Important Things To Know About Conservation Framing

Conservation framing refers to the presentation of photos, art and other type of memorabilia to protect them with the use of methods and materials to prevent damage. Custom framing services in NYC perform this process which makes use of techniques which are reversible for the photograph, artwork or object to remain unharmed if these need to be removed from their frames.

Damage to photographs, art and memorabilia can always happen without your  knowledge. UV bleaching and acidic materials are two of the common slow processes that can lead to damage. Acid damage can make your photos and artworks brittle, causing the white papers to turn yellow. When the paper has a lower quality, there is a higher chance that it will discolor.

If you have seen old newspapers, you will note that they discolor quickly since these are meant to be disposable. UV bleaching can alter the color of your photos, artworks or other objects. The ink and dye used often bleach out at various rates which depend on their chemical nature. For instance, there are photos that fade to blue while others fade to red.

Effects of Improper Affordable Picture Framing on Photos and Artworks

There is simply no room for experimentation when it comes to proper framing. Less is always more as well as time honored matting, fitting and mounting techniques, together with the use of acid-free and archival or conservation materials, create the foundation of a safely and carefully housed work. The use of conservation methods and use of the right materials can evade potential damages caused by incorrect framing and extend the piece’s lifespan.

Some of these common issues include the following:

1. Direct contact between art and glazing where glass can stick to the art and lead to injury to the piece once removed.   
2. Improper mounting which causes slippage with the art becoming     compromised.
3. Use  of acidic matting materials in the housing. Framing materials’ acid can be transferred through contact to the art which can cause     brittleness and discoloration.   
4. Inappropriate glazing as old glass is not UV protected and light causes discoloration on the artwork.
5. Improper wiring causes an art piece to fall from the wall.   
6. Unstable fitting, framing or wiring as structural instabilities cause damage to the art if it is transported or shipped.

Conservation Framing Basics

It doesn’t matter if you will be framing something that you got through Photoshop at less price for cheap printing because the basics of conservation framing render all these issues to mute. To guarantee that your pieces can last for many generations, see to it that your framer will make use of high quality conservation materials which will not cause any negative effect on your art pieces. These include the following;

1. Fine  quality of Asian hanging papers.
2. Acid  free backboards and mats.   
3. Neutral and reversible conservation adhesives.   
4. Dustcovers applied at the rear of the frame as protection from environmental damage.   
5. Use spacers or mats to separate your artwork from the acrylic glazing or glass.

How Can Picture Frame Spacers Can Add or Ruin The Beauty of Your Artwork?

When framing pictures under glass, it’s a good idea that the picture won’t touch the glazing material. That is why picture frame spacers may come in handy. For those who don’t know picture frame spacers, these are basically little pieces of plastic, which are placed around the glazing’s edge and sit between the art and the glazing. Their sizes may differ and every size allows different air cushion levels. They are also available in several colors, mainly black and clear, so they blend in with your frame and art for unobtrusive effect.

Picture Frame Spacers and Their Importance

Picture frame spacers are used for art framing and custom art framing. These add some space within the frames and prevent glazing from contact with the photo, painting or any kind of visual arts, providing protection from damages.

If there are no picture frame spacers, the image might get stuck or buckle to the glazing, which could cause damage. This might also cause some problems once you reframe your art or photo in the future. Picture frame spacers enable air circulation, which prevents the formation of destructive mildew and mold.

Picture frame spacers are also important for the reason that these offer a smooth surface between the framing material and edge of the glass. It doesn’t only protect you from any possible injury when installing glazing into the rabbet of the frame, but also it will keep rough edges from digging into the materials of the frame, shedding paint particles onto the art.

How to Choose Picture Frame Spacers

Some of the best picture frame spacers to choose from include fillets, timber slip frames, and synthetic extruded sections that often come with double-sided adhesive coated to a surface.

If you like to determine the picture frame space to use for your picture or art framing project, these are the different factors that you should take into consideration

• Ease of use
• Picture frame spacer’s color
• Depth of the spacer required
• The material used

It is important to know the material used for a picture frame spacer, especially if you need something acid-free and archival. Most of the commercially available spacers are an extruded rectangular hollow tube or solid plastic strip. Such plastic spacers frequently have double-sided adhesive applied to a surface. The adhesive that was used for picture frame spacers is to make them in position to the glazing material’s surface. You can make a picture frame spacer from metal, timber, foam boards, and cardboard. The timer picture frame spacers can be just simple square edge profile that’s functional.

Usually, plastic spacers are available in different thicknesses. For deeper applications where colored liners are required, you may glue the mat board to the foam board and cut into the required widths. The strips can be glued to the frame that molds between the art work and glass. It’s an advantageous method if you like the picture frame spacer as well as the backing material to match, especially if you want an art work floating on the mat backing.

You may combine picture frame spacers with matting and framing using stepped frames to make an interesting depth in your photos while adding extra benefits of increased air gap from the acrylic front or glass.

Choosing the Right Framing Glass can increase Clarity and Protection

The main reason of having a canvas framing for our art work is just to protect our artwork from the dust and dirt. Canvas framing is also used to enhance the view of the artwork. People must choose wisely while art framing in nyc their artwork. There is an utter need to choose the best art framing in nyc for the artwork as that frame is the daily viewing option for the person and the person will get to see it regularly. There are many kinds of custom art framing available to protect the art work.

So if the person is confused about choosing the best frame for the art work then he must ask for superior guidance in this regard which allows him to buy the appropriate frame for the art work. But never buy anything which you do not like because we may find a framer creating a pressure on the artist to buy a certain kind of frames. Buying such type of frame is an utter foolish activity as the artist may not like the frame.

Glass frames - the conventional custom art framing option

Glass frames can also be a good custom art framing if you want a frame for your image. Sometimes we find that the weight of the glass frames is quite heavy, and they become a burden on our mind. There is also a question of the durability of the material. But now new and improved light glass frames have come in the market which can improve the custom art framing quality of your images. You can also use scratched and textured glass that will improve the look of the frames.

Precautions for framing with a glass material

People generally choose glass material as they are clear and are very easy to clean. But choosing the glass material for the mirror framing is not a wise decision always. Glasses are heavier and are vulnerable to break quite often. Glasses are also known to create a glare as they are highly reflective. Whatever material we use while mirror framing any acrylic artwork, we must clean the art work individually after every few years. These things help to protect the picture from dust and dirt.

Framers are found to use the matting and framing nowadays for providing support to the artworks. It also provides supports against the folds and bends of the papers. The matting and framing is known to provide a breathing space for the artworks so that it does not get stick to the glazed surface.

Proper precautions must be taken while preserving the art works. We generally find a framer, framing the art works which are on paper made with water colors or pastels on to a glazy surface. But putting the photographs and the art works always behind the glazed surface is not a wise decision. The images may get stuck to the glazy surfaces and later strain marks may appear on the images.

Plexiglass frames - A preferred choice

A picture frame is a great way to preserve your art for long. Often, when we go for custom made frames, there are many components that are needed to be chosen judicially. One of the main components that often gets neglected but is equally important; to create a visually appealing picture frame is, glazing. Glazing can be made of Standard Glass or Plexiglass. Standard Glass is the most common glazing used and is inexpensive and readily available. Standard glass is the best option for reproduction prints, posters and artwork.

Plexiglass is lighter than glass, and less dangerous to handle. Plexiglass, in its most advanced form, provides most of the benefit of museum glass and has the ability to filter 50-75% of UV rays along with being anti-static and scratch resistant. Plexiglass is a great alternative and preferred choice of framers around the world. Plexiglass is virtually impossible to break and can stand the test of time thus are normally used with art that needs to be preserved, is expensive and requires high viewing quality . On the other hand, Glass is heavy, can break easily and thus difficult to transport. Plexiglass also comes in several forms, with various standards such as coating, tint or matte finish.

For smaller frames, standard glass can sometimes be used, but for large frames, Plexiglass is the nest option as it is able to sustain its own weight. Museums also prefer Plexiglass over standard glass as chances of Plexiglass breaking is less. A standard glass glazing can break with little shock and damage the rare piece of history it is supposed to preserve. As Plexiglass can sustain vibration and mild shock it is preferred choice of framers who wants to give more durability to the frame. Glass on the other hand is good for smaller picture frame with a budget constraint and should be handled with care. So when it comes to durability, cleanliness and light weight, Plexiglass is the material of choice.

However following consideration is taken by framers when they choose Plexiglass

• Framers might not prefer Plexiglass when Painting is made with pastels or charcoals. As Plexiglass holds static electric charge which causes dust particles to stick to the surface and compromise clarity of image.

• If the budget is a constraint, then Plexiglass can be a costly option to fit in. Standard glass can be used especially for frames less than 32x40 inch in dimension.

• If the art to be framed is for reproduction prints, posters and artwork then standard glass can be the best option for framing over Plexiglass.

Ed heck prints - Why are they liked?

With specialties in original acrylic paintings on canvas, Ed Heck is one of the most fresh, bold and enigmatic artist of our time. The reason why Ed Heck paintings are so popular is because they are engaging. They have a naïve charm about themselves which comes quintessentially when Ed uses bright colored pallets. With these bright positive messages being portrayed from Ed’s painting the response from viewer has always been overwhelming. Since the time Ed Heck has exhibited his first painting in 1999, they have been a hit among art loving community.

Ed Heck’s style of painting is such that it appeals to the gamut of audience, from fine art newcomers to serious collectors. Ed is a consummate storyteller and engages viewer attention with exploration of evocative use of color, along with showcase of sense of humor and irony. Instead of painting abstract, Ed Heck borrows his imagery from comic books, to emphasis emotional life in his art. Heck’s paintings are filled with weird and wonderful characters, offbeat landscapes and peculiar visual point of view. Viewers get drawn into this imagery which they have not seen or experienced before and like it instantly.

Ed Heck lives in New York and it’s quite amazing to see the paradox in his painting when compared to the madness of New York. People all across the country love Ed Heck’s work and his detailed drawing can be found in American Museum of Natural History’s fossil halls. The paintings that Ed Heck creates have often intrigued art lovers around the world. Ed’s painting might at first glance look odd due to his unique sense of imagination which often represents two sides of same coin. While Ed Heck works on paper and canvas have lost all the excess baggage of detail, they are distilled into an essence that can only be the result of the most focused of study.


Ed has come a long way from his first exhibit in New York City in 1999. His work can now be found around the world and it is Ed Heck’s unique style and mass appeal that has created a space for him in art arena and has made him one of the leading pop artists of our time. Ed along with his art has also written many children’s books such as Monkey Lost, Big Fish, Little Fish and “Ed Heck Just Board”, which is his own line of board books. Ed Heck’s popularity has also been accentuated by his licensed on apparel, home furnishings, dog toys, and a line of Ed Heck luggage and travel accessories.

Charm of Ed Heck’s painting is universal due to his use of bold lines, vibrant colors and powerful shapes. Ed Heck style of art has almost created a new genre of art often referred as Heck style of art, which in itself is ode to Heck’s unique imagination. Rarely has an artist said so much with such an economy of brush strokes.