Mounting drawings

[Holly Snyder]

Hi,

I have been doing some pencil/charcoal sketches on paper recently, and was wondering how best to mount them. There's a small local show coming up this weekend, and I would like to put them on something hard-backed, and in one of those flat, clear plastic bags, and probably displayed in one of those V-shaped print holders. No matting or anything, as they're not for sale, I just wanted to display them as examples. Is foamcore the cheapest option and is it archival? Is there a certain kind of archival tape or glue and/or photo-mounting corners that would be best? We have a Pearl store nearby that would have most supplies.

I realize this is a very fundamental question, particularly for pastelists, and so basic that I didn't even find an answer searching the forum.

Thanks in advance,

Holly

[Mike McCarty]

One method that I have used involves placing a specialized (treated) paper between the artwork and an archival foam board. I believe the sandwich is then heated which permanently adheres the paper to the board. My framer back in Okla. did this for me and I have found that the Art supply store here in Sarasota also provides the service. I've had good luck with this process and it appears to be very permanent. I think it's called dry mount. I usually do it before hand to provide a rigid support that will allow me to place the board on my easel.

Come to think of it, I don't know that I have ever gone through this process after the art has been made. Hmmm .. Maybe someone else has.

[Chris Saper]

Actually, I have an artist friend who regularly gets her pastels dry mounted after they are done. I have to say I never had the nerve to try it myself. Best to do a trial first.

Foam core comes in an acid free version.

I think the larger problem will be how to avoid damaging the drawings. Anything that touches the charcoal will smudge it, and plastic will produce static, which will lift the charcoal off the surface, and deposit it onto the plastic. If the pencil work is soft, it will likewise fall victim.

If you want to just show samples, can you make a high quality print of the drawings from your computer?

If your intent is to use the drawings to get commissions, I really think they need to be properly matted, framed, and shown in their best light.

[Holly Snyder]

Mike,

Thanks a lot for the info. I'll look into dry-mounting around here for future projects.

Chris,

Sorry I didn't say that I was planning on spraying the drawings with some old Krylon Workable Fixatif that I have. My guess is that several layers of that would prevent the charcoal from lifting? Interesting thought of making a print, only I'd like to keep the original size, which is a little bigger than the printer is capable of.

When you do your pastels Chris, on Wallis paper or whatever, do you also always dry-mount your flexible surface to your support before beginning the painting or drawing?

If your intent is to use the drawings to get commissions, I really think they need to be properly matted, framed, and shown in their best light.

While I should listen to your words of wisdom, these quick sketches really don't warrant the time and money for proper mattes and frames.

Thanks,

Holly

[Chris Saper]

Hi Holly,

I 've only painted one pastel in the past couple of years, however, I only would dry mount once the size is too large and heavy to manage - anthing 22 x 28 or larger.

Try the fixative on a test piece first, they put some plastic on top, and see if it really fixes the surface.

I recently bought some Lithto-Coal, which can be made permanent and unsmudgable with heat. It says however, not to use in the same oven you use for cooking, so I'm a bit stymied as to how to fix it.

[Kimberly Dow]

I saw some pastels today that were mounted to something the same exact size and glass was placed on top with clips to hold it in place. The glass was actually touching the pastel. I had never seen that before and wondered about the technique. Wouldnt it possible stick to the pastel - in which case it could never be removed?

[Jimmie Arroyo]

I was wondering if mounting a drawing would do anything to the value of it?

[Sharon Knettell]

Never put anything in direct contact with a charcoal or pastel drawing. Actually, NO drawing as there is always the possibility of it smudging or static removing some of the material.

Kimberly in your case, the glass should not have been placed in direct contact with the pastels. And yes, the pastel WILL come off with the glass. If you expect to sell these pastels, you would have to have them re framed properly. That would mean removing the glass from the pastel surface, and retouching the pastels before reframing. I know this from experience. A gallery owner took two of my smaller pastels (for me) to show to someone in their home.
She placed them side by side in her car VERTICALLY so the pastels fell against the glass. I had to take them to my framer to have them re framed and the glass cleaned. I also had to retouch the pastels. She now wants to have a show of mine!

As to attaching them to a harder surface, they have what are called acid- free hinges and tape for that. www.nycentralart.com .
Use an archival board or foam-core.

And WHY are you showing things you don't much care about?

As to the future value of a mounted piece, I consulted the drawing department of The Rhode Island School of Design Museum. They said if it was properly done. ie. proper archival backing adhesives etc. it was OK. It was important to go to a knowledgeable framer, not your local chop-shop. They had photos that the had had for years that were perfectly fine. I asked them for a recommendation of a local framer and the name they gave me was fortunately the one I was using.

[Kimberly Dow]

Sharon-

I said I SAW some pastels - they weren't mine. Slow down girl!

[Sharon Knettell]

Mea Culpa Kimberly.

I couldn't get online for two days and was reading everything VERY quickly!