So I just lost my virginity.

[USArmyParatrooper]

And picked up Matt Slay's first published work, a watercolor painted cover.

 

I want to hang it on my wall, but first I would appreciate some advice on framing. I know (from watching Pawn Stars, don't laugh) that professional framers can cost buku dollars.

 

I know at department stores and such you can buy decent looking cheap frames, but my first priority is to protect the artwork and the paper.

 

So any advice on proper framing at a reasonable price would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Bronty]

Nice piece

 

Now as for advice? Don't cheap out on framing.

[Speedy-D]

Nice piece

 

Now as for advice? Don't cheap out on framing.

word! A decent (keep it plain, let the art shine) frame/matte/UV protective glass shouldn't be all that expensive (< $200), certainly not when compared to what you paid for the OA, and your desire not to have it fade over time.

[USArmyParatrooper]

Nice piece

 

Now as for advice? Don't cheap out on framing.

 

Are there concerns with cheap framing damaging the piece over time?

 

What would adequate framing cost?

 

What places can I go for framing?

 

Sorry about all the questions, but I'm an OA n00b.

[USArmyParatrooper]

Nice piece

 

Now as for advice? Don't cheap out on framing.

word! A decent (keep it plain, let the art shine) frame/matte/UV protective glass shouldn't be all that expensive (< $200), certainly not when compared to what you paid for the OA, and your desire not to have it fade over time.

 

That's not as bad as I thought.

[comicdonna]

Archival safe matting

Uv protective glass

 

Oh, and congratulations!

[VintageComics]

Archival safe matting

Uv protective glass

 

Oh, and congratulations!

 

Any frame shop worth their salt will know all this.

 

(thumbs u

[drewincanada]

We've got a great custom framing place here in Toronto - Victor Gallery. They make their own frames and keep dozens of sizes in stock with various colours and textures, or you can custom order any size. An 18" x 24" frame (perfect for most OA except twice-up stuff) goes for $55, but you'll pay extra for UV resistance glass. And a custom cut matte is $25. All in, it's $100-120.

 

I would expect that most big cities would have a similar type of framing store.

 

I buy their 18 x 24 plain black wood frames. Here's my office with my Colan Howard the Duck OA:

 

 

And here's a shot of the interior of their store:

 

[ashrael]

Great peace!

[oakman29]

Great peace piece!

[mrpunch0]

Watercolors are one of the mediums that is most vulnerable to light damage. Spring for UV glass and don't hang it in direct sunlight.

[Kevin76]

You can expect to pay at least $125-$175 for a quality frame. Most any "Frame store" will be fine, Like others said, Get the UV glass. Turn around time when I got my stuff framed was about 2-3 weeks. The framing stores do have insurance, so if the place burns down while your art is being framed, you're covered.

[mrpunch0]

You can expect to pay at least $125-$175 for a quality frame. Most any "Frame store" will be fine, Like others said, Get the UV glass. Turn around time when I got my stuff framed was about 2-3 weeks. The framing stores do have insurance, so if the place burns down while your art is being framed, you're covered.

 

I'd ask specifically about the insurance. Both places I have used have insurance, but it usually wasn't enough to cover the value of what I was dropping off. (I think the limit was $500)

 

When I get a piece framed, I bring it in to be measured and take it home while I wait for the frame to come in. Then I bring the art back to be mounted. I never leave art overnight.

[orfew]

We've got a great custom framing place here in Toronto - Victor Gallery. They make their own frames and keep dozens of sizes in stock with various colours and textures, or you can custom order any size. An 18" x 24" frame (perfect for most OA except twice-up stuff) goes for $55, but you'll pay extra for UV resistance glass. And a custom cut matte is $25. All in, it's $100-120.

 

I would expect that most big cities would have a similar type of framing store.

 

I buy their 18 x 24 plain black wood frames. Here's my office with my Colan Howard the Duck OA:

 

 

And here's a shot of the interior of their store:

 

 

 

Love the art. Also, thanks for the tip on victor gallery. I am about an hour and a half away by car. My local framer is good but the cost would be at least twice what you quoted. I took 2 pieces in for an estimate and it was about 500.00. I will defintely follow up on your suggestion.

[Wyndchill]

I work in a museum and our lead conservator was into it enough to give me some guidance, which I'll gladly pass along. Everyone is on the money but here's a few other little tips. Acid free/archival matting. Use small squares of acid-free mylar as 'picture holders' at the corners. Don't glue them to the matte, use paper tape. And use a powder-coated metal frame. Paper is a self-destructive medium, as we all know from our comic days. The point is that heavy solvents can speed up the degradation process of paper, so you want to reduce anything that may turn acidic or give off solvent gases/vapors.

[USArmyParatrooper]

I work in a museum and our lead conservator was into it enough to give me some guidance, which I'll gladly pass along. Everyone is on the money but here's a few other little tips. Acid free/archival matting. Use small squares of acid-free mylar as 'picture holders' at the corners. Don't glue them to the matte, use paper tape. And use a powder-coated metal frame. Paper is a self-destructive medium, as we all know from our comic days. The point is that heavy solvents can speed up the degradation process of paper, so you want to reduce anything that may turn acidic or give off solvent gases/vapors.

 

Can you please explain this part a bit more? I've never framed anything before. Also, by "paper tape" something like double sided scotch tape? Masking tape?

 

Thanks!

[Wyndchill]

Sorry, that's what we used to call it.

It's like a first aid tape. Johnson & Johnson is a common mfr and you'll find it in most first aid sections of Walgreens, Targets, etc. It's usually made of a Tyvek like material, with a low-stick adhesive, on one side, that comes off very clean.

 

Get an archival matte board cut with the window size you want. Get some acid-free/archival mylar and cut some small squares (like 1" square). Use two pieces of the first aid/'paper' tape to secure the outer edges of each mylar square to the matte. Tape the two 'outside' sides to the matte board. (The two sides of each mylar square or 'photo corner' closest to the matte window are open and untaped). So the mylar is taped to the matte, not the art. Slip your art into the 'pockets' made by the mylar squares and the matte. Put a piece of foam core on the back, large enough to cover the entire matte and slip into a frame. When you buy the frame, you should get some little 'springs' that you slip under the frame's edges. This keeps tension on your matte/art/foam core sandwich to keep things from sliding around.

 

Does that help?

[SC in SC]

And picked up Matt Slay's first published work, a watercolor painted cover.

 

I want to hang it on my wall, but first I would appreciate some advice on framing. I know (from watching Pawn Stars, don't laugh) that professional framers can cost buku dollars.

 

I know at department stores and such you can buy decent looking cheap frames, but my first priority is to protect the artwork and the paper.

 

So any advice on proper framing at a reasonable price would be greatly appreciated.

 

My first piece of advice is to find a proper frame shop instead of going to one of the crafting stores that also have framing such as Michaels and Hobby Lobby. Even with a 50% off coupon, my professional framer is still beats their prices by a LOT.

 

The previous advice for getting archival quality materials is spot on. If you cheap out on the framing job, you'll be happy for about a year if you're lucky, and then your beautiful artwork will begin to fade. Get the UV protective glass and your artwork will outlast you.