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Matting and FramingMatting and framing is the basic art conservation technique used for two dimensional art work. As a potential owner of an art piece you want to have the basic understanding of matting and framing. This page is intended to give you an overview of the technique, but not any more. After all, we are not experts in this field. Among all the two dimensional artwork, we only deal with works on paper, which include pastel paintings, watercolor paintings, and drawings with pencil, charcoal, or ink. On the other hand, it excludes such art work as oil paintings or acrylic paintings. Then we will provide pastel-specific considerations. We offer a list of references for further information at the end of this page. Why Do You Want to Know About Matting and Framing?There are four reasons for it.First, you want to enjoy the piece for a long time, possibly for generations; then you want to avoid inadvertently damaging the piece, by matting and framing the piece. Even if you have other people (us, or other professionals) do the work, you want to know what they are talking about. Second, because it slightly complicates the size considerations. Matting and framing gives additional lengths to the dimensions of the piece. You want to keep this in mind if you are considering obtaining an unframed piece; otherwise your piece might "grow" so much that it will not fit into the space you thought it would fit into. Third, you may want to exercise your artistic creativity through matting and framing. You have tremendous freedom in the choice of matboard and frame in its size, color, materials, decoration, etc. You can make careful decisions so the framed piece will match the environment it is going to be in. Lastly, matting and framinig could cost a lot, especially when done with good quality materials by a professional -- in certain cases as much as the piece itself, or even more. There are inexpensive ways too (which we will discuss shortly), but you still want to keep this in mind if you are on a budget. What is Matting and Framing?Many of you are familiar with frames -- but what are mats? See the figure below --- It shows the anatomy of mat and frame.
MatFor works on paper, mat provides the first layer of protection while the encompassing frame provides the second layer. A mat is generally made of two boards, a front mat with a window roughly in the center, and a back mat. The artwork is sandwitched between these two boards; it is usually secured to the back mat by paper hinges, although some recommend the front mat instead. (Hinges are not shown in the figure above.) By matting the artwork, minimum protection is attained. Because the artwork is sandwitched by two sturdy boards, physical distortion is less likely. Most of the surface of the artwork is still exposed through the window of the front mat, but because of the depth of the front mat, you can place another flat surface on top of it without letting it touch the surface of the artwork, as long as it is big enough. This allows the artwork to be stacked. For this reason, many artists mat his artwork as soon as it is finished -- for protection and for efficient storage. When the piece is framed after being matted, the front mat does not let the glazing (we will look at it shortly) and the surface of the piece touch each other. A mat also serves another purpose; it can enhance the artwork's aesthetic qualities, while visually separating the artwork from the environment. A mat itself can be decorated, for example, with a washline, but it is beyond the scope of this page. FrameA frame in the broad sense is made of a frame in the narrow sense, a glazing, and a backing board. The artwork, normally matted, comes in between the glazing and the backing board, and the frame in the narrow sense surrounds it. (See the figure above.) Glazing is either glass or acrylic glazing, which is more commonly known as "Plexiglass". Glazing should not directly touch the surface of the artwork; Humidity changes in the atmosphere can cause moisture to be trapped inside the frame, and this can damage the pigment of the piece. If the piece is matted, this problem is avoided. Framing gives additional protection; in particular, you cannot touch the surface of the artwork any more. Especially if the frame is sealed, the artwork is protected from dirt, dust and flying insects too. A Frame can have large degree of decoration; from very plain to very ornate. Normally artwork is matted before framed, but it is not always so. It can also be directly framed. Size Recommendation[to come]Who Should Do the Matting and Framing?[uncompleted] The cheapest way: ready-made frame Go find a professional framer! Except for the simplest case, we ourselves go to the professional and have them do the work. Pastel-Specific Considerations[uncompleted]Pastel specific considerations
Sometimes bevel cuts are used to cut out a window in the mat board. You might want to consider using reverse bevel cuts, instead of regular bevel cuts. The pastel dust could still possibly fall after the piece is framed and it might stick to the sections, thus coloring them. With reverse bevel cuts, however, the sections will be hidden from the viewer. So you will not have to worry about the pastel dust. In addition, Frequently asked questions page provided by International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS) has this to say: "It is wise to insert a spacer between the surface of the pastel and the mat for loose pastel particles to fall into. Before putting the pastel painting in place, tap the back to get rid of excess dust." Further ReadingFor those who want to know more about matting and framing, we have the following list of references. Art of FramingThere are a large number of books on practical, technical aspects of matting and framing, which we do not list here. Instead, we would like to introduce: Piers and Caroline Feetham, The Art of Framing, Clarkson N. Potter/Publishers, 1997. ISBN: 0-609-60081-8. (No information provided on the publishers' website.)Even though this book, too, talks about the craft of matting and framing, the strength of the book is in its comprehensiveness; With numerous color photos, it also covers historical developments, detailed discussion on appropriate matting and framing for each type of medium, and even considerations that should be given in hanging and display. Ideal book in understanding the big picture of this art of its own right. Getting Real Technical...As with any kind of art or technology, you can go as technical as you want to. Since matting and framing is the basis of art conservation, really technical information is provided by art conservators or their institutions.
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