The Effect of Adding Gilding to Hand Finished Frames

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vintage frames
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The Effect of Adding Gilding to Hand Finished Frames

Post by vintage frames »

IMG_3146.JPG

This frame is called a Black or Ebonised Gothic Frame and is commonly used around 18th and 19th century maps and prints. In this example there is a line of gilding around the sight edge and the effect of this is to gather the light and brighten up the enclosed image.

This post, of course is to promote and signpost the gilding course you can buy on my website
but with that out of the way,
we can go on to look at how the use of gilding can add both value and beauty to a hand finished frame.

If you look again at the photo you can see how the thin line of gilding actually catches the light and glows quite prominently in such a dark photograph. It is this bright line that will attract the eye and in turn, forms a frame around the art work.

Some people might suggest the use of faux gilding or painted effects, but this serves merely to highlight the frame alone and ends up separating it from the artwork which it was meant to complement.

But then who needs to know stuff like this? A well run frame shop can thrive over it's lifetime without ever being troubled by customers wanting a bit of gilding.

But if you do offer some hand-finished frame samples and the option of enhancing them with a little gilding, then such handiwork will soon be noticed and before you know it, you'll have local art and antique dealers, along with a few successful artists nosing around your workshops.
And then it won't be long before the bigger beasts start to notice.

Gilding is a skill and it's very easy to rush it and get it wrong. Doing it right requires patience, time and a pedantic following of procedure.
My course will teach you the basic grammar of gilding and finishing.
After that it's just down to imagination and creativity.
Affordable Gilding Course for Professional Framers-https://www.dermotmcardle.co.uk/
https://www.instagram.com/dermotmcardle/
Not your average framer
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Joined: Sat 25 Mar, 2006 8:40 pm
Location: Devon, U.K.
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Interests: Lost causes, saving and restoring old things, learning something every day
Location: Glorious Devon

Re: The Effect of Adding Gilding to Hand Finished Frames

Post by Not your average framer »

I used pick up a bit of business from antique dealer visting an auction house at the bottom of the town and business from antique dealers can be quite helpful. The auction house is long gone and so are the regular visits from many of the antique dealers from those days, but there is a newer generation of antique dealers around now and they are often buying items with a view of getting them restored and this newer generation are much more likely to spend some worthwhile money. Don't dismiss this market, it's definitely a useful and a worthwhile market to be getting into.

Tere iis a lot of cross polenation which is going on between antique dealers, interior designers, painted secondhand furniture dealers and house clearance people. only dealing with a few of them soon gets your name around to the others in your area. We are all feed of each other, it's a bit like an ecosystem. The little fish are feeding many of the big fish and the way to become a bigger fish is to start as a small one. Every body seems to be rubbbing along nicely and it's usually nice and friendly.

Lots of these people are inspired by watching tevevision programs like Salvage Hunters and start off thinking that restoring stuff iseasy, untill the find out that the restorers on television are making it all look easy, when it's not easy at all. This is when they start having to pay other people to do things for them and that's some of us can get involved and benefit from doing so. This is part of what I used to do a bit of a long time ago and I still have most of the tools to do it. It did not always provide a decent income years ago, but it's a lot better now!

Would I lean about gilding frames if I had the time and the opportunity? You bet it would! it's a good time to be thinking about it.
Mark Lacey

“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
vintage frames
Posts: 1349
Joined: Tue 12 Jun, 2012 6:05 pm
Location: West Wales
Organisation: https://www.dermotmcardle.co.uk/
Interests: Making picture frames
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Re: The Effect of Adding Gilding to Hand Finished Frames

Post by vintage frames »

That's a good point about antique and art dealers. They will often buy and sell to each other and share such information as to 'where did you get that done?'
So any framer producing hand finished frames is always quickly noticed by the trade.

Some of these people have much higher budgets than the average high street customer.
Affordable Gilding Course for Professional Framers-https://www.dermotmcardle.co.uk/
https://www.instagram.com/dermotmcardle/
Not your average framer
Posts: 11013
Joined: Sat 25 Mar, 2006 8:40 pm
Location: Devon, U.K.
Organisation: The Dartmoor Gallery
Interests: Lost causes, saving and restoring old things, learning something every day
Location: Glorious Devon

Re: The Effect of Adding Gilding to Hand Finished Frames

Post by Not your average framer »

Hi Dermot,

I like the props and the setting for the photo. looks great!

:clap: :clap: :clap:
Mark Lacey

“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
vintage frames
Posts: 1349
Joined: Tue 12 Jun, 2012 6:05 pm
Location: West Wales
Organisation: https://www.dermotmcardle.co.uk/
Interests: Making picture frames
Contact:

Re: The Effect of Adding Gilding to Hand Finished Frames

Post by vintage frames »

Thanks Mark.

They simply reflect the mess and confusion of my workshop.
Affordable Gilding Course for Professional Framers-https://www.dermotmcardle.co.uk/
https://www.instagram.com/dermotmcardle/
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