Framing Question 1 1

[Benedict Judas Hel]

18 minutes ago, Blastaar said:

I have a 16x20 canvas piece. Do I...

Hang as is

Frame with no glass

Frame with glass

I am a huge advocate of professional framing with the best of my artwork collection so my opinion would be to professional frame said 16" x 20" canvas piece with UV resistant glass (or museum glass if you prefer) with the appropriate matting.

[vodou]

7 minutes ago, Benedict Judas Hel said:

framing with the best

You're also probably a fan of having less art (cuz: less money) then

Maybe this is OP's "best" but I suspect it isn't or won't be for too long, remain in the go-simple, go-cheap camp and use the savings to continue to climb the ramp toward "best".

[Benedict Judas Hel]

25 minutes ago, vodou said:

You're also probably a fan of having less art (cuz: less money) then

Maybe this is OP's "best" but I suspect it isn't or won't be for too long, remain in the go-simple, go-cheap camp and use the savings to continue to climb the ramp toward "best".

Nah, I'm a fan of "If I'm going to spend money on something, I'm going to try to protect it the best I can". 

 

And I don't assume anything on Blastaar's "best", but he asked for opinions on what kind of framing he should use and I gave him mine.  I'll let him decide which one he likes best.

[Blastaar]

2 hours ago, vodou said:

You're also probably a fan of having less art (cuz: less money) then

Maybe this is OP's "best" but I suspect it isn't or won't be for too long, remain in the go-simple, go-cheap camp and use the savings to continue to climb the ramp toward "best".

Not my best by a stretch but can’t store it in a portfolio. 

Edited January 17, 2020 by Blastaar

[ESeffinga]

5 minutes ago, Benedict Judas Hel said:

Nah, I'm a fan of "If I'm going to spend money on something, I'm going to try to protect it the best I can". 

The mindset of the person that buys a $50 print at a frame store and spends $500 on archival custom framing. None of which is money they would ever gt back if they ever outgrow the art they frame in one way or another. I won't specifically call it polishing a turd, or bejeweling a pig, as that casts negative aspersions on the art itself. But there is such a thing as overdoing it. As someone who is super self aware and archival with my art as possible, and who is insanely familiar with all framing, there's things worth doing and things that are overkill. Unless he plans on hanging it in his rugby's practice space, or has kids flinging paint about the house, a simple canvas floater is good enough for most artists, most galleries, and most collectors. I think it'll work for that head sketch just fine. If you sneeze on it. Wipe it off. It's a marker doodle, yeah?

There is being cautious and careful with the art, and there is being foolish with money. Sometimes these things cross over pretty heavily.

Blastarr should absolutely do whatever he wants, of course.

[aokartman]

5 hours ago, ESeffinga said:

The mindset of the person that buys a $50 print at a frame store and spends $500 on archival custom framing. None of which is money they would ever gt back if they ever outgrow the art they frame in one way or another. I won't specifically call it polishing a turd, or bejeweling a pig, as that casts negative aspersions on the art itself. But there is such a thing as overdoing it. As someone who is super self aware and archival with my art as possible, and who is insanely familiar with all framing, there's things worth doing and things that are overkill. Unless he plans on hanging it in his rugby's practice space, or has kids flinging paint about the house, a simple canvas floater is good enough for most artists, most galleries, and most collectors. I think it'll work for that head sketch just fine. If you sneeze on it. Wipe it off. It's a marker doodle, yeah?

There is being cautious and careful with the art, and there is being foolish with money. Sometimes these things cross over pretty heavily.

Blastarr should absolutely do whatever he wants, of course.

Yeah, I have some wonderfully framed comic strip art from my early collecting years, Al Capp, Rube Goldberg, Bugs Bunny, Gene Ahern, Vic Forsythe, Blondie, etc.

Most are not worth much more than the framing effort in a resale environment.

Frame what you like, but don't count on future value of the framing projects.

Could be a negative, actually, when you go to sell....and, you will, or your heirs.

Edit ...sorry if this came across as a downer, just trying to say something real for collectors as they age.

Old David

Edited January 17, 2020 by aokartman

[Blastaar]

My originals question was really just surface level. What to do with canvas? Seems odd to have glass over it, just the frame around it looks nice, canvas only looks clean. 

[cstojano]

1 hour ago, Blastaar said:

My originals question was really just surface level. What to do with canvas? Seems odd to have glass over it, just the frame around it looks nice, canvas only looks clean. 

I was hoping to get an answer here as well. I think anything behind glass separates you from the art somewhat, even with ultra clear glare free whatever. For most pieces it isn't a question really, but canvas or, in my case, oil on panel is an open question, It surely protects the piece from dust.

[aokartman]

8 hours ago, Blastaar said:

My originals question was really just surface level. What to do with canvas? Seems odd to have glass over it, just the frame around it looks nice, canvas only looks clean. 

Typically, a fine art canvas would be framed without glass, possibly matted.  Your piece in particular has such a gestural quality, I think a frame is not necessary, and possibly awkwardly inappropriate.  I suggest you just hang it and live with it for a while.  Hopefully the artist has used permanent media rather than marker.

David

[ESeffinga]

6 hours ago, cstojano said:

I was hoping to get an answer here as well. I think anything behind glass separates you from the art somewhat, even with ultra clear glare free whatever. For most pieces it isn't a question really, but canvas or, in my case, oil on panel is an open question, It surely protects the piece from dust.

I don’t have any oil paintings behind glass, and some of then have been hanging on my own walls since 1995. All good so far. Just a quick dust with a light duster every once in a while. And a quick wipe of the bottom sill of the floater frame as necessary on the canvas pieces.

The ones on board, I usually put in traditional frames (though I have done silicone on floaters before too) but still no glass on acrylic or oil paintings on canvas or hardboard. Just the frame around the piece. Easy peasy and nothing more than that. 
 

Paper and thin paper based boards go behind glass cause a quick dust or wipe won’t keep them clean. 
 

Have specifics or pics you wanna ask about? By all means, I’m sure I and others  are happy to share what we know and do.

[vodou]

4 hours ago, ESeffinga said:

I have done silicone

I stick with natural. Less lumpy.

[ESeffinga]

https://sadtrombone.com

[The Cimmerians Purse]

On 1/14/2020 at 2:13 PM, pinupcartooncollector said:

Yes.  i know if you have a mat, you're okay, as it keeps the art from the glass, but I want to float some of my art so you can see all the editorial comment/marks.  Turns out you have to buy frame spacers online, and it's like $50/100 ft.

 

I float my art but my framing lady just uses two layers of matting so the art is recessed and not touching glass. You can see the corner holders if you looked at the zoomed in corner. It wasn’t very much more. And totally worth it I think. 
 

The frame was 150 bucks... the frame itself is plain, but it’s archival... with museum glass. I tend to let the art speak for itself. 

Edited January 22, 2020 by The Cimmerians Purse
Added cost of frame

[ESeffinga]

A thought about archival, self adhesive mylar corners...

I used to have these on a fair number of pieces in my collection. I liked them because they make it super easy to occasionally swop standard comic pages out of a frame. Allowed me to change things over every couple of years or so, fairly easily. Especially when I was hanging a lot of very similar pieces, like Tim Sale Long Halloween pages.

What I learned about them is that if (and this is a big if that can have all kinds of side effects), but IF the piece falls from the wall, that mylar and glue are not going to move. The art on the otherhand is not affixed to anything, and there is no real friction to help hold onto it, if it's not sandwiched between a backer and a top mat. So when the art is only gripped by these corners, it may continue to try and move as the frame hits the floor. So if you are real lucky, the mylar corners will pop loose when the frame hits the floor. If you are less lucky, the art itself will get kinked or even small tears at the edges of the mylar. With comic art board, I've only ever seen dings. With thinner paper stocks, I've seen actual minor tearing. Thankfully the only thing of mine to ever fall off a wall was during a minor earthquake we had here on the east coast a number of years ago, and that was a freak incident. Though if I lived in earthquake country, I'd be thinking very seriously about japanese hinges (they are made for such drops), plexiglass, and not free-floating anything of significant value.

Just my .02¢

[vodou]

5 hours ago, ESeffinga said:

but IF the piece falls from the wall

Just say "NO!" to falls

https://www.ashanging.com/en_us/shop-by-inspiration/residential

[JadeGiant]

On 1/17/2020 at 12:44 PM, Blastaar said:

... but can’t store it in a portfolio. 

I'd say if that is your primary rationale for framing decisions, the less expensive "enough to get it on the wall" solution might be your friend in this case

[Blastaar]

2 hours ago, JadeGiant said:

I'd say if that is your primary rationale for framing decisions, the less expensive "enough to get it on the wall" solution might be your friend in this case

I think that this piece falls into the junk drawer of art. I was trying to polish a turd. Not a bad piece by any means but not wall worthy. I'll keep it for a give away to a forum member or send it to someone that might want it. 

[vodou]

49 minutes ago, Blastaar said:

I think that this piece falls into the junk drawer of art. I was trying to polish a turd. Not a bad piece by any means but not wall worthy.

None of us are saying this, hope you understand, but you're entitled to your opinion of it for sure. I stand behind what I wrote earlier: float framing and that it would look good that way too, definitely wall-worthy.

[Blastaar]

4 hours ago, vodou said:

None of us are saying this, hope you understand, but you're entitled to your opinion of it for sure. I stand behind what I wrote earlier: float framing and that it would look good that way too, definitely wall-worthy.

Didn’t think that at all. Just looking inward. Maybe not everything needs to be on display. 

[Mephisto]

My biggest dilemma right now is whether to bother with museum glass. My framer didn’t carry true museum until about two years ago. The stuff really does cut glare greatly. I actually went to him recently and didn’t want to spend a ton plus I wanted heavier or over sized pieces framed which happened to be oil on Masonite so no glass needed. 

I actually had a small piece of museum glass left I’ve rhe had saved for me. I mentioned I have a ton of stuff I need framed and was talking about museum glass and he goes “Oh you don’t need to spend that kind of money on that!” 

To date I believe I have 37 pieces framed (counting the pieces being framed right now). Most are under glass.  Despite my framer not always carrying the true museum glass I had always been using the 99% filtering Truvue glass. As other a have mentioned it can not only depend on what type of paint was used but also other factors such as the type of surface and whether there is a varnish. There are a few paintings that came framed but most I don’t see the need to reframe other than 92 Masterpieces (see explanation below). As nice as the museum glass is I’ve only considered replacing the glass on one piece already framed with it because it’s such a dark painting the glass reflections often show more. I also have one I’m not in a rush to reframe but it can tell it’s a cheap frame and until I just moved didn’t realize it appears to be behind plexi glass. My fiancé hates the frame on it so it might get redone some day. It doesn’t get direct light and I’ve seen a sister piece by the same artist not under glass or plexi at all.

Oils are usually not under glass BUT that is not a hard and fast rule for me. To be honest a lot of times I’ll ask the artist themselves. Julie Bell told me they go double mat with glass because she said they paint so thin with oil it’s beter to protect it under glass. I have another piece right now that needs framing. It’s oil on illustration board and it’s decent size around 20x24 board so the glass would need to be large. It’s not a favorite piece of mine so I wouldn’t Spring for museum glass but was debating on glass at all. Judging from the outside surface of the board I will probably throw it under glass.

Generally my acrylic pieces are under glass. I do have one Jusko under glass but it has a varnish. I honestly could have done the same with two other paintings from him since they have a nice sheen of varnish but I got them when the museum glass became available to me and most times I see the Joe’s work it is under glass. His 92 Masterpieces must be under glass. He told me he used whatever paints he had laying around to meet the deadline and I have seen at least one severely faded 92 Masterpieces as I am sure the frames they came in had regular glass with little to no UV resistance. I have two hung in a spot with no direct light currently and will get them reframed (I will probably use my itty bitty piece of left over museum glass on the one.

My largest piece is a Greg Hildebrandt acrylic on canvas. It came framed and not under glass. I actually went to Greg’s house to pick it up and got a tour. None of his paintings hanging in his walls (and he’s got a lot) were under glass. In fact he had one of his Peter Pan paintings hanging over the toilet in one of the bathrooms. The only paintings I’ve seen under glass from Greg are the ones he did with his brother from Marvel Masterpieces. I have the big Hildebrandt painting hanging in a room with no windows but one of the living room windows can throw light in that room so we just have a curtain that covers the room to keep direct light out.

I honestly still have around 30 pieces I would still like framed...probably isn’t going to happen but luckily we have 9 foot ceilings and my fiancé is okay with the vast majority of the stuff. Some of it she plain loves. If she doesn’t like it she just tells me to put it in the den, but considering I have an Indiana Jones Ark of the Covenant painting complete with Ark wrath of god spirit hanging in our bed room I can get away with a lot!