DIY: Matting a picture

The other day I was preparing a colored sketch for the gallery and I realized there are a lot of things to know about matting artwork.  First of all it doesn't really need a frame; in fact I've been boycotting frames for years -- they're too expensive and the buyer of the artwork will probably want to add a frame to her/his taste anyway.  Speaking of taste, here's a nicely matted, and framed, piece. (A contrasting color somewhere might liven it up, though.) 

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Bottom-weighted matte, Tuxedo Frame Gallery

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Using archival materials is important for the preservation of your artwork.  You don't want it to be yellowed, faded and warped in 20 years.  Even photos need to be sprayed with UV-resistant fixative. For paper, tape, supports, fixative and glue, look for the term acid-free. When handling the matte, be sure you hands are free of oils and anything that might stick to or stain it.  The video below suggests wearing cotton gloves, although I never have.  Erasing guidelines with a clean, soft eraser is OK.

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Cutting the mat is a lot easier with a matte cutter (Amazon has a large selection), although I've always used an Xacto knife with admittedly less than professional results. You can scrape the knife along the cut to even it out.  Al Pilato in the video below certainly knows what he's doing.

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Setting the measurements for the cuts has always been a challenge for me.  It's important to adjust the measurement for a horizontal presentation vs. a vertical one.  Having been taught to weight the matte at the bottom, I'm partial to that method.

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Example of different matte approaches, Matboard & More

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The Blick Art Materials video below on how to measure and cut a matte mentions weighting the matte in passing.

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Here's a nicely framed and matted photo I found at ara133photography, a blog about photography and decorating ideas.  Note how the center of the image balances against the open space of the matte.

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"Sea Flower," ara133photography

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In closing, keep in mind that this is your work and be proud of doing it all yourself. Perfection isn't the objective, integrity is.

-- Marge