Hanging & Care of your artworks!
For your floating platniums
PEEL OFF THE PROTECTIVE FILM!
Clean/buff with lint free cloth (eg 100% cotton) to remove finger marks or dust
Clean acrylic surface only if necessary with isopropanol (propyl alcohol) - available from chemists
Keep away from direct sunlight
Don’t use glass cleaner or abrasives
Don’t’ wrap directly in bubble wrap, Wrap individually in tissue paper then bubble wrap for transportation
How to hang your portraits
How you hang and decorate with art has a profound influence on the atmosphere of your home. Just like your furniture and furnishings, art affords a way to express your personality and make your living space all your own. How you place and arrange your art – and how it interacts with the environs of your home has as much impact on the mood and look of your home as the art itself.
Plan Your Layout
It is important to achieve the right balance between your wall space and the frames you want to display. Larger frames can stand alone, but smaller frames should be grouped together for impact. Clustering several pieces together will enrich any space. The simplest way to create a grouping is on the floor, which gives you the chance to arrange and re-arrange without making holes in your walls.
Think of the arrangement as one large picture
The most effective groupings are large rectangle shapes. Arrange the pieces from the border of the shape to equal the space you have measured off. Play with the interior space; change the pieces around.
Check the balance
Step back and look at the arrangement. Make sure you have balanced the heavier and lighter pieces and spread colour throughout the grouping. How do the frames look next to each other? Re-arrange until you feel the group is visually balanced. The grouping should be centred in the space (equidistant from the ceiling and the anchoring piece of furniture). Measure the distances between the pieces carefully and write them down.
Hanging Your Art
Hang art at eye level where it can be easily seen and enjoyed either at standing or sitting eye level. Hold the art against the wall where you want to hang it. Start with its centre five feet from the floor, and then adjust it to your preference. For a reference point, make a small pencil mark on the wall at the top centre of the frame.
We recommend placing two hooks on all frames- approx. 1/3 of the way along the hanging system
Nylon String
Wooden Box
Your type of Walls
Brick, Block or Concrete Walls
On masonry walls it's preferable to drill into a mortar joint for anchors, if possible, rather than into the material itself. This is because the mortar is usually softer and less likely to crack.
Concrete or similar smooth hardwall surfaces can be drilled into using a masonry drill bit .A Concrete Screw Hook does not require an anchor at all and is an excellent choice for concrete, hollow block and some brick.
Plasterboard Walls
Standard picture-hanging hooks work wonders in plaster walls. These small “J” shaped metal hooks come in various sizes and can hold up to 40 kilos of weight. The mounting nail angles through the hook and into the wall holding the hook in place with a simple lever design. To reduce plaster damage, place a small piece of transparent tape on the wall before hammering the nail into place.
Avoid using stick on wall hooks, especially for heavier artwork. The adhesive can deteriorate over time and eventually detach and is not necessarily suitable for all types of wall surfaces.
Never just hammer a nail into a wall
Choose the appropriate hanging device based on the composition of your walls and the weight of your art. Always hang art on two hooks for even and level support.
Place the hooks
Lay your frame face down and pull the hanging wire toward the top of the frame in two spots the same distance from the top. If you have metal bar across the back the height is already premeasured for you. Install the wall hangers at the two hanging spots. Begin hanging with the central piece, using it as a reference point for all the others. Stand back and Enjoy!
How to Protect Your Fine Art Photography
Photographs can be easily damaged so taking precautionary measures is the best defence in protecting their value. Several everyday situations can potentially cause damage to photographs. Avoiding these situations is much easier than trying to correct damage once it has occurred:
Light Never hang or exhibit photographs in direct sunlight. Also try to avoid strong indirect daylight. It is a good idea to change prints frequently if they hang in strong light situations. Ultraviolet light should be avoided. Many fluorescent lamps give off ultraviolet light and should be avoided unless daylight balanced. Normal household light bulbs usually do not present a problem for photography.
Heat and Humidity
Try to avoid extremes of heat and humidity as this will speed up any chemical process. When storing photographs keep them out of damp basements and hot attics. It is best to keep them at constant temperature humidity; museums try to keep a temperature around 8 degrees Celsius and a relative humidity of 40%. If the humidity is too high, be on the lookout for Foxing, a type of mould growth. If you live in the tropics, the best advice is to contact a local museum and ask for information on taking care of your artworks. Ensuring your artwork is framed correctly and covered with glass is the easiest way to protect artwork from air pollutants.
Framing
If GAP Studios hasn’t framed your portraits, make sure you take your images to a framer who is experienced in handling photographs and understands good archival framing. Stress the importance of proper handling and make sure they know the value of your artwork so they will take extra care in the framing process.
Moving Artworks
If you are involved in a major relocation, make sure that your artwork is protected from the elements as well as uneducated movers. Look out for weather problems, wrap your artworks in plastic to prevent water damage and to protect frames use some cushiony material like towels or blankets. Frame corner protectors are also available or you could completely wrap the artworks using cardboard and tape.
Cleaning
The glass stops a build-up of dust from getting to the artwork but a soft cloth should be used regularly to wipe off any build-up of dirt that may have gathered over time. Never use a cleaning agent directly on the surface of a canvas as it may be harmful. It can also leave an unwanted residue on the surface
FRAMED ARTWORK LIFETIME GUARANTEE
If you have chosen to frame your artworks with GAP Studios, we do offer you a Lifetime Guarantee is that we will always have your images on file and the image quality should not degrade.
In regards to the physical product. If there was to be a issue the artwork needs to be brought into our studios for assessment.
If it is faulty then we would have it repaired.
If it is general wear and tear then we can quote to have it fixed.