# Copy of Art work



## timmy_650 (Oct 28, 2015)

My wife just got a grey's anatomy illustrations which is black and white. She wants to make copies of it for display reasons. I was looking for suggestions on best how to do that. I don't think I want to do it on my 3-1 hp $50 printer. I know you can photograph things like that or scan. I am not sure which one is a better choice and where to take it to get scan. Does it matter if it take to so some small fancy place or just like FedEx.

It looks kinda like this


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## distant.star (Oct 28, 2015)

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Is this copyrighted material? Do you have rights to reproduce?


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## sanj (Oct 28, 2015)

distant.star said:


> .
> Is this copyrighted material? Do you have rights to reproduce?



That is not the question.


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## takesome1 (Oct 28, 2015)

sanj said:


> distant.star said:
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I think it is a good question. We shouldn't help people engaged in criminal activity.


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## timmy_650 (Oct 28, 2015)

I own the oringal art work so I would guess I have the right to make copies of it of it for personal use. I am not trying to make copies to sell. The picture is different from the one above but it is the same idea.


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## sanj (Oct 28, 2015)

takesome1 said:


> sanj said:
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Assuming a fellow poster in this forum is a criminal is dishearting to say the least.


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## Don Haines (Oct 28, 2015)

timmy_650 said:


> I own the oringal art work so I would guess I have the right to make copies of it of it for personal use. I am not trying to make copies to sell. The picture is different from the one above but it is the same idea.



Do you own the original art work, or is what you have a print (copy) of the original drawing that you bought? If you own a print, then you don't have the right to make more copies, even if they are for personal use....


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Oct 28, 2015)

It all depends on your expectations. High quality copies and prints of original artwork are difficult, and a art form in themselves.

FedEx scans are not likely to meet the definition of high quality. Dirty glass, reflections, poor contrast, they are not intended for artistic reproduction.

You might be able to have high quality photos taken of it, but be prepared to show that you have the rights to copy it, a legitimate copy business making high quality prints would want to see the proof, because they could end up in big trouble.


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## takesome1 (Oct 28, 2015)

sanj said:


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Maybe the fellow poster doesn't know if the activity is criminal or not. We do not either, I still think its a fair question to ask.


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## timmy_650 (Oct 29, 2015)

So let me give you some background on the Piece. It has a black and white drawing like the one I posted above and that is what I want copied. Also on top of that there is a piece of rice paper with labels of what things are. Then there are 3 pieces of transparent sheets (the things teacher used in math class) with traces of veins and arteries and maybe one more. So to display this I can't leave them stacked. So I want to copy the base art with so I can display it with each layer. Then frame them all together. My wife got it from your Mentor b/c she just got her PhD. Her mentor got it from the original artist/ composure who was his mentor. He was throwing them all away. 
Yes the art work is probably copied righted But the company is no longer in business. If I run into problems I can get a letter from the original artist/ composure without too much hassle.


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## zim (Oct 29, 2015)

There is a method of digitising film which uses a macro lens to photograph parts of the frame in sequence. The parts are then stitched together to create a higher resolution digital image than if a single photo or scan was taken. I wonder if this technique could be adapted for larger images, guess it would need a lens with real good edge definition, 100L macro but used as a normal lens?


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## timmy_650 (Oct 29, 2015)

zim said:


> There is a method of digitising film which uses a macro lens to photograph parts of the frame in sequence. The parts are then stitched together to create a higher resolution digital image than if a single photo or scan was taken. I wonder if this technique could be adapted for larger images, guess it would need a lens with real good edge definition, 100L macro but used as a normal lens?



I do own a 100L macro


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## rpt (Oct 29, 2015)

A few questions:
[list type=decimal]
[*]what is the size of the original art work?
[*]are you going to be taking pictures of the overlays too?
[/list]

the reason I ask is that if you want to take pictures of the overlays, you will have to take them with the same perspective as the B&W artwork. So if you have many to do, it would help if you made a kind of a rig.


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## privatebydesign (Oct 29, 2015)

This is very straightforwards to do.

Put your artwork on the floor, set up your camera on a tripod centrally above it at the correct height to get the framing you need, get two lights and angle the them at 45 degrees to the artwork such that the light falling on it is even, if you need more lights use them but make sure they all match for brightness, distance and bulb type. Two flashes works perfectly too. Failing that any area of floor that has even and diffuse illumination, I have done entire books on hotel balconies before!

Take your picture using your macro lens at f8 and whatever shutter speed it needs, then take a shot of each overlay with it positioned in the same place as the original artwork, use manual focus and dont touch it between images, also use manual exposure and set it so your white level is half a stop below clipping. Finally take one shot with the same setup but of a styrofoam cup or container, this will give you a good white balance. 

Open all the images in your editor and set the WB to the styrofoam, you normally need to adjust the curves for black and white art reproduction, drag the white slider over to the right to even out the paper tone as it is never perfectly evenly illuminated., then open all the images as layers in PS or similar, save the files with the layers visible as you desire.

All told about 15 minutes work.

Then either print yourself or send out to a printers for the size you want.


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## tolusina (Oct 29, 2015)

privatebydesign said:


> This is very straightforwards to do.......


Yes, as PBD posted with an additional framing tip/trick.
Somewhere between laying the work to be copied on the floor and setting up the camera on a tripod, insert this step;
Place a mirror flat on top of the piece to be copied, adjust the camera on it's tripod such that the center focus point is centered in the center of the lens' reflection. 
This step assures that the camera sensor is parallel to the plane of the piece being photographed.


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## timmy_650 (Oct 30, 2015)

privatebydesign said:


> This is very straightforwards to do.
> 
> Put your artwork on the floor, set up your camera on a tripod centrally above it at the correct height to get the framing you need, get two lights and angle the them at 45 degrees to the artwork such that the light falling on it is even, if you need more lights use them but make sure they all match for brightness, distance and bulb type. Two flashes works perfectly too. Failing that any area of floor that has even and diffuse illumination, I have done entire books on hotel balconies before!
> 
> ...



Thanks that was my plan but worse well without all the tips. I also just liked things confirmed bc I know nothing much about scanners but I don't like them probably bc I always use cheaper ones. 
Although I don't think I will have to do anything. My mother-in-law wants to do it, so that will save me $500 frame this and she will spend $2000 doing it.


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