Hopefully your child has progressed past the crayons on the wall stage and they’ve begun expressing themselves artistically on materials which can be framed, we can help preserve these memories for a life time.

Framing your child’s artwork is a celebration, it makes a place feel more personal and a house feel more like a home, it can also help to build your child’s confidence and nurture any budding artistic talent, allowing them to flourish later in life.

When it comes to framing your children’s artwork there are different approaches for different sizes of work, suitable for different areas.

Firstly, consider creating a compressed gallery wall effect. This is achieved by framing a group of pieces individually, all relatively small in size, and then hanging them very closely together.

Secondly, a collage, an old favourite, similar to the above compressed gallery wall however, in this instance all of the pieces are housed within the one frame, with individual openings created in the surrounding matboard.

A large piece can simply be framed on its own and be given pride of place in any living space, or wherever you see fit. It is a good idea to hang some of your child’s artwork in their own room, hopefully providing them with some inspiration as well giving them an artistic confidence boost.

Framing smaller artworks into bedside table photo frames is a wall saving alternative and again could be made up of a single piece or a whole menagerie of different works.

Finally, if there is a treasured piece which you love, but only wished that it were bigger in size, take a photo of it on a high-quality digital camera and we can print the image for you in a larger size than the original. 

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If you’re looking for a gift for that special lady, we’re here for you, operating under normal business hours, whilst ensuring to practise the highest standards of hygiene practise to keep everyone healthy. If you can’t call in personally to Art & Frame, book an online zoom consultation with us, and we can walk you through some lovely, prints, or simply suggest an Art & Frame gift card, so she can pick out something she’ll love.

Stay safe everyone, and a very happy Mother’s Day to all of the great mum’s out there working extra hard during this trying time.

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In all of cases, we use conservation grade materials, from the backing board, through to the matboard and glass. In most cases you’ve spent many years earning your degrees and certificates – now let us preserve them for many years to come.

If you’d like to preserve your memories alongside your graduation photographs we can design a tasteful layout with extra openings to accommodate such requests and the same applies for any plaques that you may wish to add.

With our wide range of framing options we have the perfect moulding to suit your personal style. Whether it be something traditional, something ornate, or something very sleek and modern, we’re sure to have an option that speaks to you.

An important aspect of conservation framing, particularly as it to pertains to certificate framing, is that the process is reversible, meaning that the certificate is hinged and not permanently affixed to the backing board, so should you ever require access to your original document it is easily accessed.

Come in and pay us a visit at Art & Frame on Unley Road, Malvern, and we’ll come up conservation grade framing options that reflect your style and displays your certificate in the best way possible.

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After spending all the time searching for the right photographer, selecting the photographs that you wish to purchase from them, it is time to select the very best frame to bring out their beauty even further, and to help preserve them for a lifetime.

At Art & Frame we have a large range of mouldings to choose from, everything from the classic, ornate stylings through to contemporary sleek frames. Whatever your personal taste we have a moulding to suit you.

While we guide you through the design process, it is worth making your aware of the conservational elements at play when framing something this special. After spending a considerable amount on the photographer and their work, it stands to reason that you will want to preserve these precious photographs for as long as possible. This is done through the use of conservation materials, including: conservation matboard or museum matboard and UV glass or museum glass. By choosing from these materials we are able to extend the life of the photograph as well as display it in stunning fashion.

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War Medals:

If you are hoping to frame your military service medals or those belonging to a member of your family, we will take you through a custom framing design, giving you something truly unique and helping to best display these medals and plaques. To make a truly custom experience we can frame the medals, plaques and photos all in one, creating not only a unique frame but a unique composition of military memorabilia.

3D Object:

In order to frame a 3D object, we do what is called shadow-box framing. This simply means we use a frame with enough depth and rebate to give you item room to fit, looking as though it is floating in the middle of the frame. There is nothing too difficult to frame, we’ve done everything from spoons, spanners, hammers and even rocks. If an item has sentimental value, and you want it framed, it can be framed.

Sporting Guernsey:

If you’ve got a sporting guernsey you wish to frame, we can create a tasteful design to help you proudly display your teams’ colours. There are a number of ways to approach framing guernseys, we can keep it relatively simple, allowing the Guernsey to do all of the talking, or we can frame it using matboards matching your teams’ colours to really make the guernsey pop. We can also incorporate photographs and plaques into any of these custom guernsey framings, creating a larger and truly spectacular display.

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From a design point of view, the use of matboards when framing anything from a fine art print to a treasured personal item helps to bring everything together. A well thought out colour combination of matboards can be used to both highlight the focal point of a piece and also help tie it all together. As an example, if you have a modern abstract piece which features many bright colours, your best choice of matboard would be a single bright white matboard this way the matboard simply helps to bring everything together and give the piece more space without competing with the dominant colours in the piece. On the other hand, you may have an eloquent landscape piece which features mostly subdued hues but has a colour or two which draws your eye, finding a matboard of the same colour or a complimentary one can help to draw this highlight out even more, in these cases it is generally best to use two matboards, the inner matboard, which will serve to provide the highlight and the outer matboard which serves to tie the piece together.

Using multiple matboards can be a great way to add flair to a piece, creating something unique, but it can also help to unify a series of images, or a set of framings to provide some similarities if you are intending to display the pieces together.

Most matboards are cut on a standard 45-degree angle revealing the inner white core of a matboard, however, this standard cut can be done as a reverse bevelled cut. A reverse bevelled cut is normally used in order to accommodate an inner fillet (a thin inner-frame intended to be used in matboard design). A reverse bevelled cut can also be used if someone wishes to hide the inner white core of a matboard, this is not common, however, if you believe the white will detract from the artwork it best not to show it.

A V-Groove is an elegant way of adding a touch of flare to the matboard design. It is quite simply a score mark on the surface of the matboard that appears as a faint shadow line.

Different Matboard Finishes

Most matboards are finished in a simple solid colour which has been applied directly to the matboard, others have a glossy finish, this is applied to golds, silvers and bronze metallics. Some colours are offered in a material finish, such as suede, and others are textured. Generally, a simple solid colour is enough to bring out the beauty of a piece, but if you wish to make a statement with your piece, considering one of the other available finishes is a good option to consider.

Matboards Sizing

Another point to consider when choosing your matboard is determining what size the matboard should be. If a matboard is too narrow is causes a squashed-in appearance, this is something to avoid. It is possible to go to the other extreme and have a matboard which is too large, causing the piece to look somewhat lost, a happy medium, leaning on the larger size is the best choice. Usually a piece is framed with the same amount of matboard on all four sides. However, if you are framing a large vertical piece it would be wise to consider weighted matboard design which is done by increasing the bottom side of the matboard by 20%. Your matboard should never be the same size as the frame. If you are using a thin frame, using a wider matboard is perfectly acceptable, and if you are using a large frame, or indeed stacking frames together, using a matboard with medium width is also acceptable.

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How Many Types of Matboard Categories Are There and Which Should You Use?

The simple answer is that there are generally three categories of matboard: Designer, Conservation and Museum. Amongst these categories there are some matboards which are solid colour, meaning that the matboard is the same colour from the top layer through the middle core and the backing sheet. There are also black core and white core boards, which simply refer to the colour of the middle layer of the matboard. For the purposes of understanding the differences between matboards, breaking them down into the three categories of: designer, conservation and museum keeps it simple.

Designer Matboards

Designer matboards are available in a range of colours and finishes. While designer matboards fail to meet conservation standards as set out by various organisations they are the cost-effective solution when it comes to matboard design.

The designer matboards have been treated to provide stability and colour retention, although not enough to be classified as conservation level. The surface paper of the matboard itself, meaning the coloured side of the matboard which will surround your framed image is buffered to be lignin free, while the core of the matboard, referring to the middle of the matboard is acid-buffered, this helps to ensure a bright bevel cut.  While these mats resist acid degradation for a time, they are not suitable for any item which requires conservational care. Items such as original pieces, limited edition prints and university degrees should always be given a greater level of care. However, for open edition prints, and easily replaced items, designer quality matboards are a wonderful option, providing an elegant finish to your framing.

Conservation Matboards

A conservation matboard is made with a greater level of conservational care than designer matboards.

All conservation matboards are constructed using a high-grade virgin alpha cellulose (taken from wood pulp), in order to meet conservation standards. Conservation matboards must also adhere to a strict chemical composition which meets the standards of the Professional Picture Framers Association (PPFA) and the Fine Art Trade Guild (FATG).

The surface paper of a conservation matboard uses pigments which meet the colour fade and bleed tests as outlined by the PPFA and FATG. The backing paper of the matboard is a calcium carbonate buffered, virgin fibre. There are no brightening agents applied in order to ensure the purity of the material. The conservation matboards provide a smooth finish and even colouration, they are suitable for all items which require a greater level of care than an open edition print which is easily replicable. For items of greater monetary or personal value, a conservation matboard is a wise choice as a minimum for meeting conservation standards.

Museum Matboards

Museum matboards meet the highest grade of preservation standards, they are quite simply, the highest quality matboards on the market. These matboards are made from 100% cotton which is derived from the purest form of natural cellulose. Museum matboards require very little processing as they are naturally acid and lignin free, as well as being free of all other non-cellulose contaminants. Cotton fibre is very strong and has a natural lasting brightness that does not require the application of bleaching agents which are typically applied to matboards made out of less pure wood pulp. Cotton contains fibres intertwine, creating a stronger more resilient matboard with a greater durability than that of a regular matboard.

Museum matboards are created using the very best pigments available to create vivid and deep colours. These colours are all bleed resistant and are maximum fade resistant. If you are framing something of great monitory value, or have a piece intended for gallery display, or intend to pass this piece down to younger generations of your family, using a museum matboard, or multiple museum matboards in conjunction with museum glass will not only ensure a beautiful finished product, but one that will look as perfect for decades and decades to come.

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We disagree — most art is made for framing. But some (like giclee prints) rest just fine on their own. It really depends on the look you’re going for in your space, the colours and vibrancy of the print, and even the contrast the piece has when paired with the rest of the room’s decor.

Framing, in our opinion, should enhance and extend the statement and story of the artwork, working to expand on its visual power. But a frame is both a piece of art itself and a functional element of art preservation.

In 2019, frames have evolved to themselves be a statement piece, tying together other decorative aspects of a room — whether it’s your home or your home office.

Let’s take a look at 5 of the hottest framing and decor trends in 2019 — #5 is a surprising twist on the idea of framing.

1) Float Frames Still Rule

If you thought that float frames were out of the picture (no pun intended), you’d be wrong. In 2019, float frames are still going strong.

In case you missed this “trend,” float frames are handily designed to trick the eye, giving the sense that the artwork is, quite literally “floating” on its own while the frame simply binds the perimeter of the artwork — again, without ever seeming to truly touch it or hold it in place.

The great thing about float frames is that they’re sleek and give a very clean finish. Even with metallic frames, the illusion allows your artwork to shine, rather than the frame taking over with its textures or details.

Float frames are perfect for filling a space when artworks are horizontally-tiled.

2) Opting For Metallic Finishes

It doesn’t have to be too ornate or garish. Brass is back but, beyond brass, metallic finishes in chrome or silver are desirable in 2019 as well. Why?

Metallic finishes work great in modern, minimalist space, amping up the “drama” of a room with its subtle but unmistakable shine.

But, lately, metallic finishes have been popping up in homes with wood accents or wood paneling.

Basically, in any room where deep, rich, and warm natural wood is dominant, metallic frames can lighten things up with their glimmer and add a touch of modernity without weighing down the already “serious” room.

3) Stacked Frames For Depth and Details

If you’re a dealer (and believer) in the details, stacked frames will be one of your favourite trends for 2019.

Stacked frames are exactly as they sound: multi-layered frames that are, literally, stacked one on top of the other to bring both literal and visual depth to the artwork you’ve chosen. Now, it’s a very tricky balance because you want your art piece to shine while still allowing the frames to be appreciated as the right complement to the artwork.

So make sure to consult our experienced Adelaide art framers at Art & Frame in Malvern first. Bring your artwork along, if you can, or a couple of photos of the piece you’re working with.

Why stacked frames? There is a sense of playfulness and deliberate choice to this style.

For example, if you’re framing a large oil painting of flowers, you may choose an equally as decadent and ornate brass frame.

But let’s say you wanted to make the colours of the flowers “pop.” You could then “stack” another frame within the large, ornate frame — and, this time, the colour of the second, stacked frame will be the same as the colour of one of the florals. This interplay creates a very intentional design choice between the artwork and frame(s).

4) Using Shadow Box Frames to Mount More Than Artwork

Art & Frame in Adelaide gets plenty of requests, even today, for shadow box frames, so that we can say firsthand that shadow box frames are going strong in 2019.

Not everyone’s definition of “artwork” is the same. One person’s painting is another person’s papier mache sculpture. Depending on the aesthetic and sentimental value of the artwork to the individual, this might be considered worth preserving and showcasing.

That’s when a shadow box frame comes in handy: to mount and show off 3D objects within a frame.

In fact, shadow boxes started off as an interesting innovation to a tricky problem. You don’t want to block off the object from view, but you also don’t want to be invasive when framing.

When mounting objects into this type of frame, there’s flexibility; the object may be hand-stitched to a mat board, or the box/frame itself could have a shelf or other supports to suspend the object.

5) Go for the “Wabi-Sabi” Aesthetic

No, no, not “wasabi.”

“Wabi-sabi” is a fantastic term of Japanese origin (like “tokimeku,” popularised by Marie Kondo, meaning to spark joy or experience the flutter of one’s heart).

It connotes embracing life’s imperfections, impermanence and accepting the natural cycle of growth and decay.

If you choose this overarching philosophy for your home’s decor, you’re finding and displaying pieces that are beautiful in their chipped, used, textured, or weathered beauty.

Wrinkles, cracks, and dents that have been hammered out or visibly fixed in pieces that are simplistic and minimalist are perfect examples of “wabi-sabi.”

For your frame choices, this means going for weathered, textured, and even “wrinkled” finishes on your frames. This could mean metal frames with texture or even hearty wood frames. You could even use linen liners as a way of bringing that earthy, natural vibe to your artwork.

Conclusion

Luckily, framing trends, unlike clothing trends, take much longer to fade. That’s great news because, depending on what you choose, framing is an investment, a commitment to your artwork’s longevity and beautification.

At Art & Frame in Adelaide, our years of experience makes us expertly positioned to guide you through your framing journey. Remember, it’s not just about these “trends” or what’s in vogue — it’s about finding the right frame for your personal style, your home’s decor, and your artwork’s idiosyncratic aesthetic.

It’s a lot to balance, but we’ve got decades of experience doing just that. Contact us today or come into our storefront on Unley Rd in Malvern. Let’s talk art! And then, let’s frame it.

The post 5 Hot Framing and Decor Trends for 2019 appeared first on Art and Frame.

Factors to consider when choosing your glass:

What is your budget? What is the value of the piece (monetary and sentimental) that you are framing? Where are you going to hang and display this piece?

Standard Clear Glass

The most budget friendly choice when framing. Standard glass provides a barrier from a world of dust and grime for your piece. It works well in environments where this not a large amount of natural light and in rooms that generally have more subdued lighting, this is due to the reflective nature of the glass, it can be quite extreme in very bright rooms, particularly if hung in the direct path of sunlight, it also provides the least amount of protection for your piece.

UV Protective Glass

Boasting a 99% UV filtering quality this glass is what is used as a base level for all conservation framing. It ensures that your piece is protected from the damaging effects of UV radiation. This is useful for all pieces with significant monetary value, personal value or for pieces which are not easily replaced. Despite it’s UV filtering, it does not offer anything in the way of anti-reflectiveness, it as susceptible to being overly reflective as standard glass, that said, if not hung in direct sunlight this issue can be mitigated and you may find that this glass serves your purposes best.

Ultra-Clear (Non-Reflective) Glass

Virtually reflection free with a 70% UV filtering quality. Whilst not offering a UV filtering level as high as specifically made UV filtering glass, Ultra-Clear glass does offer a higher level of UV protection than standard glass. It’s main feature however is its virtually non-reflective nature. In the past diffused glass was used to achieve this, however that left the images beneath looking somewhat cloudy and distorted, with modern Ultra-Clear that is no longer the case, the glass is covered with a double-sided layer of optical coating, give a clear and unadulterated view of the framed image. Ultra-Clear glass is perfect for dark pieces, as dark pieces tend to reflect quite a lot of light when placed under regular glass. Particularly bright and finely detailed pieces also benefit greatly from the clarity of Ultra-Clear glass as it allows image to be displayed in its least distorted form, providing the viewer with a clear and accurate image.

Museum Glass

The holy grail of glass. Museum glass is the combination of UV and Ultra-Clear glass. It offers both 99% UV filtering and cuts out virtually all reflection. For pieces of great monetary and personal value which are intended to be proudly displayed, this is the best choice. This is the highest quality grade of glass available in picture framing, and as its name suggests, is the very glass opted for by high end museums and galleries.

Glass Summary

As outlined above there are a variety of different types of glass, to suit a variety of different needs. Check in with us at Art & Frame to discuss which glass would best suit your piece and your needs.

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