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Click on one of the tips below or choose another link category from the menu on the left.
If you'd like to submit a tip for inclusion in our Tips & Tricks list, click on the submit button below.
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We hang art on our walls to bring character to our rooms. By grouping your wall art collectively, you will not only bring structure and style to spaces, but will add the stamp of your personality to every room, inspiring a smile each time someone enters.
Clone the Framing Presentation:
The easiest way to pull any group of wall art together — regardless of color, size, or subject matter — is by framing them all the same way. Use the same mats and frames or merely the same type of frame for an overall sense of consistency. You can even pair this great method with others listed here to make sure your presentation is tightly arranged.
Triple the Impact:
Three images hung together in a row is a clean way to add excitement to a bare wall. This grouping works with all kinds of themes from sentimental to whimsical.
Try Telling a Story:
1. Setting the golf tee
2. Swing!
3. Birdie Putt
Intensify the Impact
1. Laughing baby face
2. Crying baby face
3. Sleeping baby face
Play with a Modern Pop-Art Look:
1. Dad with Prize-winning Fish—Green Filter
2. Dad with Prize-winning Fish—Red Filter
3. Dad with Prize-winning Fish—Blue Filter
(NOTE: colored filters like these are available via our Print & Frame service)
Be sure to frame all your images in the same mats and frames to keep the grouping as one unit.
A Collage of Small Pieces:
There is safety in numbers, so lots of small pieces of artwork can look fantastic when hung together! Little treasures, hung individually, could get lost, but a tight group of them makes for a big impact, whether you want to bring class to a lonely little corner, or introduce a focal point to a larger space.
Other secrets to making an attractive group of small pieces:
- They look especially charming in small rooms and spaces, but can work well in larger ones, as long as you're hanging a much larger number of them in one area.
- Mats in lighter colors and slender frames will never overwhelm a small work of art (of course, taste is completely personal and wide frames like our Magnificent Miniatures, on small pieces, can add an extra note of glamour).
- Let the pieces get cozy with each other! When you hang your artwork, the space between each picture should be less than the width of the pictures themselves.
Large Pieces Can Be Grouped, Too:
Large rooms crave large pieces. Grouping in even numbers will balance large spaces while grouping in uneven numbers works well over furniture. This technique offers volume without overcrowding, but be careful not to display your large pieces too far apart. For balance, horizontal placement is the easiest way to go. When hanging your work vertically, be sure to put the wider picture on top. And, never hang your pictures on an incline unless it is a special effect on a stairway.
The Gallery Look:
If you're going for a cleaner, museum or gallery effect, where you want each piece to stand alone, do what the pros do: imagine a line at 58” above the floor stretching across the wall. Use this line as a guide to center your art, no matter what the proportions of your artwork. In a modern art gallery, professionals will leave plenty of space in between each piece; sometimes up to a yard. This looks great in long hallways or in lobbies and restaurants.
Going Totally Eclectic:
If you're going for an eclectic look, go all out! Anything less than complete randomania won't cut it. This technique is perfect for informal, fun areas like family rooms and playrooms, and invites a mix of frames, plaques, mirrors and other wall art to add texture, rhythm, interest and energy. Combine large and small, squares and circles... mingle them throughout and soon enough you will have a wall full of life. Keeping a theme will maintain structure, but certainly isn't required.
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When attaching art to a mat, use a piece of acid-free artist tape on the
top of the artwork — never on all four sides — to create
a "T-hinge." This is because over time, artwork on paper will naturally
expand and contract with changing temperatures and humidity. If attached
on all sides, the artwork will contort and become "wavy." For the same
reason, use several small pieces of tape instead of one long piece all the way across.
Acid-free artist tape is available at pictureframes.com.
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To warm up the tone of the silver, spray it with one or more coats of orange shellac.
Then dry brush on some raw umber that has been thinned down with turpentine.
You can also fly speck it with India ink off the end of an old tooth brush.
Submitted by Pancho, a pictureframes.com customer and experienced framer for 40 years.
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When using multiple mats or when matting a *replaceable* piece of art, it's often a good idea to run double-sided tape (such as ATG) along the inner edge of the top mat. When assembled, the mats will not buckle and separate from the art or underlying mats, giving a smooth, finished appearance. This is especially helpful when using wide mat margins as there is less pressure in the center of the piece to compress the sandwich (foamcore/mount/art/mat) against the acrylic.
NEVER ATG the bottom mat directly to a piece of limited edition or one-of-a-kind art! Removal of ATG, even if it's labeled as repositionable, can damage the face of the artwork. If the artwork is only slightly larger than the bottom mat opening (as it should be), you can ATG the bottom mat to the foamcore very close to the art and still get a good result without risking damage to your piece.
Submitted by PictureFrames.com customer Randy Carson
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Even with the wide variety of frames available, it can be difficult to choose a single frame that works perfectly with your piece. Frame stacking is one solution:
With a little bit of math while using the profile measurements given for each frame, you can select two frames that compliment one another and order the inside frame at a slightly smaller size (to fit inside the rabbet) than the outside frame. This works the same as a linen insert and can make a basic frame job look quite ornate.
With proper measurements, you still have room for linen inserts or matting to compliment your piece. This method works best when framing a large piece of art that justifies the use of a more substantial frame. The only tool needed is a good staple gun.
Because of the geometry involved, this is for advanced framers only.
Submitted by PictureFrames.com customer Randy Carson
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