274 réponses à ce sujet

[vometia]

I hadn't even started saving - in fact I haven't even paid off the last lot! Damn you, '70s-style litho.

[BeanieBat]

That's the one I couldn't resist either. I think if I want to start saving I'll just need to avoid the interenet... though I'd probably just end up regretting it if I did.

[vometia]

Life's a real nuisance like that, isn't it? Why can't I buy stuff and save at the same time, dammit!

[BeanieBat]

Bah, that would be too easy! =P

[lasterwaster]

bought the portal2 70s litho - amazing stuff !

[Captain Crash]

Well my 'Fight to Survive' Gliclee arrived    

http://alice2store.c...uo-giclee-print


Since I think im the first here to get one I thought I would describe a bit more about it.  As the OP said it not a lithograph but an archival-quality inkjet print.   The card its on is totally different from what you get with the litho, as its inkjet its an absorbant card but not a flat card. Its one of those that have the tiny bumps and divets.   Its far more fragile then a Litho by far because of it. 


Having said that the quality of the print does not at all disappoint. Theres tiny pinpoints of detail on it, such as the Vorpal Blade and the detail between a mini litho and the gliclee is virtually the same.  Its a very high quality piece. So it should be for the price.   I had a lot of buyers remorse after I bought it because of the size (slightly smaller then a mini litho) and its price, but now I have it Im really quite glad of the purchase.  Its unique and different and really impressive.   Just going to have to be really carefull with it!!!


I included a couple of pics, sorry for my camera quality.   Oh and because of said absorbtion the number is written soft in pencil, makes me wonder if someone accidentally used pen and found that out the hard way! haha.  You cant see it but mines #4 of the 30. 


http://desmond.image....jpg&res=medium


Note:  Crappy camera doesnt do this justice, so may delete!  The image on website is far more representative!
http://desmond.image....jpg&res=medium

Modifié par Captain Crash, 13 juillet 2011 - 11:20 .

[vometia]

Captain Crash wrote...

Well my 'Fight to Survive' Gliclee arrived    

Thanks for posting that - interesting stuff!  It's also nice to see the picture given a bit of context, too: the official images don't do that so it's harder to see what you're getting in a way, whereas yours give more of a "feel" of what it's about.  It actually looks rather better than I'd anticipated.

Good call warning us about its potential fragility, too: that's not something I'd anticipated.

(Oh, and just for the record, it was Stardazzled who found out about giclees, I just reposted the details! )

[Captain Crash]

No problem. I really thought it would be worth mentioning the frailty of it because its something I never anticipated either. If a tiny drop of water went on a litho, you could pretty much dab it of and there be virtually no harm done. With this it would be ruined. No doubt.

I may be able to get hold of my friends 10 megapixel camera later so will try get a better snap. As you point out the store images are for selling and its good to see them outside that environment. I will put it next to a mini as well, because you dont get a sense of scale in the above pics.


Even if you dont purchase the Alice Gliclee's, it seems Treehouse is branching out in its art so it may be useful for a future purchase.

[AgenTBC]

Does anyone happen to know if the backings included in the Bioware store litho shipments are acid neutral? Not, obviously, the thick corrugated packing cardboard but rather the much thinner (maybe 1/8 or 1/16 inch?) 18x24" cardboard backings. I've been replacing them with my own acid-neutral backings but it's annoying to just toss them when they may well be exactly the same as the ones I'm buying to replace them.

[vometia]

AgenTBC wrote...

Does anyone happen to know if the backings included in the Bioware store litho shipments are acid neutral? Not, obviously, the thick corrugated packing cardboard but rather the much thinner (maybe 1/8 or 1/16 inch?) 18x24" cardboard backings. I've been replacing them with my own acid-neutral backings but it's annoying to just toss them when they may well be exactly the same as the ones I'm buying to replace them.

I just tried one with a pH tester pen and the result was inconclusive: it's hard to tell exactly what colour it turned, especially on the brown background.  Though it faded somewhat, it didn't immediately turn yellow like it does on the hardboard backing that you see on many frames, so I guess that worst case it's "not ideal" as opposed to "really bad".  Even in the case of the latter, lithographs that I've framed over a year ago sitting right against a hardboard backing haven't absorbed any significant amount of acid--not that I intend to leave them as they are as I've seen the results of decades' worth of ill-effects from poor framing, but it's not a catastrophe.  Still, if there's any doubt, backing board isn't expensive; and a pH test pen is also a cheap investment!

Apologies to all for not updating the OP, that inconvenient problem that is real life has been getting in the way lately.

Oh, the "'70s" Portal 2 lithograph turned up the other day, and again it looks so much better in person!  I was slightly ambivalent when ordering, but I'm so glad I did.  Also had an interesting conversation with my other half: "Have you checked out the number...?" I was asked rather innocently.  "Oh yeah, it says it's one of 200", I replied.  "No, it's number 1 of 200!"  Not that it really does anything to its value (and I've no intention of selling anyway) but it's cool to finally have a no. 1!

[AgenTBC]

Thanks, vometia!

Huh, I ordered a couple of the Alice lithographs and they sent me an extra one. I guess I should be a good citizen and contact them about it.

[Captain Crash]

Sounds like they should be ok then. Actually this is an interesting point because I still have two of the early Lithos without the plastic cover sitting in its box waiting to be hanged. Laying between two layers of corrugated card cant be good. I will put them somewhere better I think!!


Also cool to hear you got a #1 Vometia! :happy:  Its always nice to hear it when one of commited collectors get it rather then someone who will just sell it on ebay or is a really lucky first time buyer!  


Additionally I have a new favourite Litho!  Dispite arriving in this state:http://social.biowar...81672/2#7899809

I knew I would like the HMS Gryphon when I first saw it in the shop, but its by farrrr my favourite in my collection!! This will be framed and hanging by the weeks end im sure!  But heres the token photo for curiosity. Its still in its plastic so disregard obvious tape on the photo. 


#58.    Which means it should be 8 but the first 50 got set aside for the huge packs. Oh well 

Modifié par Captain Crash, 18 juillet 2011 - 06:09 .

[BeanieBat]

vometia wrote...

Oh, the "'70s" Portal 2 lithograph turned up the other day, and again it looks so much better in person!  I was slightly ambivalent when ordering, but I'm so glad I did.  Also had an interesting conversation with my other half: "Have you checked out the number...?" I was asked rather innocently.  "Oh yeah, it says it's one of 200", I replied.  "No, it's number 1 of 200!"  Not that it really does anything to its value (and I've no intention of selling anyway) but it's cool to finally have a no. 1!

Hmmm... I'm sure I'd ordered mine before you... =P  Sorry, just kidding, I'm glad you finally got a number 1! 
Mine is sitting at the DHL depot, not that they have told me yet...  It took 2 days to get from Seattle to Edinburgh, and it's been sitting in the depot for 5 days without them telling me!  Nice, huh?  Anyway, could you possibly tell me the size of the litho?  Is it huge like the other Portal 2 ones?  I couldn't find any info on the website...

[vometia]

Captain Crash wrote...

Sounds like they should be ok then. Actually this is an interesting point because I still have two of the early Lithos without the plastic cover sitting in its box waiting to be hanged. Laying between two layers of corrugated card cant be good. I will put them somewhere better I think!!

It's probably not great, though unlikely to be anything to panic about; seems that hardboard is the real nasty one, which is unfortunate since nearly all framing companies use the stuff and most people aren't aware of the potential problems (and neither was I until a few weeks ago).

Captain Crash wrote...

Also cool to hear you got a #1 Vometia! :happy:  Its always nice to hear it when one of commited collectors get it rather then someone who will just sell it on ebay or is a really lucky first time buyer!  

Thanks!  Would've been a bummer to see it go straight onto Ebay...

Captain Crash wrote...

Additionally I have a new favourite Litho!  Dispite arriving in this state:http://social.biowar...81672/2#7899809

I knew I would like the HMS Gryphon when I first saw it in the shop, but its by farrrr my favourite in my collection!! This will be framed and hanging by the weeks end im sure!  But heres the token photo for curiosity. Its still in its plastic so disregard obvious tape on the photo. 

#58.    Which means it should be 8 but the first 50 got set aside for the huge packs. Oh well 

Looks good. Can't wait for my eight-pack to get here!  They always look so much better in person, don't they?  It'll be interesting to see what you do in terms of framing it.

BeanieBat wrote...

Hmmm... I'm sure I'd ordered mine before you... =P  Sorry, just kidding, I'm glad you finally got a number 1! 
Mine is sitting at the DHL depot, not that they have told me yet...  It took 2 days to get from Seattle to Edinburgh, and it's been sitting in the depot for 5 days without them telling me!  Nice, huh?  Anyway, could you possibly tell me the size of the litho?  Is it huge like the other Portal 2 ones?  I couldn't find any info on the website...

DHL do seem to have beaten off stiff competition to claim the "worst courier" award.  Shame, because the actual drivers have always been great, but as a company they suck.

Er anyway: it's 24x36": in fact it's slightly bigger cross-ways (possibly both dimensions, it's still slightly too curly to measure accurately) to the tune of about a mm or so: I think this has also been the case with other recent Valve lithos which have been a remarkably tight fit, and I'm probably lucky they've ended up ripple-free after I stuffed them into their frames.

[BeanieBat]

Yep, I'm still worried that I'm going to turn up at the depot and they are going to charge me more in customs taxes than the actual item is worth , again... but this time I'll take back up!!

Thanks, I'm not going to be able to pick mine up until Saturday, but can look for frames in the meantime! =D

[vometia]

BeanieBat wrote...

Yep, I'm still worried that I'm going to turn up at the depot and they are going to charge me more in customs taxes than the actual item is worth , again... but this time I'll take back up!!

Thanks, I'm not going to be able to pick mine up until Saturday, but can look for frames in the meantime! =D

They originally quoted me £32 in fees, but hastily reduced it to £22 when we asked to see the invoice.  I'm not sure whether that was DHL or the offshore call-centre operative trying to swindle us, though.  Even then it's about a fiver too much, but it's getting to the point where life's too short to spend so much of it battling the likes of DHL.  Which is of course what they're counting on, but there's only so much time I want to spend tackling parasites...

[BeanieBat]

vometia wrote...

BeanieBat wrote...

Yep, I'm still worried that I'm going to turn up at the depot and they are going to charge me more in customs taxes than the actual item is worth , again... but this time I'll take back up!!

Thanks, I'm not going to be able to pick mine up until Saturday, but can look for frames in the meantime! =D

They originally quoted me £32 in fees, but hastily reduced it to £22 when we asked to see the invoice.  I'm not sure whether that was DHL or the offshore call-centre operative trying to swindle us, though.  Even then it's about a fiver too much, but it's getting to the point where life's too short to spend so much of it battling the likes of DHL.  Which is of course what they're counting on, but there's only so much time I want to spend tackling parasites...

The last time I ordered from Valve, it was for the companion cube plushie, which is just under $30 and I think the shipping cost me $19... when I got the invoice through from DHL (about a month after I picked up the package) it was charging me for $65 value plus their fee... I have no idea where they got $65 from, as it didn't say anywhere! But I think I had already paid £30ish in charges and I didn't think I'd be getting any of it back... so this time I'm going to fight before paying!  It really is ridiculous, and I have since avoided ordering from Valve because they use DHL, but I liked the litho too much to let it pass this time...

[vometia]

Yeah, I'm put off ordering from Valve for the same reason. Another reason that DHL are the worst is that they levy all sorts of questionable charges and both refuse to deliver the parcel or show you the invoice before paying, which is all highly irregular. Most other couriers at least give a breakdown of the charges in advance, and will generally also deliver the parcel first (which I think is actually a legal requirement).

In contrast to that, my Alice eight-pack turned up today via HDNL which other than the parcel being battered (and on that front, I have to say that in spite of looking ugly, the new Treehouse packaging seems to really do the trick! It was pretty bent and battered but the lithos didn't have a single crease; anyway...) arrived without any aggravation at all. Oh yeah, I got no. 3 for that lot: not no. 1, but still pleased with a single digit number: and three is the rarest of all numbers according to at least one Ebay seller!

[BeanieBat]

Thing is, something is going on with the delivery companies at the moment... I went to pick up my Alice litho from HDNL not long ago (new packaging also, but they hadn't taped over the opening of the plastic sleeve so it still ended up with bent corners) and found that it is now called Yodel. I also went to pick up a DHL package (local, thankfully, so no customs!) to find that it was also Yodel. I don't think this is good... I mean HDNL have never charged me for customs, but DHL overcharge.

Modifié par BeanieBat, 19 juillet 2011 - 09:10 .

[vometia]

BeanieBat wrote...

Thing is, something is going on with the delivery companies at the moment... I went to pick up my Alice litho from HDNL not long ago (new packaging also, but they hadn't taped over the opening of the plastic sleeve so it still ended up with bent corners) and found that it is now called Yodel. I also went to pick up a DHL package (local, thankfully, so no customs!) to find that it was also Yodel. I don't think this is good... I mean HDNL have never charged me for customs, but DHL overcharge.

It is quite confusing!  HDNL now seems to be calling its actual home delivery branch Yodel now, which I think coincided with them buying out DHL's UK home delivery branch: for a while I was worried that it was the other way round, but apparently not.  So anything that goes via HDNL seems to be okay.  But DHL still have their own UK presence for imports and so on, nothing to do with HDNL/Yodel/whatever, and that's where things start to be a pain in the arse.

[BeanieBat]

Well that's a relief! HDNL said it changed it's name because the company was expanding, which didn't worry me until I saw that DHL was involved! But it's fine as long as I don't start getting charged for ME lithos, I don't want to think about how much I'd end up paying then!

[vometia]

Figured it was about time I posted a couple of pictures of my recent framing effort.  The frame is a custom jobbie from PictureLizard, who are a friendly bunch though their measurements are sometimes a bit skew-whiff: since the frame was slightly too long and the glass slightly too short I ended up having to tape the latter in place.  Still, nice enough frame for the £50-odd it cost me (exc. VAT: that's for vinyl-ish finish over softwood frame, backing board and somewhat UV-resistant plastic glass) and about another £25 for the double mount.  I also bought a huge sheet of acid-free barrier card to put between the litho and the backing board, which I'm only just realising is pretty much essential considering that nearly all framers use hardboard, which is really not good for picture longevity.

What I completely failed to consider was where the certificate of authenticity should go: had I thought about it in advance I'd have ordered a longer frame and had a separate hole cut in the mount for it.  Perhaps another time, in the meantime I'll pop it in one of those archival photo sleeves and tape it to the back of the frame.









Close-up of the mount: looks slightly redder here than it actually is, which is more of a brick-red colour.  Apologies for the "crumbs", the glass was absolutely full of static when I peeled its protective cover off and every bit of sawdust in the area clung to it in spite of my best efforts to remove it!

Now to choose some framing options for my Team lithograph, which in a far cry from recent no.s 1 and 3 here and elsewhere is about as anonymous a number as you can get!

[Captain Crash]

hmmm UV resistant plastic is cheaper then I thought then.  I been using glass and metal frames.  Around the same price but of course doesnt have the UV protection.   I just dont have them in direct sunlight so figured it wouldnt be too much of an issue.  Especailly as Im rotating them around every couple of weeks.


They look great by the way   Im trying not to branch out to much as this hobby is rather expensive already! 

[vometia]

I think the key word is "somewhat": I'm not going to risk it in direct light! But "somewhat" is still better than nothing, I suppose.

And thanks! It is a bit of a menace that even a fairly economy-price frame is still hideously expensive. That's a rather moot point when I have more lithographs than wall, though.

[Captain Crash]

Indeed, I think you may be right, I been having great trouble trying to take photos because im getting so much glare. Even out of direct light it appears there is a tremendous amount of light impacting the glass and the lithos.  I think your right in buying them.

Anyway heres HMS Gryphon hanging up!  Glare, relections and everything else!  






I when I get a few more pennies I think I will get it professionally done rather then my amateur attempts.