If you’re anything like me you have beautiful art sitting around just waiting to be framed and hung. Just how you frame that piece can completely change how it looks and feels, and deserves a little more consideration than we usually give it. If you can afford to do so I highly recommend getting your art professionally framed, it’s an investment, but they’re experts and will do such an amazing job compared to whatever flimsy frame you can get your hands on at The Warehouse.
But if getting your art professionally done isn’t in the budget then I’ve got a couple of little tips and tricks up my sleeve to elevate how you frame it up yourself!
Tip 1 - frame size: I personally like an oversized frame. Even when it’s a small piece of art I find a big frame in order for there to be more negative space around the image - giving it more room to shine. The piece of art above is only A5 but I bought an A3 frame.
Next you’ll need a large piece of card as the cut out in the piece that comes with the frame doesn’t fit your piece of art. I grabbed this large sheet from the Warehouse Stationery for around $6.
Use the back of your frame (the hard part with the hooks) to draw around on your piece of card if you need to cut it down to size as I did.
Tip 2 - placement: The default option is to centre the art up in the middle of the frame, which is a classic choice that won’t fail you. However to elevate your framing consider moving your image so it’s not centralized for a custom look and feel.
For this piece of art I wanted to change the balance and hang the frame vertically. Doing so with an image that is rectangle but naturally leans towards being hung horizontally you’re not going to get an even amount of white space around your image. To counteract this the best thing to do is move it intentionally off centre. Raising the image up and leaving more negative space below makes this a considered choice and gives your DIY framing a professional feel. When doing this ensure it’s not just slightly off centre and looks a little wonky, using a ratio of approximately 2/3 to 1/3 should give you a good balance,
Tip 3 - shrink your frame: Place your art where you want it on the back of your card. Measure the size and ensure it is centred with even spacing on the sides. Measure out the size of the art then reduce that on each side by .5 to 1cm. This will ensure your art is tucked in behind the card and very important. Measure twice, cut once!
Tip 4 - scissor free zone: When cutting always use an incredibly sharp craft, or stanley, knife. Using scissors, especially with the corners, will mangle your card and just look terrible. Take your time and ensure you’re cutting on a hard surface with a good ruler (I love my stainless steel one) for the best result.
Different image, same framing hack! This placement also works great for square images and photographs. So grab that art you’ve got stashed away waiting to one day take to get framed and give it a crack yourself. I’d love to see and hear how you get on! Send me a dm with your framed work via socials or leave a comment below :)