Hampton Photo Arts

How to Protect Your Fine Art Photograph
Information on how to properly care for photographs, photographic prints and the care of photography collections. Since photographs can be easily damaged, taking precautionary measures is the best defense in protecting their values. This article and web page have been designed to help you understand the of care and handling of photographs. Resource links and books are also featured providing you with a wealth of knowledge and hours of reading.

Several everyday situations can potentially cause damage to photographs. Avoiding these situations and potential problems, is much easier than trying to correct damage once it has occurred. Major areas of concern are broken down into the following categories:

Step 1
Select an acrylic paint if you need a fast-drying medium. For example, if you are working on a project that requires multiple layers, or needs to be moved to another location quickly after it's painted, a proper acrylic paint can offer the best results.

Step 2
Use artist-grade acrylic paint from a manufacturer who mills pigments and mixes paints. A better brand of acrylic paint dries with a durable layer on the finished painting.

Angle Shader
A versatile brush used to paint both sharply defined edges and contrasting softly shaded areas like foliage.

Bright
Provides better control then flats for details; produces short, crisp paint strokes.

Fan
For blending and softening the edges of other strokes; dry brushing to create hair, trees, shrubbery and grass.

The following will help you understand what makes a good quality brush:

Hair
Just as they were in the past, artists' brushes are still crafted by hand. Brush makers hand “cup” the hair to shape, so that each strand falls into place, giving the brush a fine tapered point or a clean, straight edge.
Hair is the most important and expensive part of the brush.

Most hair types vary in quality. For example, all bristle hair is not the same; there are many different grades. The better grades offer unique properties which enable them to hold more color and retain their shapes. Remember that a better quality hair makes a far better brush, and a better quality tool makes painting easier and more enjoyable.

Ferrule
This is the metal band which holds the hair to the handle. Nearly all of the brushes we sell at Hampton Photo Arts have nickel-plated, seamless ferrules, so they will not rust or split.