Art In Action 2015

Photographers have the Photography Show (NEC) to provide a real insight into the world of professional / amateur photography and imaging.  Artists are catered for by a couple of very significant shows: Patchings Festival of Art, Craft & Design was a great success in June; now it’s the turn of Art In Action at Waterperry House in the gardens of Waterperry House Oxford.

“Every July up to 400 artists, craftsmen, performers and musicians gather together in Waterperry Gardens to demonstrate their skills and show their work.” To discover more from the organisers’ website visit: Art In Action

DIYframing will have a stand at the exhibition. Here you can discover all the latest tools and materials available for all those, who wish to create their own mounts, make their own frames and present their art exactly how they would like it to be viewed. Or just buy a roll of tape!

Essential details:

Opens: Thursday – Sunday, 16-19 July, 10am – 5.30pm each day. Gates open from 9am, refreshments available.

Venue: Waterperry House, Waterperry, Wheatley, OX33 1JZ (transport details etc :  Visit Art In Action)

^ back to menu

Cutting Corners

Good framing is always judged on the quality of the corners - in other words how neat the join is.  For those making frames, it is the ease and consistency of being able to move from accurate cut to the join that is essential.  And it is the mitre cutting that is key to creating accurate, tight fitting joins.

With the addition of the framing extension, Nobex now have a system that really works well for the framing workshop. Alongside the exceptional quality of the mitre cutting system (saw), the new measure extension ensures that opposite sides are the same: ensuring better quality joins.

DIYframing now has both in store: see Nobex Promaster Framing Kit.  There is access from our store details to video guidance on how to use the kit.  In the next few weeks we will also be producing a Handy Hints sheet providing more detailed information about the use of the Measure System.

For a downloadable spec sheet (PDF) click: Nobex Promaster Framing Kit

^ back to menu

Make A Confident Start

For any of you trying to pick your way through what kit you might need to start doing your own framing, here’s some guidance to help.   The most popular of the packages we suggest is the Hobby Starter Kit.  Essentially this is the range of kit we use on the training weekends around the country, and has proven to be a real winner with people wanting to make a positive start in doing their own framing.

In all mounted framing there is a series of key activities needing to be covered by your kit: preparing and cutting mounts; cutting mitred, moulding lengths; joining the moulding; assembling everything in the frame.  And at each of those stages there will be both specialised and general equipment.  Understanding that many people will already have some of the general “diy tools”, the framing kits bring together the more specialised elements, of a similar level of use and cost to make a coherent kit.

In the Hobby Starter Kit we have:

MOUNT CUTTING: The Logan 350-1 Compact Elite Mat Cutter

CUTTING MITRES: The Nobex Promaster Framing Kit  

JOINING: The Logan 300-1 Studio Joiner 

ASSEMBLY: The Toyo Glass Cutter  AND  The Charnwood Tab Gun & Tabs 

To see additional items included in the Hobby Starter Kit range see: Hobby Starter Kit and Hobby Starter Plus Kit.   For more options for framing kits from starter through to professional view (PDF): DIYframing Kits

Read the Full Article

^ back to menu

Ideas for Artistic Framing

Here’s a little nudge in the right direction for any artists wanting to develop their work further  by mounting and framing it before hanging, exhibiting or selling. 

- First of all be inspired by a visit to a show like Art In Action.  Look at how artists display and present their work: always a great way of picking up new ideas. 

- Next learn how to design, plan and create your own mounts and frames by joining us on one of our Art & Photography Framing Weekends around the UK.

- An easy way to make frames unique to your work is to colour the frames how you want: see the next article below for ideas about products and our Adding Decorative Finishes to Frames workshops (next one is at High Wycombe in October).

- And finally, if you work on canvas (or need to reframe unstretched canvas), find out more about another workshop we run: Stretching and Framing Canvas Based Art. It may well help to tick another box in your repertoire of practical skills.

^ back to menu

Add Your OwnFinishes

Not all frame finish effects have to be massively flamboyant. Some ideas can be simple and similar to some of the ready finished mouldings. Creating your own effects is most useful when you want a bit more depth and texture to a finish.

Coming up in the autumn is the next of our Adding Decorative Finishes to Frames courses (click title for details). These sessions take you through a whole range of guiding, fundamental principles when undertaking this type of project. They also illustrate how you can use a whole range of colouring agents and finishing products, in combination, to produce stunning, individual finishes. By joining one of these days, you get to try the products out before you choose ones that you might buy to match your particular, favourite styles.

A few months ago we had a careful look at our whole range of finishing products and then updated our Finishing Kits accordingly: the two packages have been fine tuned to reflect the ideas explored on the training days.  But they also offer money saving opportunities to anyone wanting to add that extra something to their framing.

For more information about what the range does, as well as looking at how to ensure the finished frame is blemish free, have a look at these two HH titles:

40 Products For Fine Tuning & Touching Up Frames

41 Frame Finishing Products & Their Uses

Just to show that we know how to treat our customers, there are a couple of free ideas, in black and white, in the FULL ARTICLE. Products mentioned can be found in our Frame Finishes section.

^ back to menu

Training Dates

Art & Photography Framing Weekends 

MANCHESTER- 4th & 5th July

BRIGHTON -  8th & 9th August

DERBY- 22nd & 23rd August

BRISTOL - 29th & 30th August

SALISBURY- 5th & 6th September

CAMBRIDGE -  19th & 20th September

MANCHESTER - 3rd & 4th October

CHICHESTER - 10th 1th Octber

TUNBRIDGE WELLS -  24th & 25th October

For hard copy of all courses click: Training List.  We now have all dates for 2016 logged in to the system. To view details of events at our main centre (High Wycombe) click: ALL COURSES.     

Reserve places NOW, to avoid disappointment

^ back to menu