Frame design mental block

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DEEPJOY
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Frame design mental block

Post by DEEPJOY »

Hi All

Had to ask the customer to leave it with me today as I had struggled with the 2 limited edition prints he brought along.

The art works are - The Mountain Ram and King of the Mandrills by FIELDINSPIRED. Search google for Field inspired and you find the 2 works.

The customer wanted a black frame to keep the contemporary look going. I had a vision to go for a black mount from Crescent with a coloured core or a double mount with a 3 or 5mm coloured mount showing beneath. I was looking to take a blue or a turquoise out of the artwork to use as the coloured core or under mount. Other than that I am stuck on width of the mount and the type of moulding. :head:

Inspiration and ideas required please?
Roboframer

Re: Frame design mental block

Post by Roboframer »

DEEPJOY wrote:Search google for Field inspired and you find the 2 works.
Did that and nothing happened quick enough - I did try further searches but got fed up pretty quick.

Do it yourself and post the images.
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Re: Frame design mental block

Post by DEEPJOY »

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prospero
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Re: Frame design mental block

Post by prospero »

A dead black frame is just that. Best reserved for certs and suchlike. To keep the customer happy how about a black ash frame or at least a frame with a bit of a 'face'. Black 'driftwood' even. :giggle:

Don't be too literal in matching the mount colours to something in the picture. Don't take colours out of the artwork. Leave them where they are. :P Sometimes less is more.


What about double AQ Hayseed?


ps. The links do work. I'll stick to my guns on the design.
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Re: Frame design mental block

Post by GeoSpectrum »

How about flat black ash, dyed with Liberon palette dye and waxed and a double black, black core mount. No distractions from the image but also plenty going on if you look closer. Good luck with the dust specks.
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Re: Frame design mental block

Post by Steve N »

You could cut the under mount out of white and paint it any colour you want, look good under Black blackcore
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Re: Frame design mental block

Post by Roboframer »

I took a screen shot :-)
Mountain goat.jpg
Mountain goat.jpg (118.41 KiB) Viewed 6170 times


I think your initial idea of a black mount with a coloured core is good, add a V groove or two even.

Personally I'd go for a more charcoal mount, metallic even and a deep wrapped bevel in that light blue. Then a frame that contrasts - thinking that really shiny range from A&T or Nielsen. If it has to be black then it doesn't have to be plain flat matt black, there are plenty about with a bit of interest like the L Juhl Komodo range which has red streaked through it.

Keep the contemporary theme going, offer combinations like this up but also offer up the exact opposite which would be the double hayseed mount and a flat black frame; see what they go for, I know 90% of my customers would go for continuing the theme.



.
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Re: Frame design mental block

Post by IFGL »

I find myself agreeing with roboframer on this one, stark impact is required, also the komodo range is really nice.


Anything middling would look very bland indeed.
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Re: Frame design mental block

Post by DEEPJOY »

Thank you all.

I am sure Prospero is right with all his skill and experience but I am not seeing the Hayseed mount.
The moulding if it has to be black it needs to be different, either textured or with specs of colour running through it or both.

Robo's ideas are more in line with what I thinking about, but I also like the idea of painting a white mount with a colour. Are you talking about painting the face of the mount board prior to cutting the bevel or painting the face and bevel? What paint would you use?

What overall width of mount would you use - 10cm? Would you have the under mount completely covering the White print border? In other words the first bevel would start 5mm overlapping the outer edge of the black pint area?

Regards
Roboframer

Re: Frame design mental block

Post by Roboframer »

I don't know the image size so not sure about mount width but I like wide mounts and if I was doing a double or a deep wrapped bevel then 10cm would be fine around a postage stamp for me!

It would look better with no white paper margin showing, if it had to show for some reason (like it's a limited edition and it's numbered and signed in the white margin) then that would totally alter my choice of mount colours.
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Re: Frame design mental block

Post by DEEPJOY »

Hi John

It is 24 x 20 inch.
Roboframer

Re: Frame design mental block

Post by Roboframer »

10cm fine then, you could mess about with unequal margins if you wanted as well, like sides wider than top & bottom, which is a bit scary, or bottom-weighted only, which I think just looks better on most things.
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Re: Frame design mental block

Post by prospero »

If there is a white border to be seen then I would stick with the white mount. Lots of shades that come broadly under the white category. Personally, signed/numbered or not the black theme would be good if the mount covered the border. Lots of variations on the black theme as well. It can look very classy if you vary textures in the black.

There is a moulding shape that springs to mind. About 3" wide with a asymetric sort-of pitched roof face. I use this on some contemporary images. It looks hyper-cool it you sand off the gold or silver and give it a coat of black acrylic gesso, using it thick and working in random criss-cross brush strokes. When it's dry, polish it up. The texture is quite subtle but noticeable. Combined with a double black/blackcore mount - one layer textured and one smooth, very dramatic.
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Re: Frame design mental block

Post by AllFramed »

Hi Mike,you in the cabin yet?

I have done the painted white mount a number of times, it works really well. Yes, you normally paint the surface before cutting, but that will show the white core. I have used Plaka paints and also sprayed PlastiKote in silver which worked well. The spray gives an even coat but brush marks don't normally show anyway. The PlastiKote paints work well on frames too and come in small pots and sprays so not too expensive either.
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DEEPJOY
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Re: Frame design mental block

Post by DEEPJOY »

Hi All.

I am happy now I have unblocked the mental block, I just remain mental as anything.

The vision so far:-
Black textured frame
Black with black core under mount slightly overlapping the black edge of the print.
20mm back from the first or under mount a painted bevel and the top 3 to 5 mm of blue/ turquoise mount.
Final and top third mount will be black with black core as mentioned above.
Sides and top of mounts to be 100mm and bottom mount will be 120mm

Can you use water coloured paint for painting mounts?

Deepjoy to you all for your help :clap:
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Re: Frame design mental block

Post by prospero »

You can use virtually any paint on mounts. Artists acrylic is good. But....

If you put on a heavy opaque coat or coats there will be a tendency for the board to curl. Also, putting glass on it will create weird optical effects where it presses against the glass. You have to use spacers. :? Thin transparent washes are less of a problem. Hard to apply an even coat though - this is best reserved for sponging/stippling effects.
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Re: Frame design mental block

Post by chris62 »

Don't think you need to introduce any more colour black and more black maybe a matching blue bevel, no need for three mounts
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Re: Frame design mental block

Post by huntvambo »

Rather than Black, which always looks a little flat to me, I'd use the Arqadia Onyx black core. Onyx has a nice sheen to it, much deeper than a flat black.

Frame wise either a nice shiny black aluminium or maybe shiny silver aluminium, probably the black.
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Re: Frame design mental block

Post by DEEPJOY »

chris62 wrote:Don't think you need to introduce any more colour black and more black maybe a matching blue bevel, no need for three mounts
When you say blue bevel are you talking about the Crescent mount board product? I would rather go this way than paint as Prosoero has put me off the idea.
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Re: Frame design mental block

Post by chris62 »

Painting a bevel shouldn't bring problems mask where the bevel is going on the face with Scotch 811 tape cut your mount paint bevel with the watercolour of choice
let dry pull off tape carefully Bobs your uncle or whatever, best to use a decent mountboard tho
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