Ideas for framing artwork on mdf boards

[thecreative]

Looking for some inspiration on framing my paintings to sell, there a run of quite graphic acrylic pieces done on inkjet canvas pva mouted to 6mm mdf.

I've was happy with a deep and wide black/silver frame which works really well as most of the art is quite dark however the supplier couldn't guarantee the quality of the polcore frame (picked up slight scratches very easily) so it just wasn't viable for me to offer people.



Eventually I want to offer a higher end option for buyers but for now I need a cost effective solution that still sets the work off well (no glass). As I need the rebate for the 6mm plus backboard I seem pretty limited and reduced down to an off the shelf 20mm face and 40mm return, pretty bog standard but disappointing as I preferred the wide moulding.

Happy to look at mounting the board in other ways to make it more interesting, maybe floating inside another frame with a hand painted background or even hand painting the frame to match the artwork.

Also the possibility of mounting it on dibond or something initially instead of mfd and then doing something more unusual?

Any suggestions or examples would be a real help, I'm ready to go with everything just need to nail down a single frame to use on them all,
artwork size is 400mm x 500mm.

Thanks
Jamie

[Not your average framer]

Hi Jamie,

Nice job! It a bit of a shame that you've had problems will the polcore frames getting so easily scratched and marked. I am wondering from what you have been saying about your frame supplier saying about not guaranteeing the quality ofthe polcore frames, how much of the damage to the frames happened before the frames came to you. If the frames were supplied to you in an unsaleable condition, it seems reasonable to me that you supplier should at least do something to help to mitigate the situation.

With this thought in mind are all the frames damaged beyond saving? Is it possible to save undamaged outer frame and undamage inner frames to refit the undamaged inner frames in to the undamaged outer frames? If this is possible, then at least some of these frames will hopefully become saleable. One of the unfortunate things about Polcore and other polymer mouldings is that unlike some wooden frames, there is not a viable touch up, or repair option to restore such frames in to an undamaged condition to correct the frames to showroom condition.

Polcore make some truly stunning frame mouldings, but unfortunely the stunning finish is only skin deep and any scratches, or damage to the surface is usually not reversible. Maybe you might be able to look at some more helpfull framing options for future framing to avoid such problems in the future. I am guessing that maybe it's the outer frames, which are more prone to damage and that a suitable outer wooden moulding would be more durable. Have you considered substituting an outer black painted Ash moulding, which could easily be sanded down and repainted if it bacame scuuffed, or damaged.

[BaBaZa]

FYI: The moulding in the image is not Polcore, your supplier may be using our name to describe all recycled plastic mouldings - Not all are the same. All Polcore mouldings are stamped in the rebate.

[Not your average framer]

Polcore is not all that easy to damage with normal handling either. Also Polcore is packed for dispatch with a lot of care. I used to use polcore myself at one time and I never experienced any damage in transit as far as I can remember. I did not stop using Polcore for any negative reasons, I just needs to reduce my number of suppliers to maximise the order vaues with my main suppliers, so that I could maintain an order value sufficient to mostly avoid carriage charges. Avoiding carriage charges has help to reduce my business running costs.

[thecreative]

Thanks, its described as polcore and I have a sample cut through showing its not wood, might be some other composite I'm not sure.

Basically the damage is very fine scratches that have occurred in the workshop, they have replaced them twice but still there not up to my standard and I couldn't risk selling only to get the returned.

They refunded and suggested wood however they price difference for something as chunky is quite a hike and at this stage I don't want to put customers off, fine to offer a premium version for them to upgrade to but at the minute I need a cost effective option as a starter.

[Gesso&Bole]

Nice artwork!

The reality is that you are not going to get a Bentley for Ford prices. However, there will be plenty of cost-effective options that might work for you.

I do a lot of work with artists, and the common issue is the frames getting damaged during transit, fitting the pictures, or travelling to and from exhibitions. Sometimes the frame can be months old before it is sold to the end customer.

Picture frames generally are not hardwearing items - they are designed to be hung on the wall and left there for years - not designed for rough handling. You could spend a heap of money on fancy wooden mouldings that would scratch and dent equally easily.

My favoured solution, which I use for most of my artist customers is to produce a hand-painted and waxed finish that can very easily be touched up, and polished up if it gets marked or damaged. I then provide my customer with touch up paint and wax. This type of finish is deliberately not completely flat and even, so marks do not show up in the same way. It also has a premium, arty look to it. I also have some artist customers that take the frames unfinished, and hand paint them themselves, after a couple of hours tuition as to which types of paint in which order to get a durable finish.

As to style, what about moving to Dibond and floating within a square profile?

[thecreative]

Thanks, paintings will be sold direct so I'm not too fussed once they have arrived, same frame for everything to keep it simple.

I have hand painted some recycled frames in the past so that could be a god option, dibond is an interesting one as its used a lot in my industry but again it pushes cost. I fully understand I will need to step it up to get a premium finish, at the moment most commissions I get aren't too precious about the frames but it for my personal work I want to make an impact until I've managed to build a selling base for these works I need to keep cost low.

What sort of cost would a piece of 400 x 500 dibond go for?

[Not your average framer]

I'm thinking that you have currently chosen a more impressive frame moulding that strictly necessary. A lot of artists around my part of the country would be happy with sometimes less impressive and quite possibly at a more helpful prices. Washed and waxed Obeche frames tend to be quite popular, or even an affordable Tulipwood, Ash, or Oak frame. Some framers specifically cater for artists and do this sort of thing at very sensible prices for a small batch of frames.

Basic economically priced Tulipwood, Ash and Oak frames with no finish appiied are often the stock in trade of framers, who are often targetting the artist market. Not all artists are rolling in money, but there are framers around who do their best to cater for artists and it may be helpful for you to see what other atists are getting and for how much. As has already been suggested many artists are buying unfinished frames and doing a basic hand finished job on these frames themselves. It works well for both some framers and the artist as well.

[thecreative]

Thanks that certainly seems an avenue worth exploring, the frame I had been hoping to use was very high end looking and really set the work off at a cost effective price, hand painting myself would not be a problem and something I could possibly blend into the artwork or pick colours out to embelish.

[Not your average framer]

Hand painted square, rectangular, or box frame profiles are a very common way of artists presenting their work.