I'm about to embark on the framing journey and have been reading and watching various Youtube videos regarding matting and framing artwork. None of the videos I've watched seem to deal with anything remotely similar to production cels, and the Animanga links no longer work.
So, in short, I'm doing this for a friend in Japan. It's humid there, so I want to use spacers so that the cel does not come into contact with the glass. Should I consider "hanging" the background (by cutting a slot through the bottom matte and then attaching strips to the back of the background) ? Where would be the best place to find a frame for a standard size cel that would allow me to float the cel and what brand or dimensions do you recommend?
Floating a Framed Cel
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cutiebunny
- Yosutebito - Hermit
- Posts: 1936
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Re: Floating a Framed Cel
I would suggest not shipping framed artwork.
It’s too expensive, and easily damaged.
But, if you do, I’d recommend using a plexi facing like OP-3 Acrylite, or Tru-vue’s Conservation Clear Acrylic. That way, if it does get smashed in shipping, you won’t have to worry about shattered glass slicing up your artwork.
You can buy sectional sets for black metal frame moldings at stores like Michaels to make sure you have a frame that is the right dimensions for your artwork.
I used 100% cotton rag, undyed, unbleached, mattes and filets to separate the artwork from the frame's facing, and the cel from the background.
I'm no expert, and not good at writing directions, but ...
What I did:
Cut at least 3 pieces of mat board, 1 piece of archival foamcore, and a sheet of tracing paper the dimensions of the interior of your frame.
1.Mount the background in the center of the first sheet of mat board using four clear plastic archival mounting corners. If there is any movement, play, or bowing of the back ground, also use acid-free artist tape between the corners.
2.Put your cel on top of the background, and then place the sheet of tracing paper on top of both.
3.Use a ruler and pencil to draw four straight lines on the tracing paper (one on each side and the top and bottom) to indicate how the mated image should look, and how the mat should be cut.
*Note: Keep in mind that you will also be using mounting corners on the cel.
4.Remove the tracing paper and cel.
5.Measure how far each of the straight lines you drew is from the edge of the tracing paper.
6.Using your measurements, mark and redraw the tracing paper lines onto your second sheet of mat board.
7.Using a box cutter, or other form of razor blade, and a ruler cut out the center rectangle, or “window”, from the second sheet of mat board.
*Note: Don't use the mat cutter. This rectangular window should match with the one you'll cut for the mat.
8.Take the second sheet of mat board, line it up, and place it on top of your third sheet of mat board.
9.Take a pencil and trace the center rectangle onto the third sheet of mat board.
10.Remove the second sheet of mat board (the one with the rectangular hole), and line it up and place it on top of the first sheet of mat board (the one you mounted your background to).
11.Place your cel over the hole you cut in the second sheet of mat board (also, over the background), and mount it onto the second sheet of mat board and over the hole using four more clear plastic archival mounting corners (I would also use artist tape between each of the corners on the sides of the cel).
12.Take your third sheet of mat board, and cut out the center rectangle (the one you drew using the second sheet of mat board as a guide) using your mat cutter and ruler.
13.Place the third sheet of mat board (your mat) on top of the cel. You should now have a stack of the third sheet of mat board, your cel, the second sheet of mat board, your background, and the first sheet of mat board. I'm now going to call this stack... “the matted cel”.
*Note: feel free to add more mattes and/or filets on top of your matted cel.
14.Take the matted cel, and place it on top of your acid free foamcore.
15.Place your facing (glass or plexi) on top of your matted cel.
The cel is now ready to go into the metal frame.
Metal frames come with, or you buy, “spring clips” to keep tension within the frame. Here's a website that will show you how to put together a metal frame: http://www.framing4yourself.com/tutoria ... re-frames/
It’s too expensive, and easily damaged.
But, if you do, I’d recommend using a plexi facing like OP-3 Acrylite, or Tru-vue’s Conservation Clear Acrylic. That way, if it does get smashed in shipping, you won’t have to worry about shattered glass slicing up your artwork.
You can buy sectional sets for black metal frame moldings at stores like Michaels to make sure you have a frame that is the right dimensions for your artwork.
I used 100% cotton rag, undyed, unbleached, mattes and filets to separate the artwork from the frame's facing, and the cel from the background.
I'm no expert, and not good at writing directions, but ...
What I did:
Cut at least 3 pieces of mat board, 1 piece of archival foamcore, and a sheet of tracing paper the dimensions of the interior of your frame.
1.Mount the background in the center of the first sheet of mat board using four clear plastic archival mounting corners. If there is any movement, play, or bowing of the back ground, also use acid-free artist tape between the corners.
2.Put your cel on top of the background, and then place the sheet of tracing paper on top of both.
3.Use a ruler and pencil to draw four straight lines on the tracing paper (one on each side and the top and bottom) to indicate how the mated image should look, and how the mat should be cut.
*Note: Keep in mind that you will also be using mounting corners on the cel.
4.Remove the tracing paper and cel.
5.Measure how far each of the straight lines you drew is from the edge of the tracing paper.
6.Using your measurements, mark and redraw the tracing paper lines onto your second sheet of mat board.
7.Using a box cutter, or other form of razor blade, and a ruler cut out the center rectangle, or “window”, from the second sheet of mat board.
*Note: Don't use the mat cutter. This rectangular window should match with the one you'll cut for the mat.
8.Take the second sheet of mat board, line it up, and place it on top of your third sheet of mat board.
9.Take a pencil and trace the center rectangle onto the third sheet of mat board.
10.Remove the second sheet of mat board (the one with the rectangular hole), and line it up and place it on top of the first sheet of mat board (the one you mounted your background to).
11.Place your cel over the hole you cut in the second sheet of mat board (also, over the background), and mount it onto the second sheet of mat board and over the hole using four more clear plastic archival mounting corners (I would also use artist tape between each of the corners on the sides of the cel).
12.Take your third sheet of mat board, and cut out the center rectangle (the one you drew using the second sheet of mat board as a guide) using your mat cutter and ruler.
13.Place the third sheet of mat board (your mat) on top of the cel. You should now have a stack of the third sheet of mat board, your cel, the second sheet of mat board, your background, and the first sheet of mat board. I'm now going to call this stack... “the matted cel”.
*Note: feel free to add more mattes and/or filets on top of your matted cel.
14.Take the matted cel, and place it on top of your acid free foamcore.
15.Place your facing (glass or plexi) on top of your matted cel.
The cel is now ready to go into the metal frame.
Metal frames come with, or you buy, “spring clips” to keep tension within the frame. Here's a website that will show you how to put together a metal frame: http://www.framing4yourself.com/tutoria ... re-frames/
-
cutiebunny
- Yosutebito - Hermit
- Posts: 1936
- Joined: Sat Jul 23, 2005 1:55 pm
- Location: Rockin' da Cats-bah
- Contact:
Re: Floating a Framed Cel
Thank you for the step by step instructions. I had been looking for something like this, and I appreciate the write-up.