We now carry FrameSpace spacers by FrameTek. These little tools can make a big difference in both the preservation and creative display of your framed artwork and photography. Spacers are dimensional strips that create extra space between the mat board and glazing of your frame, and help prevent damage to artwork that results from direct contact with glass or acrylic.
Spacers are highly recommended when framing without mat board. Spacers are also a great way to add artistic depth to matted artwork. Typical spacers use adhesive to stick to the back of the glazing, but stick-on spacers can eventually dry out, detach, and slip down over your artwork. Our FrameSpace spacers clip onto the glazing for greater longevity and security, so you won’t have to worry about failed adhesive.
You can order spacers with or without a frame, and we will cut them to size for you. If your glass or acrylic is 16×20, for example, just order the 16×20 spacer set, and you’re done!
Read more about FrameTek spacers here:FrameTek
Traditional gallery-style framing consists of a plain white mat and a thin black frame. It’s a simple way of framing whose goal is presentation without distraction. As a working artist however, you want to both present well AND sell your artwork. One possible way to attract and stimulate customers is to present some of your images in colored mats. Psychological research has shown that color can and does affect purchasing behavior, yet many artists are timid about using colored mats because they aren’t sure how to match the mat to their image. To help clarify some of the confusion we’ve listed a tip on how to select colored mats for your artwork.
Tip for selecting Colored Mats for your artwork:
1. Choose the impression you want to convey, such as professional, fun or lighthearted,
earthy, romantic, etc.
2. Select a color family that is representative of this impression.
For example:
• Professional/Formal – gemstone colors like burgundy, sapphire blue, emerald green and dark purple
• Fun/Lighthearted – electric blue, bright pink, tomato red, lemon yellow and lime green
• Earthy/Nature – most shades of brown, leafy greens and some ocean blues
• Romantic/Dreamy – pastels such as baby pinks or cool blues, lavender and mint greens
Once you have picked a color family, select samples of several shades within, and place them next to your artwork. Notice how they either harmonize or contrast with image, and determine which ones best express the impression you are trying to convey. If you are framing, keep in mind that the colored mat must also coordinate with your picture frame.
Still nervous about using colored mats? Try this compromise. Use a colored mat close to the image, and a plain white, off white, or black mat as the top mat. This is will add a little color without overwhelming you or the artwork.
The least expensive option for eliminating reflection is to avoid the use of any glazing (glass or acrylic) in the picture frame. The obvious advantage of this is lower cost because you eliminate the glazing. Unfortunately, this option has serious drawbacks in that the artwork has no protection from curious fingers and atmospheric pollutants. It also results in less protection from UV radiation. And If the artwork itself is glossy, you will still have reflections with improper lighting.
Assuming you are going to use glazing, the next least expensive option is to combine regular glazing, meaning glazing without any built-in reflection control, with proper lighting. Gallery lighting is accomplished by placing the lighting directly above the artwork and fairly close to it. This results in the light hitting the artwork at a steep angle so you only see reflections if you are below the artwork looking up at it.
If you can not control the lighting the next option is non-glare glass or acrylic. This type of glazing has an etched surface on one side that helps reduce the reflection. The disadvantage is increased cost and a slight loss of sharpness. The loss of sharpness is proportional to the distance between the artwork and the glazing, which means that this option will not work for shadow box framing.
The final and most expensive option is the use of anti-reflection glazing such as Tru-Vue Museum glass or Optium acrylic. These types of glazing have a special coating that helps reduce reflection without causing any loss of sharpness. This option provides your artwork the full protection of glazing with the look of having no glazing at all.
Cheers,
Mark
We are excited to be sponsoring a Master Class at Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) next week in Las Vegas. Photographer, educator and author Andrew Darlow will present “Lab Printing with Lightroom: Color Management and Step-by-Step Workflow” on Monday, February 20, 2012 from 3:30 – 5:30 pm.
Andrew Darlow is a photographer, educator, digital imaging consultant and author of 301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques: An Essential Printing Resource for Photographers. In this two-hour lecture, Andrew covers the proofing and printing process for a range of lab printing products, including digital c-prints, canvas prints and press-printed products using a step-by-step approach. Learn how to set the resolution of images, inexpensively color-test lab products, batch-process images and more.
At Frame Destination, we enjoy working with and supporting photographers and other artists and love opportunities to provide educational material and classes to our customers. It is our pleasure to be able to sponsor Andrew Darlow’s Master Class at WPPI 2012. Class attendees will receive a 9×11 GalleryPouch Gold with Velcro-brand Closure – a product we worked with Andrew to develop – and a Frame Destination 8×10 8-ply mat. For more information on Frame Destination’s sponsorship of Andrew Darlow’s Master Class next week, read the full news release.
You’re a photographer and have an upcoming gallery exhibit. The
gallery wants your images to be framed and you’ve decided to do the
framing yourself. There are three basic options for DIY framing:
Option 1 – Purchase Ready-Made Frames
Ready-Made frames are complete frame packages available in retail outlets like Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby and Michaels. Many of these frames are non-archival and only available in standard frame sizes such as 8×10, 11×14, 16×20, and 18×24. The advantage of purchasing ready-made frames is that they are inexpensive, usually because they are manufactured overseas. The disadvantage is that you cannot mix and match frame choices, mat colors, and different types of glazing or backing.
Option 2 – Purchase Pre-Cut Framing Materials
Professional framing supply companies sell picture framing materials – frames, glass, Acrylic, mat board, and foam core backing board that is already pre-cut for easy photo art framing. Many of these framing supply companies have online stores that allow you to order components in the exact dimensions needed to frame your custom-sized artwork. The advantage of purchasing pre-cut framing materials is that they save you a tremendous amount of time and labor (vs custom framing) and provide you with a greater selection of sizes and colors. The disadvantage is that pre-cut materials are more expensive than un-cut materials.
Option 3 – Purchase Un-Cut Materials
A lot of framing supply companies provide the option of purchasing uncut picture framing materials so you can cut and design the frame’s components yourself. To properly work with raw materials you need a mat-cutter and a glass or acrylic cutter. And if you are really ambitious, a miter saw for cutting the frame moulding. The advantage of purchasing un-cut framing materials is that they are cheaper than pre-cut materials. The disadvantage is that working with un-cut materials requires time, labor, and specialty equipment. In addition, raw picture framing materials tend to be very large, for example – 32”x40” sheets of mat board and 10 foot sticks of moulding, which increases shipping costs and creates storage issues.
People who are new to framing often have many questions about how to frame their photography in a way that will help prevent yellowing and fading. The Image Permanence Institute (IPI), a leader in the development of practices for the preservation of images, has some great information about archival framing. With their permission, we have taken one of their extensive articles and published it on our website at: A Consumer Guide to Materials for Preservation Framing and the Display of Photographic Images.
This is a very comprehensive article. It starts with an introduction to the various components of the picture frame package, which makes it a great introduction to framing. It then moves into the types of decay that cause degradation of photos, discusses best practices and offers has tips the on proper display of framed photography.
IPI has additional articles on care and stability of photo papers, film and digital prints here: IPI Publications
We have recently added some new colors to our metal picture frames. These colors are primarily at the request of our customers. We added German Silver as a warm alternative to Frosted Silver. Contrast Grey is a different kind of dark moulding that many photographers prefer and we added Antique Gold.
The German Silver, and especially the Contrast Grey can take on different looks depending on the color of the light and angle so we strongly recommend that you purchase straight or corner samples of the moulding before buying frames. It is very difficult to get an accurate idea of how your print will look next to these frames in your display environment by looking at web-based pictures that have reduced color gamut.
German Silver is available in Nielsen metal frame profiles: 12, 15, 97 and 117
Contrast Grey is available in Nielsen metal frames: 12, 15, and 117
Antique Gold is available in Nielsen frames: 15 and 117
Metal frame profile 99 has a special textured version of German Silver called Brushed German Silver.
Shop Now: Metal Picture Frames
Cheers,
Mark
Frame Destination, Inc.
Acrylic has three qualities that make it an excellent substitute for glass in picture framing. It is shatterproof, lightweight and an excellent thermal insulator. Acrylic does require some special care and handling. Listed below are suggestions for cleaning and caring for acrylic.
Cleaning:
Never use glass cleaners that contain ammonia.
Never use paper towels to clean acrylic they may scratch the surface.
Plastic cleaners such as Brillianize Acrylic Cleaner & Polish are safe and help reduce static charge.
Use a soft cloth, such as a Microfiber Smooth Towel to clean
the surface
Reducing Static Charge:
Before removing the protective cover, dampen a soft cloth with water and wipe down all the edges. After removing the protective cover, you can use an acrylic cleaner such as Brillianize Acrylic Cleaner & Polish applied to both sides of the acrylic to reduce static electricity.
Mark Rogers
Frame Desintination, Inc.
June 16th, 2011 in
Uncategorized |
1 Comment
Bottom-Weighting
If you are new to art framing and looking to educate yourself on
picture framing terminology, we invite you to check out our new picture framing glossary. The glossary defines terms related to framing fine art and photography such as gallery wrap, bottom-weighting, triple mat, rabbet and riser. In addition, we have included images and diagrams to help illustrate the difference between terms that can often be confusing such as overlap, artwork size and reveal. Our goal is for the frame glossary to serve as a resource for artists, photographers and home decorators seeking to broaden their knowledge of picture framing.
Check it out here: Picture Framing Glossary
Cheers,
Mark
Frame Destination, Inc.
March 24th, 2011 in
Framing Info | tags:
glossary |
1 Comment
When you are storing or framing your photography and need the prints to last it is important that you select the proper materials. The Image Permanence Institute developed the Photographic Activity Test (or PAT) to help manufactures verify materials are safe. PAT is an international standard test (ISO18916) for evaluating photo-storage and display products and explores interactions between photographic images and the materials they are stored inside. You can get more information about it here: Photographic Activity Test. The important part is to check manufactures specifications to see if they certify their materials pass PAT or ISO 18916.
The Image Permanence Institute website has many free consumer guides you can download here: IPI Publications Here are just some of the photo storage articles available on their website:
Storage Guide for Color Photographic Materials
A Consumer Guide to Traditional and Digital Print Stability
A Consumer Guide for the Recovery of Water-Damaged Traditional and Digital Prints
A Consumer Guide to Modern Photo Papers
A Consumer Guide to Understanding Permanence Testing
A Consumer Materials for Preservation Framing and the Display of Photographic Images
Cheers,
Mark
