Framing a pastel

[Phill]

Hi everyone
It's been a long time since I have been on here, Could some one show a photo of the best way to frame a pastel, and explane how to cut a reverse mount( don't you get the overcuts showing)sorry I'm being a bit thick, but I want to do it with a gap so any residue falls off it will go behind the mount.

[Phill]

sorry should read reverse bevel not mount

[Jonny2morsos]

Why a reverse bevel?

I would put a spacer behind the window mount to provide a gap for any loose pastel to fall into. One of the biggest problems is putting the package together and I tend to do it keeping the whole thing in an upright position which is a pain.

Some surfaces hold the pastel better than others the worst being the velour type surfaces.

Dave Woolass did an article in Picture Business magazine a while back but don't know if it is available online. Lema Publishing might be able to send you a back copy.

[Steve N]

The way I do it is cutting another mount (lets call this the Spacer Mount, can be any colour, as it will not be seen) with the same out side size as the mount that has bee chosen ( lets call this the Real Mount, can be a single or double, makes no difference) , but cut the window between 10 to 20mm larger than the Real Mount window, now stick the Spacer Mount to the back of the Real Mount but with bevel going the opposite way to the Real Mount , it should now look like a double mount when viewed from the back. You now carry on and assemble your mount and artwork the way you normally do, when finished you have a space for the pastel or charcoal bits to fall into.

[Roboframer]

I think the look of a space above the artwork looks naff (no offence) Also if there is little difference between the image and paper size- it wont work.

I'd also recommend at least 8mm glass space - because cleaning the glass can cause static that can lift pigment.

The way I do it is with a double mount - bottom mount reverse bevelled top mount not - spacer between mounts - maybe a slip as well. That gives two traps - the rev bev of the bottom mount and the spacer - looks better and upgrades the sale nicely.

[Phill]

Thanks for replys.

I'm thinking I will have a reverse beveled mount with 3.5 mm foamboard with normal mount on top, but don't know which order, would you put spacer a the back or in between the 2 mounts? sorry for being so thick but I'm getting old LOL

[Jonny2morsos]

That is pretty much what I like to do as well but did not go in to the detail in my earlier response.

The biggest problem is getting mouldings with enough rebate depth. With the glass and back board you need around 13mm for this method.

Ought we to start a "Campaign for Deeper Rebate Mouldings"

Maybe some suggestions of suitable mouldings on here or in a new thread?

[Phill]

I'm with you for the campaign for deeper rebates I'm using the dalas range from simons so should be just about right, fingers crossed.

[Roboframer]

To cut a rev bev - measure the overcuts on the back of a cut mount and set your start and end of cut stops to plus those distances. E.g. if your mount was 3" wide, the margin guide would still be set to 3" but the stops may be three and three sixteenths. Cut the board face up - experiment on offcuts to ensure no overcuts. The fall out ......... won't fall-out - just finish with a blade pushed in at a shallow angle towards the corner so's it cuts the back and not the front.

[Jonny2morsos]

If it is a Keencut Ultimat you can buy a reverse bevel stop as an accessory for around £20.

[Steve N]

Naffness is in the eye of the beholder, no offense taken, if we all liked the same things or did things the same way, what a boring world this would be .

In my example you could use foamcore, behind the mount to make the space as well, and you do not need a deep rebate moulding to do the job.

[prospero]

If you do use the various spacing/rev bev methods, then some of the bits will fall down out of sight. But you can bet your boots that there will be one bit that still gets between the mount face and glass.

Get a sheet of white card/paper. Hold pastel on the top edge with both hands over the card and flap it vigorously until no more bits come off.

Sounds a bit drastic, but all you are doing is pre-empting any future particle shedding. If it's going to drop off it's better to do it before it goes in the frame.

[Roboframer]

Or peg it to a clothes line and give it a good beating with a fish slice.

[Phill]

Thanks for all the help, job completed now and it looks great

[pixnut83]

L&G,
I framed a small pastel recently. It had reputedly been fixed but I cut a rev-bev at the bottom for safety's sake (and to check that my method was still OK)
Dropped the assembly into the frame and fired a couple of tabs; flipped it over to check all OK - not OK.... shower of pastel dust on the inside of the glass due to unfixed artwork and the shock from the tabgun - see '... reputedly ...' above
As I didn't want to assault the artwork and it was a 'tomorrow' job, I measured the assembly and made up a 1/2" wide spacer of various mountboard offcuts to the same thickness. Using the dummy spacer, I fired flexitabs at the correct offset into the rebate, bent them up and installed the assembly with the whole lot vertical rather than laid on the bench.
Keeping it vertical, I flattened the tabs, taped the back and fitted the hangings.
Result - no dust and a happy customer.
John.

[Nearlygotitright]

I'm interested in the techniques described here because I frame quite a few pastels, (mostly for my artist wife), and I have used strips of backing board fixed with atg tape to the board the art work is hinged to. This gives a decent gap assuming the paper or pastel board is flat, which is often not the case. Does anyone lay the spacer or extra mount over the edges of the paper to hold it flat?

[prospero]

Holding the edges down won't flatten the middle. In fact holding the edges down will make the middle go wavy if there is an increase in humidity.

There is only one sure way to get a flat pastel. Stick the paper down and then do the drawing. Pastels are a very 'immediate' medium. No mixing paint or setting up a lot of kit. Just grab a sheet of paper and box of pastels and you're off..... Great for studies and sketches that are not 'finished' works and will probably never be framed. But if someone knows that the work is going to be framed, a bit of prep goes a long way.
Lots of mountboards are faced with drawing papers (Ingres) and make excellent grounds for pastels. And you can put a window mount around or frame them 'close' with spacers.

[Jonny2morsos]

Daler Rowney have a range of textured paper for pastel work, their Murano range.

They also supply mountboard with Murano facing paper so your wife can paint with it and you can use it for mounts

[Nearlygotitright]

The board faced with pastel paper sounds like an interesting option - one to explore. Of course I'm the framer not the artist so I have to know my place! I should perhaps make clear that I was not suggesting sticking down the edges. I was thinking of a wide spacer stuck to the backing well away from the art work but overlapping so that hopefully it could move if need be but stay away from the edge of the under mount.

[Roboframer]

Some pastel artists use extremely fine sandpaper to draw on, and some artists suppliers sell it, in many colours, specifically. I suppose it's not the most economical choice as it must wear down the pastel stick quicker. Some artists also - during the drawing stages, press the pigment in to the paper (whatever type, but if the artist is much cop it'll at least have plenty of 'tooth') with a roller over release paper .... ANYTHING rather than spray it with a fixative.

A liquid, sprayed over an absorbent powder surface? Good luck!