Matting, Framing, and Wiring Illustrations for Hanging in a Gallery—Video Tutorial

The art from the video framed and up on the gallery wall at the WSU Dolphin Gallery

A friend asked me for help on how to frame illustrations for a show. Since I thought it would be helpful for others as well, I put together this video to share how I frame and wire my illustrations. While illustrators aren’t always gallery artists, we do sometimes have the opportunity to show our work in galleries and other exhibitions. It’s important to know how to frame up your pieces for shows and how to wire it properly for hanging. 

You’ll often find gallery shows and other events have specific instructions for framing that include “framed and wired for hanging”. It’s important you follow their instructions and make everyone’s lives easier. 

This post outlines how to create a hinge mat, frame your piece, and wire the frame to be hung. It applies specifically to flat work on paper, such as watercolors, pen art on paper, digital art printed on paper, etc. If you’re framing pieces painted or printed on canvases or boards, you’ll need to find another framing method. 

Watch the Video:

The Steps for Matting, Framing, and Wiring Art for Hanging:

  1. Gather all of your materials
  2. Create a hinge mat
    1. Line up top of cut mat and backing board
    2. Measure out hinging tape and cut
    3. Place hinging tape across top inside of backing board and cut mat board
    4. Flatten tape so it’s smooth
    5. Fold mat board over onto backing board
  3. Place art under mat board
    1. Center art in your cut mat board
    2. Carefully place photo corners on each corner of the art
  4. Put art into frame
    1. Open up frame back
    2. Clean inside of frame glass (and let dry)
    3. Place art inside from, face down onto glass
    4. Be sure your art looks good from the front before closing it up
    5. Place frame back back into frame and latch into place securely
  5. Wire the frame for hanging
    1. Find your desired placement of wire hanging brackets (mark with pencil if needed)
    2. Hold bracket in place while screwing in screw to secure it
    3. Repeat on the opposite side
    4. Measure and cut your wire (leave extra on each end for securing)
    5. Thread wire through bracket loops
    6. Secure wire either with crimp tubes (squeeze into place with pliers) or by wrapping around itself until secure
  6. Clean front of glass
  7. Label back of your art as necessary according to gallery instructions

Materials List:

  1. Your art
  2. A frame appropriately sized for your art
  3. A pre-cut mat board sized for your art
  4. Backing board
  5. Linen hinging tape (archival)
  6. Photo corners (archival)
  7. Framing wire, brackets, screws, and optional crimp tubes
  8. Lens cleaning wipes
  9. Screwdriver
  10. Needle nose pliers and wire cutter
  11. Scissors

Links for Some Items Used in This Video:

The art being framed in this video is Sierra Nevada Red Fox and is available for purchase. Contact Me to purchase the original (including this frame). You can also buy prints and stickers of this piece in the online art shop.

Feel free to leave your questions or comments in the comment box below. Thanks for watching!

Primavera Mother—Time-Lapse Painting Demo Video

A watercolor mixed-media illustration of a young mother gazing lovingly at her newborn baby. Her hair is filled with flowers and butterflies and a bumblebee hover around them. Art by Victoria K. Chapman.
Primavera Mother by Victoria K. Chapman

I was recently inspired by Mother’s Day, which just passed, and my experience as a mother myself to create a new painting. I was also inspired by the beautiful flowers that are now emerging in the spring. One morning, I visited our local New England Botanic Gardens at Tower Hill in Boylston, MA. I found so much joy in all of the amazing flowers and pollinators sipping up their nectar. I created a sketch from these two sources of inspirations while I was there. The next two days after, I created this new hand-painted illustration, “Primavera Mother” and then made this time-lapse painting demo video to share.

I set up a camera to run while I worked in order to create a time-lapsed video of the illustration process. I always find it so interesting to watch other artists and illustrators paint, draw, and work their craft. I know others enjoy this too. I hope you also enjoy this new video of the process to create “Primavera Mother”.

“Primavera Mother” was created using watercolors, gouache, gel pen, and colored pencils. It took approximately 15 hours to create from drawing sketches to finished painting. There were several hours of video footage to edit down and compress into 4 minutes, which was quite the challenge!

The music in the video is a song I wrote called “Love at First Sight”, which was originally written as a lullaby for my son when he was one year old. The lyrics are about how one loves their newborn baby so deeply and quickly even though they just met. It is the true “love at first sight”. You can hear more of my music at aquaence.com and aquaence.bandcamp.com/music.

If you’re interested in purchasing prints of “Primavera Mother”, you can find both 9×12″ matted prints and 5×7″ matted prints in my online art shop. If you’re interested in purchasing the original, please contact me.

Thanks for watching!

The World Needs Your Light

Recently, I was in a monthly meeting with a solopreneur career coaching group I’m in with Val Nelson. Val is an amazing coach who helps introverts and heart-centered people find their way as business owners or in new careers. Our conversations are not only about business, but also about matters of the heart and mind. In our August meeting, during our grounding meditation, I heard my own inner voice speak to me through my feelings of despair over the state of the world. It said, “The world needs your light”. In fact, the world needs all of our light.

Here I was feeling like the horse Artax in The Never-ending Story, and my own voice was Atreyu saying, “you’re letting the sadness of the swamps get to you”! But, in this version, I did not sink into the swamps of sadness. That inner voice told me to shine my light. That we all need to shine our light, now more than ever. Because when the world feels its darkest, the way out is through becoming a beacon of light and hope for yourself and others. I was inspired to create this new piece from the uplifting conversation with my group members that followed.

"The World Needs Your Light" original mixed media illustration by Victoria K. Chapman. A whimsical night sky shines with stars over the earth as a large ghostly tree reaches to the sky. In the tree is a child reaching up to the brightest star.

I’ve been wanting to create a sped-up video to show the creation of an entire art piece. This felt like a great time to try that out. This mixed-media illustration titled, The World Needs Your Light was created using watercolors, gauche, India ink, chalk pastel pencils, and iridescent medium, with digital finishing touches. The video shows the process of creating the traditional portions and is sped up 1700%. If only I actually worked this fast! The music playing over the video is an original song I wrote and recorded under my music project Aqueance titled, “Stay Tonight”. 

I hope you enjoy and keep shining your light!

Tutorial: How to Stretch Watercolor Paper

Watercolors are a lovely medium and it’s one of my favorites to work in. You can get some interesting layers of textures and colors because of its transparency. It has a great ability for being light and washy, and also deep and detailed. But, as many beginner artists find, working with watercolors can be challenging when your page gets wavy and warps while working on it. There are a few methods for holding your watercolor paper flat on your work surface. In this tutorial, I’ll show you my favorite way to keep watercolor paper flat while I’m working.

Tutorial I: How to Stretch Watercolor Paper

Here is the list of materials you’ll need for this method of stretching watercolor paper:

  • Preferred watecolor paper (sheets instead of blocks/pads preferred—I am using Fabriano 300lb Hot Pressed)
  • Light duty staple gun and staples
  • Metal edged ruler
  • Hollow wood (or lightweight) drawing board (here is one of the drawing boards I use, made by Helix)
  • Flat-head screwdriver
  • Source of water in a large sink/tub