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Matboard Information

Matboard InformationThe picture-framing mat is most commonly known for its use as additional decoration to enhance the look of a framed piece, sometimes in conjunction with a fillet. Typically the mat or mats, if matched carefully and properly proportioned, serve to help draw the eye in towards the framed piece, or towards a particular key element of the piece.

Mats are fairly adaptable in the visual sense. Since they are typically quite thin they are able to be cut to "stack" inside of a frame, allowing for double, triple or quadruple matting, or even allowing for a fillet in between mats. Mats are available in numerous shades of every color and can easily be found or altered to include further decorative features, such as a cloth covering most commonly linen or silk.

Protection

In archival or conservation picture framing, mats have several important functions. One of the most important functions is that it separates the glass from the art or document being framed; this is primarily important because any condensation that develops on the inside of the glass can be transferred to the piece if they are not separated, resulting in water damage, mold or mildew. Photos should also be separated from the glass because the surface of photographs is particularly easy to damage, and may even separate from its original paper and stick to the glass if wet; for this reason, any framed photograph of value should be framed in such a way that the glass does not directly contact the photo. Additionally, some types of art, such as pastels or chalk pictures, can smudge easily and should be separated from the glass for that reason.

Acidic vs. "acid-free"

There are two main types of mat material: acidic, and "acid-free" (neutral ph). Older mats are typically acidic, because acid-free paper was not widely available or marketed until recent years; however, not all newer mats are acid-free, and one should always ask his or her picture framer about the acid content of the mats. The difference is important for the protection of the piece in most cases; acidic mats can cause what is called mat burn, brown marks that creep from the outside in on the displayed piece itself. While mat burn is sometimes reversible through cleaning the piece, cleaning may not be feasible if the piece was executed in water-soluble inks or paints, such as watercolor. Thus, it is important to know if the mats used are acid-free.

To determine the pH of an older mat with a white core, look to see if the core (visible where the mat has already been cut) has turned brownish or yellowed; if so, it is acidic. If the core has not changed color, one can determine the pH by using a pH tester.

There are several categories of mat board and they are all separated by the level of protection offered the art work or artifact being framed. While it is safe to say that acidic framing materials should be avoided for all but the most temporary frames, it is not safe to say that all "acid-free" mats are recommended for use.

The hierarchy of mat board quality is as follows:

I. Museum Board - The highest quality material available. It is constructed of 100% cotton fiber, is Archival and will protect and preserve the contents of a frame. While it is the most expensive material available, the difference in actual material costs relative to the cost of framing is minimal.

II. Museum Mat or Rag Mat - Still a good quality choice for conservation, it is constructed of cotton liners and cellulose (wood pulp) middles. The cellulose is a less expensive raw material but offers sufficient conservation properties for most works.

III. Conservation or Archival Mat Board - Constructed of 100% pure high alpha cellulose (wood pulp) and treated to be inert for up to 300 years. This is the highest quality paper matboard available.

IV. Acid-Free -  This material is usually lined with a highly alkaline liner on one or both sides and the core is either recycled fiber or acidic paper. Eventually the acid in the core will leach out to the surface which can harm the artwork.

 
Canvas Printing

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.

 
Art Prints – How are they made?

Image
Photography by Laurie Barone-Shafer
Nowadays just about anyone can take a good quality photographs with a digital camera. Or take a few hundred pictures and the chances are few will be good, and even one or two outstanding.

Here are a few tips, tricks and techniques on how to make art print poster ready photographs and print ready digital files. Don’t get overwhelmed, there is a lot of information here, but a lot of it is just intuitive. Well, a bit of patience will always help.

First thing – Photo Size

If you taking a digital photo of you family or friend the largest size you would print is usually 5 by 7 inches, maybe 8 by 10 at the most. Even small size digital photographs (2MB or less) are ‘good enough’ to create a decent print. But if you want to create prints that are 16 by 20, 20 by 24 inches or larger you need more pixels (in pixels 20 by 24 inches photo is actually about 40 times larger than 3 by 4 inches photo assuming they have the same resolution).

 
Learning to Paint Watercolors

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.

 
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