may be exceptions to every rule, and perhaps the home decor/gift industry is unique. However, from my own experience as well as the experience of other artists and small manufacturers who experienced similar experiences we did, reps today will sign you up, tell you how wonderful your product line is, and suck you out of every dollar they can get before you catch on. The truth of it is, they will take their fees and free product without ever intending to take your line around and sell it. Their real goal is to grab as much as they can, hold onto you for six months to a year, at which time they will turn you over when new, unwitting replacements are in place. We know this to be true, we know it wasn’t just us because we’ve spoken to dozens of other artists and manufacturers who had the same exact experience we did. By the time you pay for samples, showroom fees, show fees, marketing materials, etc., you’ll be lucky if you break even and don’t declare bankruptcy. Misrepresentation–rather, let’s call it for what it is–lying– is the only way reps can stay in business in the age of of the internet.

You may wonder if we discontinued wholesaling. Not at all. In fact, we sell to many stores across the country, and some in Europe, too. They find us online. Every day.

Personal Wooden Serving Tray with Glass Tile: “Leo” from Zodiac Series

I love this new little black serving tray that we’ve just brought on board at Color Bakery. Something so smart and elegant about black and the way it offsets the tile, and it goes with all different styles of home decor as well as all different types and genres of art.

It takes an 8″ x 8″ custom tile (either glass, tumbled stone or ceramic), and it’s finished laquered wood in black. Shown in photo: “Leo” from our Zodiac Art Nouveau Series in glass. Just like all Color Bakery products, we can customize the tray with any art you like. To learn more or purchase, click here or on the photo below.

50% off at Vintage Art Download! One Day Only: No minimum req’d.

Our friends at Vintage Art Download are asking us to share some hot sale news with you. They are having a fifty percent off sale for only 24 hours…sale ends tomorrow, 12.30.08. No minimum order required.  Just type halfoff in the promo code box at checkout and your final bill will be cut in half. These images average 300-2400 DPI and the average size is 3000 pixels long….some are way bigger, too.

You can use these images with NO RESTRICTIONS. Print them, sell them, give them away, create altered art with them, commercial use allowed. NO LIMITATIONS.

You may place more than one order, and share the discount code with your friends.

Vintage Art Download is the only place on the web where you can get public domain, high quality, high resolution digital downloads of the masters–everyone from Van Gogh to Alphonse Mucha, Cappiello, Claude Monet, vintage advertising, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, vintage posters, vintage labels, vintage seed packs, vintage ads, travel posters, circus posters, Asian art and  SO much more. The biggest and highest quality, not to mention diverse collection to be found anywhere.

Hurry and get a deal of a lifetime. It will be over tomorrow. Click here.
DON’T DELAY. YOU SNOOZE, YOU LOSE a fabulous deal.

High resolution vintage art and fine art by the download.

Being a lover of vintage art and needing vintage images to create  my pastiches, as well as needing images for Vintage Mural, I found I had a hard time finding places to buy them in resolutions high enough for printing. Yes, they have places where you can buy a CDROM of vintage art (vintage travel posters, vintage labels, vintage seed packs, vintage tobacciana, etc) or the masters (like Monet or Van Gogh), but the images were nowhere near high resolution enough for printing. Further, the usage restrictions were so numerous they’d fill a tome fatter than War and Peace. Using one of these images for anything would make you look warily over your shoulder, worrying if you’d be sued by an army of attorneys for sending one as a gift print to your aunt Molly. In fact, commercial use of any kind is frowned upon and “strictly prohibited.” Even perfectly legal derivative works were “strictly prohibited” and the threat of God Himself descending from the sky for a scolding (not to mention hellfire and brimstone) felt like a very real possibility. And all this for images that were legally public domain, didn’t exceed 1200 pixels and weren’t even printable. Wow.

Still determined to find public domain fine art and vintage art I could actually print from, I visited the stockhouses, who did have many pieces I wanted but the prices were extremely high (over $500.00 each (sometimes *way* over) for the size and resolution I wanted) and the licensing fees and restrictions gave me a stomachache. So I decided to make these images available without usage restrictions, and in high resolution. In other words, I created the exact kind of site I had long looked for but quickly learned didn’t exist, Vintage Art Download.

Vintage Art Download

Vintage Art Download is not only an unprecedented resource for vintage or altered artists, but also for printers of canvas, framers, sellers of fine art prints, graphic designers, logo designers, web designers, historians, collectors, art enthusiasts, teachers, entrepreneurs, decoupagers, crafters, scrapbookers, ad agencies, marketing companies, jewelry designers…you get the idea. Most of the images are in 300 dpi (some even go up to 2400 dpi) and will print out easily at 8 x 10. For larger sizes, we urge customers to contact us. We have clients all over the world who use the art for many different applications, and the response has been overwhelming. The idea of truly high resolution images with no usage restrictions, people tell me, is so freeing and unique, that they love shopping there, and we get an unusually high level of repeat and word-of-mouth customers.

People who really care about getting exceptional quality prints will love the site. Here are some of the different types of images we have available, and we’re always adding new art constantly:

Alphonse Mucha, Autumn

Christmas Vintage

Van Gogh, Cafe Terrace at Night

Vintage Seed Packs

Vintage Ladies