How to pick the right frame and preserve your artwork for years to come?
Aprx. 3 min to read
Whether the value of your painting is monetary or sentimental, be sure to protect and preserve it properly. There are 3 major components you need to consider while choosing the frame.
#1 Mat
Keep the mat as neutral as possible, avoiding bright white or colored mats.
We do not recommend to use too many layers of mats, a classy simple framing is best.
Try to use acid-free mats even though the other mats are cheaper. The former will fade and leak into the artwork, causing light brown marks.
You can cut the mat either equal from all sides or get it a little wider at the bottom, it will look better.
Don’t economize on mat width. It serves two purposes: keeps the artwork from touching the glass and creates a visual space between the artwork and frame.
#2 Frame
Try to find the frame which best complements the artwork. Here are several points to consider:
- Remember, the rule of thumb is that “if the frame fits the work, the frame becomes invisible”. Therefore, the most common mistake is a “too loud” frame.
- Style conformity: try to match a painting with a frame that’s from the same period
- Size conformity: choose a frame that complements the size of the piece after it’s matted (not before)
- Focus on fitting the frame to the work, not interior. Meaning forget about the color of your sofa.
- When choosing a frame, pay attention to the depth of the frame itself. It should be deep enough to hold the painting with mat and glazing.
- Over-framing. If you hesitate about frame-to-painting proportions, you can always check it with the “one-third method”. So, your frame shouldn’t take up more than one third of the surface area of your painting.
#3 Glass or plastic
Glass or plastic must not touch the painting, it must be raised-off by a mat. Otherwise, any condensation inside the glass would be absorbed directly into the art, having no room to evaporate.
When choosing between glass and plastic, try to use UV glass to protect the painting from fading.
The perfect frame is there. Now what? Here are 8 easy steps to go to your framed painting.
Ensure your watercolor painting is totally flat. If not, flatten it before framing. There are different methods to do it, including steam ironing.
Clean the glass and remove the fingerprints.
Cut the mat. Since they are typically thin you can stack 1,2,3 and even 4 of them.
Attach the artwork with non-acid tape to the mat.
Place it on the glass.
Take the foam board and put it in place.
Put fasteners into the back of the frame, about one-third (1/3) down from the top. String wire between fasteners.
Hang it on the wall. But do not forget that watercolor paintings are very sensitive to the light. it is better to hang artwork away from direct sunlight.
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