Backgrounds are different
One very easy way to spot the difference between a handmade Silk Art and machine-made embroidery is to look at the back of the canvas. The back of handmade Silk Art is irregular and loose. You can see and feel the knots. Each piece of thread is no more than two feet long and so there are knots when a new piece is started or when the artist changes colors. The stitching at the back of machine-made embroidery is very tight and neat, every stitch is perfectly identical to the next. There are no knots on back of machine-made embroidery, because they don’t need to change thread. Machine thread is very long; each spool is a few miles long.

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Does the art have credibility and long term value?

The right piece, we believe it will. Keep in mind this art form has been around for thousands of years and top end pieces sell in the hundred of thousands of dollars. See some of our grand masters.

BUT it is with hesitation I would accept any claim of long term value for any art. The only way to truly see if art has investment value is when it is resold. Find art because you love it, not because you expect it to be worth thousands of dollars in years to come.

One of the big reasons we believe Silk Art will increase in value is simply what is happening to the art. The way you get a 3000 year history to the art is when you are born you have no choice. In today’s China people have lots of choices. A major concern is, as China industrializes, the hand arts, especially one where you spend hour after hour after hour stitching, will disappear.

The post 75124 Two Sunlit Ballerinas first appeared on silkart.

1. Artistic Talent – The individual skills and development
Professional Silk Art artists go through a lengthy learning process to develop theirskills and talent. The very first lessons begin on grandma’s knee. For Silk Art families, teaching our children about the family legacy is a centuries old tradition.For those with talent and an interest, formal training starts in their late teens.

Artists must spend ten years as a student and another eight years as a teacher in order to meet the time requirement to be a Master Silk Artist. After five years as a Master Silk Artist, an artist may apply to become a Grand Master Silk Artist. These are general guidelines. Time alone does not necessarily make you a Master or Grand Master. Talent and skill must be demonstrated as well.

The post 75102 Fairy and Butterflies-Anderson first appeared on silkart.

High quality handmade Silk Art looks alive because each artist creates it with a personal touch. These artists are masters of their craft. A machine cannot make decisions or infuse passion into its work. In comparison, machine-made embroidery looks dull and lifeless.
Each piece of handmade Silk Art is unique, even when using the same pattern; artists have the discretion to vary color and stitches. You will never find two completely identical pieces; every piece is one of a kind. Machine-made embroidery is just like a print, all the copies looks exactly the same, the color, the stitches, the final product are all exactly the same!

The post 75105 Mother and Child-Klimt first appeared on silkart.

Pure silk thread is used to make handmade Silk Art . Silk thread cannot be used in machines because it breaks too easily. King Silk Art uses silk thread that can be divided into 16 individual strands, impossible with a machine. The thinner the thread, the more detail and definition are possible, making higher quality and more valuable handmade Silk Art.

Embroidery machines must use thicker thread, commonly polyester, rayon, or metallic. Artificial thread looks and feels artificial. Machines can not use divided thread, so the thickness of the thread used in machines is also completely uniform, flattening the final image.

The post 75114 The Good Shepherd first appeared on silkart.

Not surprisingly, a major difference between handmade Silk Art and machine made embroidery is in the stitching process. Handmade Silk Art allows for a variety of stitches in varying thicknesses of thread, every work is unique. Machine made embroidery is completely uniform; every piece is virtually identical to the next.

Handmade Silk Art begins with stretching the fabric tightly over a wooden frame. The artists use a fine needle and colorful threads to sew each stitch by hand. Machine made embroidery is computer generated and fabricated. Pre-made patterns are input into the computer that controls the sewing machine to make the embroidery.

The post 75101 Madonna and Child-Sassoferrato first appeared on silkart.

Backgrounds are different
One very easy way to spot the difference between a handmade Silk Art and machine-made embroidery is to look at the back of the canvas. The back of handmade Silk Art is irregular and loose. You can see and feel the knots. Each piece of thread is no more than two feet long and so there are knots when a new piece is started or when the artist changes colors. The stitching at the back of machine-made embroidery is very tight and neat, every stitch is perfectly identical to the next. There are no knots on back of machine-made embroidery, because they don’t need to change thread. Machine thread is very long; each spool is a few miles long.

The post 75055 Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer-Klimt first appeared on silkart.

Nearly 2249 years ago, the first Emperor of China Qin Shi Huang placed eleven families in Suzhou, China to create handmade Silk Art for the imperial families. A descendant of one of the original families, Forest Qing Zhang, King Silk Art’s founder and President, built our family’s company into a global business. King Silk Art is now based on California, US.

The post 75025 Semi-Nude with a Vase first appeared on silkart.

Does the art have credibility and long term value?

The right piece, we believe it will. Keep in mind this art form has been around for thousands of years and top end pieces sell in the hundred of thousands of dollars. See some of our grand masters.

BUT it is with hesitation I would accept any claim of long term value for any art. The only way to truly see if art has investment value is when it is resold. Find art because you love it, not because you expect it to be worth thousands of dollars in years to come.

One of the big reasons we believe Silk Art will increase in value is simply what is happening to the art. The way you get a 3000 year history to the art is when you are born you have no choice. In today’s China people have lots of choices. A major concern is, as China industrializes, the hand arts, especially one where you spend hour after hour after hour stitching, will disappear.

The post 75016 The Kiss-Klimt first appeared on silkart.

Forest Qing Zhang began paving the 21’st Century Silk Art Road in 2002, when Forest and his family immigrated to Canada from Suzhou, China.

In 2004, King Silk Art evolved out of Silk Art’s growing local popularity. Our success in Canada brought us to a new location in 2006, California, US.

Silk Art is now growing in popularity worldwide. We introduced Silk Art to Japan in 2007, to the UK in 2008, to the Middle East in 2009 and to Australia in 2011.

The post 87103 The Cafe Terrace-Van Gogh first appeared on silkart.