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David Shepherd

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David Shepherd Limited Edition Prints

 

David Shepherd is a successful British wildlife artist who also enjoys painting steam engines, airplanes, battleships and landscapes. His artwork gained popularity in the 1960's and continues to impress and gain value as time goes on.

When an artist produces a painting, he or she has the option of producing 'limited edition signed prints,' which are numbered and autographed (usually in pencil) copies of the original masterpiece that are printed with the understanding that no additional prints will be produced after reaching the predetermined number, or 'limit.' Factors like style, availability and client demand are considered when determining how many prints will be produced and professional artists will usually authorize the printing of between 25 and 100 prints of any particular piece of artwork. However, some artists have been known to allow the printing of up to 1,000 copies but, for valuation purposes, artwork is worth more when there are fewer prints in circulation.

Artists also have the option of not limiting the number of prints and can produce as many copies as they think collectors will buy. Conversely, artists can also choose to not allow the printing of any copies of their work, which greatly increases the value of the original masterpiece for popular artists like David Shepherd, who can improve the marketability of their artwork by limiting its availability, thereby making the piece more 'rare,' which creates more value in the painting and generates demand for the piece by collectors.

It is very important than any and all issues be resolved before undertaking the actual printing of the limited edition paintings and professional artists usually ask the printer to provide 'proof prints' so that they can inspect them for problems before any mass printing of a painting takes place. Most artists maintain records of their limited edition print sales so that any pieces that get damaged can be re-printed. Other than replacing those numbered, damaged pieces, it is highly unethical for additional copies to be printed after completion of the authorized number of limited edition prints. Very often, the print plates are actually destroyed, damaged or defaced to prevent further duplication of the artwork.

Before the digital age, printing equipment would wear out, which resulted in good print quality on the first-run prints and lesser quality with subsequent prints. Today, technology allows artists to produce as many prints as they desire and each one shares the same quality. Signed, limited edition prints are valuable to art collectors and this translates to more money for the artist, which encourages them to allow the production of varying numbers of limited edition prints of their original masterpieces.

David Shepherd Prints

 

British artist, David Shepherd, is one of the most successful wildlife artists in the world and his most famous and popular prints is undoubtedly 'Wise Old Elephant,' the success of which changed his life and resulted in many people requesting additional paintings of elephants simply because they were popular. David thought he should resist the urge to paint more elephants for fear he would 'over popularize' himself, but more than 250,000 copies of 'Wise Old Elephant' have sold to collectors throughout the world.

It's hard to imagine, but some criticize the artwork of David Shepherd because he paints his masterpieces using photographs and videos since animals in the wild won't 'pose' for him! Taking numerous photographs or films enables him to view the subject of his work from many different angles and includes the natural surroundings of that animal's habitat.

According to David Shepherd, when preparing to paint a picture, 'ninety percent is seeing it, getting it in your head' and photographic images and videos help the artist capture the scene, as well as the animal, which is the subject of the painting. Shepherd photographed a piece of deadwood on a path and said that, if he had instead sketched it, it would have taken at least half an hour and he would have ended up with one sketch, whereas spending thirty minutes photographing the images he wants to paint results in numerous perspectives of the subject taken from varying angles and in different light. Photographs and videos give the artist more insight into the animals he paints and their environments and also make it possible for him to reuse those images again and again in his paintings. Shepherd said he has used the image of that piece of driftwood in at least eight of his beautiful paintings of wildlife.

Using photographs and videos, David Shepherd creates his masterpieces by starting with a detailed pencil sketch on the canvas, and he usually starts with the animals left eye, gradually building the painting from that point. He prefers to use oil paints and creates realistic wildlife paintings that always become more valuable as time passes.

Photographs and videos have become an essential element of David Shepherd's artwork since his work is predominantly commissioned and he works exclusively inside an art studio that is connected to his home and doesn't get the opportunity to paint outside anymore.

David Shepherd also has a passion for steam engines, battleships and airplanes but, since painting prints of those subjects requires more exquisite lines and details, he would have to charge more for them because they take much longer to create and he fears pricing himself out of the art world if he were to focus on those subjects.

David Shepherd continues to create beautiful masterpieces of wildlife art and works tirelessly at the wildlife foundation that he created to protect animal species that are on the brink of extinction. His contribution to the world of wildlife and wildlife art is priceless. Read More