Wow, I have been searching for this video for a while now. Thank you for such a simple, easy and affordable way to frame a pastel. Very good technique! I have all of these supplies and can now go with confidence and frame a few of my pastels. Thanks again, Katie
This video is superb! Very thorough and instructive, especially double checking mat for dust before finalizing framing, and finishing touches with the pastel tape around back of painting.
Lindy, this video saved me $150! I bought a pre-cut matte and silver colored frame for my recent seascape pastel. $30 total. Thank you for this tutorial. Cheers, Dave
I have been involved with the picture framing business so I haven't see your way of framing. All our frames are made to measure all materials acid free even the backing tape too . I did like your pastel painting and you have many skills in painting. We call mats mounts in England And we deal with a lot of top artists that came into our workshop. My farther was a master cart man and yes he was the best in the business and handed that down to the family. We always used special strong core and D rings too. I myself like to fix my pastel painting and people like them too.
Nice to hear from you Linda. It's great to get my pastels custom framed but it can be quite expensive so I've gotten used to having custom frames and glass cut and then doing the actual framing myself. I also like to be able to adjust the painting in the mount as i go if I need to. if you want to keep your painting without damage you do need acid free everything. Fixing pastels is personal preference and I prefer them without. But I do use sanded paper so it takes many layers without needing fixing. :)
This is the best. I have been asking professional framers -but not artists, stupidly, this for ages. And a fellow Aussie to boot. Brilliantly explained, thanks Lindy!
I remember trying to work out how to frame pastels when I couldn't afford custom frames so I'm happy to make the process a bit simpler for others on a budget. Thanks for your comment!
hey you lovely person, I don't use expensive framing board, i simply apply three layers of acid free tape on a foamcore backing 5mm from the mat window prior to framing and voila, prob solved
This is so helpful! Can I link to this tutorial on my website and credit you? I do pastel pet portraits, and would love to help my customers understand how to frame their piece.
glass used is very much reflective and beauty of painting is lost. prefer mat finish glass so that there is no reflection and beauty of painting is restored.
I use different widths depending on the painting and frame size. Just search for framing tape. Tapes Online is a great online shop for all sorts of tapes.
Thank you very much Lindy. Really helpful. Dry pastel is an amazing medium but a real real challenge to frame ourselves. Your process was easy to follow and very helpful. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for your comments. This demonstration was all about how to frame with a store bought frame for those on a budget and so it uses glass. I don't like acrylic because it scratches very easily. My preference is for non reflective glass however if positioned well on the wall there are minimal reflection issues with normal glass. This is just an extreme case as I held it at an angle to the window.
Thank you so much for your tutorial it is very helpful. "Pastel paintings need to be framed behind glass to avoid accidental smudges and damage. ... Do not use cheap acrylic sheets or plexiglass as it can cause an electric charge (static) that will pull the pastel off the paper." Is that true? Have you ever tried using plexiglass for soft pastels? Just wanted to know. Because I want to ship one of my painting they asked me to frame it. I'm little afraid to ship real glass painting. Can you please share your experience?
You can frame behind plexiglass BUT it is definitely more problematic and if I did do it I would frame it right against the plexiglass with no mat or spacer and then tape seal all edges to prevent moisture getting in. There is also a problem because the plexiglass scratches so easily. I've shipped real glass by padding very well with foam sheets and then a rigid board.
Thank you ,it is very helpfull☺️ but i wonder how many millimeters of space should be between work and passepartout? 1 or 2 mm will be enough? What's od Your experience?
@@LindyWhittonStudio thank You, but could You please tell how thick is that mat You are using specifically? I really appreciate if You replay to this☺️
Hi Jonathan, Youcan use the wooden backing board but I would seal it to prevent any chemicals leaching out into your pastel painitng and causing discolouration or other problems down the track. Gac100 from Golden or a gloss medium can both be used as sealers. Of course it it's not a precious painting and you aren't worried about future deterioration just go ahead and use the wooden board without sealing. :)
fabulous video - if only I could find frames the right size - looks like you decided what size your painting was going to be based on this frame to start with
And when you have had one of the tabs shoved under your finger nail for the 5th time and there’s blood over the mat and picture and when you’ve inadvertently taken the glass out past the tab and you’ve broken it trying to get it back in and theres more blood...take it to a framer.
oh no! That does not sound fun. I have managed to break glass before but have avoided the tab under the fingernail. Sorry to hear it didn't go well for you :(
Good info. What tape brand and size are you using? Is it conservation or acid free? Do you concern yourself with the tape possibly discoloring your artwork, or not, since it's on the back of the backerboard?
I wouldn't really be worried about it discolouring the painting since its not in contact with the painting however I do always use acid free framing tape. The brand is Kikisui and I use several sizes depending on the frame. Here I was using a very wide 2 3/4 inch (7cm) tape because the frame was very deep. I buy from my local art shop.
Very helpful. I bought some of that covered wire and have a hard time tying or wrapping it as it's so stiff or big...so, viewers, make sure the wire is manipulative enough before buying your wire.
Thank you SO much for this tutorial! You explained it clearly and thoroughly! I now know how to frame my pastels! By the way, my mom taught me to use a butter knife in lieu of a standard screwdriver, lol! God Bless!!!
The old butter knife trick! I use mine instead of a bone folder when making little art books. Never use it for butter! Glad you found the video useful. Happy framing.
What has to be acid free? The glass? Passepartout? Frame? The back (if you do not use a mounted board/foam bord)? Thank you very much. Best regards, Britta
The glass has no problem with acid, it's the mat and the back that must be acid free. What I would like to know is what to do if there is dust from the pastel work on the glass?? Need to be reframed? do you use fixative and if so, what do you use?
I don't use fixative but a good tip is to place your painitng flat on a table cover with glasine paper ( or any slippery paper) and roll over firmly with a rolling pin. It will transfer a pale image to the paper which is the loose dust , but won't dull or otherwise change your painting. If there's dust on the glass I just open , clean and retape. I always check the glass for dust carefully before I tape. ONce it's taped I rarely have problems with dust falling off as the painting is hanging on the wall. When I transport to a gallery I lay flat on it's back so as to not dislodge any dust.
Hello LindyWhittonStudio. First, I love your painting, it's absolutly beautiful, and you take the time to explain well how to frame in a good and in a more economic way. If I had not done it myself, I can say that I would now know thanks to you. That's also the way I framed a few pastel. Have you not had a problem of the pastel paper buckling because of taping the full top? I have one with Canson Mi-Teinte that buckled. Doing some research, I found in a professional government archive website that to avoid that, which is caused by changes of temperature and humidity, it is preferable to use hinges, like one near each end of the top and if it's a big picture, it might need a third one in the middle. They also suggest the little pockets at the bottom corners, making sure to have a little gap in them so the paper can expand downward as well without being stopped by the pocket. It gives chance for the paper to expand by not being trapped. What would be your thought about that, if you have time to answer of course?
Sorry it's taken me so long to reply. I haven't had any issues with buckling and I've framed a lot of paintings , many have been on my walls for years with no problem. I do understand that it's recommended to hinge paintings instead of taping all around and I do this on larger paintings- I am worried about the hinge coming loose so I always double hinge at the top if that's the way I decide to frame. I live on an island with little in the way of large temperature changes or humidity so it's not a big problem here. Thanks for your comments:)
Sorry, that was my turn to be very busy but at last I'm free again. Thanks for your reply and I can understand why. You're so lucky, as where I live, in Canada, we get Artic cold in winter (-20C to -35C in the morning for a while) with as little as 30% humidity and sometimes it can be around +3C and 50% humidity or more. In the summer time, we get tropical temperature coming from the Gulf of Mexico (can reach 28 to 35C in the hottest time) humidity in the morning can be as high as 90% in part of July. So we can see how we have different technique according to where we live. It's good to share this as it can help others. Thank you again for your video.
Hi Lindy, I've been trying to source that white backing tape for ages, could you tell me where you got it from please? I'm also trying to find adhesive spacers in Australia.
I got the tape from my local art store - if your's doesn't have it you could always try searching online. You can get the adhesive spacers from a framers.
Thank you so much for the share my friend. I wonder in some thinner type of foam tape would work well for the gap instead of the foam board. It would save some time I would think. Just a thought is all. Great channel and video. Thank you so very much. Edit: Would a can of air help as well for removing any little spots as a final thing to do before popping the painting into the frame?
Good idea. The foam tape would work well as long as it was acid free. I tend to use the scraps I have because they're readily available and I know they're acid free.
This one just came from a local chain store. Otherwise I source from a recyling centre and refinish, make my own sometimes and occaissonaly pay a framer to make them if i need a lot of matching ones for an exhibition. if buying from a chain store I check it's wood, the frame corners are well mitred with no gaps and the glass is glass not plexi. :)
Really a very thorough and helpful tutorial. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge. Now to check if I can find that tape at my local craft supplier :) Take care.
Turning the painting upside down removes some pastel dust so you should do every step without turning the frame upside down. It's really hard and you'll have figure how to do it but its possible. Or you could do one knock on back of the paiting before adding the mat and frames to remove excess dust. Good luck!
I generally do just what you said there- one big knock on the back to dislodge any dust then I stand the frame upright leaning against a wall to add the mat and painting then tape it upright. It was too difficult to film that way. Having said that when you use the grit paper it does hold quite well. My son transported a painting for me once and put it painting side down in the car!! 45 mins later there was no dust on the mat!
I personally like a pastel against the glass without the mat. There might be problems in really humid environment but making the back air tight should solve the issue. I just reworked a pastel painting that had been against the glass and there was suprisingly little dust in the glass even thought i do not use final fixative layer. But then you should get the correct size frame before hand and measure the area in the paper. When its done - just cut the paper to correct size and lay against the glass. Add back paper, board and seal. If one wants to be 100% certain you could seal glass+paper+backboard together before adding the frames and then seal back again.
Beautiful painting and wonderful tutorial. Thank you. I had to laugh at myself though, because when you were cleaning up the mat board, I said, "Oh no! She's missing a big spot!" But it turned out it was on my computer screen. :)
@@LindyWhittonStudiodear Lindy, I followed your video today and framed a pastel painting of mine. It turned out so well. I’m very appreciative of your great instruction. ❤
There are a couple of options. You can get a jumbo size thick watercolour paper and then prime it with a pastel primer or even matboard works well. I've also used a board such as mdf or masonite panel whjch i gessoed and then primed with the pastel primer. I use art spectrum pastel primer but there ard other brands as well. I'd love to see it when you're done😊
@@LindyWhittonStudio thanks for this! ive been debating between oil or pastel to paint my 2 horses. The chalk pastel seems to give their manes a softer look... but i think its just my painting😌