The Art of Framing
One of the best joys in life is purchasing that perfect piece of art to invite into your home. It’s up there with booking an airplane ticket out of sheer wanderlust. Custom framing your favorite artwork however, can put an expensive damper on the whole experience. But it doesn’t have to. Here are some ways to practice frugal framing, without it looking cheap.
Does it need framing?
Well, it doesn’t get easier than just not having one. According to the Artists Network, “For contemporary gallery-wrapped paintings, framing is completely optional”. Often times the artist has painted the sides around the canvas to become a part of the painting. Most original canvas paintings and prints look beautiful completely as is!
Try an online mail & frame service.
There are many prints that you can buy already framed. There are even online framing services now offering a “mail & frame” option, where you mail them your artwork and have it returned framed within a week. Just make sure to thoroughly review their policies on accidental damages if they occur. You want to choose a service that is willing to eat that cost for you if it happens. This option might be worth splurging a little on. I recommend framebridge.com.
Add your own custom mat.
Mats are a must for preservation, plus they can add a focused and refined look to the artwork. If you find yourself with a non-standard sized piece of artwork but want to use a stock frame, adding a mat that is a couple sizes larger than the art will solve all your framing woes. There are many blogs out there to DIY, but we recommend taking it to your local pros to cut one for you for just a few dollars.
Go vintage.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with some antique shop digging and up-cycling. Vintage and DIY remain all the rage and for good reason. So get a little crafty and really make it your own! Just be careful not to ruin the integrity of the artwork by attaching anything directly to it, or cutting it.
Consider glass.
Double glass frames can offer a cleaner, modernized look. These are relatively inexpensive and great for those skinnier art prints. Just beware, double glass isn’t the most effective preservative as it is susceptible to moisture. Just keep things dry and glass should work out just fine.
Framing artwork doesn’t have to be an expensive chore to your eye for great art. Keep these tips on frugal framing in your back pocket for when something really catches your eye. In the end, it’s all about enjoying it.
Do you have any tips and tricks to affordable art framing? Tell us below!
Written by Sandra Hastings
I appreciated it when you shared that it is nice to have a beautiful piece of art to invite into your home as it can be one of the enjoyable things to do as a homeowner. My wife and I are thinking of redecorating our living room since we want to make it look more lively during our housewarming party soon. I will keep in mind to find a service that can help frame beautiful pieces of art that I am planning to get.
I like that this post pointed out that when considering custom framing for our artwork, it is important for us to also add on the glass as it protects our artwork. The other day my wife mentioned that she would like to have custom framing done for the artwork collection that she inherited from her late grandmother. When she makes contact with any framing services, I will remind her to have glass added on as well as it will prevent the artwork from damage.
This was an interesting article about framing art. I want to print some photos I took last month. I’ll think about making canvas prints.
I appreciated it when you shared that you can put an expensive damper on the whole experience with custom framing. My mother just mentioned the other day that she is thinking of placing a family portrait in the living room since she wants to make the area look more appealing. I will suggest to her hiring a reliable custom framing service that can help with it.
It was really helpful when you talked about how it is important to review the website’s policy on accidental damages when you are using them to frame your artwork. My wife recently painted a portrait of our family that we want to have framed so that we can hang it in our living room. I will have to make sure that I look at the company’s policies when I find a framing service that we like.
I want to hang up some art in my living room. It makes sense that I would want to get some nice picture frames for it. I’ll work with a professional to ensure that I handle things correctly. That seems like a good way to ensure that things work out nicely.
Thank you for explaining that you should consider whether the artwork you purchase needs framing. I’ve been wondering whether we should get some new artwork we just bought framed. I think that since it’s not necessarily a modern look that we’re going for, a frame could look great for it.
I’m glad you said that you can have a cleaner look with double glass frames. My cousin was at my house last night for dinner, and she talked about how she wants to look into getting art pieces to hang up in her new home next week, so she wanted to know more tips on how to frame them. I’ll pass this information along to her once she gets her art prices so she can know more about the different framing options.
I like what you said about making sure the frame matches the tone you want. My wife wants to print our vows. We’ll have to have a printing shop do it for us and frame it.