In the hobby of MTG Art, all sorts of collectibles exist. Art prints, original paintings, artist proofs - all easy to collect items because they exist as a clearly defined category. However, limited edition prints can be more tricky. A lack of industry standards can lead to confusion, which is why I'd like to explain first what makes some prints special, and use that as a starting point for showing off our "Limited Edition Giclées" available here on TokyoMTG.
Traditionally, many types of analog printing techniques exist, such as lithography, the printing from a stone or metal plate. Such demanding printing styles help to create prints distinct from regular digital inkjet printing. However, with the advances in recent technology, digital printing is becoming ever more popular, and has evolved to include many high-quality techniques.
A vital point in creating high-quality prints of any kind is the collaboration between the artist and the artisan printer. While regular prints are easily created by anybody on a standard printing machine, the Giclées produced by our collaborating artists go through a multi-step process, in which the artist and printer experiment with different visual styles. This makes them distinct from other art products in various ways.
Continuing the comparison with art prints, our Gicées are printed on special high-end machines, which allow the artist to add effects such as embossing or bevels, to enhance the artwork beyond what they have created with their digital illustration. To further add to the uniqueness of each of the prints, all of them are individually hand-embellished by the artist, creating a piece of original artwork unlike what is usually available for digitally created pieces.
By limiting the number printed of each series, all of this turns them into a highly collectible item, to be appreciated for a long time. On the low end, some of our Giclées have a print run as low as 3-5 copies, while at most we never create more than 20-25 of any given series. With this project, it is our goal to bring a popular type of item from the fine art world to the hobby of MTG art collecting.
Traditionally, MTG art has not been an easy hobby to get into. Even though prints are cheap, getting your hands on one signed by the artist, or from a numbered series, can be tricky, undermining their value as a collectible. While there are services offering a large variety of art prints over the internet, they often lack the special feeling that comes with buying a limited release directly from the artist.
Original paintings, on the other hand, can be both pricey and hard to find. Since only one original exists ever, the chances to actually own a specific artwork are rather slim, and that's just for ones that actually are available. Prices can be sky-high, and most of the popular pieces end up in private collections of wealthy individuals. And for many artworks, an original might not even exist, since a fair amount of MTG illustrations are created digitally.
Which is why with our Giclées, we focus exclusively on digital works that do not have an original painting available, while pricing them below what most original paintings go for, to allow for a bigger audience to be able to enjoy these artworks. With the manually added embellishments, the experience of owning one of these Giclées is close to the joy one might get from an original. Since each one of them is unique, it's the perfect opportunity to own a one-of work made by the original artist.
All of the Giclée sales through TokyoMTG are on behalf of the original artist, meaning that they are a great way to support the creation of MTG art at the source. Minus the costs and a small fee for us, the money spent goes directly to the artist, allowing them to support their living through this art. That is one more of the reasons why we have started this project: to create a better market for all of the awesome people involved in making the high quality of art we see in Magic. It is our goal to create more opportunities for artists trying to make a living, while also allowing them to make fans happy through the creation of more than just one original painting. In this way, our Giclées are the perfect way to share the joy of creating and collecting MTG art.
Founder and CEO, Heiko Schmidt