|
Terminology.
Works on paper refers to most self contained pictures that have been made on... surprise surprise, paper. This includes things like certificates, posters & photos. It does not include things like stamps or tickets, even though they are printed onto paper. These things are contained in our objects section.
Paper framing.
When framing paper works, there are several key considerations to take into account in order to frame them properly. Most people will want their pieces to sit as flat as possible, for as long as possible, for as little cost as possible. In this section we will try to outline a few ways you may achieve this.
- To get a piece of paper to sit flat, it is a good idea if it is flat to begin with. If not, there is a chance that it can be flattened out by pressing or ironing, though this process can be dangerous. For instance, if a work is very fragile or drawn in something like oil pastel, ironing could completely melt or rip what was otherwise an out of shape, though acceptable picture. If you don't feel comfortable that it is able to be flattened by your framer, you could take it to a conservator who will be able to do a better, though more expensive job. Keep in mind though, that some types of deformations are easier to fix than others. For instance it is very difficult to flatten something that has become bowl shaped.
If your work was flat or has been hade flat, there are a few ways of making sure it stays that way. Firstly let the paper move or don't. In other words, let the paper be held loosely in place by way of something like hinging, or hold it firmly in place by gluing it to a rigid board. One of the biggest mistakes made by people attaching their pictures to mats, is to tape the picture all along the edges. Doing it this way is neither loose or firm. It is guaranteed to make your picture buckle in the first decent temperature or humidity change.
Choose the mounting method that suits the picture. For instance an crayon drawing will slowly leech oil through the back of the paper. If you were to float this piece on a mat, the normal glues & tapes would fail in a relatively short period & your picture would sag or fall. If you need to float something like this, it is a good idea to let it sit a long time ( months or years) so that it can dry properly before framing. It is a much better idea with something of this nature to be mounted conventionally behind a window mount so that it has more room to move. Something like a crayon drawing should never be put straight into a frame up against the glass, unless it it completely disposable.
Movie posters & large format photos benefit visually from being stuck down to a board to keep them perfectly flat. This can diminish the conservational & financial value of a work so be sure to check with your framer.
- In terms of getting paper to stay in position for extended periods of time without damaging the work, you need to look at the conservational qualities of how it is being secured in place. Many of the points raised above will effect this, as well as the quality of the tapes, glues & stocks that are used in your framing.
- And then we come to cost.
By far the cheapest way to frame something is to put it straight into the frame with or without glass, though with no matting. This is a very good compromise to make on something like a $12 movie poster, though is not that great for family photos or on expensive etching. If you want to go even cheaper again you can have your poster block mounted, though this is getting slightly out of the realms of picture framing.
The next step up price wise is usually to have this same framing done where there is no mat. Though you can have it dry mounted to keep it looking flatter & better. Again this is great for posters, especially with matte finishes on the paper, as they don't react with the glass as readily.
Step 3 is to have a mount cut. This can ad considerably to the cost of a framing job, as there are more materials involved,as well as the whole frame getting bigger. It does however provide many visual & conservational bonuses & helps to make a frame look more professionally done.
Further on from just mounting a work conventionally, you can have it floated. You will spend about as much as normal matted framing, with the added cost of what ever is used to create the space between the glass & the picture.
|
Certificates
Chalk & Pastel
Etchings & engravings
Posters
Photos
Watercolours
|
