The Business of Picture Framing and Art

Presentation Mat Packages

2011-11-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

GETTING CREATIVE THIS FALL!

2011-09-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

The fall is a great time to review goals and plan projects. Although January is a time for New Year's resolutions - I have always felt that fall - after a summer hiatus - was always the time I did the best planning.

When planning, you are open to new ideas, using old materials in a new way - or new materials to give life to old ideas.

One such way is to re-evaluate frames and frame styles and color. Photography and utility frames have long used dark and mostly black frames in recent years. Now we are seeing a resurgence in gold and white. Here is an example using a simple white frame and a printable design to create a "Baby Shower" party favor.

This type of frame could easily have been applied to a certificate, award or promotional frame too. Photographs are enjoying new dimension coupled with white frames. Just take a look at what's going on in this series of ads from the pottery barn......

http://www.potterybarn.com/gift/thm/thmhtd/

Open your mind to using white, gold and more in your planning that sets off your work in new ways and creates new interest! The white frame used here is from www.matshop.com - their solid wood MS653.

How to Choose the Right Type of Mat Board For Your Project

2011-08-14T20:39:00.000-07:00

A common concern of artists and photographers is choosing the right type of mat board.
There are confusing terms used to sell mat board.

Terms such as Acid-Free, PH Neutral, Archival, Rag, Alpha-Cellulose, Lignin-Free, FSC Certified etc.

The key to choosing the right board should be based on desired life-span of the final product.

Although there are many variations - most mat boards fall into 3 categories.
1. Decorative
2. Conservation
3. Museum Grade

Decorative mat boards are considered acid-free in that they are buffered to a ph-neutral acidic level which will eventually deteriorate - primarily based on exposure to light. These boards are best used for everyday projects that have a life expectancy of 5 - 25 years. Examples could include framing of cards, lab produced photographs and artwork or printed work on papers that may not be acid-free. For many projects including certificates, awards, promotions, events, advertising and short-term display - decorative or "regular" mats are more than adequate. They have the advantage of being the lowest cost type of board as well. Additional variations include endless varieties of surface papers and colors as well as different color cores.

Conservation boards are used for most artwork or photographs that have a life expectancy of 50 -150 years - and should be used on original work, fine art prints on quality acid-free paper and other valuable papers. While not hugely expensive, they provide excellent long-term protection and many artists and photographers choose these types of boards for their original works and fine art reproductions. Some conservation mat boards come with solid colors through the entire board from surface paper through the core and backing paper. Along with double-thicknesses and good color choices - these are an excellent choice for fine quality framing.

Museum Grade boards are usually cotton based "Rag" mats whose life expectancy is as long as possible. Some manufacturers claim 100s of years of protection under "ideal" conditions. These boards are not significantly more expensive than conservation boards and therefore should be used for very valuable works or works to be archived and displayed indefinitely. Again, a variety of types of museum boards are available although colors of surface papers may be a bit more limited.

For additional information - see the following links;

www.matshop.com/products/mats/1/
www.crescentcardboard.com/pig0703.html

Mat Tips for 2011 - February - Spacing for Mats

2011-02-05T15:47:00.000-08:00

A common question when matting photos or artwork is whether to leave a space around the image and if so how much.

Whether to leave a space or not is dependent on a couple of things. First of all is the work signed or numbered in the white margin below the image. If so - a space at least as wide as the written signature and number should be left all around the image.

Secondly - is the piece very dark and are you using a dark mat. If so - the white space may create a glaring white border that visually takes away from the image - in which case you will probably prefer to mat directly up to the image.

You should also decide if you are using a double or triple mat and if so -the number of layers of color or space may make the design to "busy" if you also leave white space around the image.
When designing your mat the uppermost concept should be that you wish to attract the viewer's eye to the artwork not the mat or the border surrounding the work.

Often that alone determines your decision.

Happy Matting!
PS. Experiment using the free "Matomatic" tool at matshop.com.

Mat Tips for 2011 - Rag Mats

2011-01-19T08:42:00.000-08:00

Today's post is courtesy of Crescent Cardboard - a manufacturer of some of the finest matboard in the North American Market and maker of Crescent "Rag" Board. Rag is often mis-understood by those starting to get into the framing market so I felt this information was timely.

COTTON RAG MAT

For centuries, cotton rag paper, prized for strength, purity and stability, has been the choice of artists, composers, writers and printers. Today it is specified for currency, stock certificates and government documents.

Cotton rag matboard was designed specifically for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in the late 1920s. Today, virtually all museums and libraries rely on cotton rag matboard, often referred to as museum board.

Cotton is nature's purest form of cellulose. It is inherently free of lignin, acid and other non-cellulose contaminants found in wood pulp. Cotton fiber pulp is reliable, sturdy and far superior to bleached, chemically processed wood pulp used to produce other conservation boards.

For more information on Crescent Matboards and other boards available see the following websites:
Crescent Rag Board
MatShop Art Supplies

Picture Framing tip of the Month - Choose a Double Mat

2010-10-10T13:44:00.000-07:00

The fall is noted for being the most popular time to do picture framing and lots of questions are asked about what advantages are gained by a double mat versus a single mat on photos or artwork.

While a single mat does provide a buffer between glass and artwork and can enhance and frame the work - the double mat is all about accent and tying the entire presentation together.

1. By choosing a secondary or terciery color in the artwork and coordinating your inner mat to that color you directly connect the viewer to the artwork by bringing out those elements that can be overpowered by single color mat or by the main colors in the piece. Choosing the right inside mat can create interest and draw attention.

2. The inner mat - when coordinated with the chosen frame - can tie the entire work together bringing the flow of the viewer's eye from frame to inner mat to artwork more effectively than one mat alone. Varying the width of the inner mat that is showing (also called the reveal) - will change the look even more.

A good frame designer who can help choose how to use this effective tool is valuable and can assist your framing efforts in a way that can make a piece more interesting and enjoyable for all those that see it.

To play with the use of double mats - try this free on-line framing tool at www.matshop.com. Click on the Matomatic on the left menu bar.

Making your Artwork Stand-Out – Simply

2010-09-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

In the search for presentation of your artwork, sometimes the most obvious and simplest solutions are elusive in the vast array of frame, mat and mounting options.

Here are a few of the simple ones to consider:

Clearly Glass

Float your artwork between two pieces of glass. For example, take an 8 x 10 photo, painting or drawing and mount it with adhesive transfer tape or glue to a piece of 11 x 14 glass – centering the artwork. Overlay this with a second 11 x 14 glass and pop into a simple wood frame with no backing board. Secure with small brads or even clear silicon along the back. Make sure you use a saw-tooth hanger and not wire to hang the frame.

Benefit: Place this on a colored wall and it will look like you have a mat (same color as the wall) around your artwork!

Minis are Marvelous!

Mini mats are an excellent value for artists and a terrific opportunity to feature key “elements” of your artwork or photography. Here is the idea;

Take some of your “busiest” photos, paintings, drawings etc - cut out the “elements” that would be attention getters on their own such as people, interesting architecture, focal points or color elements – or create original miniatures – and place them inside mini mats. These mats come in 5 x 7 sizes with 2 or 3 inch openings and are a great value as they are usually made from the off cut inner sizes of larger mats. You can create groupings of similar design, color etc and come up with hundreds of pieces of unique art. Pop these minis into clip frames – also available in 5 x 7 sizes – and you can create and entire wall of art “elements”.

Benefit: The cost is minimal – but the result is worth a lot!

Floating on Foam

Foam board is sold under several product names such as Bienfang, Foamcore, Sintra and more. It is compressed foam with a paper surface, ideal for mounting artwork on. You can have a piece cut to a standard size – say 11 x 14 and center your 8 x 10 photo and “Voila” you have a piece of displayed artwork. To dress it up – layer your mounts – ie: Mount a piece of uncut colored mat board on top of foam board and then a piece of unique paper – then your artwork – allowing a bit of each layer to reveal on top of the one below it. To finish it even more – pop inside a clip frame, metal backload frame or small wood frame and you have an inexpensive but elegantly mounted piece of art.

HAVE FUN AND KEEP IT SIMPLE!

COST EFFECTIVE ART AND PHOTO PRESENTATION

2010-09-08T21:09:00.000-07:00

Everyone is looking for an economical way of presenting your art or photos in a professional manner and many of the on-line art supply wholesalers have answered the call.

In most cases they have taken the most common sizes of regular and digital artwork and provided pre-cut mats in the common black and white combinations that suit those sizes including cutting the openings in the mats for the most common uses.

Then they have provided those mats in single or double with options like regular matboard, conservation quality or 8-ply conservation board.Some also include those add-ons that you need such as backing boards, crystal clear poly bags and even acid-free tape and dispensers.

The result is an incredible saving over buying the components separately – yet sacrificing nothing in the area of professionalism and presentation.

One of the simplest and yet most professional looks is the simple single white or black mat over your work - placed on a clean white backing board and presented in a clear poly sleeve that can be sealed and then opened and re-sealed as necessary if you need to remove the artwork to show or even to autograph for your buyer. Better yet if the final size is standard making it easier for your purchaser to locate and add on a frame of their choice from either an on-line supplier, art supply, frameshop or department store.

Present your work elegantly, yet simply and cost effectively. Some samples of packages like this can be seen at www.matshop.com.

Picture Matting Tip of the Month

2010-09-06T20:21:00.000-07:00

Professionals attach their artwork or photos to the back of the mat – or to a backing board. However, when using tape – they only tape the artwork to board at the top – often called “hinging”.

Why is this done? Why not just secure the artwork all around to the board – would that not be more secure?

Beside the fact that the hinging tape or acid-free tape used to attach the art to the mat or board is made for that purpose and both strong and not susceptible to drying out – by hinging only the top of the artwork or photo you allow the paper to expand or contract in response to changes in temperature and humidity.

If the paper was restricted from expanding or contracting as needed – such as would be the case if taped all the way around – it would be forced to bubble or curl which is not only unsightly and unprofessional but can cause the artwork to come in contact with the glass in a frame – causing permanent damage to the work.

So “Hinge” your artwork at the top and let the rest float free – your matting tip of the month!

USING SPECIAL MAT OPENINGS

2010-07-11T21:38:00.000-07:00

One of the ways to spice up a matted picture of either an event, family photo, achievement or keepsake – is to create a special opening in the mat you put around your photo or artwork.

This additional “Opening” can be a small round opening to hold a coin or medal, a rectangular or other shaped opening to hold a small object or simply a printed text, logo or graphic that somehow ties into what you are showing in the primary window of your mat.

The simplest example is the “message box” – a square or rectangular opening cut below the main window in which a graphic or text describes or creates a caption for the content above.

Another great idea is to cut a special graphic into the mat to highlight a season, holiday or unique purpose such as a sport or musical award.

Other options include creating inserting a corporate logo, the name of an award recipient, the title of your advertising campaign and so on.

The options are as varied as your ideas – but this can be a simple way to enhance your presentation

How to use matting to “Float” your artwork!

2010-06-27T19:32:00.000-07:00

A technique that is often used by custom picture framers is to “Float” your artwork. This is most commonly used when you must retain the entire piece of artwork to be viewed – yet still wish to have a mat placed in the frame that keeps the artwork from touching the glass.

However, it is also an excellent way to frame some items for additional interest sake – for example a fine print on paper that has a torn or “decaled” edge that adds interest to the presentation.

Floating the work simply means showing all of the artwork by attaching it to a backing mat board and then putting a mat over the backing board that allows for a border of the backing to show through around your artwork.

Here is a simplified step by step example. The basic three components are your (1) backing board, (2) artwork and (3) top matboard with a window cut to show both your artwork and some of the backing board you have attached the artwork to.

Backing Board

Artwork

Mat Board

Step One is to attach the artwork to the backing board. A trick to ensure you can centre the artwork properly is to always cut your backing board larger than the border you will be showing. Once you have centered it as precisely as you can and put the mat on top – you will have some room to move the top mat around to ensure the borders are even.

Step 2 is to determine how much of the backing board you want to show around your picture as a border. In our example we chose a width that looked right or the size of mat border and picture – a ratio of about 25%
of the mat border.

Step 3 is to measure the window and cut your mat. Measure both the width and height of the picture and add the borders of the backing board that will show to determine window size.

Ie: Width of picture plus left border plus right border = width of window opening. Ditto for the height.

Step 4 is to place the mat over the picture and backing board and fix in place – trimming any excess backing board if needed.

Your Finished – Floated Artwork!

Artwork Courtesy of Artist Patricia D. Arndt

Event, Award and Achievement Framing

2010-06-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest reasons for personal framing is to mark those special events, awards or achievements whether your own or those of family and friends.

This could include graduation or other educational milestones, corporate and sales success, sports, music, the arts, etc.

We may not all have a World Cup or Stanley Cup or Top Salesperson award or certificate, but we all do have accomplishments and reached goals to celebrate.

Correctly matting and framing those captured events and triumphs will create something that you can treasure forever.

There are many options – but here are a few to consider.

Special Certificate frames that highlight and enhance those awards and diplomas etc.
Specially designed and cut “Sports Mats” that illustrate your sport and allow you to add individual and group photos.
“Graduation” or “Milestone” collage mats that allow you to group together a series of photos depicting various years of school, consecutive events, consistently reached goals and more.

Your imagination is all you need to create these items and now it is not difficult to have these custom cut to your specifications. Thanks to the MatShop for links to these products.

Why does picture framing cost so much?

2010-05-28T20:20:00.000-07:00

The simple answer is that Picture Framing is a business - and one in which expertise, access to materials and often specialized equipment becomes part of the price.

In today's world where anything can be bought at a discount - value is often overlooked. And value is not something that is equal in every one's eyes. For example; if you are a good mechanic and can repair your car yourself - you see little value in taking it to a repair shop and paying hundreds of dollars to change a water pump.

Yet for many of us - the repair shop offers excellent value - after all, I get my car back on the road and even with a bit of knowledge it would have taken me unknown hours and much frustration to do that job.

As such the value offered by professional picture framers is no different and can be critical when choosing materials that are matched to the conservation requirements of your precious artwork.

However, there are ways to also be wise and save money and education is available on line to provide you with ways to do many things yourself - or at least be educated about the various available materials and their conservation properties and values.

If you are doing major repairs - you do research. You should do the same with spending hundreds of dollars on framing. Good companies on or off line will be willing to take the time to explain your options to you and help you match the materials to use with what you are framing. Too often I see people spend way to much on something that they have no intention of keeping for any great length of time because they were talked into expensive conservation materials.

To be fair - I have also seen people ill-advised to put cheap products that will not last on valuable pieces and family heirlooms when a little advise may have provided them with better insight to the affects of time on those choices.

Picture framing is an investment that you can enjoy so it is important to understand a bit about what is involved. For more info I suggest that you search the web for "Understanding professional picture framing" or simply Matting and Framing. You will find many sites with good information on types of materials, quality and durability.

Art MattingTerminology Understood

2010-05-23T19:16:00.000-07:00

The following article has been presented many times as a basic understanding of matting and terminology in the Framing Industry. It is a helpful guide and deserves to be shown featured again.

Industry Terminology & Mat Cuts

The world of art and photography presentation can be a confusing place. We hope that this page will reduce the confusion when browsing and/or placing orders.

Orientation of a mat and opening

Landscape: The mat or opening is wider than it is tall. (Fig.1 below)
Portrait: The mat or opening is taller than it is wide. (Fig.2 below)
Square or Circle: Both dimensions are the same.
Bottom weighting: When the image is matted and framed, the bottom border of the mat is wider than the top border. (Fig. 3 and 4)

Note: For both landscape or portrait orientation, the shorter dimension is always stated first.

Example:

Correct.....8 x 12
Incorrect.....12 x 8

Sample Figures of correct terminology

Types of mat cuts

These are some of the cuts available, and the terminology used to describe them. Mats come with at least one rectangular opening.

Open v-groove, 3/16" reveal
V-groove gap
Closed v-groove
Message box, 3/16" reveal
Double opening, 3/16" reveal
Single opening
"Fancy" corner
Floating the image
Graphic
#246 Walnut frame
Double mat, light blue outer, dark blue inner.

Glossary of Terms

Acid-Free:
- A term used to describe paper materials with a 7 pH, or very close to 7 pH. Acid-free materials are more permanent and less likely to discolor over time. The terms archival or conservation quality more accurately describes true acid-free conservation quality matboard.
Adhesive Transfer (ATG) Tape:
- A double sided tape used to stick mat boards and other materials together. Usually used with an applicator or "ATG gun", available at art supply stores.
Alpha-Cellulose Matboard:
- Wood pulp fibers that have been chemically treated to be acid- and lignin-free. This matboard meets conservation matting standards and provides a lifetime of protection.
Archival:
- The framing procedure where all materials are of conservation quality. Conservation framing is the same.
Beveled Edge:
- The 45-degree cut on a matboard. This allows about 1/16" of the core to be seen. A reverse bevel means the core will not be seen from the front of the mat.
Black Core:
- This is a mat especially designed to have a very black core. Usually it is not of conservation or archival quality. It is a bit more expensive than regular matboard.
Bottom Weight
- A term used when additional border is applied to the bottom of a mat but not the top. In some instances it can look very good. A negative is that the mat cannot be used both vertically and horizontally.
Conservation Framing:
- The framing procedure where all materials that come in contact with the artwork are completely acid-free. This minimizes the effect of adverse atmospheric conditions, and generally provides a lifetime of protection for artwork.
Conservation Matboard:
- A general term used to describe archival or museum grade matboard. The two types of materials used to make conservation matboard are cotton (AKA rag mats) and wood pulp fibers (AKA alpha-cellulose mats).
Double Mat:
- A double mat is two mats put together, but with a slightly larger opening on the top mat. This difference (the amount of matboard showing) is called the "reveal". When ordering, define only the exact opening you require and the reveal.
Floating Artwork:
- A double mat (or more) is used. The bottom mat does not have an opening. The opening in the main mat is larger than the image. The image is attached to the bottom mat, so a small portion of this mat can still be seen.
Foamcore:
- A stiff light material used as a backing board to give rigidity. Foam makes up the core of the board with a layer of paper on its surfaces. Foamcore is usually 1/8" to 3/16" thick, and is very smooth. Excellent for mounting images such as posters and lighter paper.
Hardware:
- Metal tools used to assemble and hang a frame. All necessary hardware is shipped with MatShop frames.
Image Size:
- This is the size of the actual image, not the surrounding border. Unless part of the border is to be shown, the window of the mat should be smaller than the image size in order for it to be attached to the back of the mat.
Lignin:
- A natural chemical compound that can cause paper degradation.
Mat:
- A piece of decorative or conservation material (see matboard) used around artwork and often under glazing and a frame. Mat is the standard spelling used by MatShop. Also commonly spelled matte or, less often, matt.
Matboard:
- A board comprised of two parts, the core and the paper face. Most matboard is 4ply or about 1/16 inch thick. Occasionally 2 ply, Ultra Thick (7ply), or 8ply mats are used. Matboard is available in many forms. Other common spellings are: matteboard, mat board, matt board, or matte board.
Matboard Core:
- The center material of a matboard. Usually 1/16 inch thick. It can be regular or conservation quality. Colors vary from cream or off-white to white and black core.
Mounting Board:
- A board used to mount images when this is necessary. Regular or acid-free foamcore make excellent mounting boards.
Plexi-glass:
- An acrylic material used instead of glass. It is very light in comparison to glass and much more resistant to breakage. We use both 1 mm. plexi (.040") and 3 mm.plexi (1/8").
Profile:
- The term used to describe how a frame moulding looks when viewed from one end. It will describe the width and height of the mat, and the dimensions of the rabbet. The rabbet describes the 90 degree cut made to house the glass and mat package.
Rag Matboard:
- Also known as cotton matboard. It is comprised of cotton fibers and is naturally acid- and lignin-free. Rag mats provide the highest standard of conservation matting.
Regular Matboard:
- Regular matboard is buffered to be pH neutral (acid-free) and will provide 10-15 years of protection. It is often termed simply as "acid-free" but should not be confused with conservation quality matboard due to a shorter lifespan.
Reveal:
- In a double mat, the reveal is the amount of the bottom mat that will show. The rest will be behind the top mat.
Shadow Box frames and displays:
- A term used when thicker items are framed. This can be anything from a medal which may only require ¼ inch of depth to a baseball bat requiring 3 inches. Or perhaps much more. There are two methods of creating shadow boxes:
  1. Frames with various rabbet depths. These may be ½ inch up to 4 inches or larger. These frames are generally very expensive.
  2. Boxes made of differing materials which fit into any standard wood frame. They can be lined with any matboard to be make a very professional presentation. These are much less expensive, and used extensively in the memorabilia framing industry.
Spacer:
- Can be used between the mat and backing to create a space when a "shadow box" effect is required. A piece of foamcore will give 3/16 inch space for the shadow box effect.
V-Groove:
- There are two standard types of v-grooves: open and closed. A closed v-groove is a thinly carved v-shaped line deep enough to show a mat's core color, but not enough to cut through the mat. An open v-groove requires a second mat, as it is spaced enough to show the mat underneath.
Window:
- The opening in a mat board through which the image will show. The window is usually 1/8 to 1/2 inch smaller than the image so the image can be taped to the back of the mat. For example a 5 x 7 photo (exactly) should have a window of approximately 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 inches.
White Core:
- This is a mat especially designed to have a very white core. Usually it is not of conservation or archival quality. It is a bit more expensive than regular matboard
  
  Information courtesy of The MatShop.

What is a "Floater" frame?

2010-04-27T20:47:00.000-07:00

With a variety of images both original and reproduction now appearing on Canvas and Canvas board - the "Floater" frame has become quite popular. This frame often has a "stepped" rabbet which creates the space between the canvas and the outside of the frame causing the canvas to appear to "float" in the frame window.

Often these frames are quite narrow in the face and just as often quite deep to give a block appearance on the wall.

It is an effective presentation and can also be a reasonable alternative to stacked frames and frames with liners. The clean modern look is well suited to today's decor.

"Sheep" image used by permission
Artist - Patricia D. Arndt
www.dailytrekinart.blogspot.com

Frame illustration courtesy of The MatShop - www.matshop.com

Consolidation in the Picture Frame Industry

2010-04-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

Canada has just lost a major wholesale distributor further consolidating the supply business in this market. Evidence of the recession and changes made by customers and suppliers alike to refine their businesses and cut costs, protect margins and look for efficiency.
These changes will also open the door for more regional and niche players again as the industry re-forms around the available supply of products.
Change is always both a challenge and an opportunity. I will be interested to hear about the affects of some of these changes on small businesses in the industry as well as the customers they serve.

What is Organic Framing?

2010-03-28T15:08:00.000-07:00

Have you heard the term "Organic" applied to almost everything today? Well - yes it has also been applied to picture framing.
The best definition I can come up with is that organic framing is;
"The design of a frame for a work of art that is inspired from the creative mind of the artist/designer and is unusual in that it takes a form not normally associated with a picture frame"
One such example recently shown at the Olympic Games in Vancouver, BC Canada and produced for its client by MatShop is this aluminum design.

The question of the day is - do you have an example of an "organic" frame?
What is your definition and does this term even apply here?

Ok - so that is more than one question....

Changes and New Chapters

2010-03-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

Transition is complete and I now find myself working in new areas with our publishing business under new ownership and new directions.
As a result the blog turns to more of the direction I now find myself working in - that of the enhancement of 2-dimensional visual art through custom framing.
I will take a more direct look at this industry and how we assist artists, photographers, crafters, and businesses as well as individuals to make good matting and framing choices for their projects.

10 Simple Things Artists Should Know About Reproductions

2008-11-09T19:59:00.000-08:00

Here are some simple points that artists considering reproductions should know. It can save many questions and much cost if you are aware of these simple facts and educate yourself about the points that specifically apply to you.

A good reproduction has to come from a good painting.
A good reproduction needs a good quality starting file. If printing digitally, you need a scan or photo of your artwork that is high quality, high resolution and in focus.
A good reproduction needs a good substrate – ie: quality canvas or paper, etc.
It is generally not a good idea to make a high quality Fine Art reproduction more than 10% larger than the original painting – no matter how good your file is.
There is much skill in colour matching your file to your original and this can take time and money before you even get a good proof that you like.
Always proof your prints before producing a run and ensure your printer matches the proof you approve.
We still don’t have the technology to match paintings exactly – there will always be differences between the original and a print – and that is a good thing!
Quality materials – paper, canvas and ink do cost something. Be prepared to pay for qualiy.
Handle prints with care. The ink sits on the surface of the paper or canvas and will be much more susceptible to scratching than your original. Consider protective coatings in some cases.
Not everything you paint will make a good reproduction. Consider that paintings that are popular will also likely be good prints.

Small is Beautiful

2008-11-06T07:53:00.000-08:00

One of the great things about one current internet trend for artists is the creation of small works. Although this is not something every artist can do – for many it has built careers while fuelling opportunities for many people to purchase original art who may have felt that an original by a talented artist was outside their economic reach.

You can find artwork for as low as $25.00 per painting on-line, and while the very same criteria applies to buying a work at this price as it does to something 100 times more costly – you can and will find great artwork by previously unknown artists.

Why the low cost? For some it is the desire to paint regularly – even daily and to do so they generate small paintings – 6” by 6” on average. Along with the prolific creation of these works, artists enjoy the challenge and experience of creating small gems – sometimes as studies for larger works, but often complete and finished fine art pieces in their own right. A few artists have managed to build a career from beginning with small low priced works and now command gallery showings with much higher prices. Imagine if you owned one of these small early paintings by a successful artist.

Also common is that artists who appreciate each other’s work will trade in order to build a collection of work they like from artists all over the world

So get out and explore and enjoy the selection of small paintings available on line.

Artwork courtesy of Patricia Arndt - www.dailytrekinart.blogspot.com

Fine Art Explosion

2008-11-01T11:41:00.000-07:00

In many ways it is an exciting time to be an artist. The ability to put your artwork out for anyone to view via the internet is allowing artists who have hitherto been reticent to contact galleries or publishers to expose their work a great opportunity.

Of course many would argue that it also makes it more difficult to sift through lesser quality offerings to find those gems that are both interesting and of high quality.

Some of the great tools addressing that problem are finely tuned search engines, blogs with juried selections, art groups forming on line and more. However, I believe that one of the very best things about this explosion is that simply due to the vast number of images out there - everyone is having their senses tuned to what is good. You simply cannot fail to fine tune your own knowledge by looking at the vast amount of work presented.

Art is still in the eye of the beholder - but our creator has given us all an eye for beauty, form and color and although tastes will vary with people - there is a distilling that takes place in each of us the more we are exposed to fine art.

The "daily painting" groups and those offering small paintings and artist trading cards are allowing many people who would never have purchased original art to delve into that and begin to appreciate that intimate contact that exists when an artist and the collector connect.

How to Choose Mat Colors for your Pictures - Part 4

2008-10-28T11:27:00.000-07:00

3. Mat Border Sizes
A last but key element in choosing mats is to determine how wide the mat borders should be around your image. Once again the rule of matting to draw your eye to the focus of the picture can be your guide. Too wide and all you see is mat. Too narrow and the mat will seem cheap or unnecessary.

Some professionals have a comfort level with a simple percentage – i.e. 15 - 20% of the smallest dimension of the image should be the mat border. Using this rule an image that is 24” x 30” would have a minimum mat border of 3.6” and a maximum of 4.8” – probably rounded off to 5”. This would provide enough weight around the image without taking away from the picture.
Others are less exacting and often through experience have found certain border sizes to work well with certain image sizes. For example – they always like a 2.5” border on images that are between 8” x 10” and 9’ x 12” and a 3.5” border on images that are larger than 9” x 12” - say up to around 16” x 20”.

There is no set rule here. In fact some photographers with strikingly dramatic photos often will mat their gallery images with huge borders that serve to isolate the image from the entire wall and region around it and allow the viewer to focus more clearly.
Experiment with what works best for you – but keep in mind that your goal is to get the viewer to look at the image – not the mat.

Artwork by Lynn Blaikie - Island Art Publishers - Photograph Unknown

Want to practice matting for free? Try the MatoMatic framing tool at www.matshop.com. You can upload your own picture or choose from one of their gallery images and try different mats and mat combinations, frames and even background wall colors while you design your own projects.

How to Choose Mat Colors for your Pictures - Part 3

2008-10-25T11:14:00.000-07:00

2. Double Mat Choices
With double mats – you have many more options available to you for your second or inner mat. While the outside mat should adhere to the rules for single mat choices – because you are adding an accent color beneath – you can often allow the outer mat to be a bit stronger since the eye will naturally be drawn to the inner accent color.

The most important thing of course is that the inner accent color should now help continue your eye’s travel on to the focal point of the picture. That is why choosing the inner mat color is most critical with double mats.

One rule of thumb is to step back from the picture and decide on color order. For example: What is the dominant color, what is second, third and fourth. Often a dominant color is not obvious until you notice the overall affect. Ideally you do NOT want to use this dominant color as your accent. Instead now look at the secondary or tertiary colors and see how they relate to the focus of the image. Choose one of those colors as your accent or second mat color. That way your eye will be drawn from the outer mat to the accent to the focal point of the picture.

Artwork by Stefanie Clark -"Wolves" - Courtesy of Island Art Publishers

Want to practice matting for free? Try the MatoMatic framing tool at www.matshop.com. You can upload your own picture or choose from one of their gallery images and try different mats and mat combinations, frames and even background wall colors while you design your own projects.

How to Choose Mat Colors for your Pictures - Part 2

2008-10-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

1. Single Mat Choices When choosing a single mat to go around your images you need to realize that people looking at the picture will have their eyes drawn to the most visually stimulating area – usually the area of the picture with the greatest color, contrast or dominant focal point. If you choose a mat that overshadows this area, then you will hurt the presentation of the picture – no matter how well the mat color matches your wall or furnishings. Therefore – if choosing a single mat – use a color that compliments the image, does not fight with the colors in the image – or overshadow them, and allows you to step back from the picture and still see your eye drawn in to the focal point. Great choices for single mats are often simple clean colors such as whites, creams, very light greens, blues and grays.

"Time Passages" image by Calen Darnell - Terra Art Photos

Want to practice matting for free? Try the MatoMatic framing tool at www.matshop.com. You can upload your own picture or choose from one of their gallery images and try different mats and mat combinations, frames and even background wall colors while you design your own projects.

How to Choose Mat Colors for your Pictures - Part 1

2008-10-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

There are several simple techniques that professionals in the art and framing industry use to be able to shorten the time it takes to choose the exact right mat color or mat combination for matting and framing pictures. In this series I will present a couple of rules and then apply those rules in three further posts;

1. Single Mats

2. Double Mats

3. Mat Border Sizes

One very important rule to remember is – Mat (and frame) your picture to suit the picture – not the wall, the furnishings or décor. That is not to say that taking those things into consideration is not important – particularly if you are working on complimenting a room or design – but that the first consideration is that your choice will enhance the image. This of course also allows you to easily move a picture from one room or design environment to another – knowing that your framing will always enhance the image.

A second but key rule is that all framing and matting should have one goal – to draw the viewer’s eye to the focus of the image being presented. To that end – choices of mats and frames are made that build on this principle.

Try the MatoMatic framing tool at www.matshop.com. You can upload your own picture or choose from one of their gallery images and try different mats and mat combinations, frames and even background wall colors while you design your own projects.