So This Is Christmas

Merry Christmas is such an infectious feeling I like to feel that way all year around.

So if you are visiting just before Christmas, just after Christmas or even here on Christmas day I am sure you will find something of interest for you and in the spirit of Christmas.

It may be said that Christmas is no longer a celebration but this must be spoken by people that have never had trouble closing their eyes on Christmas Eve in an expectation of what maybe left for them on the carpet under the tree.

I continue to look forward to the surprise on my Grandchild's faces to this day at Christmas events.

Merry Christmas - Merry Christmas - Merry Christmas

Monday, June 22, 2009

How Would You Frame And Store Pastels?...

By Anna Meenaghan

This, you will find, is not always easy to do as you will soon realise. They tend to smudge with the best will in the world as they pick up specks of dirt and are quite delicate in themselves

Therefore it is quite hard to protect your work. Pastels can be harmful in fact, as the pigment in them is quite loose. You need to be careful not to inhale from the specks of these dust pigments.

Some people do use a daily newspaper to store their work, but with this you stand the risk of spoiling your work with the newsprint or acidity of the paper. Another way out of this would be to use a tissue paper that is acid free.

Now you can obtain boards which are acid free, so if you intend to try and store your picture for a long time then I would attach it to a board using masking tape and cover it with tracing paper or even greaseproof paper or tissue. Just remember to strap it down with a tape of some sort.

When you reach the framing stage, decisions have to be made. At this point you may decide you would like to change it somewhat. Maybe you think it is improved with less sides for instance or even all the way round.

Most artists, you will find, probably have a frame of card to put over their work at different angles and decide what they think is best. Does the painting look better with less at the sides for instance? You have to make a considered choice.

Really you do not want your pastel next to the glass or you will see that you get condensation and then nasty spots appear on your work. If you intend to keep your pastel under glass, you would have to make sure that you have a thick card mat round the picture first.

If you frame it with the mat no problems should occur in the years to come, even without fixing it. This does not mean that you cannot fix it! Spray it with an aerosol by all means, but be careful not to inhale some of the strong fumes.

Do try and spray outside if at all possible, or if that is not possible, make sure the room is very well ventilated. You have to remember these fumes can be very damaging to your health.

What you really need to do is to buy a plastic mask which will cover your nose and your mouth for this. Particularly if you suffer from allergies, as pastels collect dust and are also quite messy.

This is a sensible suggestion that I am making, otherwise it is likely that your nose will get all stuffed up if you do not have much air in your room. I can only warn you of any pitfalls you can come across. You need to wash your hands regularly and take a few breaks. It is worth it.

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