A few new frames...feedback welcomed

[RobM]

Hi All,

Just looking for a little feedback, if anyone wants to pass comment. As ever, all criticisms welcomed.

Agitprop - I chose to use a couple of colours from the image for the undermount and frame. Would you have chosen another frame?

Collage - my first attempt at leaving sheet art edges left exposed. The background mat was chosen as an unassuming grey to go with those in the image. Artwork and backing mount were mounted on two pieces of formcore (too excessive? is one generally enough?). Probably not perfectly aligned in hindsight. Does the frame go?

Forest - using the same frame as before but this time I thought it matched the image well. I chose to keep the top mount relatively narrow to allow more space for the image to speak for itself. What would you have done? The undermount does need realignment - got that one.

[vintage frames]

It's nice to have the Forum back and working.

The only thing that I can see wrong with your framing is - you're not finishing your own frames!

Why not?

You've come on leaps and bounds with your techniques. What more can you do without over-working the mount designs?

All you need is a paint brush, an account with Rose&Hollis and some creativity.

Maybe give yourself a bit more identity.

[Justintime]

Soviet - could that red of the second mount have been in the print? Yes I think it could have, it works perfectly well, I would like to see more of the border of the print revealed, if it exists. It feels squeezed in.
The moulding adds nothing in fact it detracts Imo. Although if I imagine that piece of communist propaganda in a Russian house during the communist era then perhaps that frame's simplicity works, but I would look at a softer tone of mount that gives it a sense of age rather than bright white. The mount has to compliment the frame and vice versa. All the parts have to work together.
Collage - if you go this deep with a floated piece you have to be aware of how much space it requires around it to prevent the shadows from becoming overbearing.
The moulding has no connection to the style and period of the subject, which looks to me to be 1950's.
Forest - the piece has dark and moody tones. The mount colour does not, it's overbearing and jarring as is the moulding.
I would suggest trying to work within the tonal range of pieces. For instance, with the piece on the table, take all of your coloured mountboard samples and hold them all up to the piece and only put aside the colours that are in the piece or are in the same tone range. Then experiment with just these colours as a second mount and decide whether a lighter or darker colour works best. Then pick some moulding chevrons that don't overpower the work but instead compliment it and draw your eye into the work. If you close your eyes and open them, what do you see first the work or the moulding?
It's important to look at a piece of work and build an idea in your head of the period of it, in the case of Soviet it's historical significance, the communist ethos and style, any relevant ideas that can help you make considered design decisions that will enhance the image. Some pieces can be embellished with wash lines or have a triple mount, others may require simplicity no fuss just a clean simple single white mount.

[Rainbow]

Re the Forest picture, can I ask who the artist is. Or is it AI art?

[JKX]

Top one too stark, I’d prefer a charcoal mount and if red was to be used, I’d paint its bevel. I know that range of frames, paper (or something) wrapped - say no more.

Middle one - a complete exercise of how not to do something.
Just because you’re not using a window mount doesn’t mean you have to lose the space it creates. It’s too close to the frame which is too heavy, and the colour is uncomplimentary The shadows lose the colour you intended on two sides and unless your standing directly in front of the frame with your eyes level with the centre, you’re never going to see an even border - look at the bottom margin from the angle you’ve used. The wider the space around, the less noticeable these things become.

With an image with so much unused space within it, you could use less space around it than otherwise, but I’d still use at least twice as much as you have and a frame half that width or smaller still. If I was to raise it from the back mount it would be slightly, to create a bit of contrast with a slight shadow .

The last one not too bad balance-wise, but you already know my opinion on spacing two dimensional art back from the glass like that. Shadows make it look off centre, an unnecessary distraction.

I’d lose the paper margin if there’s no provenance on it.

[RobM]

You make a good point there - this is something I need to be striving for once I'm fully competent in the basics.

It's nice to have the Forum back and working.

The only thing that I can see wrong with your framing is - you're not finishing your own frames!

Why not?

You've come on leaps and bounds with your techniques. What more can you do without over-working the mount designs?

All you need is a paint brush, an account with Rose&Hollis and some creativity.

Maybe give yourself a bit more identity.

[RobM]

I agonised over what would be a suitable style of frame for the Soviet poster. I thought that anything too ornate might have been out of keeping with the theme. I ended up deciding a flat frame could suit it, and just chose the colour and texture based a little on some of the browns in the image. That's a useful comment about the mat: I like the idea of using a more sepia-tone mat to suggest the age of a piece.

In hindsight, I definitely went overboard with the projection of the collage artwork.

Regarding the forest one, would you have avoided the white top mount altogether? Or maybe have gone for a darker off-white to match the mood?

Seems my eye for the right mouldings could still do with a lot of work!

Soviet - could that red of the second mount have been in the print? Yes I think it could have, it works perfectly well, I would like to see more of the border of the print revealed, if it exists. It feels squeezed in.
The moulding adds nothing in fact it detracts Imo. Although if I imagine that piece of communist propaganda in a Russian house during the communist era then perhaps that frame's simplicity works, but I would look at a softer tone of mount that gives it a sense of age rather than bright white. The mount has to compliment the frame and vice versa. All the parts have to work together.
Collage - if you go this deep with a floated piece you have to be aware of how much space it requires around it to prevent the shadows from becoming overbearing.
The moulding has no connection to the style and period of the subject, which looks to me to be 1950's.
Forest - the piece has dark and moody tones. The mount colour does not, it's overbearing and jarring as is the moulding.
I would suggest trying to work within the tonal range of pieces. For instance, with the piece on the table, take all of your coloured mountboard samples and hold them all up to the piece and only put aside the colours that are in the piece or are in the same tone range. Then experiment with just these colours as a second mount and decide whether a lighter or darker colour works best. Then pick some moulding chevrons that don't overpower the work but instead compliment it and draw your eye into the work. If you close your eyes and open them, what do you see first the work or the moulding?
It's important to look at a piece of work and build an idea in your head of the period of it, in the case of Soviet it's historical significance, the communist ethos and style, any relevant ideas that can help you make considered design decisions that will enhance the image. Some pieces can be embellished with wash lines or have a triple mount, others may require simplicity no fuss just a clean simple single white mount.

[RobM]

I don't, but I've asked the person I framed it for and will get back to you if I find out.

Re the Forest picture, can I ask who the artist is. Or is it AI art?

[RobM]

Just been told...it IS AI-generated.

Re the Forest picture, can I ask who the artist is. Or is it AI art?

[RobM]

Sounds like you're in agreement with Justin about the mount being too light on the Stalin one.

Regarding the collage, it seems I truly have been a bit overzealous with the projection of the artwork. It was only upon completion that I thought the piece looked a bit close to the glass. Otherwise, I hadn't considered the (over) effect of the shadows, so that's noted, as are comments about the borders. Very useful points, going forward.

And the paper margin on the last one...I'm thinking this might be another of my habits I need to get over. I do always tend to leave some of it.

Top one too stark, I’d prefer a charcoal mount and if red was to be used, I’d paint its bevel. I know that range of frames, paper (or something) wrapped - say no more.

Middle one - a complete exercise of how not to do something.
Just because you’re not using a window mount doesn’t mean you have to lose the space it creates. It’s too close to the frame which is too heavy, and the colour is uncomplimentary The shadows lose the colour you intended on two sides and unless your standing directly in front of the frame with your eyes level with the centre, you’re never going to see an even border - look at the bottom margin from the angle you’ve used. The wider the space around, the less noticeable these things become.

With an image with so much unused space within it, you could use less space around it than otherwise, but I’d still use at least twice as much as you have and a frame half that width or smaller still. If I was to raise it from the back mount it would be slightly, to create a bit of contrast with a slight shadow .

The last one not too bad balance-wise, but you already know my opinion on spacing two dimensional art back from the glass like that. Shadows make it look off centre, an unnecessary distraction.

I’d lose the paper margin if there’s no provenance on it.

[RobM]

Very helpful comments, as ever. Thanks everyone!

[vintage frames]

Thanks for recognizing the value of finishing your own frames.

There are a few useful points to be made here.

If you want to explore the craft of hand-finishing frames, then the time to do it is now.
I'm guessing that you're framing for friends and family at the moment, and learning fast.

When however you go live, then you won't have any time to experiment with hand-finishing.
You will be tied up with both the interesting and the not so interesting demands of your customers. And the easiest and most practical way of dealing with them is to reach for one of the handy finished chevrons off the wall.
You are then a regular 'high street' picture framer.

If you do aspire to producing your own finishes, then it only really works if you build it into your business model.
Many potential customers will not know what you're on about. ..."You make those frames yourself? I thought all framers did that. Anyway, I'd prefer that nice shiny one you have up there."

You will however get noticed by those customers who prefer a more authentic and hand crafted effect. They like to furnish their rooms with a lot of natural materials and your frames will be much more interesting to their tastes.
They tend to have deeper pockets too.

If you do want to try hand-finishing, there's Prospero who can give good advice of paint effects and i'm always willing to help with traditional finishes.
And if it doesn't work for you, don't worry, there's always Larson Juhl.

[Justintime]

In all fairness, Larson Juhl do offer a better quality moulding.

[vintage frames]

And that's exactly what I mean.

If you are going to rely on bought-in mouldings, then at least go for the quality companies like LJ or others.

[JKX]

They do a fair amount of plastic mouldings which are allegedly better than Simons’ Emafyl.
They also do a good range of aluminium mouldings but Nielsen are far better and also have some really nice wooden mouldings.
They also do a good amount of “essentials” and contract mouldings - even paper-wrapped MDF.
They also of course have their Larson juhl collection range which is quite nice but some can be inconsistent.

Most of the big and even not so big names will go from posh Italian to contract stuff. You just need to get to know them.