Choosing a Frame Style For Your Artwork

Congratulation on completing your artwork! Now it's time to display it to your friend and family.

When it comes to showcasing your masterpiece, choosing the most fitting types of picture frames for your space can seem a bit overwhelming. Between varying frame finishes, display styles, and materials, how do you know what will look best in your home? In this guide, we’ll break down different types of photo frames, explore what makes each one unique, and share some of our favorite ways to display them. Consider your walls covered.

 

Matted

A mat is a classic way to enhance the artwork within the frame.

Matting adds more impact, allure and focus to your artwork or photo, creating extra space around it to give the eye breathing room and naturally draw it towards the center.

Use this frame style as a home for your most prized artworks, and pull a few of them together to create the gallery wall you've always wanted.

 

Full-Bleed, or Straight Fit

Full-bleed printing is when the image covers the paper from edge to edge without any borders or margins.

Full-bleed framing, or a "straight fit", is when you frame around the full CANVAS  dimensions without any matting. Only a thin margin of the print is overlapped by the lip of the frame on each side.

 

When your poster or print is a full-bleed, the frame can act as the border around the art.

Simple designs, and artwork with a lot of negative (or white) space around the main image look great in this full-bleed frame treatment.

 

Float Mounting

Floating a canvas means that it will sit on top of the matting with space around the edges, as opposed to being partially overlapped by the mat.

Floating artwork creates a subtle but dramatic effect that can enhance the overall beauty of the artwork and look great on any wall.

 

 

Protecting Framed Works

Artworks can be damaged if exposed to extreme changes in their environment, such as humidity, heat, and lighting. Mould can appear on canvases, paper, or even in paint itself if its frame expands and allows contact between the artwork and external climate. These adverse effects can also lead to pigments fading and colours becoming dull. Here are a few things to consider when hanging artworks:

    Avoid hanging works over sources of heat such as a fireplace, heater, or oven. Burning candles can also cause soot damage in some cases.
    Certain pigments fade when exposed to direct sunlight. A shady wall is always preferable. Also avoid placing artworks too close to sources of light, unless they are LED.
    Avoid hanging works on damp or recently plastered walls, especially if they are close to air vents..
    You can gently dust artworks with a soft artist brush, but avoid using a cloth. This can damage or scratch the surface of the paint. Don’t use water or household cleaning products.