present for my arm

**Reptile** · July 25th, 2009, 02:55 PM

so i just finished a portrait that i was planning on framing and giving to my girlfriend. But I'm a little worried that the glass from the frame will smudge it.Do i need some fixative or will it be fine with out?

**Elwell** · July 25th, 2009, 03:01 PM

Works on paper should always be matted when framed so that the artwork doesn't touch the glass.

**Reptile** · July 25th, 2009, 03:05 PM

sorry...matted?

**jamiljaser** · July 26th, 2009, 12:41 AM

Sounds like a nice gift man. If you're taking your piece to a framer, they will mat it for you. If you're doing it yourself, you can get some at any art supply store.

**DigitalShade** · July 26th, 2009, 02:56 AM

If the artwork was created with a dry media such as pencil or pastel it should be spray fixed and matted, otherwise the static on the glass will pull the particles off the paper toward the glass leaving a powdery film on the glass and a pile of powder at the bottom of your image. If you don't matte it and put it directly against the glass moisture will build up and the art will become stuck to the surface and it can smear from the expansion and contraction that naturally occurs.

If it's something you want to last make sure the Matte is 100% archival not the cheap buffered stuff that's pre cut. A lot of people don't realize a majority of those pre cut mattes that say archival will say buffered on the back of the package. This means that a thin layer of acid free paper has been glued onto an acidic matte to absorb some of the acid when it starts to go bad. They can still damage a picture by bleeding through. Saw it happen a lot and cringed when I'd see little old ladies take really old black and white family photos and slap cheap mattes on them because they thought the correct ones were too expensive and the pre cuts should be just as good. Make sure the frame lip that comes in contact with the image and matte is lined with an archival tape to prevent acid from the frame from seeping into the image. When you mount the image to the matte make sure you attach it at the top and let it hang so the rest floats free. That way you will avoid buckling from moisture and the art can stretch and shrink without an adhesive restricting it. Almost forgot the dust cover that goes on the back of the frame sealing everything up should also be an archival paper, if it's the cheap brown stuff then it's not.

If it's a painting you would just frame it without glass with archival tape lining the frame lip, paintings need to breath.