A question for anyone who’s framed a cel…

[kizu]

I love to frame but I don't have the space. I did try framing once and on one cel I did notice some fading so I took it down. Once I have an office room I can keep dark I'll be putting up the cels... But for now they're stored and yes I did like you did and printed on thick matte paper the cels... I don't know if I should've used glossy paper though... Hmm...

[iceman57]

Also I'll add that the last time I had the urge to frame a cel, but didn't wat to risk actually doing so, I printed out a copy of a scan of it...I used glossy Strathmore computer art paper and I was really really impressed by how good the print came out. Once under the glass of the frame it really looks like the acutal cel was framed. So I can still have the enjoyment of looking at it all the time (because I agree that seeing and enjoying them is part of the point of collecting) but the real thing is stored safely and not at any risk. This way I could also use a much cheaper frame, etc and not spend as much on the framing as the actual cel cost (or more.)

Just one solution.

After reading eveyrone's feedback I'd no longer say I'm 100% against framing them period. I still am inclined to not do it again, but I'm feeling a lot of my own problem was the placement of where I put the frame, and not totally because the cel wass framed. I'm pretty content just displaying prints though.

Even famous museum exhibit copies and repros of their most fragile arts. Note that some weeks framed display will not damage them, damages are hopefully not so fast... What I'm thinking now is way to frame multiple arts in a unique frame without contaminating each others if an art is more affected than another.

I love to frame but I don't have the space. I did try framing once and on one cel I did notice some fading so I took it down. Once I have an office room I can keep dark I'll be putting up the cels... But for now they're stored and yes I did like you did and printed on thick matte paper the cels... I don't know if I should've used glossy paper though... Hmm...

Light ain't the root cause of damages, acidity of artwork and framing material are sources of damages. For a glossy paper printing, an easy tip is to increase by 30% lightness before printing, that will make your art print closer to your computer screen display because most of printer converting from RGB colors (computer display) to CMYK colors (printing technic) often darker an image.

[cutiebunny]

Has anyone made a fancel out of something they own for displaying purposes? I've been thinking about doing that with some of the items I own, but, I was wondering if anyone else here has tried it.

[iceman57]

Has anyone made a fancel out of something they own for displaying purposes? I've been thinking about doing that with some of the items I own, but, I was wondering if anyone else here has tried it.

Interesting, note that as acetate curse the lines, maybe a fan-art painted on polyester is the best way to have it framed on long conservation term.

[syan]

Has anyone made a fancel out of something they own for displaying purposes? I've been thinking about doing that with some of the items I own, but, I was wondering if anyone else here has tried it.

That actually reminded me of a fan cel I have framed up downstairs (I hardly ever go into that room). It gets a decent amount of light due to the location and semi-thin shade, but after checking, it has no fading whatsoever, even after 2 years.

Another method of displaying my cels I've tried is via a digital frame. I'm so-so with that, but primarily because I was lazy and didn't resize my scans to best fit the frame's display.

[toonybabe]

I don't think I will ever frame any of my cels - I just don't want to risk it. I've bought several cels that came framed - I try to get them out of the frames ASAP. The longest I left a cel in a frame after I bought it was around a year, and that was only because I was afraid to take it out.

Thanks for all of the info Iceman - I have quite a few Unico cels and a few Inspector Gadget cels that have line fading. And most of the fading is found around yellow/orange/brown cel paint. I wonder if it would be a good idea to cut some of that acid absorbing board and stick it inside the cel bags with my problem cels.

[iceman57]

Thanks for all of the info Iceman - I have quite a few Unico cels and a few Inspector Gadget cels that have line fading. And most of the fading is found around yellow/orange/brown cel paint. I wonder if it would be a good idea to cut some of that acid absorbing board and stick it inside the cel bags with my problem cels.

Just offered to share the data I collected to help people consuming time/energy/money on UV light as a prior damage. UV glasses offer protection on a long range display but this is not interesting at all to protect an art for damages appearing in 10 years if you don't focus today problems that will damage your art within a year. First enemy is definitively cel acetate acidity combined with temperature and humidity that activated the acidity processus.
As I'm not a mother english speaker here are articles from UNESCO about, films are part of human mankind and consequently protected by UNESCO organisation :
http://www.unesco.org/search/search_en. ... ndrom#1172

Coming back on your question, first is maybe to remove cel bag if not sure to be in polypropylene or polyester, second not to seal it to allow art to "breathe", third to use acidic absorber as active coal that will drain the acid. Note again that there is no turn back once processus activated (confirmed to certainly happening when being badly stored in Japan half tropical weather with temperature and humidity activating the processus) but we all can benefit from the knowledge coming from a century of film industry archives to reduce the damage speed during our human life on those 30 years old arts in order to transmit it to future conservators able to have new technics to even more preserve them.
I won't be so categoric to not display them in public and preserve them sealed as even being sealed in a safe environment there would be damages appearing. As I like to share art knowledges with audience, I consequently have to display a portion of collection to others to bring japanese animation arts to reach the level of true art pieces.

[Mackettric]

Has anyone made a fancel out of something they own for displaying purposes? I've been thinking about doing that with some of the items I own, but, I was wondering if anyone else here has tried it.

I just frame color photo copies. That way you can just use store bought frames, so it's way cheaper and no worries about conservation. For me, it's also space issue as well, I've turned down larger pieces and framed pieces just because I don't have room to store them, and it's way less expensive considering a properly conservation framing a cel will run $300-400+.

One of the biggest difference I see between the American Disney/WB higher end cel collectors and anime cel collector is the desire to frame / display cels. With Disney cels, that's the whole point, and often times, the framing costs are extremely high, but collectors want to show off the piece. Restorers / animation art galleries all cater to that kind of mind set that collectors have a few pieces that are all hanging on their wall and displayed at all times, not a lot of pieces tucked away trying to be preserved.

[iceman57]

Has anyone made a fancel out of something they own for displaying purposes? I've been thinking about doing that with some of the items I own, but, I was wondering if anyone else here has tried it.

I just frame color photo copies. That way you can just use store bought frames, so it's way cheaper and no worries about conservation. For me, it's also space issue as well, I've turned down larger pieces and framed pieces just because I don't have room to store them, and it's way less expensive considering a properly conservation framing a cel will run $300-400+.

One of the biggest difference I see between the American Disney/WB higher end cel collectors and anime cel collector is the desire to frame / display cels. With Disney cels, that's the whole point, and often times, the framing costs are extremely high, but collectors want to show off the piece. Restorers / animation art galleries all cater to that kind of mind set that collectors have a few pieces that are all hanging on their wall and displayed at all times, not a lot of pieces tucked away trying to be preserved.

Well the question regarding WB/Disney display of arts recalls to the vision, the motor that drives a collector, being selfish and collecting for himself/herself/couple keeping cels in an Itoya celbook (warning, proximity with contamined cels is not recommended) opposed to the collectors with a sharing vision. WB/Disney are from a more old generation due to cinema broadcast of those arts from 1930 till 1960s, this generation has kids, a personnal background and offers to share and transmit more than a recent generation focused on anime that is only starting to store arts in inventories. Concerning frame prices, there are competitive framers able to protect the art for half of this cost, especially if you explain them the factors of damages and focus on cheaper material (of course without reaching the price of a chinese massproduced frame).

The remark about restaurator/conservator point of view is excellent, a displayed art risks more, but to transmit art knowledge, you unfortunaly need to display art. Coming back on the "raft of medusa" example (apologies my notes slowly sound lilke "Groundhog Day" movie), I may emit an hypothesis which is "yellow lines is normal" from a 21st century point of view as maybe "marron lines is normal" from a 22nd century point of view, as maybe "no lines are normal" from a 23rd century point of view. The vision we have from a masterpiece or recognized reference art depends on our existence timerange, what I mean is that we can't compare a picture in a museum from what it had been 4 centuries ago because unfortunaly there are no existing time machines. If someone from the 20th century visit the 23rd century museum and see the original, this person will consider it as totally damaged and non representative, but if this art is part of the 50 rest of 20th century asian art, any art student or museum visitor of the 23rd century will consider it as a masterpiece an a testimony from a past era, style and technics.

[Arrow]

Also I'll add that the last time I had the urge to frame a cel, but didn't wat to risk actually doing so, I printed out a copy of a scan of it...I used glossy Strathmore computer art paper and I was really really impressed by how good the print came out. Once under the glass of the frame it really looks like the acutal cel was framed. So I can still have the enjoyment of looking at it all the time (because I agree that seeing and enjoying them is part of the point of collecting) but the real thing is stored safely and not at any risk. This way I could also use a much cheaper frame, etc and not spend as much on the framing as the actual cel cost (or more.)

I've been thinking about doing this with my cels - I'm scared to frame them but I really want to display them in some way. Printing them out seems like a good option. I'm curious to hear more about how people print them and the kind of paper/scanner/printer they recommend to get the best effect. Of course, cheap printing will also fade and change colour, so I'd have to get them printed with archival-quality ink rather than a standard printer.

Hmm. Lots to consider!

[iceman57]

Also I'll add that the last time I had the urge to frame a cel, but didn't wat to risk actually doing so, I printed out a copy of a scan of it...I used glossy Strathmore computer art paper and I was really really impressed by how good the print came out. Once under the glass of the frame it really looks like the acutal cel was framed. So I can still have the enjoyment of looking at it all the time (because I agree that seeing and enjoying them is part of the point of collecting) but the real thing is stored safely and not at any risk. This way I could also use a much cheaper frame, etc and not spend as much on the framing as the actual cel cost (or more.)

I've been thinking about doing this with my cels - I'm scared to frame them but I really want to display them in some way. Printing them out seems like a good option. I'm curious to hear more about how people print them and the kind of paper/scanner/printer they recommend to get the best effect. Of course, cheap printing will also fade and change colour, so I'd have to get them printed with archival-quality ink rather than a standard printer.

Hmm. Lots to consider!

Well, polyester offers a 500 years conservation and no acid fumes aspect as cellulose nitrate and cellulose triacetate do. You can print on but I may admit that I only used it in my technical designer life for b&w blueprints and never used color on it. If you will to print a RGB bitmap and have the same "on screen" render you need to increase the printed file brightness of 50% to balance with the CMYK conversion that will do your printer. I personnaly use "ultra glossy paper" for my company commercials prints, ain't the render of a professionnal offset machine but for a homemade print, EPSON six cardridges machines offers a high quality semi-professionnal render ($200-$300 depending on machine).
That question of "repro" framing brings us to the photography conservation aspect, as printer put a layer of colors on a support which is the printer paper sheet. There are several similities with the animation art conservation and lifetime of a print/photography got the same issues of pigment duration in time with temperature and humidity. I have to check my books but if I remember well the duration of a print ink is something like 40 years. Fortunaly during this time, there's no problem to reprint an art from your picture scan (of course if you change 5 times of hard drive as it does not have a very long lifetime too)...
I think that for scanner most of beta users recommands wide MUSTEK 1200 ($150) so coupled with the EPSON printer, budget is $350-$450 with a two years warranty. Maybe a good Xmas idea