Swordwhale Walking: illustration, webcomic, stories, photojourneys, videos
  • launch here
  • art & stories
    • black horses
    • Sea Ponies of Chincoteague
    • Just Animals
    • playing with water
    • Tradigital illustration
    • environmental education >
      • Christmas Magic Mural 2020
      • animal alphabet and counting murals
      • Assateague ponies
      • the salamander room
      • more touch room ocean
      • more: touch room forest
      • wetland
      • wetland art
      • greenleaf
      • reptile week murals: Nixon Park
    • just animals: photography
    • Tales of the E.L.F. >
      • That Darn Elf, a musing or two
      • cast and crew
      • I dreamed of black horses
      • fanfiction: If Wishes Were Elves...
      • Skyfire
      • Leyover and Bardic Circle
      • Following Raven
      • The Merrow's Cap >
        • Merrows Cap credits
      • Manannan's Horses
      • Fins
      • fandom >
        • Radagast's Rabbit Ride
        • the Lone Ranger >
          • LOLs and Trolls
          • but wait, there's Moore, and Silverheels
          • Hi Yo Silver
        • black panthers and night furies
        • tales of Middle Earth >
          • Mirthwood
          • Loth-LOL-ien >
            • Im-LOL-dris
            • Smirkwood
            • well, that coulda' been worse
        • Sherlocked
        • catz and doges on fandom
        • Faithful Sidekicks
    • murals
    • scribblings
    • coloring pages
  • mermaid tales
    • Gramma Swordwhale's Mermaid Blog >
      • how to mermaid
      • merfolk on the Chesapeake
      • my life as a mermaid
    • privateers and pumpkins and ponies oh my!
    • stupid gravity (the adventures of a mermaid on Eastern Neck Is.) >
      • stupid gravity credits
    • stupid gravity: the search for sea glass >
      • stupid gravity: the search for sea glass: credits
    • Stupid Gravity: Misty Cloudy Windy Stormy Augh! >
      • Misty Stormy credits
    • Stupid Gravity: the search for mermaids
    • mermaids, Moana and Maui, beached on Christmas Eve
    • horseshoe crabs forever
    • stupid gravity: hot hot hot >
      • hot hot hot credits
  • Chincoteague
    • back to the islands 2021 >
      • Ponies 2021
    • identify that pony
    • chincoteague pony art
    • Fall Roundup Oct 2019
    • Chincoteague 2019
    • pookas pumpkins and swamp ponies
    • Chincoteague Carousel
    • Chincoteague November 2018
    • the 3rd Sea Voyage of Makenuk's Fin
    • wild horses and kayaks 2017
    • wild ponies in camp
    • North Beach
    • on island time
    • saltwater cowboys
    • Chincoteague
    • Christmas by the Sea
    • island ponies
    • Ace and Unci revolt
    • beached
    • running water in between
    • Assateague Light
    • the Haunted Lagoon
  • crafty stuff
    • photo your toys >
      • how to photograph Breyers in the wild
      • Lokigator and Throg's Epic Adventure
      • Sam and Bucky's Excellent Adventure
      • Mando and Grogu
      • paint and wet snow pants
      • Legolas and Hwin, snow
      • derps (or how not to photograph Breyers and others)
      • Wonder Horse repaint
      • wild Breyers >
        • printable prints and downloads
        • water horses
        • beach Breyers
        • Lotus Legolas and Arod
        • teeny tiny Breyers
        • backyard Breyers and Schleichs
        • vintage breyers
        • Hartland Horses
        • Black Horses
      • educational display
      • Schleich and Safari Faeries
      • North beached
      • more model horses
      • beach party
      • advenatureData
      • Finding Hank
      • Otterlock and Hedgejawn >
        • Hounded in Baskerville
      • how to photograph your dragon
    • Rich Toy hobby horse rehab
    • ModPodge rules
    • paint pours
    • flour salt clay
    • chalk paint
    • rock it: paint rocks and use or lose them
    • faerie gardens >
      • more faerie gardens
      • faerie festival at Spoutwood Farm
    • sea this tutu (and make)
    • I found Dory
    • knit me a mermaid, or chicken, or Hei Hei
    • sea treasures
    • sea glass
    • sea horses
    • rehabbing horse epic fail >
      • do you wanna build a snow pony?
      • do you wanna build a sand pony?
      • Barbie horse gets a makeover
    • mermaid saddles
    • Yule Laugh, Yule Cry... >
      • a Brandywine Christmas
    • Uncle Bob's Toys >
      • Uncle Bob's Toys 2016
      • more: Uncle Bob's Crafts
      • the Adventures of Mortimer
  • adventures
    • Go Play Outside
    • Nature Deficit Disorder
    • I heart Nature
    • autumn light
    • cats
    • mushing 101 >
      • dogs on wheels >
        • Autumn Run on Wheels
      • dogsled
      • dogsledding: running on snow! >
        • Groundhog Day
      • kids and dawgs: first sled run
      • Klondike Derby
      • Sled Dogs and Pirate Ships
      • Christmas Day Run: Rail Trail
      • Horses and Huskies: when predator and prey share the trail
      • Schipperke doo dah >
        • Runnin' with the Big Dogs
        • Hobbit Husky
      • women who run with the wolves
      • Play Time
      • wubba wubba
      • New Year's Dog Day
      • Team Swordwhale
    • trains, sleddogs, and horses oh my!
    • butterscotch and sprinkles
    • horses >
      • horse reference for art
      • ponies small but mighty
      • First Horse: Saraf
      • the Wild Black Mare
      • between thunder and lightning
      • Goliath, Nevada Mustang
      • Yataalii
    • Planet Water >
      • Planet fish tank
      • planet toadpool
      • Planet Pond
      • Planet Stream
      • Planet River
      • Planet Marsh
      • Planet Ocean
      • Planet Water Bird >
        • Planet Water Bird: gulls
      • Planet turtle
      • Planet water snake
      • planet amphibian
    • kayak! >
      • blue boat home
      • kayaking 101
      • kayaking Assateague and Chincoteague
      • how to train your dragonfly
      • Chasing Raven
      • the Susquehanna River >
        • the Rock Garden >
          • return to the Rock Garden
        • Conewago Dreamin'
        • the Conejehola Flats
        • Thunderbird Island (petroglyphs on the Susquehanna)
        • to the White Lady and Beyond
      • Calvert Cliffs fossils
      • Sassafras River Lotus Paddle >
        • Return to the Sassafras
        • sassafras river 2015
        • sassafras paddle 20160814
        • Sassafras River 2017
        • Sassafras river 2018
      • Eastern Neck Island >
        • winter marsh, winter beach
        • Eastern Neck Island: under the supermoon
        • more Eastern Neck Island
      • Pinchot Park
      • Lake Marburg >
        • where are the manatees?
        • ...and the dolphins???
        • macros and SAVs
        • Lake Marburg 2018
        • how to be a kayaking Gramma
    • beached
    • dive in! (SCUBA) >
      • Gourd of the Rings
    • mid Atlantic seashells
    • longship company >
      • December sail
      • Sae Hrafn at Oakley
    • pirates and privateers >
      • Sailing 101
      • Schooner Sultana 1768
      • Capt John Smith Shallop
      • Pride of Baltimore II
      • Kalmar Nyckel
      • downrigging 2010 >
        • Chestertown autumn
        • Downrigging Weekend 2014
        • Downrigging 2015
        • Downrigging 2016
        • Downrigging 2017
        • downrigging 2018: pink tardis
        • Downrigging 2019
      • privateer weekend
    • horseshoe crabs and red knots >
      • horseshoe crab spawn 2021
      • slaughter beach
      • horseshoe crabs and semipalmated sandpipers 2019
    • surfboards and watchtowers: Cape Henlopen >
      • beached
      • Watching Whales >
        • Watching Whales...again
    • Seadogs: Newfoundland water trials
    • wind hounds
    • wild things! >
      • baltimore aquarium
      • there's a hummer in the garage...ceiling ...
      • critter cam
      • sky walking
      • leaf-fall
    • The Adventures of the Good Ship Fearaf
    • the incredibly dead blog page
  • art class
    • framing 101
    • watercolor: how to
    • sip n paints
    • acrylic painting 101
    • wildlife art class
    • Santa, You're Doomed
    • (drawing) horses 101 >
      • horse color 101
      • gaits
      • ponies in motion
      • tack
      • Draw: a horse
    • dogs and wolves
    • go ahead, draw a pirate ship
    • anthropomorphism (cartoon animals and stuff)
    • the Little Kids Page of Big Ideas
    • mural: how to >
      • Gabriel's Whale
      • stuff you need
      • drawing (mural)
      • drawing mural 2
      • painting
      • mural jungle
      • mural bat cave
      • mural cats
      • mural ocean
      • mural arctic
      • mural leaf smacking
      • watershed mural
    • crayons and colored pencils
    • palettes
  • wait wait! let me get the camera!
  • who perpetrated all this???
    • swordbroad

framing 101

​how to frame that fabulous piece without destroying your budget

When you've created that awesome piece of art... or bought one from someone... or your kid hands you a Masterpiece that deserves more than refrigerator magnets... you'll need to frame it.

I have worked in the framing department of an arts and crafts store. I see the horrors perpetrated on fine art and irreplaceable photos.

(do NOT look at my walls: everything is held up with poster putty...)

You can pay for custom framing which will ensure your piece is on Antiques Roadshow a century from now...

or, if your budget is in the poster putty range, like mine, here are a few things to know...
​
  • Do NOT let glass (or plexi) touch the art/photo. No glass sandwich "float frames", no matless frames. Your piece may be fine for now, or for a year or... who knows. Or it may collect moisture and grow stranger things (nooooooooooo Eleven, close the Rift, close it now!!!) ... is that a cure for covid??? If it's just a poster, or print that you have a digital file of, ok, whatever, you can replace it. I have childhood photos that are now glued to the glass because no one thought of a mat. They didn't have digital back then. Not. Replaceable.
  • Mats are your friend (see above). They create breathing room between the picture and the glass. They pull out colors and enhance your art/photo. They will take the dinked edges and other abuse while your art/photo stays pristine. They create an "aaaahhhhhhhh" space between the busy room and the art. You can buy pre-cut mats in standard sizes, or cut your own (with a knife and straight edge like a carpenter's square or T-square). If you use a box cutter or Xacto knife, you will get a nice mat, if you use a mat cutting tool (from about $20) you'll get a nice mat with a beveled edge. You can mat a weird size picture to a normal size frame; outside of mat = frame opening... inside opening of mat = image size (not paper size. The paper must be a little bigger than the mat opening, overlapping by at least 1/4" or more). Layer mats for a professional look (the mats underneath the top one should stick out about 1/4" give or take).
  • Tape pictures to mats ONLY at the top. (you can also tape the pic to the backing instead) Temperature and humidity changes cause paper to stretch and shrink like a cartoon character. Taping at the top of the picture allows for this without wrinkling your picture.
  • To mat a picture: lay your pic on a flat clean surface...face up. Stick some tape behind it at the top (1/4" to an inch on the back of the picture, an inch or so sticking up to stick to the mat). Center the mat over it, press.
  • YOUR MAT SHOULD BE BIGGER/WIDER THAN YOUR FRAME this is basic Good Design 101...
  • Cardboard is evil. It is acidic and makes me itch and sneeze. It also will eat your art/photo. Place foamcore or matboard or other non-acidic lignen free stuff behind your art/photo.
  • Masking tape is evil. See above. It gets old and crackly and nasty. Scrapbooking or framing or art tape, yes. Maybe even scotch tape. Also not duct tape.
  • Any frame can frame a canvas. Mostly. Buy that frame you like in the right size, take the guts out (glass, backing, the piece of paper with the logo and size info), use "offset clips", screw clip into frame, it holds canvas in. Duct tape works too. Do not use a mat on a canvas. Glass is also not necessary (oils and acrylics are basically indestructible) and may detract from the beauty of oil or acrylics. Also, oils need "breathing room" and should not be glassed.
  • Puzzles are weird. But you CAN frame them. They are usually weird sizes and shapes. Just get a nice big poster frame. Paint the back and front of the puzzle with several coats of ModPodge. Glue puzzle to mat board. Cut outside of matboard (oh, you should already have done this) to fit frame. Place matboarded puzzle in frame, lose the plexiglass (it will stick to the ModPodge). You'll see the matboard around the edges of the puzzle, so you better have picked a color you like. But it will fit now.
  • Poster frames. There are two kinds: the evil kind with the little edges that slide off and never ever go back on correctly,  with the plexiglass sandwich packed in two layers of film that when peeled off collect every dust mote in five miles.  And the good kind that look like a normal frame, with a cardboard back, little tabs on the back that you flip up to open it, and a nice one piece frame.
  • Scrapbooking materials are your friend. They are designed to be archival; tape, glue dots, paper, stickers, 3D stuff. You can use them in framing. The 3D stuff can be used to create "glass spacers", lifting the glass off a piece if you don't use a mat.
  • Consider the shadowbox. For odd things, a shadowbox is an easy fix. Just use scrapbooking tape or dots or pins to attach stuff to the backing. If your cheaper shadowbox doesn't have a nice cloth backing, you can make one of cloth or scrapbooking or art paper.
  • The glass in the off-the-shelf frames will protect your art from your Mastiff's slobber, but not from light fading. Avoid hanging stuff in direct sunlight. House light will still fade some stuff, so if it's really valuable (like an original or signed limited edition print, or your favorite celebrity's autograph) get custom glass that is UV protection. Photos are probably the worst at fading. Pencil, charcoal, pastels and Prismacolor pencils are more hardy. Watercolors vary with the specific colors.
  • So you inherited 182 of Aunt Mary's watercolors... and can't possibly frame them all. There's art portfolios that look like large scrapbooks and are designed to be archival. Put most of the art in those, and display a few framed. The scrapbook can be laid out too for people to browse. (This. Actually. Happened.)


Picture
Standard Frame/mat Sizes
  • 3x5 occasionally
  • 4x6
  • 5×7.
  • 8×10.
  • 8.5×11 occasionally
  • 9x12 occasionally
  • 10x13 occasionally
  • 11×14.
  • 16×20.
  • 24×36

​There are other sizes, especially in poster frames, but if you are having something printed, it is best to stay to standard sizes. Remember the opening is actually smaller (8x10 is actually about 7.5 x 9.5) so there is overlap between mat and picture. So if someone's head or foot or other important detail is on the edge, uh ohhhhhhh.

There are also cute mini frames and clear plexi frames (useful for signage or putting a copy of a photo on your desk) as well as float frames (the glass sandwich) which are all best used for stuff you can replace.


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