Poor Frames

One of five frames that arrived at a gallery with most corners broken apart, due to the maker just using glue and no nails or other corner fittings.

Example of bad tape

This brown self adhesive tape was used on an original drawing by a notable artist. The top photo shows the tape used to hold the undermount (a piece of backing mountboard that is used to support the art, it should be the same size as the mount) in place. The middle photo shows this tape removed and the visible staining from the adhesive, which would only have increased over time. The last photo shows one of the 6 pieces of the same tape used to hold the artwork to the undermount, fixed to the front of the artwork which is never a good idea. The crazy thing is the glazing was museum quality glass.

Poor materials

An example of some poor quality materials and methods used in framing an original watercolour. The masking tape has been put along the top edge of the paper which is bad practice as it does not allow the paper to move with changes in temperature and humidity. No undermount was used to protect the watercolour from impurities in the backing board, it is also better to hinge the art to the undermount as it allows easy viewing of the work (when removed from the frame) and provides more support. 

Masking tape is possibly the worst tape that can be used, it is simply not intended for mounting art. The adhesive will either dry out quickly or it will transform into a horrible sticky mess, possibly with the solvent bleeding through the paper causing serious damage to the art. The mountboard is a poor quality and not suitable for original watercolours.

More masking tape nastiness

Here is another example of poor quality tape used in picture framing, from the front you can see the adhesive seeping through and marking the image, and the photo of the back shows the culprit is masking tape.

Poor choice of tape

Here is another example of how not to mount a picture. This original drawing has been fixed to the mount with masking tape (not by us!), which is not suitable for mounting pictures. The adhesive will change rapidly, either drying out completely or turning into an aggressive gooey mess, nice.

Fingerprints - NOOOO!!!

This is what happens when hands and fingers are put all over a frame just before it is gilded. The bole (very fine clay) is absorbent and the natural oily residue on the palms and fingers remains on the surface, when the frame is water gilded and distressed these prints will stick out like a sore thumb. The only way to stop this is not to handle the bole surface, or to wipe it down with meths to remove the greasy marks. This may not stand out that much in the photos, but trust me, in reality it hits you like a slap in the face! 

How not to make a frame

This framed painting was in a recent gallery exhibition, it has come to me to have the corners fixed, three of which have large gaping mitres. On looking at the back of the frame I was surprised to see that none of the corners had any wedges, nails, screws, biscuits, or fixings of any kind. Only glue had been used, so it is not surprising that the corners are coming apart so badly. I can only hope that the framer who made this frame forgot the fixings in just this frame, and not in all the other frames in the exhibition. Even with the frame looking like this, the painting (about 16" x 20") sold for £2100