Advice on framing and matting mismatched frame/art dimensions
March 17, 2022 11:53 AM Subscribe
I have a frame that is 18" by 36". I have a piece of (digital) art with ratio 8*22. The image has a lot of detail and looking at the details is of the pleasure of the art. I'm thinking printing it up 36" long and thus having visible matte only at the top and bottom (not the sides). Is that awful? Can you show me examples? Should I just leave the matte blank/white? Should I try to make it the same colour as the wall that will be behind it?
I'm trying to figure out how weird this will look. It's for a child's room, so ...I mean I don't have to worry about the Rules and Laws and Principles of Fine Art [trumpet sound] or whatever, but I don't want it to look weird and awful.
The colour of the wall behind it does not particularly coordinate with the art (i mean the picture itself won't clash, but the colour of the wall doesn't appear in the picture and it doesn't feel like the same colour family or anything."
The "matte" will be digital with some tromp l'oile effects and paper textures to create a 3d effect. I have another framed picture "matted" this way and people can put their nose right up to it and not realize the matte is fake until I tell them.
I'm trying to figure out how weird this will look. It's for a child's room, so ...I mean I don't have to worry about the Rules and Laws and Principles of Fine Art [trumpet sound] or whatever, but I don't want it to look weird and awful.
The colour of the wall behind it does not particularly coordinate with the art (i mean the picture itself won't clash, but the colour of the wall doesn't appear in the picture and it doesn't feel like the same colour family or anything."
The "matte" will be digital with some tromp l'oile effects and paper textures to create a 3d effect. I have another framed picture "matted" this way and people can put their nose right up to it and not realize the matte is fake until I tell them.
That would look pretty bizarre to me — I’ve never seen a photo matted like that and I can’t even find any examples online. I don’t think it would be visually pleasing.
I think you should either scale the artwork down or get a bigger frame.
posted by mekily at 12:14 PM on March 17, 2022
I think you should either scale the artwork down or get a bigger frame.
posted by mekily at 12:14 PM on March 17, 2022
Yeah, that would look weird. Do what mekily says. I'm a firm believer that mattes should only be white or black. I'll cut some slack for old paintings and whatnot, but back or white always works, and it sets the artwork apart from the wall.
posted by jonathanhughes at 12:34 PM on March 17, 2022
posted by jonathanhughes at 12:34 PM on March 17, 2022
I have a few posters framed with space left over only on the top/bottom or only on the left/right, and it looks fine to me - however, I don't actually have a mat over the art, just white paper behind it. I've found it depends on the art whether it'll look off or it'll look good, and also that it's going to be hugely a matter of personal preference and of whether it looks good to you, specifically.
What you could do, if you have access to image editing software (it sounds like you do), since you already have the frame, would be put up the empty frame where you want to put the framed art, take a photo, then put the art in the frame in the photo digitally, and see if it looks weird.
posted by sailoreagle at 3:42 PM on March 17, 2022 [3 favorites]
What you could do, if you have access to image editing software (it sounds like you do), since you already have the frame, would be put up the empty frame where you want to put the framed art, take a photo, then put the art in the frame in the photo digitally, and see if it looks weird.
posted by sailoreagle at 3:42 PM on March 17, 2022 [3 favorites]
8:22 is ~13.1"x36", can you cut 5" off the short sides of the frame?
posted by rhizome at 1:39 AM on March 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by rhizome at 1:39 AM on March 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
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