If you really want to get creative with your matting try combining techniques. The results are impressive and what s more, they re profitable too.

Transcription

1 The Savvy Framer Vol 2, Issue 2 How to Cut a V-Groove Double Stepped Corner Mat April-May 2009 If you really want to get creative with your matting try combining techniques. The results are impressive and what s more, they re profitable too. combination of three different matting techniques can result in a wide variety of creative possibilities This version of a V- Groove Double Stepped Corner Mat integrates a single V-Groove in the top mat of a double mat combination where the liner mat has two steps in each corner. The resulting mat, with its brown and white colors, has a certain 19th century Texas flare, so we called it the Alamo, but many other possibilities can be achieved with the same combination of techniques. To cut a V-Groove Double Stepped Corner Mat start by following the instructions for cutting a V-Groove Mat as detailed (Continued on page 2) The Home Based Framer Tips for Conducting a Customer Consultation Asking the right questions and eliciting the right answers can result in a happy, contented customer and one who feels invested in the frame job to come. Questions Answered in this Issue: How are wooden frame fillets cut accurately? How do frame shops project the relative value of artwork? How is stretched canvas framed in a floater frame? How are small decorative steps cut in the corners of a mat s window? What should you do if your customer balks at the quoted price? he customer consultation, or design consultation if you like, is where you get to flash your expertise and display your wares. It s also where you must make the customer comfortable with the transaction that s about to take place and get him fully on board. For home-based framers, we suggest you keep the issue of price front and center. This is your strong suit, don t gloss over it. Remember, this is what sets you apart from the storefront (Continued on page 6) Focus in on the price. As a home-based framer it s an area of strength.

2 Page 2 How to Cut a V-Groove Double Stepped-Corner Mat The Savvy Framer (Continued from page 1) in Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 3. After cutting the V-Groove in the mat, cut the window it surrounds. Generally, when you add an accent to the surface of a mat it s always easier put the accent down first followed by the win- dow it surrounds. The V-Groove Mat acts as the top mat in the double mat combination. The liner mat is a steppedcorner mat. This particular stepped-corner mat has two 1/4 steps in each corner. Please note that a stepped-corner mat can have as many or as few steps as you want, and those steps can be any size that you want them to be. Let s chart the steps we followed to cut the Alamo mat. The top mat was Crescent #984 Oak Brown and the liner mat was #961 Crescent Cream. Step One: With the Alamo, the overall mat was 11 x14 and the V-Groove was placed at 1-¼ in from the perimeter edge. Step Two: We marked out and cut a border 1-¾ wide. After the window was cut in the V-Groove Mat, we set it aside and turned our attention to the liner mat. Step 3: To begin with, the overall size of the liner mat was also 11 x14. We set the mat guide on our mat cutter at 2-½ and put the11 x14 mat under the guide rail face down. Step 4: We marked four lines on the back of the mat, putting the tip of the pencil in as close as possible to the edge of the guide rail as we marked. Step 5: We re-set the mat guide to 2- ¼, put the liner mat back in the cutter, and marked another set of four lines on the back. Step 6: We re-set the mat guide to 2 and marked a final set of four lines on the back of the liner mat.

3 Page 3 How to Cut a V-Groove Double Stepped-Corner Mat The Savvy Framer Step 7: We ended up with three penciled rectangles, ¼ apart, each inside of the next. The largest of the three was the outermost rectangle. The smallest of the three was the innermost rectangle. Between the outer and inner was the middle rectangle. By starting and stopping in the proper sequence on this set of three lines, we cut two ¼ square steps in each corner. Here s how we did it... Cut Cut Start Step 8: We left the mat guide set where it was at 2 and put the mat in. The line defining the outermost rectangle lined up along the guide rail. This meant we would be cutting the outermost rectangle. Step 9: While cutting the outermost rectangle we started and stopped each cut on the lines that defined the innermost rectangle. Step 10: After the initial sequence of four cuts, we re-set the mat guide to 2-¼. Now the middle rectangle was lined up along the guide rail. Cut Start Step 11: In this sequence we were cutting the middle rectangle. During the first sequence of cuts the drop-out piece didn t fall out. After this sequence of cuts, if done properly, it would. Step 12: While cutting the middle rectangle we started and stopped each cut on the lines that defined the middle rectangle. Step 13: After the second sequence of four cuts, we re-set the mat guide to 2-½. Now the innermost rectangle lined up along the guide rail. (Continued on page 10)

4 Volume 2, Issue 1 Adding Fillets to Mats Page 4 Many framers achieve a richer, more sophisticated look in their matting by using frame fillets. These narrow strips of moulding are specially designed for assembling to mats but miter cutting them can be challenging unless you have a fillet cutter. A new measuring gauge for the fillet cutter has now made the job easier than ever. Wooden fillets provide an elegant, stylish flare to mats and make matting more profitable. Cutting fillets requires a fillet cutter like the FrameSquare Fillet Cutter. It miter cuts both ends of the fillet cleanly. Step 1: Remove the Fillet Pro measuring gauge from where it is attached to the extension arm of the fillet cutter. Step 2: Open the gauge by setting one side against the left edge of the window and sliding the stop block into contact with the other. Step 3: Slide the position lock into contact with the stop block and tighten it into place by turning the white knob. Step 4: After gauging the width of the window, gauge the height by sliding the stop block into contact with the window s top edge and lock it. Step 5: Replace the measuring gauge on the extension arm of the fillet cutter and tighten it down. Step 6: Insert the wooden fillet beneath the chopper blades on the fillet cutter and slide it in alongside the gauge, preparing to cut only a small amount off the end. Step 7: Extend the holding tab by turning the white knob. The holding tab will come into contact with the fillet s rabbet and hold it while it s being chopped.

5 Page 5 Adding Fillets to Mats The Savvy Framer Step 8: Press down on the lever arm and the dual chopper blades slice through the wood of the fillet like a guillotine. Step 9: By extending only a small amount of the fillet under the blade a 45 miter is cut at one end of the fillet. Step 10: Put the fillet back in and slide it along the gauge. Step 11: The mitered end will fit neatly into the notch in the stop block. Since the block has been set for the window height, a precise fillet can be cut to fit the window. Step 12: Press down on the lever arm and chop dual miters in the fillet. Step 13: Remove the portion of the fillet on the right. It is now mitered at both ends and will fit the mat s window. Step 14: Loosen the knob on the block stop. Step 15: Slide the block stop into contact with the position lock and tighten it down. The block stop is now set to cut fillets for the shorter sides of the window. Step 16: Slide the remaining fillet down until it contacts the bock stop. Lower the lever arm and chop the fillet. Repeat this for the remaining two window sides.

6 Page 6 Tips for Conducting a Customer Consultation The Savvy Framer You don t need to shake the customer down for every last cent of profit. Use this fact to your advantage. (Continued from page 1) framer who may not have the same price flexibility you have. You should communicate that it s your intention to keep the price as low as possible, which means regular matboard, regular foamboard, regular glass and a regular commercial frame (as opposed, say, to a pricier hardwood frame or something imported). On the other hand, there are more expensive materials and they are usually employed in circumstances where the customer is concerned about the artwork increasing in value. And now you have a question for the customer. Giving Them What They Want Is the customer concerned about the artwork increasing in value? If the answer is no, resist the urge to pursue it, even if you can see that the artwork is worthy of a conservation frame job. You will give the customer the cheapest possible frame job, which is what she wants. No one likes to be railroaded into something she s uncomfortable with, and you don t need to shake the customer down for every last cent of profit. On the other hand, if the customer says yes, she is concerned with the artwork increasing in value, you will discuss with her the benefits of conservation grade materials. You should be conversant with the differences between regular matboard, Rag matboard and museum grade matboard. You should know the difference between regular and acid-free foamboard. You should know what UV protective glass does and what When something is easily reproduced it s less likely to increase in value. Sorry bunnies. regular glass can do. The workshops offered by Framing4Yourself will inform you on these topics, as well as the book Mat, Mount and Frame it Yourself by M. David Logan. Pondering Rarity If the customer thinks the artwork will increase in value, why does he think so? Many types of artwork are unlikely to increase in value. Unsigned poster prints, for example, or digital photographic prints. As a general rule, if something is easily reproducible it s unlikely to increase in value unless it s signed or otherwise distinguished by rarity. Rarity is the key. If something is not rare or likely to become rare, there s no reason to believe it will increase in value. Now if you re arguing the other side of the coin, as many frame shops do, you could easily assert that everything is potentially rare and therefore everything should be conservation framed. But that s not always in the best interests of the customer. Ultimately, it s up to the customer to decide. Your duty is to provide her with enough information so that she can make an informed decision. If she tells you that she wants to conserve the piece because it has sentimental value, that is a very good reason to do a conservation frame job. But if she tells you she thinks it should be conservation framed because she s heard that everything should be conser- (Continued on page 7) If the customer doesn t have a good reason for conservation framing you may want to talk him back from the brink.

7 Page 7 Tips for Conducting a Customer Consultation The Savvy Framer Coating something with adhesive doesn t help retain its value, but framers do it more often than you think. (Continued from page 6) vation framed, you might want to talk her back from the brink. Remind her that even in commercial frame shops dry mounting is a common method of mounting posters and digital prints. Dry mounting involves coating the artwork with adhesive. While the adhesive may be acid free, the act of coating artwork with adhesive is certainly not archival. In this case the framer has made a decision about the low relative value of the artwork, even if he s telling you he s performing conservation framing on the basis of the adhesive being acid free. And don t forget to point out that archival materials are going to inflate the price and your first objective is to keep the price low. If the customer still wants a conservation frame job, give it to her. Working with Corner Samples Now is when you whip out your wares: the corner samples and color specifiers that allow your customer to assess the looks of various mats and frames on the artwork. In order to turn your in- ventory and maintain liquidity we recommend you carry only 30 matboard colors and 15 moulding corner samples. These are the L- shaped corner sections of frames and mats that you can slip onto the corners of art to visualize the appearance. To evaluate a double mat combination you just stack two mat corners and slide one back to see what a liner color will look like. Corner samples of mats and mouldings allow your customer to visualize how the framed art will look. Choosing Colors and Styles You will want to have some sense about color so you can guide your customer during the design process. Start by focusing on the overall value of the artwork. A color s value is where it falls on the white to black ladder. When a color falls more toward white it s a tint; when it falls more toward black it s a shade; in between are tones. In choosing mat colors, suggest a color that shares the dominant value of the artwork. The next area of consideration is temperature which refers to the relative preponderance of cool or warm colors in the artwork. Identify the dominant temperature in the artwork and steer the color selection in that direction. Ultimately, when choosing mat colors, you are trying to serve two masters. You are trying to retain the balance of value and temperature in the artwork while at the same time directing the viewer s eye to what s most important in the composition. You should be able to identify the dominant hue in the composition, which, interestingly, doesn t always mean the hue that s most prevalent, but rather the hue that is most central to the theme, which gets to the question of what the artwork is about. Naturally, this is open to interpretation, so the client should be asked directly, What do you think this art is trying to communicate? Another way to get at the same thing is to ask, What do you like about this piece of art? Why do you want to display it? This second set of questions can also elicit the response that the art is being selected to fit existing (Continued on page 9) Identify the dominant temperature in the artwork (cool or warm) and steer the color selection in that direction.

8 Page 8 The Savvy Framer How to Present Canvas in a Floater Frame Contemporary art on canvas is often presented in a floater frame. The look is striking; the stretched canvas appears to be hovering within a larger frame with no visible means of support. While this may cause some head scratching on the part of puzzled observers, it s not all that difficult to pull off. Here s how you do it... A floater frame has a unique profile. Instead of a lip at the top, like most frames, it has a shelf at the bottom. To assemble the floater, turn it over and press the mitered ends together to form a corner. T-Nails, as they re called, are pressed into the corners to hold the frame together. Wood glues is also used. The assembled floater frame has a recessed shelf into which the stretched canvas will fit. A stretched canvas in a floater frame appears to float within a frame that is larger than it. To hold the stretched canvas in the frame, turn the frame over and place an offset-clip against the back of the frame. Screw a self-tapping wood screw through the hole in the offset clip and into the back of the stretcher bar. Assemble an offset clip on each side of the frame. Offset clips and screws can be purchased at Framing4Yourself.com. The floater frame is a popular contemporary look for presentation of art on stretched canvas. Floater frames cans be found at Framing4Yourself.com.

9 Page 9 Tips for Conducting a Customer Consultation The Savvy Framer The client should be asked directly: What do you think this art is trying to communicate? (Continued from page 7) room décor, a critical issue in any design consultation and one that will require a matboard color chart so the client can identify the room color if you are not present in the room. When selecting a frame, a good approach is to consider the flavor and style of the artwork. Classical artwork often looks better in more ornate frames, while contemporary artwork often has a streamlined look that is better enhanced by simpler frames. Often the image itself has wood in it that can suggest a frame style. Selling Embellishments Would the customer like any embellishments in her matting? Here you ll want to be prepared with samples to show her what you re capable of. Matting embellishments are a potential profit center for you as they will increase the time you spend on matting and therefore increase your labor time, earning you more money. Customers are confused by jargon. If you don t educate them, they may not know what you re talking about. You probably won t get much interest in matting embellishments unless you introduce your customer to the possibilities. It s unlikely she will come to you with a pre-set idea of what she wants in this area. Even if she knew she liked the look of a V-groove, for example, she wouldn t know what to call it. If you don t give it a name, she probably won t ask for it. It s up to you to educate her. It s surprising how many potential sales are lost - not just in picture framing but in many retail settings - because the salesperson naively believes that the customer knows what he s talking about. The salesperson is steeped in the jargon of his field and spends his days tossing the lingo about. Before long, it s hard to believe that others aren t equally clued in. If you ve ever been to an electronics store or spoken to a computer salesperson you know what I mean. You stand there nodding blankly while the salesperson rattles on. It s hard to make a sale this way, at least one the customer will be comfortable with. Show the customer some mat samples and tell him what they re called. This is a stepped-corner mat, this is an inlay, this is a mat with fillets, this is a weightedborder mat. Customers love to cherry-pick embellishments. You know this yourself if you ve ever bought a new car. Give your customer the opportunity to elaborate his frame job but always tell him what each add-on will cost. Don t wait until the end to spring an inflated price on him and watch his face fall. Show the customer a portfolio of your previous work. Yes, you are an artist and this is the kind of thing you re capable of. Your portfolio is a photo album. Every time you finish doing a frame job, snap a picture of it and put it in your album. By the end of your first year you should have quite a variety to thumb through. Your previous work will give your current customer ideas. (Continued on page 10) More art is damaged in the moving and shipping process than at any other time. In such cases acrylic may be preferred.

10 Page 10 How to Cut a V-Groove Double Bevel Mat The Savvy Framer Cut Start Step 14: Before putting the mat back in the cutter, we fitted the drop-out piece back into the window and held it there as we turned the mat to make each cut. Step 15: While cutting the innermost rectangle we started and stopped each cut on the lines that defined the outermost rectangle. Step 16: During cutting, narrow strips fell out. We removed them but kept the drop-out piece in until we finished. Step 17: After cutting the stepped-corner window, we trimmed the overall mat so it would be smaller than 11 x14. How to Conduct a Customer Consultation Step 18: By making the overall size of the liner-mat slightly smaller than that of the V-Groove mat we d cut earlier, it was easier to align the two mats visually as we taped them together to make the V-Groove Double Stepped Corner Mat. (Continued from page 9) Selecting Glazing Next question, does the customer move a lot? Seems like an odd query but it gets at an important issue. More artwork is damaged by broken glass in the moving process than at any other time. If the customer anticipates moving or for whatever reason foresees moving the artwork around a lot, she may want to consider acrylic instead of glass. Picture framing grade acrylic or Plexiglass - is much less prone to breakage and is indistinguishable from glass when in a frame. Pricewise glass and acrylic are about the same, so it s largely a matter of breakability. If the artwork is going to be vulnerable to breakage, the customer may want to opt for acrylic. How bothered is the customer by glare? Non-glare glass will prevent the intrusive washes of glare that are common in a brightly lit room. But non-glare glazing costs about twice as much as regular glazing. If the objective is to keep the price of framing low, this may be selfdefeating. But it is available, both in glass and acrylic. Last question, where will the artwork hang? Will it hang in a place that sees a lot of direct sunlight? If so, the customer may want to consider UV protective glazing, which filters out more than 90% of UV radiation and prevents fading. On the other hand, regular glass does a pretty good job of filtering out UV radiation too. If it didn t, you could get a suntan lying in your living room. The only question is whether regular glass filters out (Continued on page 11)

11 Page 11 Framing with Fillets The Savvy Framer Tips for Conducting a Customer Consultation (Continued from page 10) Step 17: Fillets have a flange along one edge and decoration along on the other. Step 19: Peel up the release paper to expose the other side of the adhesive and adhere the flange of the fillet to the back of the mat. Step 21: Assemble the next fillet to the adjoining edge of the window so the miters fit together to form a corner. Assemble the remaining two fillets to finish. Step 18: Fillet tape is a double-sided tape designed for attaching fillets to mats. Apply the fillet tape along the flange of the fillet. Step 20: The decorated edge of the fillet becomes the edge of the mat s window. The fillet cutter with its measuring gauge provides precision in miter cutting fillets and closing the corners. Fillets are assembled on mat windows that have been reverse beveled. In the next Savvy Framer we will show you how to cut a reverse bevel on your mat. enough. Generally, if the artwork will be hanging in a place where direct sunlight is a rarity, the addition of UV protective glass is probably overkill. Not only that but with a price tag that s about four times as much as regular glass it hampers your ability to provide the customer with the lowest possible price. On the other hand, if the customer has a valuable piece of artwork that will be hanging in direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time, it s best advised. Providing the Quote Note down your customers selections on a work order form. You can make up your own work order or you can buy a predesigned Framer s Work Order Book at Framing4Yourself.com. You will note down the customer s selection of mats, frame, glazing and whether or not this will be a regular frame job or a conservation frame job. Each time you note something down, you will communicate the cost. You should have a calculator and a quick reference pricing chart so you can do a quote on the spot. Next month s issue of the savvy framer will show you how to produce such a chart. At the conclusion of the design consultation, at the moment when the customer is most excited about (Continued on page 12)

12 541 W Golf Rd Arlington Heights, IL Phone: Fax: Join The Value Framer s Guild Benefits of Membership Password access to special sales and discounted pricing. One year subscription to The Savvy Framer Newsletter and access to all back issues. One year participation in the Internet Advertising Program Discounts on classes in the Framing4Yourself Workshop Series Participation in the Network Coordination Program so you can pool your buys for lower prices. Tips for Conducting a Customer Consultation (Continued from page 11) the impending frame job, that s the time to quote him the price. You do not want to tell him that you ll get back to him later. You want to close the sale on the spot with your customer s complete buy-in. And what if he fidgets? No problem. This is where you excel. If he s not 100% comfortable with the price, offer to explore ways to reduce it. If he s got non-glare glass or UV protective glass in there, see what it costs if you take it out. If he s added a V-groove, remove it. Consider less expensive frames. Suggest polystyrene (plastic-injected) frames, which are cheaper. Work with him to drill down on the price until you get to a place where he s happy. At the conclusion of the consultation, when the customer is most excited about the impending frame job, that s when you must close the sale. So your customer consultation has come full circle. You ve started out emphasizing price and you ve ended up emphasizing price. At no point did you attempt to evade or obfuscate. For the price sensitive customer, you are a breath of fresh air. If you do a decent job, this customer will come back to you. And if you are worried about competing with established frame shops for the really lucrative business, consider this. At first your customer may be offering you only his less expensive items to frame, reserving his more valuable pieces for the established professional down the street. But if you do a good job with his less expensive items, he will likely give you a crack at his more expensive stuff. The framer who can do both effectively and within customer expectation of price will win all that customer s business, and that way lies continued success.