A home is not a museum — there aren’t any guards to protect the valuables, and the house wasn’t built only as a way to display artwork. But even though you may not have all the bells and whistles of a museum, you can still light up your artwork professionally with a few gallery lighting techniques.
Gallery lighting, also called museum lighting, refers to the method used to illuminate artwork in a professional setting. Museums use this type of lighting to illuminate artwork not only so that the viewer has a clear, unobstructed view of the sculpture, painting, print or photograph — it is a way to get rid of reflections and shadows on picture frames — but so that the artwork’s most important features are highlighted appropriately.
Lighting the right way is actually its own field of study — the Illuminating Engineering Society was founded over a hundred years ago to address these very issues. They take into consideration the five “controllable qualities of light”: intensity, movement, angle, distribution and color, as well as the types of lights available. The Smithsonian American Art Museum, for example, created a video featuring the different ways in which light was used to enhance the gallery’s contents. Its complexity is surprising, with a series of halogen floodlights and incandescent spotlights precisely illuminating a sculpture — and the result is striking.
While it may not be entirely possible to control all five qualities of light in your own home, you can still create a dramatic effect by keeping a few tips in mind.
Unlike the rooms of a museum, which are built for the sole purpose of displaying artwork, the rooms of your home are built to be lived in. You may choose to have a room whose purpose is more geared towards displaying artwork, such as a study — this means that you have more of an opportunity to light for the objects, not the people in them.
If you have a sculpture, you can choose to mount spotlights in various locations to highlight the piece, which may make the lighting in the rest of the room a bit darker. You could also choose to strategically place table or floor lamps around the room to create layers of light rather than lighting the artwork alone, says lighting consultant Harry Triggs. Alternatively, if you have one large painting in an often used living room, you may choose to mount a row of ceiling lights above it — the painting will still be illuminated, but you can still see the rest of the room clearly.
There are numerous light fixtures used in museum lighting, including ceiling lights, track lights, wall washers and picture lights.
Ceiling lights, which can be recessed or surface-mounted, light from above. When using ceiling lights, ensure that the angle is at 30 degrees — any less, says lighting expert Doug Russell, and you’ll get shadows. Any more, such as 45 degrees, and you’ll get glare on the picture frame.
Track lights offer similar advantages to ceiling lights, but they are more adjustable and easier to install. They may not have the same clean, professional look as recessed ceiling lights, but they are more suited to homeowners that don’t want to renovate their house simply to light artwork. The same rules in terms of angles apply: 30 degrees, no more and no less.
Wall washers are more dramatic, illuminating the entire wall rather than a single piece of artwork. This is particularly useful if you would like to highlight artwork in a room that still needs to be adequately lit, such as an office or living room. A wall washer can be placed at the floor or ceiling — and, since the entire wall is lit, you don’t have to worry about keeping that one piece of artwork indefinitely.
Picture lights are one of the most common ways to light artwork at home. They attach to the top of the picture frame itself, casting light downwards. While they can truly bring attention to the artwork and come in a range of colors, styles and sizes, you must be careful of the type of light and its intensity so as to not damage the artwork, as the light source is very close to the artwork.
UV light is a known enemy of artwork, causing some of the most severe damage over time. Even though you may keep your artwork out of direct sunlight, many types still emit UV rays and create heat. Instead of using standard incandescent light bulbs, opt for LED light bulbs, which emit less UV light. Halogen bulbs are often used, but they do emit heat and can damage artwork if they are used for long periods of time. You could also choose to frame your artwork with UV-filter glazing to further protect your art.
A home is not a museum — there aren’t any guards to protect the valuables, and the house wasn’t built only as a way to display artwork. But even though you may not have all the bells and whistles of a museum, you can still light up your artwork professionally with a few gallery lighting […]
After years of hard work and perhaps a few tears, you’ve finally received that simple piece of paper that makes it all worthwhile: your diploma. Instead of keeping it tucked away in a drawer, though, put it on display the right way with a high quality college diploma frame.
Most diplomas are delivered flat, but it is possible that your diploma will be mailed rolled up — or the postal office may inadvertently bend it. Older diplomas in storage may have lived for years in a tube, making it almost impossible for them to lie flat. While a diploma may flatten over time in a picture frame, it is far easier to frame a diploma if it is not constantly curling up at the edges.
To flatten a diploma, place it face-down on a clean, hard surface such as a table or a piece of acrylic, and place a leather print weight on each corner; you can use blotting paper in between to further protect the document. Leave the diploma undisturbed for at least a day, after which it should no longer curl. If it still curls at the edges, leave it under the weights longer, or place a heavier object on top of it. For wrinkled or creased paper-based diplomas, you can (carefully) use a little bit of heat with a standard clothes iron. Sandwich the diploma between two sheets of blotting paper and iron it on low to remove the creases.
Note that while you can use heat on regular wood pulp-based paper diplomas, you should never use heat to flatten a parchment diploma. Parchment is a traditional material made from sheepskin or other animal hide on which older diplomas are printed, and it can be irreparably damaged by heat. For traditional parchment diplomas, it is best to bring it to a professional conservator to ensure you do not damage the diploma.
Those who have dug their diplomas out of storage and noticed a buildup of dust and fingerprints should clean the document before placing it in a frame — otherwise, you run the risk of further damage. Use a special document cleaner and cleaning pads on paper-based diplomas, which absorb grime without damaging the paper. Traditional parchment diplomas should be cleaned by a professional.
An off-the-shelf picture frame at a department store may fit a diploma, but the materials contained within — the mount board and mat board — are often not archival. Because diplomas are one of a kind, it’s preferable to choose frames that use materials that will not damage the diploma in the long run.
Framer’s Tip: Before framing your diploma, make a high-resolution digital copy — while it’s not common to send your diploma to job prospects, it will be more difficult to do so once the frame is assembled.
Diplomas generally come in similar sizes, though they may be oriented differently: portrait, where the height is greater than the width, or landscape, in which the width is greater than the height. Ready-made picture frames are the quickest way to frame a diploma as they include all the necessities and are available in the most common sizes, but you are restricted in terms of mat board and frame style — generally white mat board and a black metal frame. To truly highlight your diploma, there are a few ways to customize your frame beyond choosing a wood frame.
Some ready-made picture frames do not come with mat board; others include only a white archival mat board. While this provides a clean, professional look, you can also match the mat board to your school’s colors to personalize it just a bit more. Some archival mat board, such as the Bainbridge 4-ply Alphamat, is available in dozens of colors, including blue, green and red.
Most schools have more than one color — if you want to highlight both of them, design a custom mat board with a double mat in the frame. This allows you to use more color in an understated yet eye-catching way, which can be especially useful if your diploma contains little to no color.
If your school’s colors are not available in a suitable archival mat board, there is still an opportunity to bring a pop of color to the frame. Lay a ribbon in your school’s colors diagonally across a corner of the diploma to give a subtle nod to your school. Alternatively, if you’ve kept your graduation tassel, you can include this within the framing package as well, but note that it may require a little extra space within the frame.
Though you can order a duplicate from your high school or university, a copy of your diploma will never be the original — so it’s important to frame it with care and make sure you’re proud to have it on display for years to come.
After years of hard work and perhaps a few tears, you’ve finally received that simple piece of paper that makes it all worthwhile: your diploma. Instead of keeping it tucked away in a drawer, though, put it on display the right way with a high quality college diploma frame. Ready Your Diploma for the Frame […]
Despite its delicate nature, charcoal is featured in some of the oldest artwork in the world. It was used in the famous Chauvet prehistoric cave paintings in France, for example, and many artists still use the medium to sketch thanks to its softness and ability to be easily erased. True pastels are not as old as charcoal — they were first used in the Renaissance — but still remain one of the oldest media.
Modern charcoal comes in a variety of types, including vine, compressed and pencils. Vine charcoal is made by burning wood — most commonly willow or linden — and is characterized by its irregular shape, fine particle size and consistency. Compressed charcoal uses a binder, which makes it more dense and harder to erase, and charcoal pencils use compressed charcoal wrapped in paper or wood.
Charcoal is available only its distinctive black. But pastels are made with binder, chalk and pigment, offering a wide range of colors. Depending on how much chalk is added, pastels may be soft — easier to blend but dusty. Or they may be hard — less likely to erase or smudge but able to produce finer details.
One of the greatest strengths of charcoals and pastels is also their greatest weakness. They are easily erased by the artist to correct a mistake or change direction. They're also easily erased by anyone or anything that touches the art — even a heavy breath may disturb the fine particles! Artists who create charcoal or pastel artwork for sale may want to use a fixative to seal the materials, although this can often change the appearance of the work in terms of saturation and hue.
If you've bought charcoal or pastel artwork and the artist hasn't sealed it, we don't recommended using a fixative yourself. Fixatives are made with toxic chemicals that pose a serious health hazard. And while hairspray has been suggested as an alternative fixative for at-home use, the chemicals in hairspray cause the artwork to yellow over time.
While you wait for a new wood frame or metal frame to arrive, make sure to store the artwork correctly. Charcoal and pastel drawings should be stored face-up and flat in an acid-free storage box, preferably not on top of one another. Cover each work with a glassine sheet or acid-free tissue — not plastic or paper, which can both disturb the artwork. To be extra careful, use acid-free tape to secure the artwork to a substrate such as full sheet mat board. Handle the artwork as little as possible to avoid smudging, and touch only the corners.
Mounting
Because charcoal and pastels are one-of-a-kind pieces of art, you should not use any permanent mounting methods. Instead, mount the artwork using T- or V-hinges with hinging tape or acid-free photo corners to the backing board (not the mat board). These mounting methods will help ensure minimal movement.
Matting
A mat board can be a particularly helpful tool thanks to the bevel. Typically, mat board is cut with a standard bevel edge, meaning that it is cut at an angle to expose the mat board core. However, cutting a reverse bevel on a mat board — in which the bevel faces inward, and only the straight edge is visible — creates a channel into which dislodged dust from the artwork can fall, cleverly hidden from view.
If you prefer not to use a mat board, or if you want to float mount the artwork, use picture frame spacers to ensure there is enough room between the glazing and the artwork.
Glazing
Glazing is almost always used with charcoal or pastel artwork to protect it from damage. Glass is preferred over acrylic because acrylic builds up a static charge that can disturb particles in the charcoal or pastel.
At one time, charcoal and pastel artwork used to be framed flush against the glass. It certainly seems to make sense that framing these fragile works tightly against glass would prevent any dust from falling. However, space between the glazing and the artwork is better because it helps prevent mold growth and humidity.
Handling
When putting together the frame, move it as little as possible. Each time you jostle the frame, especially flipping it over repeatedly, bits of the charcoal and pastels will become dislodged.
Charcoal and pastel are popular media among artists. However, they may be framed and displayed less often due to their fragility. While these artworks may require a little extra care, a few thoughtful steps and helpful techniques can make framing these special pieces well worth it.
Despite its delicate nature, charcoal is featured in some of the oldest artwork in the world. It was used in the famous Chauvet prehistoric cave paintings in France, for example, and many artists still use the medium to sketch thanks to its softness and ability to be easily erased. True pastels are not as old […]
Even though it is one of the most delicate art media, charcoal is featured in some of the oldest artwork in the world. It was used in the famous Chauvet cave paintings in France, for example, and many artists still use the medium to sketch thanks to its softness and ability to be easily erased. True pastels are not as old as charcoal — they were first used in the Renaissance — but still remain one of the oldest media.
Modern charcoal comes in a variety of types, in including vine, compressed and pencils. Vine charcoal is made by simply burning wood, most commonly willow or linden, and is characterized by its irregular shape, fine particle size and consistency — it most resembles the charcoal used in its earlier days. Compressed charcoal uses a binder, which makes it harder and less easy to erase, and charcoal pencils use compressed charcoal wrapped in paper or wood.
Whereas charcoal is available only its distinctive black, pastels, made with pigment, binder and chalk, offer a wide range of colors. Depending on how much chalk is added, they may be soft, which is easier to blend but dusty, or hard, which is less likely to erase or smudge but produces finer details.
One of the greatest strengths of charcoal and pastel is also their greatest weakness. They are not only easily erased by the artist, but by anyone or anything that touches it — even a heavy breath may disturb the fine particles. Artists who create charcoal or pastel artwork that is intended to be sold may use a fixative to seal the materials, but this can often change the appearance of the work in terms of saturation and hue.
If you have bought charcoal or pastel artwork and the artist has not sealed it, it is not recommended to use a fixative yourself as they are made with toxic chemicals that pose a serious health hazard. Hairspray has also been suggested as an alternative fixative for at-home use, but the chemicals in hairspray cause the artwork to yellow over time.
While you wait for a new wood or metal frame to arrive, ensure that you store the artwork correctly. Charcoal and pastel drawings should be stored face-up and flat in an acid-free storage box, preferably not on top of one another. Each work can be covered with a glassine sheet — not plastic or paper, which can both disturb the artwork — if necessary, held in place with acid-free tape to a substrate such as mat board. Handle the artwork as little as possible to avoid smudging, and touch only the corners.
Because charcoal and pastels are one-of-a-kind pieces of art, you should not use any permanent mounting methods. Instead, mount the artwork using T- or V-hinges or acid-free photo corners to the backing board — not the mat board — to ensure minimal movement.
A mat board can be a particularly helpful tool thanks to the bevel. Typically, mat board is cut with a standard bevel edge, meaning that it is cut at an angle to expose the mat board core. However, cutting a reverse bevel on a mat board — in which the bevel faces inward, and only the straight edge is visible — creates a channel into which dislodged dust from the artwork can fall, remaining hidden from view.
If you prefer not to use a mat board (or want to float mount the artwork instead), use frame spacers to ensure there is enough room between the glazing and the artwork.
Glazing is almost always used with charcoal or pastel artwork to protect it from damage. Glass is recommended over acrylic with media such as charcoal and pastel, as acrylic builds up a static charge that can disturb particles in the artwork.
Earlier, artwork may have been framed right up against the glass — it certainly seems to make sense that framing pastel and charcoal works against the glass would prevent any dust from falling. However, the space between the glazing and the artwork prevents mold growth and humidity; while some argue that moisture can help “bind” dust, professionals confirm that there should always be a space between the glazing and the artwork.
When putting together the frame, move it as little as possible. Each time you jostle the frame, especially flipping it over repeatedly, bits of the charcoal and pastels will become dislodged.
Charcoal and pastel are popular and commonly used, but they may be less often bought, framed and displayed at home due to their fragility. While they may require a little extra care, a few extra steps and different techniques can make framing them just as easy as a photograph.
Even though it is one of the most delicate art media, charcoal is featured in some of the oldest artwork in the world. It was used in the famous Chauvet cave paintings in France, for example, and many artists still use the medium to sketch thanks to its softness and ability to be easily erased. […]
It has never been so easy to take photographs while on vacation. Most of those photos, however, go unnoticed, either scrolled past in never-ending social media feeds or kept hidden away on phones and memory cards.
With more people jetting off to far-flung locations and more ways to take a photo (the both loved and hated selfie sticks, for example), it may be more meaningful to display your travels on walls that can’t be scrolled through: those in your home.
Snapping a photo was once more carefully considered, since film could be limited or expensive — no one wanted to waste time and money developing blurry scenery or failed candid shots. But it is the easier accessibility that has made people less likely to print and display photos. Instead of simply throwing out the bad shots, you have to choose among dozens with imperceptible differences.
When taking photos for your vacation, delete the ones you don’t like immediately; collect the photos you love by putting them into a folder or saving them to your phone under “favorites.” Remember that photos that look great on Instagram may not be the best choice to print and hang in your home — choose photos that evoke positive memories, not just ones that look pretty when the right filter is added.
Vary the type of photos for a unique travel gallery wall. Along with the typical shots that epitomize the destination (a photo of the Eiffel Tower or the Coliseum, for example), select posed group photos, candid portraits, or even unique macro photos that feature complementary colors. A travel gallery wall should not only tell viewers where you’ve been, but what it felt like to be there.
It’s far too easy to create a disjointed gallery wall if you’ve got plenty of travel photos and space. To ensure you stay on track, pick a theme: select just one trip or country to highlight, or perhaps a gallery wall filled with shots of historic monuments around the world. With each trip, you can replace the photos or even leave a few blank with placeholders for trips to come.
The right picture frames for a gallery wall can support the theme. A collection of frames in mismatched colors and materials can add a sense of eclecticism; backpackers may find their photos are more suited to various picture frames that tell a story. Photos depicting family adventures may feel more at home in understated metal picture frames to ensure the focus stays on the subjects.
When building a standard photo wall display, you’ll most likely add just prints. With a travel gallery wall, however, there is the opportunity to get creative.
Create a centerpiece: Frame a map of the region, country or even the world to act as an anchor for the rest of the photos. Some travel galleries even feature themed wall decals or hanging metal wall art from which you can create lines with string or cords to “point” to the corresponding photos.
Add lettering: Make a statement (literally) with words and phrases hung above or within the gallery. Hang wood lettering such as “explore” or “adventure” as an eye-catching accent, or go a little subtler with a framed quote, such as the short but sweet Seuss-ism, “Oh, the places you’ll go!” or the more serious philosophical sentiment, “Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” Word art such as this can be easily custom made and printed, so you can even special order your family name or unique phrases.
Frame trinkets from traveling: Ticket stubs, maps, coins and other items you’ve collected on your travels can be framed and added to the gallery wall; larger items, such as decorative plates or tiles, can be hung on their own among the frames. This can be especially striking when the colors of the items complement the photos.
When you’re finally ready to plan the layout of the gallery wall, it’s best to actually lay it all out. Use Kraft paper, also called butcher paper, to create templates of the frame and tape them to the wall to figure out where everything should go. When it’s time to hang, use the picture hanger tool to ensure you only have to hammer once.
The current American obsession with traveling means that there are possibly thousands of photos in your online gallery — don’t let them be forgotten! Choose your favorites and create a memorable gallery wall in your home that can keep growing and changing with your travels.
It has never been so easy to take photographs while on vacation. Most of those photos, however, go unnoticed, either scrolled past in never-ending social media feeds or kept hidden away on phones and memory cards. With more people jetting off to far-flung locations and more ways to take a photo (the both loved and […]
For the most part, artwork that is hanging in a museum often looks pretty simple: sleek metal or original wooden frames, matted or not, hanging on clean walls. But even though the presentation in a museum is fairly modest, there is a lot more going on to protect these priceless pieces of art from unseen dangers.
In fact, most museums don’t even show off their most precious pieces from their collections; for example, the Louvre displays just 8% of its massive collection, and most museums display even fewer. Space is one reason that museums will keep these pieces of art locked away in climate-controlled, heavily protected, immaculate storage facilities — there is simply not enough room to hang thousands (or even millions) of pieces of art in one building. Another reason is the concern for the condition of the pieces themselves: some artwork is just too old, too delicate and too valuable to risk the damage of displaying them.
While often used interchangeably, preservation and conservation are separate ideas. According to the Library of Congress, preservation is an overarching concept that includes conservation efforts in its goal to maintain or improve the condition of the piece. Conservation efforts focus on the materials, method of construction, provenance and historical significance of the work in order to preserve them.
Since museum storage facilities are generally not open to the public — though some museums are moving in that direction — one of the best-known examples of the lengths to which museums will go to protect particularly valuable pieces is the Mona Lisa in the Louvre. In 2005, the painting was moved into a bulletproof enclosure that is kept at a precise temperature and level of humidity with minimal light exposure — hitting all the points of conservation.
While it’s not necessary to copy how museums store and display artwork, especially in the case of the Mona Lisa, some of their guidelines can be applied to the home.
Museums have permanent collections, but they’ll sometimes present temporary exhibitions of pieces that have been in storage for years. The Albertina Museum in Vienna, Austria, for example, put Albrecht Durer’s famous Young Hare on display a few years ago for just a short period of time, the BBC reported, as the delicate masterpiece requires periods of “rest” in a dark, dry storage facility to prevent any damage.
Most households don’t have such priceless pieces on display, but some photographs, documents or other artwork may hold equal sentimental value. Treat your home like a museum — while there may be a permanent collection, bring out pieces from storage for a few months, perhaps coinciding with the seasons or based on a theme.
A common place to hang large paintings and photographs is directly over a fireplace — but this is actually one of the worst place for one, especially if it’s a wood-burning fireplace and the artwork has no glazing. Heat can dry out artwork, soften paint and attract dust and grime; with wood-burning fireplaces, the rising soot and smoke can cause even further damage. Ensure artwork is hung away from heating vents or air conditioning units as well — museums’ storage facilities are always temperature controlled.
Additionally, homes that get tons of sunlight are desirable, but not for artwork. Museums have far fewer windows in their galleries (and sometimes none at all) to minimize exposure to harmful UV light. While you can purchase UV-filter glass or acrylic glazing, not everyone knows what type of glazing is in existing frames or feel the need to purchase specialty glazing . Take care to hang picture frames in areas that receive no direct sunlight, or hang only easily reproducible work in rooms with lots of natural light.
Choose your storage space wisely when putting artwork away for any period of time. Basements, attics, and garages are the main storage spaces for most homes, but they are less likely to be insulated or temperature controlled. The extreme fluctuations in temperature and humidity may cause more damage than constant display in sunlight.
Many people spend a lot of time and money on picture framing packages and picture mats with all the trimmings, such as cotton rag mat board and archival mount board, but not as many invest in the storage of their artwork. Handle artwork — especially paper documents — with cotton gloves, and store them unfolded in between acid-free tissue paper in museum-quality storage boxes.
Museums may have a team of experts to handle the storage and display of valuable artwork, but their techniques and tools can be used just as well at home to protect your own priceless art.
For the most part, artwork that is hanging in a museum often looks pretty simple: sleek metal or original wooden frames, matted or not, hanging on clean walls. But even though the presentation in a museum is fairly modest, there is a lot more going on to protect these priceless pieces of art from unseen […]