Working in a Print Shop

Currently, I am in the process of filming yet another YouTube video – this one is for Art Snacks and will be posted next week! So, keep an eye out for that. I have always loved art subscription boxes, so I hope you will all enjoy it. But, onto the topic of this particular blog post: my job.

So, where do I work? A little over a year ago, I had a couple of original pieces I was selling to a lady up north. It was hard to part with them since I had never sold an original before (apart from commissions), and I had that "emotional connection" to them that many artists experience with their own work. I didn't want to say goodbye to them forever, and I had heard of a little art print shop about thirty minutes from where I live, so I drove (technically, my dad did the driving) there to have some prints made. While I was waiting for the pictures to be edited by the girl working there, I showed interest in the process. She took notice of this, and asked if I would be interested in a summer job there. I talked to her boss, signed some forms, and suddenly I had a job.

Working at this print shop has been so beneficial. Obviously, the money has been nice (more than nice – it's part of my college fund right now), but apart from that I have learned so much about the profession I want to go into. Being an artist is a lot more than painting and drawing, and working at this shop has allowed me to see more of the business side and acquire some more skills. I can use Photoshop, operate printers, stretch canvases, coat paintings, and more. Who knows, maybe I will open my own print shop one day. As a self-employed artist, multiple streams of income are important to have.

I have made everything seem so simple in this post, but trust me, nothing I've learned came easy. Half the time I feel like I don't even know what I'm doing. Just today, even, I was making four canvas prints and stretching them. First, I had some problems with the color correction, then the printer screwed up. Next, I coated the paintings and let them dry, only to find that I had used too much coating, leaving lots of little tiny drips on the canvas, and I had to reprint three of them. On one canvas, the size was even slightly off. Once all the canvases had dried, it was time to stretch them. After asking countless questions of my boss and coworker, messing up several time when stapling the canvas to its frame (pulling out staples is not fun...), and accidentally getting some weird bubbles in the canvas...

I was done. 

Needless to say, it was a long day. 

However, though I struggled quite a bit, I now know so much more than I did yesterday. Each day is a learning experience and I get better at my job with every mistake. I'm pretty proud of those four canvases now, regardless of the stress involved.