Advices
Here are some recommendations to ensure that your portrait will sustain over time.
For a pastel artwork: framing is compulsory!
Framing or having a portrait framed is imperative to protect it and to ensure that it can stand the test of time. In addition to protecting the work, framing is important because:
- It enhances it;
- It is in itself a decorative element that should not be neglected.
The choice of frame depends on your taste and your budget. However, a pastel cannot be framed like a photo:
- For aesthetic reasons;
- Because its frame must ensure that the glass does not touch the pastel and that it protects it from UV rays.
Therefore, I can only advise you to call on a professional framer.
Personally, I strongly recommend framing with a mat, which allows your animal to “breathe” and protects its portrait by interposing itself between the glass and it. However, it is perfectly possible to frame the work like an oil painting, always making sure that the glass does not touch the pastel. Here again, a professional will be able to advise you!
Examples of framing with matting
While waiting to frame or have your portrait framed:
- Do not touch the drawing and handle the paper with care to avoid rubbing or folding. The fixative is likely to yellow the pastel, so very little, if any, is applied before the portrait is sent to you. The pigments are therefore very volatile.
- Keep it in its pouch or cardboard, flat, and covered with its crystal paper. The paper used is specially designed to retain the dry pastel pigments. However, if the paper is left in the open air, the air movements will eventually carry them away and the paper will capture a dust that cannot be removed afterwards.
For oil paintings: framing is recommended
Animal paintings are sent without a special hanging system. It is possible to add one on request. That said, I recommend adding a frame, which will enhance the painting even more.
In practice, a shadowbox makes this possible for a relatively modest amount of money. On request, I can order one and attach your painting to it myself.
As my paintings are varnished, a soft cloth can be used to remove the dust that settles on them over time.
Never in the sun !
Whatever the medium, it’s essential never to expose the artwork to direct sunlight. To hang it in your home, prefer indirect daylight. Avoid damp rooms, and wall sections above heat sources such as heaters. Over time, the damage could be considerable.