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After months and months of putting it off, I finally managed to drag my Audrey Kawasaki print to the framing shop today. I went to Sam's at Flushing, NY for a few reasons - 1. A bunch of excellent reviews, 2. They're apparently a lot cheaper than shops like, say, Michaels. The giclee print I brought is 17.5 x 17.5". I opted for a really nice Italian designer frame and a 2.25" matting job with 99% UV glass. I already knew that framing is not exactly cheap and I had a set number in mind of how much I'd probably spend so I was ready to hear something like $150 or even around $250. What I wasn't expecting was getting smacked with a $350 price tag (+ tax). Fucking OUCH!

Anyone else here ever had a custom framing job done? How much did it cost and what did the job entail?

That's quite a bit of money, don't you think?

Yes, but it wouldn't do the artwork any justice if I used a plain black frame like the ones from Ikea. I might as well just hide the piece in the basement. Having good taste comes with a hefty price, I suppose. Then again, I've seen framing/matting jobs from other shops that cost just as much or even more for ridiculous looking, plain, unadorned frames. Most of the ones I see though go for around $150-$250 for about the same size as my piece. In addition, a great framing job increases the value of the artwork a lot. The unframed piece itself is already selling for almost triple its original price 5 months after the release date, so I already made for the the price of framing just by getting the artwork from the original seller.

In the end, I suppose I'll have to compromise and delay purchasing a new external flash for my camera. Not like I actually have the time to go out shooting any time soon.

le sigh

I'm picking it up in about a week and a half. I'll post some pics when I do

Just picked up the frame today. Holy shit it's worth every penny. But next time I'll try to go on a budget since I went all out on this one.

Reuploaded pics

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I'm trying to negotiate with some ebay sellers on the price of Amy Sol's new Water Dragon print. Jesus fucking Christ these fucking flippers..I swear. On one hand, they're a bunch of scalping scumbags. However, they do give people the opportunity to purchase limited artwork that was missed on release day (or rather sold out the first 45 seconds).

That's looking good, I like the detail on that.

Doesn't look too bad.. lulz

Thanks!

Since the jackass selling Amy Sol on ebay is being a difficult, greedy jackass, I decided to go for another Kawasaki print instead. The piece I really wanted titled Saying Goodbye is extremely hard to find and the damn thing cost $1000. The only seller I saw mistreated his copy and sells it for $1500. **** that. However, my girlfriend really loves this one piece called Memai and I found someone in NYC who's selling his for $800. I asked for a possible price bump down but otherwise, strongly considering it. My only problem with her older prints like Memai is that she tends to put the signature and number on the white borders.

"Saying Goodbye"


"Memai"


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If anyone wants quick cash, follow her work and if you manage to snag one print on release day, I'll buy it from you for double the price lol.

I think I like that framed print better. The face in saying goodbye seems strangely flattened :/

Have you heard of Barnaby Ward? I kind of like his works, worthy of getting a print in my opinion although they're a bit more simple than Kawasaki's.
http://somefield.com/wallpaper/wallpaper.html
The little squares on the left are also previews

But the face on the second pic looks awesome. It's like popping out of the picture.

Barnaby Ward's style is kind of like a HS student's doodle notes. I'm sure there are people who love his work but it's just not for me. For simplistic paintings/drawings, I'd go for Ryuichi Ogino.

Flattened? It's wide but I wouldn't say it looks distorted or flattened.

I managed to get the dealer to lower the price to $750. Not much difference but it's still very, very, very, very tempting. The way I see it, it's one of the few situations where money can truly buy you happiness. It's a one time fee for something that can make your everyday life a little better. Hell, these things will still be here even when I'm long gone. That's the thing I like most about art.

If you're interested in lowbrow/counter-culture art, I'd suggest getting a subscription from Juxtapose or Hi-Fructose. I bought a Hi-Fructose Vol2 Box Set and I love the damn thing.

@barnaby
I don't think I would call them doodles, but I can see where you're coming from. It's not really the type of art you can expect to see in a museum. He uses very simple lines, but I like the result. I like simple, slightly unrefined art cause it leaves a little space for your imagination to fill.

@saying goodbye
Flattened wasn't really the correct word. What I meant to say is that her face seems a little stretched horizontally. At least so it seems to me... Maybe I just don't know enough people with that type of face to compare it to...

@magazines
I checked the websites. Didn't like Juxtapoz much, but Hi-Fructose doesn't seem bad. I'm not really up for any subscriptions though, nor am I even sure it's sold in my country, but I might look into some of the artists I see.

this one made me lol a little


On an unrelated note...
Don't you feel a little snobby when you type all this. I swear I rub my eye every 5 mins just to check if I'm not accidentally wearing a monocle xD

Not really. It's not like I'm bidding on things worth thousands of dollars. I would if it was some pretentious abstract crap because there is no way I can imagine myself justifying why a painting of a triangle and a box should compel someone to spend $50,000. In this case, it's quite justified and if I ever decide to resell them, I'm pretty sure the value only goes up.

I'm still trying to decide whether to buy the Memai print or not this Friday. The seller offered to let me view it first before deciding and I can even go through his collection first in case I see something else that I like. He has a bunch of Kawasaki, Sol, and Shepard Fairey prints available. The only thing that's keeping me from sending him an e-mail saying "ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY SOLD!" is that the signature and edition number is written on the white margin around it. WTF?! Which means I'd have to include the goddamn borders when I get the thing framed. Might be a small issue to some people but it really bugs me, especially when I have to spend that amount of money on it. So for now, I'm gonna try to look for a picture of a framed Memai print to see if it's worth it.

Also..another reason why I like Saying Goodbye so much is that it sort of reminds me of:

Amazing movie. You gotta see it.

Also, I'm going to meet up with the seller to see if I'm getting it...maybe. Not exactly shitting money but I work extra hours and stuff lol. That and I don't have kids to support or a car to pay off + insurance.

I'm being constantly bugged by indecision. I have no qualms about spending $750 on the print. I'd say it's a fairly decent price on this print. However, when I spend money, I want to make sure that I'm happy with my purchase. The problem with this print is that there is a HUGE flaw. As I've mentioned before, the signature/number on the white margin really depreciates the value for me. Unfortunately, she did that for a few of her earlier prints - mainly on Oiran and this. What the fuck was she thinking?!?!!?!!@

Well shit... I couldn't resist the temptation.

I just bought Saying Goodbye for $850. Mint condition but has been stored rolled since July. Otherwise, no damage on the product. Comes with Certificate of Authenticity. Will post pictures after I get it framed.

What's the next thing you want to buy? lulz

Giving myself a few weeks of rest. Unless someone decides to sell their Water Dragon print for a really low price or a red raku day dunny. The only money I throw into this kind of stuff comes from my overtime/holiday paychecks - not the regular ones. Those go to savings/necessities.

^ Ah that's cool !

Working full time now. Might go back to school later on though.

Btw, Shamori, your work reminds me of Olly Moss' silhouettes.

^^^
Regarding Olly Moss Mario Print:
Shit just went on sale for $90 each. I wanted to get one and trade it for a water dragon or something else but it sold out within a few seconds - not to mention paypal kept lagging and breaking. I failed to snag one

Flippers on ebay are now selling them for $500-$1200 (variants)

No need to pursue it. Making it a hobby is good enough. Hell, my career path doesn't even come close to my passion for art but I still manage. You need to do something you like to keep your sanity.

Creating something in physical form would be a lot more challenging than creating digital art. However, it does give you more freedom and it invokes different senses. The main thing I love about working with art - whether it be photos, tags, drawings, or writing - is getting into that zone of concentration where you consistently try to restructure your ideas while trying to project it to your medium.

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Also, I got the Saying Goodbye print by Audrey. I hate the fact that the old owners mishandled the print by storing it rolled - something you should never do when handling expensive art prints. However, it is undamaged except that it's been stored in a tube (given it's double tubed, suspended by Kraft paper and bubble wrap sheets on the inside). It took me several minutes to get it out of the packaging without damaging/bruising the print and touching the print surface, to get it into one of my old 24x36 plastic frames. Had to protect the back with the reverse side of a cheap Steez poster to prevent any scratches. It's not really the ideal way to store flat prints but it will do until I drag it to the framers, first thing on my day-off this Monday. It looks even more majestic in person. Even when stored inside a shitty plastic frame, bordered by paper tape, it still looks incredible. I can't wait to see what it looks like framed =)

I think that taste that only comes with a price is pretty tasteless.