Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Photograph artwork
Most artwork is one of a kind. Even computer art is often output large in a
variety of individual forms or on special materials. As soon as the piece is dry, shoot
it yourself, even if you plan to hire a professional later. If the worst happens and your
artwork is stolen, damaged, fades, or ends up sold to someone who disappears, you
still have a portfolio record. See Chapter 6, “Transferring Physical Media to Digital,”
for the best ways to get your work into the computer.
Mounted boards bend, glues lift and yellow, and badly framed prints bubble
with moisture. You learn these lessons in school or from miserable experience. Yet
people who are craft-conscious in traditional media can be remarkably careless with
digital output or samples. Could you afford to reprint a poster? Store the work you're
saving with care no matter whether it's made of atoms or bytes.
Storing traditional materials
Always store your two-dimensional work flat, between acid-free paper, out of
direct light, and in a cool place. If you must roll the work, store it in a closable tube
with as large a diameter as you can find. If you have a portfolio case full of work,
store it on a shelf without any bulky items or additional folders inserted, and never
place anything on top of it. Keep it away from damp places, and never leave your
portfolio case in the trunk of your car on a hot day. If you need to take it on an air-
plane, carry it on. Baggage handling can be hard on your case and the things in it.
If you are storing process work, set aside a sketchbook or file folder for these
non-digital project materials. Keep these folder materials off your working surface.
Coffee rings and grease smears do not improve marker sketches.
Storing digital output
Some work is only output digitally, not offset printed or chemically developed.
The quality may look great initially, but some inks, toners, dyes, and even the papers
you print them on are unstable. If you are unsure of your digital printer's (or its inks')
archival quality, see the sidebar, “Is your digital output stable?,” that follows.
Other problems can arise with stored digital output, even when the ink and
paper archive well. Some inks chemically react with portfolio topics' plastic sleeves.
Copier and laser prints can stick to the inside of vinyl, ruining both the sample and
the portfolio page. And almost all output—even the very best—will eventually fade,
especially if left in full daylight. If your only original version of the piece is a digital
print, store it just like traditional art.
