Three ways to frame your work
Usually, your artwork isn’t finished until it is framed. A frame can enhance the any picture and gives it more value. Here are a few useful tips how to frame your artwork
Artwork like watercolour, pastel, ink or any work on paper needs to be protected by a Passepartout and glass. Anything on a canvas can be hung up either with or without a frame. If you choose not to frame a canvas, make sure that you paint the sides.
- The easiest and most expensive way is to visit a framing shop. They have all the equipment needed to cut the Passepartout, glass and framing wood or metal. Here you should get enough advice about colour and frames. They often have a wide range of Passepartout and frames to choose from. You even have different types of glass to choose from, non-glare glass and regular glass. The special kind of glass comes with a price tag but could be worth your while. A framing shop will also provide the picture with a hanging system on the back, so it is ready to go up on your wall straight away.
- The other alternative is to frame your artwork yourself. Here a lot of knowledge of colour is necessary. Not only can you jazz up a picture, but you can also calm it down. Often a framer will sell you a single sheet of Passepartout but you have to supply yourself with a Passepartout cutter, which is quite expensive. Glass you could buy from a glass shop, they will cut it to size for you. A framer will sell you whole lengths of wood which need to be cut to size. For this you need a miter box and a sharp fine toothed wood saw. To finish and touch up any damaged corners you need fillers and colour paste. To fix the corners together you will need wood glue and a framing band that holds the corners together while it dries. (quite expensive)
All in all, you need quite a lot of special equipment, so it has got to be worth your while to invest in these handy tools and trips to the framers for lengths of wood, Passepartouts and glass.
- Perhaps it’s worth your while getting an interchangeable ready made frame and using that. For this you can search the internet and see what is available to you where ever you are located.