You have a fabulous piece of art and you need a nice frame for it (hit: ugly frames can ruin a good piece of art!). You need something framing, but don’t know where to start? We’ve got you. This guide will explain the process as well as help you to choose, hang and care for your frames.

While the backing is rarely a strong contributor to your frame’s aesthetics, it should always be a highly functional component (along with the cover, which we’ll get to next!). Cardboard is a strong, lightweight material that seems to inconspicuously permeate our society. Both aforementioned traits have made it highly sought after as a means of packing boxes, and other utility functions. Corrugated cardboard used to be a highly used component for frame backings, but now it’s not as desirable because of its high acidity — Over time, acids in various materials can corrode or damage art, so it’s important most of your picture frame components be acid-free. So if you intend on protecting your artwork and preserving it for years to come, cardboard is probaby an archaic and hazardous backing material choice.

Style – Within reason, there’s no need to match the frame with with other elements of your room. Just make sure it looks good with the picture you’re framing. This way. if you redecorate or move home your framed picture will still look good. Purpose & Function – What do you want your frame to do? Is it purely decorative or does it need to protect your picture? Mount – Mounts can really set your art apart from an aesthetic point of view, but they’re also used to protect valuable art.

Collage picture frames are a great way to display several related photos together. Because the surround collection is usually finished in a common color you will have the ability to use the collage photo frames as a decorating tool and a way to display favorite pictures. Collage picture frames you will love. Share life’s most magical cherished moments. From vacations to graduations, from a baby shower to a special wedding day, put your most precious prints on display in multi-photo surrounds. Keep in mind that collage frames make great Grandma Gifts and Mother’s Day gifts. Why not give an assortment of cherished family photos as a special keepsake gift? Source : Learn more …

Alternatively, you can choose a recessed box frame where the print is set back from the glazing and complemented by a border around the image instead of mount board. This style is becoming increasingly popular as it makes the print the centre of attention. We also adopt the recessed box style when framing our very special Rare & Limited prints but we use the conservation framing method instead. This is when the artwork is ‘floated’ on conservation grade mount- board using archival tape (as used by the majority of galleries across the world) to protect the back of the print from damage over time. Using this tape means the print can be ‘reversed’ and easily reframed in the future, should your tastes change.

Wood frames of oak, walnut veneer, or white or dark stained birch are perennially popular, because they’re natural and timeless. Floating frames have a cool, modern look. Each is a pane of glass backed with acrylic, so the image placed between them appears suspended. These are cleanly edged with white or black. ‘Frameless’ frames are also contemporary. Formed of a thick acrylic facing with a solid white MDF back, they’re held together with tiny corner magnets. Again, artwork seems to ‘float’ because the frame appears not to exist.

Consider the design of your home when you buy picture frames. If you have a lot of bookshelves and side tables, you may want to look for tabletop photo frames that can dress up a wide variety of furniture pieces. A few 4×6 picture frames filled with your favorite snapshots can add dimension to a simple end table next to your sofa. If you would like to make your photos more of a focal point in your home, hang a few wall frames on an open wall. Look for wall frames in the same color to create a simple, contemporary collage or mix black picture frames with frames in multiple colors for a funky centerpiece.

Using paper replicas of your images is fantastic means to figure out just how they’ll fit with each other on the wall, without fretting or devoting stress concerning holes. Use either simple paper or shade copies of your pictures to develop reproductions of your photos. Go back often to ensure they are arranged where you desire them. Remove them one by one while hanging the pictures right in their place when it’s time to hang the real print. This aids in maintain your lines from straying as you relocate from the replicas to the pictures themselves. Info source : Discover more …