Planning Guide &
Artist's
Discount!

Do-It-Yourself Framing Guide:

When exhibiting your work, presentation and preservation are important concerns. We're here to help you have the most successful exhibition possible. The Framer's Workshop has the largest in-stock selection of wood and metal moldings and archival matting and backings of any framing store in the East Bay. We offer competitive prices on:

• Archival quality matting and acid free backings cut to the size you need.
• Specially priced overstock matting in select colors, including some fabric mats.
• Ready made frames in standard precut sizes—some in patterns you won't find anywhere else because we make them here!
• Clip frames—for the "frameless" look
• Michael Faye ready-made frames available in-stock in standard sizes and in custom sizes by specail order in lots of six .(Allow three weeks..).
• Cut to size metal and wood frame molding. We stock over 300 patterns including basic blacks, natural maple and whitewashed ramen.We have special order samples for over 2000 more.
• We stock regular and UV filtering glass and Plexiglas.™ Museum glass and Plexiglas ™ are also available.

At The Framer's Workshop we offer professional design help and guidance. First, artwork must be ready-to-frame. Oil paintings must be dry enough to handle. Pastel and other fragile surface work require special handling.

• We cut all the materials for you and help you fit your artwork into the frame using our table space and tools.
• We can cut frames and mats to fit your art —often while you wait (see side bar).
• We can show you how to hinge your artwork into the mat and backing.
• We can cut an in-stock metal frame to fit in a half hour or less
• We can cut and join most in-stock wood frames within an hour or two.
• All of these items can be assembled do-it-yourself using our tools and our help in our space.
• Or we can do it all for you for an extra custom labor charge.

For most exhibitions we recommend a neutral frame in black or maple, with white or neutral rag board mat. For oil paintings, we recommend stretching the canvas and framing it with a simple frame. We carry simple black and solid maple mouldings as well as ready made frames in both black and maple.

We usually recommend UV protective glass or Plexiglas ™ so that when an art lover buys your masterpiece, it will not fade over time.

For upscale galleries, we often recommend that artists add value to the art they are selling by using more elegant and complicated frame designs. We are glad to help you determine which type of framing best suits your situation.

Gallery Preparation:

Make sure your agreement and commision structure is clear and in writing. Determine when the gallery wants your art hung, who will install it and when it must be taken down.

You will need to provide the gallery with a price list and itemized consignment sheet. (It is especially helpful to create one using small, thumbnail images of the work along with the title, size, medium and price.)

Questions to consider:

• What type of surface will the art be exhibited on?
• Does the gallery require a particular type of hanging hardware?
• Are their size limitations for the work?
• Is Plexiglas required for safety?
• Do you need to provide your own title cards?
• Is their any special kind of framing required?

Installation Guide:

What to bring with you when hanging an art exhibition:

• City map
• Contact information for the gallery
• Business cards, and brochures for on the spot promotion
• Breath mints
• Stepladder, if needed
• Post-its or blue painter's tape
• Graph paper and clipboard
• Sharp pencils
• Straight edge
• Tape measure
• Small level
• Hanging tools: Small Hammer (Plus Awl, drill, & screw driver for hard surfaces)
• Glass or Plexiglas cleaner and soft towels
• Extra wire
• Extra picture hooks
• Wire cutters
• Painter's tape or Masking tape
• Push-pins with extra long points
• A spool of nylon chord
• Putty to keep picture in place (Quake Putty preferred)
• First Aid kit for the frame or art
• Putty for frame touch-up.
• Paint for touchup of art and samll brush
• Small brush and dustpan or portable vacuum cleaner for clean-up.
• Plastic bag for removal of wrapping debris
• Digital camera to photograph your installation
• Big briefcase or canvas bag to neatly hold your installation supplies.

What to do with all this stuff:

Each instalation situation is different but we'll give you an example:

First, unrwap the work and begin laying out which works will hang where. (This is usually done in consultation with a gallery representative.) If your frame sizes are all the same you may want to create groupings of evenly spaced art. Make sure to leave some extra space on the sides to define the group. We usually recommend locating the center of the group area with your measuring tape along the floor board, and then measuring up to the center on the wall from that spot. Masking or painter's tape can be used to temporarily mark locations on the wall. If your frames differ in size you have to decide whether you are going align the tops, bottoms or centers. Sometimes the most appropriate arangement for diverse sized work is a free-form display.

If you are aligning all the work at the top of the frames it is fairly easy to lay a guide line using push pins and nylon cord or masking tape if you can not make holes in the wall. Laser chalk beams make the job even easier. Calculate the distance from the floor to the top of the frame and create a line using pushpins and cord or masking tape along the length of the wall. Use a level to make sure the line is straight. (Measuring down from the ceiling or up from the floor can be deceiving depending upon how square the architecture of the room actually is.) Calculate the distances between each piece and mark the centers of each frame on the wall.

Measure the distance from the center of your wire (pulled taught) to the top of the frame. That's how far down you put the hook on the wall. Always use at least two hooks about three or four inches apart. Sometimes work is hung with strap hangers or Z-bar instead of wire. We will help you decide which is best for your work.

When lifting the work into place be sure to always hold the frame by both sides (or have two people lifting the frame into place). It is not safe to lift a frame from the top like a suitcase. Once the piece is in place, be sure to level it and use some putty on the bottom corners behind the frame to keep it properly aligned.. We sell Quake Putty for this purpose.

As a courtesy, be sure to clean up your wrapping paper. You may want to save it for repackaging when the installation comes down. Be sure to vacuum up any wall dust or small debris.

Here's how it works:

• Bring in your artwork for us to measure. Artwork should be ready to frame (paint dry, pastel fixed, etc.) If you can not bring it in, be sure to measure accurately. Click here to see our guidelines for accurate measuring.
• Select your framing materials with our help.
• Place your order. Full payment is requested at the time order is placed.

Some items, such as individual mats, metal frames and some wood frames selected from our in-stock patterns, can be done same-day.

Multiple items, and special order patterns, however, can take up to two weeks. This is especially true for multiple orders of ready-made frames which may need to be ordered from the manufacturer. BE SURE TO PLACE YOUR ORDERS EARLY to insure availability for your project deadline.