Framing Information
All you need to know
Presentation
All pictures need to be well presented and well framed so that they look their best for the owner. Almost anything can be framed…sometimes with ease…sometimes with difficulty.
Certain pictures or articles of sentimental value or of monetary value should be framed in a way that they will retain that value.
Preservation
Minimum use of glues and adhesives, and the use of materials which are made of acid free content and will preserve the life of the article.
Ultra Violet protective glass can also be used to protect paintings from UV light, instead of regular 2mm picture frame float glass. Non reflective or non glare (defused) glass can be used to minimize light being reflected on the picture glass.
The Effects of Sunlight
Watercolours will fade very quickly in direct sunlight and should be kept away from windows if they are to remain in good condition.
Oil paintings will also fade over time if in direct sunlight but are much stronger in their chemical makeup and will last longer than watercolours.
Basically, light is not good for paintings but is of course unavoidable. Direct sunlight is the most damaging to paintings and indeed to prints and photographs.
Oil & Acrylic Paintings
Oil and/or acrylic paintings are probably the most complex paintings to choose frames for because there are quite a few ways to frame them.
These are usually painted on either stretched canvas or on canvas boards of various standard sizes.
Options for Framing Oil on Canvas
Stretch the canvas on to professional stretcher timber or stretcher bars and then frame the outer edge in another frame of choice. This should be the method used when framing anything of value.
To bond (dry mount / heat seal) the canvas onto a hard board or foam core backing board in order to make the piece stable for framing. This process is done using a heat press and adhesive tissues and films and is only suitable for pieces that are not valuable.
Framing Watercolours
Watercolours should be mounted (i.e. have a border/mat/surround cut to fit and then placed around the picture before glazing and framing). The wider the mount, the greater depth of field is created. Warm whites and creams are most commonly used but of course any colour can be used for different effects.
After mounting, the picture is glazed and framed to suit the customers taste. Acid free mount boards are best for preserving the artwork as cheaper mount boards may contain impurities which can damage the painting over time.