C REATIVE MATTING TO WOW C US T OM E R S Advances in Cutting Technology • Selling Specialized Matboard
Contents
PFM is a member of:
Volume 32, Number 2
PPFA, The Professional Picture Framers Association ACC, Art Copyright Coalition SOG, Society of Gilders
On the Cover
This "Game of Thrones" design by Jarrod Perrott of 5280 Custom Framing in Denver, CO, stands out for its use of multiple mat layers—including a suede top mat—and over 40 openings cut to hold a set of signed collectible cards. For the full story, see page 38.
Features 16 Advancements in Board Cutting 22 A New Take on Mat Panels 26 Specialized Matboards
30
Columns 12 Mat Doctors 30 Mastering Mounting 38 Design of the Month
22
Departments 8 10 34 35 36 37 39
Editor’s Note Industry News Distributor Spotlight Crossword Puzzle Product Showcase Crossword Solution Index of Advertisers
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26
Picture Framing Magazine® (ISSN 10529977) is published monthly, plus one issue by PFM Publishing, LLC, 83 South Street, Unit 307, Freehold New Jersey 07728; phone 732-536-5160; fax 732-252-2270. Subscription Office: Picture Framing Magazine, PO Box 612, Northbrook, IL 60065-0612; phone 888-238-0049. Subscription: $20 per year U.S., $40 U.S. Dollars per year in Canada and Mexico, $60 U.S. Dollars per year for all international. Single copies, $5.95. If a paid subscription magazine is returned by the U.S. Postal Service as non-deliverable, Picture Framing Magazine will maintain the subscription for one year. If after one year a new address is not provided, Picture Framing Magazine will cancel the order. No refund will be available for that account. Periodicals class postage paid at Freehold, New Jersey, and at an additional mailing office. Entire contents © 2020 by PFM Publishing, LLC. Printed in U.S.A. Picture Framing Magazine registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Postmaster: Send address changes to Picture Framing Magazine, PO Box 612, Northbrook, IL 60065-0612 Agreement Number 1691910 Disclaimer The opinions and information in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher and are therefore not to be viewed as such. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the publisher. PFM does not knowingly accept false or misleading advertising or editorial, nor does the publisher assume any responsibility for the consequences that occur should any such material appear. PFM and PFM Publishing assume no responsibility for content, text, or artwork of advertisements appearing in PFM except those promoting PFM. The Publisher reserves the right to review all advertising materials submitted for publication and to not accept any such material deemed inappropriate for any reason.
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E X E C U TI V E PU BLI S HE R E D I TO R
CONTRIBUTORS
Jay Goltz • PRE S E RVATI O N E D I TO R Hugh Phibbs • M O U N TI N G E D I TO R Chris A. Paschke, CPF, GCF M AT D O C TO RS Brian Wolf, CPF • John E. Ranes II, CPF, GCF • Tim Franer, CPF William B. Adair • Ken Baur • Jared Davis, MCPF, GCF • Paul MacFarland, MCPF, GCF James Miller, MCPF, GCF • David Lantrip, MCPF, GCF
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CONTENTS
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PFM PUBLISHING, LLC PRE S I D E N T
6 PFM February 2021
Bruce Gherman
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
I
Creative matting and high-quality boards can set you apart from your competition. This issue is all about mat-related information and inspiration.
CONTENTS AD INDEX 8 PFM February 2021
n this issue, we take a closer look at the world of matting materials, equipment, and techniques. This fundamental framing element can make or break a design, so it’s worth examining the innovative products available today and the ways framers are using them to boost their business. Today’s computerized mat cutters and multi-material cutters are more sophisticated, precise, and user-friendly than ever. If you haven’t been in the market for one of these machines in the last few years, you may not be aware of the innovations that have been made on both the software and hardware sides. In our feature on cutting technology (page 16), leading manufacturers discuss some major improvements made to their equipment in the last decade. The matboard itself is, of course, a crucial design decision. Our feature on specialized mats (page 26) takes a look at some of the most popular specialty matboards on the market today—from silks, linens, and suedes to metallics and more—plus design and sales advice from top suppliers. Paired with the right piece, a fabric or other specialized mat can take your design from good to outstanding— and keep your customers coming back to you time and time again.
Putting a modern spin on classic matting techniques is a great way to incorporate proven, time-honored design elements in ways that save you time and make you money. In his latest Mat Doctors column (page 12), Brian Wolf explores ways to recreate classic lettering and line decoration with your CMC’s drawing program. By taking advantage of your machine and its software, you can create upscale designs with a little imagination and a few clicks. In his latest article (page 22), David Lantrip explains how you can use your CMC and common materials to achieve an easy, modern take on the mat panel, an element of the classic French matting technique. The products, techniques, and ideas highlighted in this issue all have the potential to expand your design horizons. I hope you are inspired to try something new that will remind your customers why nothing compares to great custom framing.
Kimberly Biesiada Editor
THE MAT DOCTORS
By Brian Wolf, CPF, GCF
Letters and Lines Your CMC makes these classic design elements easy and practical.
H
ow to include decoration continues to be as important a question as the decorative element itself. Overlap-
ping is the theme behind so many inclusion ideas, but the details of implementation can be varied. In decorative cutting, for instance, overlapping and merging a decorative element with the opening is effective. A variation of implementation is overlapping, then dividing the element across two layers of the opening. With this variation in mind, imagine mat decoration a century earlier when decorative lines prevailed. A drawn decorative shape could overlap a line around an opening, and a clevflow into different parts of the line as it was be-
A Letter Divided Between Two Lines
ing inked. Without the rules, requirements, and
The first example, featuring the letter E (page
limitations of cutting, there are many possibil-
14), duplicates the cutting project described ear-
ities for incorporating the shape like this, from
lier where a shape is divided between two lay-
austere to artistic.
ers of the opening. The project begins in the de-
er framer could connect pieces of the shape to
A few of these possibilities are illustrated
sign program with a pair of closely spaced lines
in these projects. Here in the 21st century, de-
around an opening. The letter is positioned
bossing and pen work with computerized mat
across the lines.
CONTENTS
cutters make these drawing ideas from the past
The next steps—for this and for all the
practical. The decorative elements could be any
projects shown here—will be completed using
figures or silhouettes, but the examples here
the drawing program. But notice that all the
use letters. Letters come in an endless variety
elements of the design are generated and po-
of styles. Plus, monograms are a tradition in all
sitioned in the design program, where moving
the decorative arts.
and visualization are easy and more familiar.
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Brian Wolf began framing pictures while attending Iowa State University. In 1973, he won the Janice Petersen Andersen award for outstanding design student. He began demonstrating his hand-carving technique for mats at conventions and teaching for the PPFA. Brian started his own framing business in Cedar Rapids, IA, in 1983. Since 1989, he has focused on leading workshops around the world on his matting techniques. He has authored books, appeared in videos, and contributed to trade magazines. He joined Wizard International, where he contributed his artistic touch to product development. He continues his work with Wizard through education, events, and design content.
12 PFM February 2021
A debossed or pen line around an opening is a classic formula, and monograms are another common addition. The presentation is more unified when the letter can be joined into the line.
(Left, center) Just as a cutout can be divided between two layers of the mat, this letter is divided between two lines. This design can be either debossed or drawn with the pen. (Right) After the letter, lines, and opening are positioned in the design program, the letter and lines need to be connected in the drawing program. First, break the intersections of the lines and the letter. The right half of the letter is highlighted here to show the broken half. Next, delete the broken line segments inside the letter. Finally, join the left half of the broken letter to the left line, then join the right half of the letter to the right line.
In the Drawing Program
Evolution and Variations
Once the elements are in place, send the design to the draw-
The first example reproduced an idea that was designed to
ing program to finish the project. There is no need to be an
be cut. Realize, though, that the pen and the debossing tools
expert. A working knowledge of the program’s functions will
can render lines that are just segments. Complete circuits,
be sufficient. There will only be alteration, no real drawing.
like those in the first project (and those required for cutting),
Break the intersections of the lines and letters. In the
are not necessary.
illustration of the E in the drawing program, this has been
The second example, featuring the letter G, uses an in-
done. The right half of the letter has been highlighted to
complete circuit, and the design is simplified to use just one
show that it is divided. Then delete the unnecessary items.
rectangular line around the opening. The letter overlaps the
There are two vertical lines inside the E, and tiny horizontal
line and the intersections are broken. The pieces of the letter
segments at the top and bottom of the letter. Last, join the
are joined to the broken rectangular line to form one contin-
segments into the new circuits. The inner part of the E will
uous path. There are even gaps at the top and bottom of the
be joined to the inner rectangular line. The outer part of the
letter to emphasize the points where the path begins and
E will be joined to the outer line.
ends. To be sure, this same path could be drawn with tiny
In the projects that follow, perhaps some joined circuits
gaps that would not be noticed, but are interesting details.
will need to be separated, and some points may need to be
As the options for rendering these gaps are considered,
moved to more attractive positions in the drawing program,
a few other observations arise. First, all this line work is just
but all the elements in all the projects will be generated and
that—line work. However taken framers may be with the
positioned in the design program. Nothing new will need to
idea of the CMC drawing lines with a pen, lines are still thin
be created in the drawing program for any of the examples.
and insubstantial. Then there is debossing. Its most obvious shortcoming is that it is always so understated. It is only pressed into the matboard, after all, with no contrast of col-
CONTENTS
or. It is just a shadow.
Another Kind of Shadow The letters in the previous examples are outlines of the
AD INDEX
shapes of the letters as they need to be when they are designed to be cut as openings. There are a few single-line fonts in the Wizard program. The strokes are lines instead of outlines of shapes. Single-line fonts can only be debossed or drawn with the pen, and can be quite small. Debossed and pen work can be just a line segment. This simplified variation joins the divided letter to one broken line. 14 PFM February 2021
There are indeed two copies of the letter M in this ex-
ample project. The second copy of the letter is moved down and over, but with a decorative font like this, the distances are less mathematical and more artistic—between 0.04'' and 0.09''. The separation needs to create wide and narrow strokes in the letter as well as the shadow illusion. In the drawing program, some of the flourishes may be altered, either for appearance or to create more practical connection points to the rectangular line. In this project, the finishing strokes at the lower right of the letter were extended across the rectangular line. Usually the control points of the curves can be moved to re-shape the curves. Other times, it is easier to explode the stroke, delete the original curve, and draw a new one.
Placement
To create the shadow effect, one copy of the M is moved 0.06'' left and 0.07'' down. In the drawing program, the endpoints of the curved strokes at the lower right were extended to cross over the rectangular line, then broken and joined with the line.
they would connect nicely on the right side of the opening. The only rule is that monograms are usually toward the bottom of the design.
When letters are integrated with lines, they can be on either
More than Monograms
side of the opening. There are no rules for this, but it should
Two things have inadvertently happened here. First, with the
be clear that some letters can be more naturally connected
quest for detail and the use of the Italic letters, the designs
to the left side of an opening, while others have strokes that
have become highly ornamented. Some may begin to think
connect more readily to the right side of the opening. The M
that these ideas are only for frilly additions. Second, with so
using the Italic font is easily connected with the rectangular
many letters, some may infer that this process is only for
line by extending the finishing strokes at its lower right, so
monograms. Neither is an intended conclusion.
the letter connects onto the left side of the opening. Alterna-
The final project shows how decorative debossed and
tively, the Roman letters for the first project were chosen so
pen elements look more naturally a part of the presentation when integrated into a rectangular line around an opening. The accent is built with a triangle and a diamond. Like the letters, these shapes are positioned in the design program, then connected with the line in the drawing program. Look closely at the illustration and see how similar the construction is to the second project. These are incomplete circuits, and there are even gaps in the shapes where they are joined to the lines. So, if the idea of a monogram is not
The triangle and diamond are template shapes in the design program. The triangle is 0.25'' high and wide. The diamond is 0.23'' high and 0.12'' wide. The separation between the shapes is 0.04'' at the bottom.
appealing, consider how the ideas of adding detail, shadows, and double lines would be adapted as variations to make dozens of geometric elements. PFM
PFM February 2021 15
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CONTENTS
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36 PFM February 2021
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(Continued from page 38)
thought about using hinging tape as well, but didn’t want
40'', and we took advantage of just about every inch of it!
to risk it if the cards ever needed to be accessed or removed.
We were really challenged on this project, and in the
After some additional thought, one of our talented framers,
end, our customer was absolutely thrilled with the finished
Matt, came up with a great solution. He cut the openings
product. He received both the protection he wanted for
(44 in total) in a 2-ply mat. The openings were the exact
his cards and a visually beautiful frame job. We are very
same size as the outside dimension of the cards. He then
proud of this project, and we hope it inspires other people
glued the 2-ply mat down to acid-free foamcore and placed
to frame their collections in a similar way. PFM
the cards within the cutouts. After that, he placed the gray suede mat over the top, holding the cards in securely. It worked perfectly and gave Tim the look he was going for while also protecting the cards. Matt is also a “wizard” on our Wizard CMC. He cut out the Game of Thrones logo into the top of the suede mat, and we used a metallic silver and gold mat (Crescent 9724) as the undermat to make the logo pop and because the col-
Crossword Challenge Puzzle Solution
ors lent themselves to the overall feel of the show. For the frame, we selected Smoke (74-330) by Framerica, as well as Tru Vue’s Conservation Clear glass to protect the cards from fading by direct or indirect light. We then added the house sigil patches at the bottom to complete the look and achieve Tim’s vision. The piece ended up measuring out to be 32'' X
PFM February 2021 37