1- Where can you buy a lot of the supplies?
---Go to a craft/art supply store, like MJD,
Michael's, Hobby Lobby, Garden Ridge, etc.
Chances are, you can find a frame or pre-cut mats
at such places, at lower prices than you would
pay if you went to an art gallery or an art
specialty store.
2- What do you use to keep lines from fading?
---Heat and light and radiation are going to get
through, no matter what. A cel that is kept out
in the open is going to deteriorate, regardless
of what you do. However, you can slow down that
deterioration by using glass that has a coating
to filter out UV light, and by not hanging it in
a place that is constantly bright or ever gets
direct sunlight. This is going to be especially
true if you have a lot of warmer colors in the
cel (reds and yellows and browns), as opposed to
cooler colors (blues and purples), which are more
resistant.
3- What is the best way to hold the cel in the
frame?
---Your mileage may vary, but I like those acid-
free photo corners. You can stick them to your
backing, and that way, the cel isn't damaged by
anything. This might only be a problem if you're
framing it with an original background.
4- What is the best type of boards to frame them
with?
---Acid-free everything. ^_^ You'll probably want
acid-free matboard in the front, and perhaps acid-
free gatorfoam or something behind it.
Ultimately, though, if you aren't comfortable
with the job you can do on it yourself (or if you
have difficulty gathering high-quality
materials), you'll want to ask an art gallery to
frame it, rather than a hobby store. Art gallery
employees are used to handling valuable art, and
treat it well--- and have the added bonus of
being generally small, with a narrow clientele.
Art gallery people tend to be very easy to work
with and helpful, in my experience, as compared
to a lot of the hobby-shop framers I've talked
to. The higher cost is worth the security.
Usually, a do-it-yourself framejob will run about
$25 for the glass and mat and peripherals (photo
corners, hangers, etc), plus however much your
frame costs. So if it's a special cel, you might
want to just go ahead and let a professional
gallery take care of it for you; but if you're
comfy with do-it-yourselfing, go for it! :o) |