PoppyRow

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve run into a lot of artists who insist on attempting to frame their own work. This is often unsuccessful at best, disastrous at worst. If can be difficult to be objective when framing your own pieces, because you generally have a preconceived idea in your head about frame and mat choices.

For example, it is very common for artists and lay people alike to feel nervous to use dark wood frames. I don’t know why, but at least 75% of the time the poster, painting or whatever was laid out on the counter the person would hesitantly say, “I was thinking maybe a light oak.” And about 75% of those needed a walnut, mahogany, or even a black frame. Once the customer was encouraged to view the moulding corner with some mat samples, they were often surprised that thinking outside of the box worked!

But I digress! You may decide after all, that to save money you’d still like to try to frame your own work. Then I cannot stress enough the necessity for quality framing equipment. I have used $20 mat cutters, and $2000 mat cutters. Obviously, the latter was a dream machine that most of us could not afford, and probably would not buy. But instead of going with the handheld mat cutter, consider an investment of a few hundred dollars to have a mat cutter with some features that not only improve the quality of the framing, but also make life incredibly easier for the amateur framer.

The mat cutter I have used for about six years now is the Logan 650 Framer’s Edge Mat Cutter. It’s affordable, easy to use, can cut standard mats and foam core up to 32×40”, and has some nice features like production stops, a bevel and straight-edge cutting head, and a 27” squaring arm. I love this mat cutter! I can get great single, double, and triple mats, as well as V-grooves (this is done the old-fashioned way- it does not have a V-groove cutting head), and other nifty mat designs, like stars and squares.

For those of you that might want to spend less, the Alto’s Mat Cutter is also a pretty good buy. That was the model I used for about two years prior to getting my Framer’s Edge. It is definitely more basic, but costs significantly less.

The main thing I recommend is that your mat cutter has a base (in other words, its not a hand-held model) and that you clamp it to your work surface using some cheap dollar store C-clamps. This is a must, for if the mat cutter moves while you’re cutting, it can often create problems.

Take a class with a framer, read some books, and watch videos if you can find any. It’s a skill like anything else, since it’s practice makes perfect, and you’ll definitely have mistake mats. It can’t be helped. Take matboard, which you’ve cut down to six-inch squares, and practice cutting one-inch borders. Then work your way up to double mats, and mats where the sides have different measurements from the top and bottom. Once you’ve learned these skills, you will enjoy the freedom of cutting your own mats!