UPDATE:
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Well, many thanks to user: rasmusvn for taking the time to write this awesome GUIDE TO FRAMING.
Hope you all find it informative and instructive.
Do give it a read!
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Framing Guide
When framing a lithograph there are several things
one might consider. A lot is based on the taste of the owner but there
are a few basics.
I made this guide for two reasons:
- To make sure your lithographs aren’t damaged when framed
- To get the framing job done right the first time
There’s plenty of advice in the thread as well. I tried to combine the essentials.
In case something is missing or wrong send a PM to “archive-th”.
The frame:
The frame is generally made from wood or metal, I’m sure plastic frames
exist but let’s forget about them. The benefit of a wooden frame is that
it’s easier to seal it to prevent bugs and the likes from getting
inside. Depending on the size of the lithograph one should consider how
wide the frame needs to accommodate the “weight” of the lithograph. A
thin frame may not be able to “carry” the lithograph unless you’re going
for a minimalistic approach or you just don’t like a wide frame in
general.
Not all framers are experts meaning that not everyone
can guarantee that the corners of the frame line up in perfect 90 degree
angels. It’s easier to accomplish this with metal frames than it is
with wooden frames. Wooden frames generally require more work and
they’re therefore more expensive. If you choose the right framer almost
everything can be done with a wooden frame and they’ll sand it and so
forth to make sure it’s perfect and smooth.
Not all framers can do this. Where I live it’s common for glaziers to frame art and they don’t
always get the job done right. Dedicated framers exist but in some
countries they’re rather scarce.
The mat (or passepartout):
The mat’s primary function is to separate the lithograph from the glass.
This is done to make sure the lithograph isn’t affected by the glass.
Bad things can occur for example if the lithograph is stored in a humid
environment.
A mat can also help present the lithograph in a nice way
depending on how it’s used. An added bonus is that a mat can hide
damaged corners which I’m sure we’re all familiar with.
In general the mat should be white. Note that white isn’t just white. The
lithographs are commonly described as having “white” borders. Naturally
this is correct but if one had to be precise they would be more of a
“blue white”. Where I live a mat isn’t available in that color so I
opted for a different kind of white.
One can also use a colored mat or a double-mat. “Vault101 Survivor” did this and achieved a very
nice result with his team litho. In case you plan on framing several
lithographs and hanging them next to one another it would be important
to consider whether too many different mats would simply look out of
place compared to using only white mats. Naturally this is all up to
you.
The bottom of the mat should always be slightly higher than the rest. This has to do with how the eye perceives the framed work.
The glass:
Glass isn’t just glass. You might’ve seen several framed works where the
glass acted more like a mirror than anything else. In general you
shouldn’t be able to see the glass; ideally it has to appear invisible.
This doesn’t come cheap though. “Float glass” is what’s mainly used because
it’s cheap and that’s about it. It has plenty of reflections and it
doesn’t stop UV-rays which will damage your lithograph over time.
Non-reflective glass exists as well. The cheap version can make the art look rather dull.
The ultimate solution is “museum glass”. It’s a generic term which describes glass with the following qualities:
- Low reflection
- Transparency
- UV-protection
- Authentic color rendering
Manufacturers of “museum glass” include: Tru Vue, Schott, Flabeg and probably many
more. “Museum glass” is expensive which means it costs more than the
double of float glass. If you see the difference there shouldn’t be much
doubt which to choose. The exception would be if you kept your
lithographs in a somewhat dark room without too much natural light and
wanted to save some money.
Some manufacturers of “museum” glass
guarantee 100% UV-protection. In the case of Flabeg the glass that only
guarantees 90% UV-protection is actually preferable because the one with
the 100%-rating makes the image look darker. Naturally they don’t
mention this themselves but I was told by the guy who framed my
lithographs. According to him a rating of 90% is more than enough and
it’s a question of whether the lithograph will last for 100 or 150
years.
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There are a few more materials used when framing but these can’t be customized.
Important
-
All materials must be acid-free. If you use a professional framer this
shouldn’t be an issue but you never know. Note that acid-free isn’t just
acid-free (see the wiki-source).
- All materials used should be
“reversible” so that the lithograph can be removed from the frame
without damage. This means glue among other things is a bad idea.
- Certain frames might leave marks in the lithograph. These should be avoided.
-
In some situations your framer might suggest attaching the lithograph
to a backing board. Depending on how it’s done you may not be able to
free the lithograph from the backing board again.
- Depending on a
number of things there might be a color difference where the mat covers
the lithograph because UV-rays haven’t affected this part of the
lithograph. This only matters if you plan to sell the lithograph at some
point or if you want a smaller mat at some point.
This is advice from the framer I used:
- The mat should allow 2 cm./0,78 inch of each side(right and left) of the lithograph to show
- In general the sides of the mat should measure (7,5/7,5/7,5/8,5 cm.) or ( 2,95/2,92/2,95/3,34 inches)
- There is no golden rule for the measurements of a mat. Nor does it scale according to the size of the lithograph.
A final note:
Using a professional framer isn’t exactly cheap. On the bright side they will
look very good and you’ll know things have been done right. One might
argue that spending more on a frame than the lithograph itself is
madness and that’s probably right. It all depends on how much you value
your lithographs.
Naturally you can also achieve a very good result
for much less than a professional framer charges. Some have done this
using frames from http://www.hollywoodposterframes.com.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia....picture_framing)
http://www.davidglas..._Nwslttr2_3.pdf (page 1)
http://www.tru-vue.c...ue/Products/33/
http://www.flabeg.co...187&L=1&L=1
http://www.flabeg.co...ction_EN_02.pdf (PDF)
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[*]
Hey all, I FINALLY got some frames for my lithographs.
Unfortunately no one here in Australia has ever CONCEIVED making any frame as
BIG as 18x24, and moreover they have never even heard of 'UV protective'. It's
just silly.
Ok I exaggerate but honestly, it would have cost me $300+AUD for a single
frame, UV protective from the one place in town who manage to expand their
thinking ever so slightly and who was able to, however with much hesitation, conceive
something as huge as what I wanted. And the problem with that is is that I need
about 5 of those frames. So I'm not about to go drop $1500AUD just for my
frames.
But lucky for me there is THE INTERNETS. And another fortunate thing is
the USA haha. Lots of people from online USA stores who make exactly what I
want and doesn't charge a fortune. Only problem is none of them ship to
Australia
I did however (obviously) manage to track down one lady who was amazingly kind
enough to go through the effort of shipping international for me. And I'd recommend
her to EVERYONE. her frames are amazing, they are hand made (and damn well
too!) and she has amazing communication skills. This lady is the one and only
Susan from: http://www.hollywoodposterframes.com/
These frames (all 5 of them) plus shipping, plus currency
conversion cost me just over $300AUD. WOOO!! Yay for the internet.
I put their UV protectiveness to the test too, got a UV light and UV sensitive
transition lenses and these frames delayed the transition by at least 75% so
that's pretty good I recon.
Here is what I got:
And
That Geth poster in he middle is such an awesome piece done by the legendary
Adam Sidwell from: http://52baddudes.tumblr.com/
This piece is # 10/50 (Since sold out)
The text on the bottom reads: "Maybe I'd be better off with artificial intelligence."
So all, show me what you got, how do your look framed?
Lots of threads are Litho orientated; let's keep this one frame orientated for those who still need to find some.
Сообщение изменено: archive-th, 24 Апрель 2012 - 06:07 .
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