One of the most frequent questions I am asked is- 'Does the portrait come framed'? and 'What type of frame should I choose'?
I don't frame but yes I have plenty advice on choosing frames! I dont frame for many complex reasons. Below I have illustrated the most important things to remember when deciding how to frame your painting and above is a whole range of sections from the cost of a frame, how to hang the frame to the aftercare of your painting.
When commissioning an artists you are faced with many questions regarding framing - Should you frame your own paintings? Should you let the artist frame them? Should you get a professional to do it for you?
Ultimately the final decision is yours, however I know from many years of experience that having your portrait framed professionally is the preferred choice.
My advice is to have a professional framer frame your portrait – it will be worth the extra money. Framing is an art in itself and as with any art it takes much learning and practice. It is very time consuming just like painting but its worth it.
My clients invest large sums of money for a Melanie Phillips pet portrait, they are one off, one of a kind, never to be repeated, never to be reproduced paintings. It will likely be hung in the most prominent part of the house on full view for all to see. It needs the finest possible frame to show the painting off to its full potential. Frames should not only compliment your décor, but ‘frame’ the portrait and enhance it to bring out the colours, depths, tones and overall feel.
Experiance
A professional framer will have the knowledge, ability, experience and wide range of mouldings in stock to choose from. Perhaps the artist who makes their own frames will have limited supplies, only half the knowledge and only a short time to complete the task. The frame could be sub standard if made from scratch and without proper training they could be making mistakes without knowing - sealing parts of the frame which should be left open for the oils to breath for instance.
Properly framing a painting is one of the most valuable things that you can do to protect it and ensure its long life. Not many people realise that framing is a whole system made up of several parts: the frame, the backing board and rebate padding.
Types of Glass - Normal Glass, Non reflective glass and Diffusing Glass
There are several brands of relatively expensive glass whose most important characteristic seems to be their ability to filter out almost all ultraviolet radiation (the component of light that causes fading of pigments). Their performance as "non-reflective" glass varies from brand to brand and their cost also varies from about SIX TIMES that of standard glass upwards. The availability of these brands often depends on location and there must be many framers who cannot get any of these brands delivered in affordable quantities. My local framer can get one brand but it costs six times the price of standard glass!
On the other hand, the relatively inexpensive and well-known type of "non-reflective" glass is not truly a non-reflective glass but is better described as a diffusing glass, which softens reflections rather than eliminates them.
I understand that it does this because both surfaces have been acid-etched, giving the glass a foggy appearance. It also causes the image to appear hazy unless the glass is actually resting on the surface of the picture. Obviously one doesn't want glass touching any original artwork and least of all an oil painting. It costs about twice the price of standard glass and my local framers would only recomend using it when framing prints.
Quotations from Framers
When comparing quotations from different framers, you must be sure to compare like with like. Framing materials vary in quality and cost and framing methods also vary in the time required - and hence the cost. It is neither sensible, nor fair to the framers, to compare their prices, without finding out exactly what you will get for your money from each of them.
Another price-related issue is that many people seem to think that the cost of framing an item ought to be related to the price they paid for the item. Thus framing a cheap print costing a few pounds should be much cheaper than framing a similar sized original painting on paper costing possibly hundreds of pounds. The fact is that IF the same framing materials and methods were used on both they would both cost the same. Indeed, if you framed a blank piece of paper of the same size as the examples quoted, it would cost the same to frame that too. However, a reputable framer would know which were the appropriate materials and methods to use in each case and this would influence the price.
