Tom's + Rebecca's tips are right.
Also, you should put a real cmyk scala beside the painting you're photographing. This allows you to control the colors for printing.

Tom is right.

But also, put some lights from the left and right, that will light up your painting correctly.

Josephine,

i have had experience in this before, depending on the work it can be very hard but if you follow a few principles it will work out.

1. shoot raw images, get an SLR or other compact that allows you to shoot in raw format, this will give you maximum detail and flexibility when trying to balance colours.
2. remove distortion, use a tripod and ball level to make sure the camera is completely level then adjust the height of the peice until it perfectly fills the frame, this will remove perspective distortion. Also try to reduce distortion in your lens, its best to google the lens you are using and see at which focal length the distortion is at its minimum or at least get the values and correct it using photoshops lens correction funtion.
3. control reflections. ideally this should be done using studio lights or flashes to eleminate any unwanted light sources but if this is not possible just shoot in an area with consistent diffused lighting that covers the entire peice evenly.

if you follow these few rules you should be able to reproduce work very accurately and maximise the uses for reproducing it.

good luck!

hi Josephine,

All the above are good suggestions. As a photography student I did alot of this type of work for fellow artists for exchange of artworks, second drawings etc. I even set-up a small area is an artists studio so that he could photography his art works in his own time. Do you have a collage nearby with a photography course, if so ask around and you might be lucky and find someone nearing the end of there course to help you out. Good photography of you artwork is very important and it is worth getting someone who can get the best results possible.

rikki-paul

i would also recommend to put the lighting at the same distance from the painting at a 45 degree angle and at the same distance from both sides of the camera, and if you use profesional flashes use their umbrella to diffuse the light.

Tom's tips are right on. It also helps to hang/place the paintings/drawings on a neutral background so the background colors don't reflect on the work. I like to use black for most work, but sometimes white or brown work better - test it out. If you don't have access to a studio, just hang a sheet or large cloth, which is less reflective than most walls.

When shooting flat art your setup is key to the quality of reproduction. What camera you use will be key to the type of use you will be able to receive, i.e web , print , or fine art

ART WORK SET UP:
I like to use a large sheet of pegboard. Mounted to the wall it is very stable. Mounted precisely with horizontal and vertical axis aligned makes hanging artwork quick and accurate. Always check both H and V with a level.

Having mounted the artwork assuring it is vertical and horizontally level, we are ready to set up lights.

LIGHTNING:
Two identical lights placed equal distance from center of art piece at a 45 degree angle. You want a large even light without specular hot spots or heavy fall off. Umbrellas produce a soft light source that works well for portraits but not ideal for shooting artwork. I would use a soft box sized large enough to light the artwork evenly. With the soft box you now have to choose your light source, Strobe, tungsten, or florescent. Use black light stands or cover stands with dark cloth to prevent any reflections.

CAMERA SET-UP:
Mount camera on tripod and position centered to artwork. Check to make sure camera is vertical and horizontally level. If your camera allows you, adjust for white balance and exposure. I shoot a Macbeth color chart and gray scale in a shot for reference and fine tuning in post process. I also use the gray scale as a light meter reading the values on my laptop adjusting my exposure till they fall exactly where I want them.

Now I have the camera positioned, calibrated to light temperature (white balance), and exposure. All I need to do as shoot each piece of art is check my focus, alignment, and camera position.