This week I’m not going to inspire you, challenge you or even make you chuckle. I’m going to tell you how to take a work on paper and get it on the wall without spending a ton of money at the framers, and still achieving a result that looks like quality. A practical how-to. I’m using the work I created as examples for stARTs 5, the fifth activity of my stARTs course.
What you need:
• A gorgeous work of Art on good quality THICK paper
• Gloss medium
• Gel medium & palette knife
• A brayer or roller
• A sharp knife – time to replace the blade in your knife and you’re good to go
• A cutting mat
• A teatowel or towel and heavy books
• A cradled panel
• A floating frame
Step 1
Seal the surface of the cradled panel with Gloss Medium. This will prevent any oils in the wood seeping out and discolouring your artwork. Leave to dry
Step 2
Mark the corners of the painting on the back of the paper to act as placement guides for the panel.
Step 3
Slap a good coating of gel medium all over the panel. Be generous.
Step 4
Place the artwork face down on a clean surface and carefully lay the cradled panel onto the back of it, using the drawn guides to place it correctly. You will be able to wiggle it around to get it right. Leave it to sit for 10 minutes with some heavy books on top of the back of the panel. You are just letting the gel medium set a little so that your paper won’t move when you do Step 5.
Step 5
Remove the books and carefully lift the panel with paper attached and turn it over, laying it painting side up on the table. Using the brayer or roller, roll out any air bubbles from the centre outwards towards all edges. Look carefully and make sure it is as flat as possible.
Step 6
Lay a clean dry teatowel or towel (depending on the size of the work) over the top of the painting and then lay books or a board with books on top to weigh down on the surface. Tell everybody in your house that if they touch the pile of books their lives will be in danger and they’ll have to leave home. Let it stand for 24 hours allowing the gel medium to dry completely.
Step 7
Remove all the books, the towel and turn the panel face down on a cutting mat. Take your very sharp blade and carefully cut down the edge of each side of the panel. Make sure you cut past each corner so that the corners are sharp. There might be some dried globules of gel medium where it has squelched out when you rolled the surface - just cut right through these.
Step 8
Place the cradled panel into the floating frame, screw in place and attach hanging cord on the back. Bob’s Your Uncle - Done!!
Anyone For Tennis 50cm x 50cm x 6.5cm
An added note: depending on what you have used to create your artwork you will have to fix it and seal it. I use acrylic paint and dry media so I seal it with a coat of gloss medium and then apply 3 coats of satin UVLS varnish. It’s a good idea to do this before you attach it to the panel, so that your edges remain clean.
Come and join me in my free facebook group THE UPBEAT ARTISTS’ GROUP where I share more of my process. This week there is 20% off the price of stARTs if you are a member. Check out the course here, it is where I teach a Treasure Trove of Techniques so that you will never be stuck wondering what to do next in a painting, or where to start. Join the group to get the discount – for this week only ending on September 6, 2020.
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