You have your cow, now let’s frame it!

The Lauren’s Cows guide to framing!

So you’ve found the perfect Cow for your wall, now all you have to do is frame it. Unfortunately we are still figuring out how we can offer this service ourselves but in the meantime here’s a little advice from us on how to choose the right frame.

Being an art business, we get asked about framing a lot! It’s a service that we offer on collection, for example we can frame prints for our Cow Lovers at fairs and exhibitions, and if they collect in person from our bases in Cumbria and York. However it is yet something we are able to provide online due to the high risks in breakage. But in the meantime we can offer some pearls of wisdom to help you tackle framing yourself.

So to start with where do you go?
There are a few options here.

The obvious one is a framers! This is my personal choice as I like a broad range to choose from and to see the quality of what I’m paying for. The downside- it can be expensive. If you have a budget give the framer your price bracket and they will offer the frames that fit your requirements. Otherwise you can end up spending an hour getting excited about different options just to be disappointed when it comes to paying up!

You can however find some nice frames right off the shelf for a fraction of the price. The choice may be slightly limited but if you are after something simple you might be in luck!

Also don’t be afraid to swap the mount. If you’ve found a frame but it’s a little too big or small you can always remount the print. A professional should be able to remount a print for about £10-£20

Head to the internet! We may not be able to post frames but that doesn’t mean that other companies don’t. You can now find a selection of framing services online. Simply choose your moulding, type in your required dimensions, and they’ll build your
frame and post it out to you. We’ve heard some great things about

Easy Frame

So What to Choose?

Well of course this bit is completely subjective! Like artwork itself framing is always about personal taste. Remember the colour of the frame can change a picture completely! The colour, the moulding, the width, it all makes a difference! So here’s my advice….

Colour can make a huge different, take Ted here. He looks completely different in the white frame to the black. The black really draws out his eyes capturing his cheeky expression, whereas the clean lines of the white makes the print feel extended. However consider your walls, white frames and white walls can make for a dull room no matter how charismatic the cow!


Mounting
But it’s not only the frame that you can play about with. There’s also lots of options when it comes to the mount that you use.
I offer my prints both Mounted and Unmounted.
Well What does this mean?
An unmounted print is simply the paper print as it comes off the press.

A Mounted print is fixed to a cardboard border.
Mounted is not to be confused with framed, you will still need a frame but it adds impact to the image.
And they come in all colours and widths giving you lots of freedom.

LEFT: Two different mounting options on the same Alfie print.
RIGHT: You don’t need to mount a print before framing. Above are examples of how an unmounted print would look framed.


Glass
Any paper print should be kept behind glass for protection.
Another option today is framing with Plexiglass which is a plastic alternative. However be warned, it scratches incredibly easily. Wipe a duster over it and you risk leaving a mark. It can also discolour over time.


Canvases
Whether it be a canvas print or an Original Painting, canvases do not need a frame. They are a lot more durable and therefor can be hung directly on the wall. However when it comes to my paintings I do still like to frame them. It just finishes them off and it stops the dust building up on the paintings lip. Due to their durability though they do not require glass, the frame is built directly around the painting, but this doesn’t mean you will have to have a professional framer do the job.

I chose an elegant black and gold frame for this painting. The black makes their eyes pop, and the gold trim brings the whole image to life. This canvas doesn’t need glass but you could still use this frame on a print, just with a glass insert.


A few examples
I’ve put together a few examples of my framing choices so you can get lots of ideas.



Here you can see the difference a mount makes to the image. Although the image on the left is a framed canvas, the same aesthetic can be achieved with an unmounted print. On the right image, such as this portrait of Ivory, an unmounted print can make the artwork seem like a window over looking a view rather than an artwork at all.

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