So Simple: Framing 101

Framing pictures should be so easy. You put a print behind some glass, add a couple of nails, and voila! You’re done. Except not, because your print was wrinkled in the process and now your artwork looks lopsided. Oops?

Properly framing a print can be a home-decorator’s nightmare if they’ve never done it themselves. There’s the finger-smudges, the chipped glass, the stray cat hairs, the trapped air pockets, and the random dust tumbleweeds that seem appear from nowhere. Here at Charting Nature, we don’t know many people who think framing pictures is fun, which is why we offer to do it for you (we think it’s fun, but that’s because were insane perfectionists). But for those of you do-it-yourself types, we came up with this nifty guide on framing prints, CN style.

So, let’s get started!

You will need:
-double sided tape
-a spray bottle filled with water
-a print of your choosing
-matting that coordinates with your print and your frame (gold or cream is always a good choice)
-a frame the correct size of your print (your frame should include a backing and a glass cover)
-a dusting brush (we use Alvin brushes)
-a sheet of kraft wrapping paper large enough to cover your frame
-paper towels
-glass cleaner
-cutting mat
-a utility knife
-screwdriver (for dissembling the frame)
-art eraser
-regular office tape
-a strait edge ruler

1. Working in a clean environment is crucial to framing if you don’t want to constantly re-do your work because food crumbs and pet dander keep making their way into your frame. Clean and dust your work area until you’d be with okay eating off of it (coincidentally enough, a large kitchen counter-top can be one of the best places to do your framing). Once you’re finished cleaning, gather your materials. Place your cutting mat on a secure, hard surface. This will protect your work area from being damaged.

Congrats! You’ve now created your workspace. Completing this step is half the work!

2. Play with your print until it’s centered on your matting. When you’ve decided how you want your matted print to look, place a piece of tape on the top and bottom of the back of your print and tape it to your mat’s backing board. Then place double sided tape on your mat along the corners where your mat and print will be held together. Gently place your print onto your mat and smooth along where the double-sided tape is.

3. With a screwdriver, carefully disassemble your frame, removing the glass and the backing.

4. Spray some glass cleaner onto a paper towel and carefully wipe down your glass cover on both sides. Start at one side and move to the other, making sure to remove any dust, dander, and rogue hairs you see. This step is super important, as properly cleaning your glass cover will prevent you from having to take the entire frame apart again after you put it together in order to ‘rescue’ some pet fur that made it’s way in there. Jane, our framing powerhouse, is demonstrating that for you here:

5. Using your dusting brush, carefully dust off your matted print, again moving from one end to the other until you have thoroughly brushed every surface. Be careful not to dust too roughly; a gentle motion will work fine to remove anything that shouldn’t be there without harming your delicate print. Here we are dusting an antique water Lilly print for a awesome customer (with good taste, might we add).



6. Now the really fun part begins! Or at least we’d like to think so. Turn your print upside down and center it over your glass cover. Using a clean paper towel, flip your print and glass over (together as a unit without separating them) so that your print is facing up and the glass cover is on top of it. You may have to adjust it quite a bit until it looks the way you want it to. Check for dust bunnies that may have been caught behind the glass. If there’s anything present that shouldn’t be there, dissemble your frame and re-clean your glass cover before putting it back together again. EXPERT TIP: Use a small art eraser to remove any small smudges from your print.



7. Once you have assembled your print and glass cover and like the way it looks, carefully place your frame down over your glass cover. Flip the whole thing over and add the backing. Bend the staples down back over the backing.



8. Flip your frame over and check for things that shouldn’t be there. See a dust bunny? You’ll have to take your frame apart, brush it out and repeat this process until all imperfections are removed. Or you can just live with the dust bunny. Although we wouldn’t recommend that. This is why thoroughly cleaning your glass cover and brushing your print can make the difference between great framing and what-is-that-dark-spot-oh-well framing.

9. Place a line of double-sided tape along the edges of the back of your frame. Tap the tape with your finger to secure. This is going to be where you stick your kraft paper, which will act as a dust cover for your print.

10. Cut off a piece of kraft paper large enough to completely cover your frame, plus a little extra. We like to give it at least one inch on each side. Press it down over your frame, making sure it sticks to the tape.



11. Using your utility knife and a strait edge ruler, carefully cut off the excess kraft paper. You should now have a piece of kraft paper attached that perfectly matches the shape of your frame.



12. Give the kraft paper a couple of light sprays of water and let dry. This will cause the kraft paper to shrink, creating a nice dust cover that will protect your print.



You have now created a beautifully framed print that’s going to look great on your wall! Wait . . . you don’t know where to hang your picture, you say? Well stay tuned! Future installments will feature guides on how to choose a frame for your print and where to hang artwork in your home.

See, that wasn’t so hard! Okay, maybe it was a little hard, but it always is the first time. According to Jane, the best thing you can do to get better at framing is to “keep practicing.” So get practicing!