A valued piece of art is never simply taped to the wall. Art can be an investment, and it deserves the best preservation techniques that exist. Improperly framing art fades it, damages the paper, and alters the original piece. Frames are more than a compliment to the artwork: they protect it.
Archival framing protects the artwork from acid degeneration, direct sunlight, and smudging or chipping. Acid is present in paper products, cardboard, and other substances. It causes paper to yellow and disintegrate over time. The artwork should already be completed on acid free paper, but you may want to ask the artist first. The point of archival framing is to prevent contact with other acidic substances.
You should always ask your framer if the mat and the frame's backing are acid free. Both will be close to the artwork and any acid in them will slowly leech into the artwork. Hampton Photo Arts recommends only 100% cotton rag mat board and warn that some mat boards advertised as acid free work only against airborne elements and don't protect against heat and light. Linen tape or Framers Tape are the only types of adhesive that should be used to affix the mat to the artwork. Scotch tape, masking tape, or glue will severely damage the art. Fine art should never be drymounted to the frame or mat.
Because of its nature, paper will deteriorate if not properly stored or handled. Prints are therefore fragile objects due to the material they are printed on. The papers used in printmaking are of archival quality and less subject to alteration than papers composed of cellulose fibers from plants. Nevertheless, prints are all sensitive to temperature changes, to light, to handling, and to all kinds of wear and tear as well as humidity and excessive dryness Any restoring process begins with a careful examination of the work to be handled in order to diagnose the "health" of a print before deciding what treatment must be undertaken. The most common alterations found in prints can be classified as follows:
Print Conditions Ensuring that your print hangs in the best conditions possible will enable you to get the best out of your artwork over the longest period of time. Here are some quick and simple steps for ensuring your artwork will remain in good condition for as long as possible.
Lighting Artworks should not be hung in direct sunlight or on the same walls as windows. If you have a particularly bright home consider covering your art with fabric, taking it off the walls or drawing the curtains if you are going on vacation.
Prints are particularly vulnerable to light's adverse effects (UV rays). Too much direct light can lead to changes in print texture and discoloration, so it is important to strike a balance between the benefits of light for viewing your artwork and its potential dangers.
Begin by centering the stitching on the foam core...just "eyeball" it for now, you will exactly center it later. Place a pin in the fabric and into the foam core at the top of the piece, and then stretch the fabric and place a second pin in the foam core at the bottom of the piece. Repeat for the two sides. Be sure you're stretching the fabric before you pin. You will end up with four pins securing your piece to the foam core, one pin in the center of each side.
With a purple fabric marker, draw a small line by each pin in the fabric. Then, take out the four pins and lay your needlework flat on the table.
Framing for archival preservation means that we are framing with the objective of getting the artwork out of the frame at some future date and having it be, at that time, in exactly the same condition it was in the day we went to frame it. Therefore, in our framing of the piece we must do nothing that will alter or devalue it in any way - we must not use adhesives that cannot be removed and we must not use any material that can damage, fade or stain the artwork. Acid and lignin bearing materials (in other words, any materials made of wood pulp) are a threat to the artwork. Even lignin bearing materials that have been acid neutralized are unacceptable in a truly archival frame job.
If you own art in any of its many forms or if you are the care taker of those replaceable family treasures there are things you need to know. Not all artwork is alike and none of it comes with a maintenance manual. So how do you know when and how to care for it. This question has been a matter for debate in professional art care circles sense the beginning of time, you may even have heard about the controversy over the cleaning of the Sistine Chapel or how Rembrants Night Watch changed when cleaned. Art care is a complex problem. dependent upon several sets of circumstances and conditions. How the artwork created. where it has been and under what conditions, what kind of care or treatment has it had. The more you know about your artwork, the better care you can take of it. This care should start with your decision to frame and display it.
Printing on canvas is incredibly versatile and a great way to create a ready-to-hang image or artwork. Every canvas that we print is protected with a UV coated acrylic finish to guard the print from dust, moisture and fading. Do you want your canvas stretched on bars or non-stretched? Framed or unframed? Customize the work to make it truly your own.
Photographic materials have complex physical and chemical structures that present special preservation challenges to the librarian and archivist. Since the birth of photography in the late 1830s, many different photographic processes and materials have been utilized, each subject to deterioration through time and with use. Although deterioration is an ongoing natural process, nevertheless much can be done to slow the rate at which it takes place in photographs.
Deteriorated photographs may require specialized conservation treatment by a professional photograph conservator, often a costly, skill-demanding, and time-consuming procedure. For the majority of photographs in research collections, single-item conservation of deteriorated photographs is probably not a feasible or a cost-effective preservation solution. Instead, preventive conservation actions such as maintenance of a good environment, promoting proper care and handling through staff and user education, and the use of good quality storage housings will have a more lasting, positive impact on the preservation of a collection.
Watercolor is an easy, fun medium for creating art. Color theory, composition and design can be explored freely with watercolor paint, paper, and brushes. Several techniques may be used with watercolors for varying effects including painting wet on wet, wet on dry, layering washes, and more.
Watercolor paper comes in cold press, hot press, and rough. Rough paper has the most texture, and its hills and valleys can result in interesting effects when paint is added. Hot press is the smoothest and has the finest texture. Cold press has a moderate amount of texture and is the paper most commonly chosen by watercolor artists.
Watercolor paper comes in several weights ranging from 90 lb. to 300 lb. based on the pounds per ream of paper. Most artists prefer to use at least 140 lb. paper. Papers vary somewhat between manufacturers, so sampling different papers is advisable. Paper can be purchased in pads, in blocks or in large sheets. The large sheets are usually the most economical and can be torn into whatever size is desired.
Information 
Because of its nature, paper will deteriorate if not properly stored or handled. Prints are therefore fragile objects due to the material they are printed on. The papers used in printmaking are of archival quality and less subject to alteration than papers composed of cellulose fibers from plants. Nevertheless, prints are all sensitive to temperature changes, to light, to handling, and to all kinds of wear and tear as well as humidity and excessive dryness Any restoring process begins with a careful examination of the work to be handled in order to diagnose the "health" of a print before deciding what treatment must be undertaken. The most common alterations found in prints can be classified as follows: 
Print Conditions Ensuring that your print hangs in the best conditions possible will enable you to get the best out of your artwork over the longest period of time. Here are some quick and simple steps for ensuring your artwork will remain in good condition for as long as possible.
The Process of Archival Matting and Framing 
Watercolor is an easy, fun medium for creating art. Color theory, composition and design can be explored freely with