We have looked into framing many an odd sized image, and more often than not a custom framing job really breaks the bank. Here is a little tutorial on "custom" framing your own images for far less than a professional framer.
What You Need
"odd" sized imagestandard frame, larger than your image
paint (if desired)
custom cut mat
acid-free artist's tape
acid-free paper
Instructions
1. Select and paint your frame. We chose a frame in raw wood (saved a few bucks there) and opted to paint it matte green with acrylic paint. Your frame should be proportionally larger than your image to allow at least a couple of inches around the image. The more mat around your image, the better, in our opinion.
2. We had a custom mat cut. Instead of a custom frame, which can get expensive, we chose a standard frame size and had the mat cut to fit both our image and the frame. Our mat cost less than $10 to have done. Provided the place you go to uses acid-free mat board and foam core, you needn't go to a high-end frame shop to have this done. Michael's is just fine! Typically, it's really quick and easy, and will save you quite a bit of money.
3. We opted to hinge our mat board to the backing board using artist's tape to make sure they didn't shift away from one another in the frame, ruining the alignment of the image underneath.
4. Center your image on your backing board so that it is revealed properly beneath the mat. We use acid-free paper corners to anchor our image and prevent slippage. By taking a strip of paper, folding the ends down to form a point, and trimming it, you get a great corner that can be taped down to the backing board. We didn't have that much border around our image, so we also cut a small triangle out of the top of the corner to create just a small ridge holding the image.
5. Once the image is placed properly, slide the corners on all corners of the image, being sure not to shift the image. Use acid-free artist's tape to anchor down the corners. You should only have to tape the paper, not the image, preventing any damage to your image. This leaves your image unharmed by adhesive, and you can remove it should you decide later on to frame it differently.
6. Your image should be centered and secured under the mat at this point, leaving it ready to be assembled. Dust your glass and image, put them back in the frame, and secure! Voila! We framed this oddly sized image for less than $20!
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(Images: Jessica Blake Tata)
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the only thing i'd suggest here is the addition of a paper dust cover to the back of the frame. most frame shops use kraft paper, which is sealed around the back perimeter with atg tape. add some frame bumper pads to the corners, and picture wire, and you'll really have a professional quality framing job.
In what way is the custom framing? It's matting and putting it in a standard frame. Looking at the pictures I suspected that this would be the solution, but I held out hope that it would be about building your own frame or some more diy type thing.
um going to michael's to get a custom mat isn't exactly diy?
If you are in NYC try Sky art and frame, they are great and their prices never break the bank. I used to work in a frame shop and depending on the value of your art and how long you intend to keep it, is worth having it professionally framed.
There are several good websites for custom framing that are very affordable. I like pictureframes.com for nicer frames - they have a feature so you can preview your image with a frame, matting, etc.) - and for framing posters wholesaleposterframes.com. There are also a number of frame dealers on ebay that will make custom frames for you.
you can also get an old frame at the thrift store to save even more bucks, and it's more eco friendly to reuse!
I worked in custom conservation framing for several years and I think this is a very clever way to do conservation framing on a budget. If your image is something you want to really preserve and keep looking its best for years to come:
1) Make sure you use acid-free products on anything that will be in contact with the image.
2) Use glass that protects from UV rays (TruVue brand is the most common)
3) Allow about 1/8" of "breathing room" on both the horizontal and vertical mounting that you create for your image. Everything expands and contracts (everything!!) and so this is to keep the paper or whatever substrate your image is on from buckling when it is fully expanded like when the temperature or moisture levels are high.
If your image already has natural waves in it (such as an original water color painting, don't worry about flattening it out. It's best to let it be wavy.
4) Use a double-mat or a spacer to make sure that your image is at least 1/8" away from the glass. Because the glass can heat up when it has direct light on it, you want to make sure there is plenty of air space between your image and that hot glass. This also prevents the image from sticking to the glass (and potentially ruining your image) should any moisture make it into the frame.
A dust cover is very helpful in preventing dust, moisture, and bugs from getting to your image. At the shop I worked at, we used Tyvek, but craft paper will suffice.
Also, it's perfectly acceptable to use wood or elmer's or whatever kind of glue to adhere your dust cover on. You can get a nice trim by running a sharp razor along the side.
When cleaning your framed artwork, always spray the rag first. If you spray the glass, you increase the likelihood that moisture will drip down into the frame. There are a lot of glass cleaners out there, but equal parts of water and alcohol in a spray bottle works like a charm.