Art School, Art Instruction -- How to make a simple frame...

View my latest ebay auction.

Art School -- Art Instruction -- Picture Framing made simple!
Some weeks ago I decided to start painting some small pictures in the style known as paint a day. Paint a day paintings are really small paintings, around 8" x 10" maximum size and are produced exactly as the name suggests with a picture everyday. To compliment these small pictures I decided to try making a frame for each one, but I didn't want to go to any large expense. Here I explain briefly how to make a light and inexpensive frame.
.
I bought two different shape lengths of timber, and glued them together as seen in the photo above. The timbers are those lightweight pine strips found in most large hardware stores. In cross section, one is square and the other was flatter and rectangular. I used six clamps to hold the strips together as the glue dried. I clamped along every foot or so of the strips. I left these to dry and set hard (a few hours at most), then I used a mitre box to cut the glued timber into four sides of the frame. The saw I used was just a handsaw but one which cut precisely and neatly. I measured the sides to correspond to the picture size, but allowing the smallest gap around the picture. This is a matter of personal choice, you can make it closer if you like. With the four sides cut out, I sanded all rough edges and glued them together. Now the tricky bit was to get the frame held in place. You definitely need a rachet clamp for this, nothing else really works, as you have to keep pressure equally on the frame from all sides simultaneously. Once that was done, I left it overnight, painted it and voila! One ready to use frame.

You can put the eyehooks for the cord in the inner sides of the back piece, instead of the back of this piece. This will allow the frame to hang flat against a wall, and not jostle about.

Here is a look at the final product, and looks quite okay for cost and time involved. Once you get used to making these simple frames, you could progress on to making more professional looking frames, as the principle is the same. You just need to invest a little more in the materials. Click Paint a Day to see the above painting up close.