What is wood molding

Frame was supposedly invented in 2nd Century B.C, when archaeologists found borders drawn on cave paintings in Etrusan. During the middle ages, frames were hand crafted and made out of wood and then were covered with Gesso and Gold Leaf. These frames were stunning looking, and increased the interest of on lookers in the display picture. In the modern era, 80s were the time when Framing industry took great leaps, and it was during this time that Wood Moulding started to take prominence. During 80s the Wooden Frame has started to move to rough oak, maple moulding to moulding that had beautiful finishes. These wooden frames are great for providing sophistication to the frames and had a grandiose feel to it.

Wood Moulding for picture frame is more commonly used in Custom Framing. These are the most expensive, but sophisticated option of framing and are generally used in wood base. Wood made frames are best used to preserve family heirloom or irreplaceable artwork. There are varied types of wood frame available in as many types of wood present in the market and vary from costly oak moulding to bamboo moulding. Wood Mouldings are the material of choice for many art lovers.  Although the make of frame is seldom mentioned or demanded by the buyers, but special attention is given to the design and finish of the frame. Wooden frame can be designed and cut in various designs and they have the option of built to buyers’ specification easily. Wooden frames can bring old age feeling and sophistication to your photograph.

There are many wood mould designs and shapes available, so it is important to have a good knowledge upfront. There is nothing quite like the style and warmth of wood for framing, everything from contemporary photo art to traditional oil painting. Wood moulding frame are best to preserve family heirloom and irreplaceable artwork. However care needs to be taken to choose acid free materials that can preserve the artwork for decades.

Storage of Wooden Frame
Wooden frame are susceptible to humidity and temperature changes. Best way to store wood frame is to place it horizontally with supports, at least every 24 inches or so.  It is essential to ensure that the wood is stored properly in a proper air flow and does not bend on its own weight. If in a scenario where wood needs to be stored vertically, it must be done with proper even support and kept few inches above ground.

It is best to use the services of a professional when you plan to display your photo in a costly wood frame. Wooden framing can be an awkward job, especially for pictures that are large or of dissimilar size. So always use a professional to help craft your framing as per your requirement and turn your picture into a wonderful memory that you can share with the world

PaintboxArtandFraming provide museum quality framing services at a quite reasonable price, free neighborhood pick-up & delivery, custom framing within a day,  stunning amusements of art prints by our popular artists and many more.

Accurately Measure Artwork for Framing

Measuring your artwork for framing is often the first step in the framing process. This might seem like a redundant first step, but often the error occurs due to a missing tool or any unexpected disturbance.

Best approach to find the correct size of the frame is to work from the artwork size outward, adding measurements until you arrive at the frame size. This involves easy arithmetic and good concentration.

Following measurement needs to be considered while measuring artwork:

• Window’s Mat’s size
• Border of the Mat
• Overall Mat size
• Glass size and its backing
• Frame’s size

As per popular belief, “Frame Size”, is not a measure from edge to edge of a frame, rather it is measure of the “rabbet” of the frame or recess at the back of the frame, the area that holds the modules that load into it.

The process to find the correct Frame size starts by finding the size of mat’s window. Normally this is decided by the way we plan to choose to display the artwork. There are three methods to display artwork:

• Only the image is shown in the window of the mat.
• Image and some of the border area surrounding the image is shown
• Show the edges of the paper

If the plan is to show the edges of the paper, the best method is to allow the edges of the mat’s window to overlap the edges of the image by ¼” on each side. Since there are two sides to each dimension (one on either side of the width and one on either side of the height) the window can be determined by subtracting a half inch from the height and width of the image. If you plan to show only the image then the best approach is to allow the edges of the mat’s window to overlap the edges of the image by ¼” on each side.

Once the size of the window is determined, next step is to determine the size of the border around the picture. There are tools such as Border Finder available to simplify the process. For determining the size of the mat, you can add size of the window and border size. This will help in determining overall size of the mat, which is also equal to size of the glass and backing board and, most importantly, the frame size.

Write down these measurements in a way it is easy to follow as these will form the basis for cutting the mat and building the picture frame of a correct size. Hence, this is how to measure artwork for framing and make sure you have

• Flat surface and a good lit up area
• Good quality ruler or tape measure
• A pencil, sheet of blank paper and an eraser
• High concentration to avoid errors.

Frames that turn heads

Every art is unique in its own way, and it should be displayed in a manner that represents the emotion or message that it is meant for. Given below are few unique ways in which you can frame your pictures and bring wow factor to your pictures.

1) Engraved Picture Frames
This is the most basic but the most loved frame. Engraved frames are a great way to frame your art. These frames can even make a mediocre looking art wonderful. Three most popular engraved frames are silver plated, solid pewter, and sterling frames.
It is essential to have a flat surface for engraving and metal to be engraved should be thick enough so that engraving is not shown with double type of material. A good rule of thumb for engraving your picture frame is that you should only engrave a high quality material frame which can sustain for years to come. Generally, a picture that is a family heirloom is used for engraved frames, as time and cost for engraved frame are quite high.

             Engraved Picture Frames 

2) Collage Frames
Collage picture frames are a highly creative way to display your images. This is an inexpensive way to display lots of pictures in a small area. This frame also gives flexibility to choose number of your favourite photo for display instead of settling for single photo. Collage frames come in various style, colors and sizes and are sure to enhance beauty of your images.

Collage Picture Frames

3) Scrapbook Frames
Scrapbook frames give the flexibility to combine your favorite images with favorite moments of your life and display them all together. Scrapbook frames help in bringing more personalized feeling to the images and share your joy of life with others in a different way. Wedding photographs are good example of scrapbook frames where you can take your wedding images and combine them with invitation card, wedding vows and other special items and display them to make a special frame for life.

Scrapbook Picture Frame

4) Shadow Box Frames
These frames are the best fit when you want to display various mementoes along with images.  Shadow box frames are the most suitable for using them with items that are thicker than a piece of paper and can generally be less than 2 inches thick (depending upon the frame). In shadow box frame, items are secured inside the frame and arranged in a variety of ways, and can be easily removed from the shadowbox frame at any time. Hence these frames are easily customized and can be used to display number of your favorite images. Shadow box frames are great for gifting ideas as well, as you can capture the joy and display it inside the frame in the most dynamic, yet secured way.

Shadow Box Picture Frames

In the end, the picture frame that you choose should be dictated by the type of art you plan to display and the place you want to keep it. Quality picture framing, however, can be an expensive endeavor and getting opinion of professional is invaluable. Take time out to discuss in detail about your requirement with the framer in order to make the right selection and bring pleasure through your art for generations.

Brief History of Picture Frame

Frame was supposedly invented in 2nd Century B.C, when archaeologists found borders drawn on cave paintings in Etrusan. It seems, since the time people started creating art, they also started to look for ways to display them attractively.

During the middle ages, frames were hand crafted and made out of wood and then were covered with Gesso and Gold Leaf. These frames were stunning looking, and increased the interest of onlookers in the display picture. Frames later evolved from these carvings into even beautiful looking mosaics, which had decorative panels. Early Christian art form adapted these frames and these frames found their way onto ivory books and diptychs and finally into altarpieces.

The function of picture frames started changing during 14-15th century. Most of the designs at that period were modeled around church themes such as tabernacle frames. These frames although, could provide good protection from dust or water but their main purpose was symbolic. Theses frames acted like a shrine, and images inside were revered and worshiped. These eclectic designs were the first modern day picture frames and were commissioned by monarchs for purpose of boosting their status. These frames signified power and wealth due to elaborate and rich craftsmanship.

Frames created during 14th and 15th century Italy were inspired heavily by mediaeval cathedral in cross-section.

During 18th century, frames had become popular, and each country started developing their own characteristic frame form – the Italian Renaissance cassetta frame, the 18th century French Rococo frame.

Today these frames are also categorized by style of their era - renaissance, Mannerist, the polished wooden cabinetmaker's frame, Baroque, Palladian and Rococo, the Roman 'Salvator Rosa', Neoclassical frames, and the academic or artists' frames of the nineteenth- and twentieth-centuries.

The Italian Renaissance cassetta frame,

The Cabinetmaker's Frame

Baroque Frames  

The Palladian Frame

 

Neoclassical and Empire Frames  

Mannerist Frames

           

Rococo Frames

         

The Salvator Rosa Frame

Frames purely crafted by hand continued to be popular through many centuries, mainly due to absence of any modern technology. As each frame was handcrafted, each crafter provided its own unique sense of style to the frames. By 19th century with advancement in technology, handcrafted frames started seeing its downward trend as frames started getting mass produced. In today’s world, frame making is no longer a pure art form. Digital frames are being made and have features that people could have never imagined few decades back. People are able to upload picture to digital frames and show multiple pictures as slideshows. 

However, modern frames have their convenience but frames made in traditional style have their own look and feel which attracts art lovers to vintage frames till date.

Few tips and tricks that you can employ to make framing easier and attractive

Here are few Tips and Tricks that you can employ to make framing easier and attractive

Measure Twice and Cut Once

Always measure your artwork, mat, matting board and its borders meticulously. Measure it yourself and get it measured by someone else to be double sure. Make sure the numbers match and if not then work through any discrepancies to get the framing right.

Ensure Mat offset

To ensure that Mat border is not peeping from the sides of the picture make sure that you cut the Mat a little smaller then the artwork itself. To ensure mat fits properly use 1/4" - 1/8" on each side for a mat offset.

Use cellulose or tape when drilling hole for hanging picture

By using a piece of tape on wall at the place where nail will be placed can prevent chipping of your wall . So when you decide to remove your picture from that place in future the hole would be easier to fill.

Use sheet on the counter

While assembling the frame, put a sheet on the table you are doing your assembling. This will prevent your furniture and frame from being damaged.

Find the center of frame

It is always a good practice to mark the center of frame with a pencil before hanging it. This will help a lot in hanging the frame perfectly.

Order Mat Samples

It is best to order mat sample and check it in contrast to your picture. This extra step will ensure that no mistakes are made in choosing the mat color. Normally companies send mat orders for free or for a very nominal charge. This extra step will make sure that your picture perfectly matches with the mat color that you plan to use.

Use a good quality hanging tape

When mounting your precious artwork always ensure that you use good quality hanging tape. A low quality tape will sap and will lose its adhesiveness over time. Filmoplast is one of the good brand that can be used for such purpose. This tape is acid free and is easier to tear and paste. This is important because in a scenario when the artwork is pulled out of the frame the tape will tear first then the artwork. 

Always use good quality cloth and sprays to clean glazing

It is very important to use a high quality cleaning agent to wipe of dirt from glass along with a good quality cloth which does not leave scratch on your glass. To clean the frame glass, highly recommended is dish washing liquid with warm water. This works like a charm and is safe to use.

Always hang artwork from Top

It is always recommended to hang the frame from top only and leave it freely hanging at the bottom with gravity pulling it down. This prevents buckling of the frame in future.

Museum Quality Custom Picture Framing Services

While there are technological developments taking place regularly in framing industry these little handy tips and tricks if followed will lead to longevity of your frame and artwork.

What do you look for while going for expert custom picture framing

Custom framing is an art of framing which requires skilled craftsmanship, years of experience and gives the option of customizing your frame as per your requirement. It also helps in protecting your art and displaying it in the best way possible. In custom framing you are free to choose your material, design and layout to show your picture as per your liking.

Key things to consider when choosing custom framing:
Do not choose big chain store to get your framing done:
In big chain store you do not exactly know who is going to do the framing for you. The person at the counter who does the designing for you has minimal training and experience. You are almost guaranteed not to be satisfied with the result that you receive at the end of this process. Under no condition should you give your valuable art to big chain stores as more or less they do a bulk production job without much deliberation to quality.

Material Quality:
Always insist for a good quality molding.  A bad quality molding warps, fade and destroy the picture over time. Best quality molding are made hardwood and is acid free.

Glass:
Quality framers always use only highest quality glass which helps in protecting screen my harmful UV rays and also prevent glare from direct light. There are generally 2 types of glass in market Anti-Glare glass which reduces glare, UV rays reduction glass which reduces UV light entering the glass and also combination of both i.e. anti-glare as well as UV protecting glass.

Matting:
This is probably the most complicated part of buying a frame. Mats can be made of cardboard or other materials that can serve as a frame within a frame. The frame separates picture from direct contact to the glass. Small air space between photograph and glass also prevents moisture build up. A mat can be decorated as per photograph’s specification- colored, decorated or pure white.

Conservation Materials:
Conservation materials are mats and mounting materials and they should be made of acid free material. Everything that is in contact with the artwork should be acid free. Mats and mounting material should also, not only be acid free but should have the quality to absorb air-born contaminates that has the ability to damage your art.

Custom made frames are best used to preserve family heirloom or irreplaceable artwork and should be always done by experienced framers. This is the reason why custom are often expensive as they tend to be made of high quality materials. Hope after following the above key points you would be able to create a frame which is accentuates your work and displays it in the highest quality possible for everyone to admire everyday.

7 Step for Custom Picture Framing

A framed artwork helps to protect your artwork from environmental conditions and will visually enhance your art or painting. Frame give a complete touch to your painting and make it glorious and attractive. There are also practical and economical considerations which the artist must remember a framed paintings are sold more easily and quickly than an unframed one.

Framing your painting requires both good selection and some basic framing knowledge to ensure proper safety of your artwork. Your personal taste is called upon when choosing the shape, size and color of the frame and mat. The more knowledge you have about conservation and the environmental hazards, the better you will protect your artwork from it.

This days people are found of having paintings for their home decor, they demand an attractive look for the paintings. This look is only possible through applying frame on your paintings, frames which have traditional look are more eye catching as they are crafted with hand crafted designs.

There are various types of frames available nowadays, which has enlarged the choice of people and helps to get the best combination for their choice.

1) Frame

Frame is a very basic platform of the whole framing process. A frame can have different type, shape, size and color. Wooden frame, Metal frame, plastic frame and glass frame are basic types of frames. Shape consist of a box (square or rectangle), oval, circle, triangle and so.

2) Mat Board

Utilizing a mat will creates a professional looking artwork at a low cost and supports the fine art while protecting it from touching the glass. Quality mat boards which are acid-free should be used as it will protect your artwork getting damaged from dust and other atmospheric particle. It's up to you to decide whether you want to frame art with a plain, colored or textured mat. Generally, artists use plain white mat with art as it gives more glove to your art.

3) Attaching Art Work

After Cutting mats the next step is attaching your artwork. While attaching art work keep in mind by using acid-free tape for fixing art and hold it in place. When you frame artwork, tape the art to the back of the mat board.

4) Frame your art behind an acrylic or glass surface.

It's with you that you want your artwork on acrylic or on glass surface select the best suitable for your art. Acrylic is a better insulator and much lighter than glass. It is also shatterproof. However, acrylic can cause static electricity, so never place charcoal and pastel artwork behind it. Cost of glass is less as compared to acrylic, but it can create a glare.

5) Fix glass in the frame.

The mat with your art will be fixed beneath the glass. Fix the glass with the frame and cleaning the inner glass with a soft liquid and make it ready for the final stage.

6) Seal it with backboard.

At last seal the back with a board, the material of backboard should be acid-free so that it will protect your art for a long period of time. There is a paper between this board and mat with art, paper has been just a purpose of safety.

7) Completed

Now your art is framed completely and you may put where you want it to be. You will notice that the artwork having frame became more attractive than before.

So, at last framing is a very important for your artwork or paintings, they give a unique look to your paintings.