How to Frame Your Artwork

materials Feb 27, 2025

Introduction

So you’ve just completed that latest minor masterpiece and you’re really rather pleased with it.

Other people like it too and although you modestly shrug off the compliments in public, you have that warm inner glow of of a job well done and on the quiet, you’re actually quite impressed with yourself! 👏

So what better than to get it framed and hang it prominently in your home for you to enjoy and to provide a talking point for visitors over a coffee?

Or you might prefer to present it to a relative or friend as a unique gift that they’ll always cherish.

Well, now comes the the big decision about choosing the right frame in which to display your picture. Cost may well be a factor of course, but more than that, you want to select something that not only enhances it to the maximum, but looks well wherever it is going to be hung.

And that’s where the problems start!

So many styles and sizes of frame to choose from.
So many colours and materials.
Mount, double-mount or no mount?
Non-reflective or plain picture glass or acrylic sheet?

And as you can see from the image below, it’s not always easy to judge from small corner samples how the finished framed picture will look...

All of a sudden, choosing that frame becomes a nightmare instead of a pleasure. 😟

So let's change that!

Let's take a look at the most important factors when picking a frame so that you avoid making a bad choice and spending money on something that doesn't do your artwork justice. 🥳

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The Six Main Factors to Consider

Here are the six main things to consider when choosing your framne:

What medium did you use to create your art?
Do you want a modern or traditional frame?
How big is the picture and where is it to be hung ?
Are there any key colours in the picture?
How much breathing space does it need?
What's your budget?

We'll cover each of these in more detail below and I'll give visual examples of how they can be applied.

Please do bear in mind that, as with everything in art, there are no hard and fast rules! You may might not like a frame I choose for a particular picture and you might choose differently. My goal is to give you some starting guidelines and six specific points to consider so you're not overwhelmed by choice.

Using Picture Framing Websites to Test Different Ideas

For all the examples below, I used a framing website that allows you to upload you artwork and test how it looks with different frames and mounts.

Even with these six guidelines above, you'll still be left with numerous options to choose from. Using a framing site that allows you to compare different frames around your art piece, will help you pick the overall winner.

Tip: If you're going to order the frame online, choose no more than two or three framing websites in your country that allow you to upload an image of your artwork. Any more than that, and you're back to too much choice and getting overwhelmed!

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Factor 1 - What Medium Did You Use to Create Your Art?

Traditionally, oil and acrylic paintings are surrounded by just a frame, whereas watercolours, pastels and drawing mediums sit behind a mat or mount card border within the frame.

Again, no hard and fast rules here!

You can absolutely frame a watercolour or drawing without a mount (see Phil's two pencil drawings below where no mount has been used) and while you wouldn't normally use a card mount on an oil or acrylic, you can use what's called a slip frame (which is like a frame within a frame - see the painting of a Bruges canal and bridge below).

There are, technically, three frames here. The brown wood outer frame, which has a gold inner border, the canvas-like cream-coloured slip frame and then a separate, very thin gold frame between it and the picture itself.

Moving on to watercolours and pastels, because of the relatively delicate nature of watercolour or pastel paper, ideally it needs to be protected behind a card mount, if only to avoid having to tape it directly to the frame. The glass then gives further protection to the picture itself.

With pastel and charcoal, the glass obviously protects the picture as with a watercolour, but the mount is essential to keep the pastel or charcoal from touching the glass and smudging. Not as much a problem if you use fixative, but a lot of artists don't like how fixative changes the tones and values so opt not to use it.

Thick or Thin Frame?

With oils and acrylics, the more robust nature of the paint (once dry) and the canvas or board surface, usually means that the need for a protective mount (or even glass) is not critical.

I know you can paint oils and acrylics on paper and there’s no reason why oils and acrylics shouldn’t be framed behind a mount and/or glass if the artist thinks it will look better, but it tends to be more the exception than the rule.

You’ll also see many oil paintings behind glass in art galleries, but this is invariably a protective measure to prevent inquisitive, sticky fingers and the like... or pure vandalism!

Traditionally, any picture with a mount tends to require a thinner frame, otherwise it starts to overpower the picture. This is because the mount card already acts as a ‘frame’ so the picture frame itself is adding another border.

Conversely, oils and acrylics can take a much heavier frame in order to balance the fact that the image is visible right up to the inner edge of the frame itself.

Look at the two pictures below. One in a heavy frame and one in a much thinner one.

I think you’ll agree that the one on the left, whilst a nice frame in itself, doesn’t have the ‘weight’ to do justice to the painting. The one on the right, even though it’s only about 50% wider, carries it off much better.

Frame or No Frame?

Look art this magnificent oils portrait by Ben Waddams. Wonderful as it is on its own, the frame adds so much more by really thrusting you face to face with the mountain lion:

However, sometimes a frame isn't needed or isn't practical...

If you're painting on a stretched canvas with a deep wooden frame (like the Museum profile in the Blick canvas set below), it will probably look strange with a frame and sit quite far off the wall. A lot of more modern styles of art, the likes of which you'll find in home decor stores, are on deep-set canvases and unframed. And a no-frame choice can also work with traditional styles as well.

Look at how the abstract acrylic painting below, painted on a canvas stretched over an inch-deep wooden frame, looks cramped when a frame is added:

As a general rule, deep-set canvases work better without frames.

Conversely you could never imagine a traditional landscape - Constable’s Haywain for instance - without that enormously heavy gilt frame that adorns it, all of about 6” wide!

Tip: You will lose around 1/4inch (6mm) on all sides of your canvas or board when you attach it to the back of a frame. It sits in what’s called a rabbet, or rebate, to hold it in place, so do remember that when you’re painting, so that nothing important in the picture gets too near the edge!

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Factor 2 - How Big is the Picture & Where Will it Hang ?

Any frame will add a least a few inches or centimetres all round to the size of the picture, and if you’re using a mount you can come close to doubling the overall perimeter! This is an important consideration if you plan to hang a piece in a particular place in your home.

If you ever start to receive commissions, you should ask where the artwork will live before you start drawing or painting! The answer will dictate not only how big you draw or paint, but maybe even the media and style you suggest.

In the example below, there’s a good space in a relatively large hallway to accommodate a framed painting of a cat...

However, I had to remove some ornaments of that desk first! Look at difference when I put them back (and let's be honest, someone will put something back there if I move them away!)...

By just making the picture a bit smaller in the first place, you avoid this problem. If you don't have that choice, then a thinner frame, even if not your first choice, may look better if it allows for some breathing space.

Tone With The Background

In the image below, the alcove behind the sofa is actually crying out for a picture. You might think about getting the frame to complement some of the greys or silvers, or cream of the cushions and deep reds in the surrounding decor...

Many artists will argue that the frame colour should primarily complement the picture first and foremost, not the surrounding decor. And I'd agree.

However, there's probably an option that does both.

The example above is a nice frame and complements the woodland painting, but does the gold colour of the inner frame clash slightly with all the silver and grey? And does the frame width still leave the picture looking slightly too small for the available space?

In the next image, I've chosen a larger frame and made the original painting a bit bigger (which I appreciate isn't possible if it's already been painted!). I also chose a frame without any gold.

Personally, think it fills the space much better and works with both the painting and decor. But you could argue that the colours you choose for your painting before you even pick up a brush, might be partly conditioned by where the finished piece is going to end up...

Right Picture - Right Room ?

Let's place that same picture above in this bedroom. Look how it conflicts in texture and style with the antique heavy dressing table, mirror and bed headboard...

However, this lovely picture next, of a barn owl, works well with the subject matter and blends with the traditional furniture, because I've used a frame that complements the room.

It’s also in portrait format to match the furniture structure and I’ve made it a suitable size so as to make it stand out but not be crammed in to the space...

And just one point of caution I'd add here though. See that radiator underneath it?

Is the rising heat from that going to damage the picture over time?

Wall Colouring - Does It Clash or Complement?

Thinking about where you picture will hang, what is the background decor like?

Does the wall have a heavily patterned, strongly coloured paper or is is painted in a neutral cream, for example?

The photo below offers up a potential banana skin for a painting. Virtually any sort of strong-coloured frame or mount is going to be fighting all day long with this wallpaper...

For watercolours, pastels and drawings, you have to think about both the frame and the mount (if using).

One of the most popular mount colours is cream or ivory. They're not as stark as white, but light enough not to intrude upon most pictures, while at the same time offering a neutral background on most walls.

Look at the portrait of the boy I’ve inserted as a better example below.

In a thin green frame that complements the wallpaper colour and a neutral mount colour that still allows it to stand out against the heavy pattern. It could probably use an even creamier-coloured mount, but I think the off-white mount works well with the wooden furniture...

If you go into most galleries, whether they’re a public art gallery or a private dealer, it’s no coincidence that the walls are invariably a light, neutral colour that will enhance most paintings hung on the walls, regardless of the colour of frame, mount or the picture itself.

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Factor 4 - Are There Any Key Colours in the Picture?

It’s always good if you can pick out one or two key colours from the painting or drawing that are repeated in the frame or, more often, the mount.

You can do this with a double mount - where the main thicker mount is a neutral colour and the thinner, second is the same or similar colour to a key colour in the picture (examples below).

As for the frame, you might be perfectly happy with a dark, wooden frame and gold border, representing none of the colours in the picture. But it is worth giving it some consideration...

For Rob Dudley’s sparkling watercolour below, I’ve added a classical wooden frame and a mauve-coloured inner mount (apologies, it's really thin and not very clear in the picture below) that picks up the shadow colour in the clouds.

I tried the aqua blue of the water and the red of the yacht sails first as an accent colour, but they were both a bit too strong. The more restrained mauve works well without drawing attention to itself...

Modern or Traditional Frame?

Modern frames suggest clean lines, tidiness and perhaps suit a picture in a contemporary style, whereas more traditional frames give out an air of longevity, classiness and timelessness.

It’s a generalisation, I know, but you do need to have some regard to the style and subject of your picture, when adding the frame.

Rob Dudley’s watercolour in the previous image works perfectly in a classic, attractive wooden frame.

However look at Jane Lazenby’s dramatic acrylic of the Chicago skyline. I’ve put it into two classic frames that really clash with the subject matter of a modern waterfront and skyscrapers. They hardly do the work justice...

Now look at the next picture, where I’ve given more regard to marrying up the subject and the style of frame.

Ok, I know plenty of readers may think that my third choice is no better than the first two, but at least I’ve tried to marry modern with modern, whatever you think of my taste!

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Factor 5 - How Much Breathing Space Does it Need?

This is a really crucial question when assessing if the frame enhances the picture.

By allowing the picture to ‘breathe’ what artists tend to mean is whether the frame almost ’steps back’ from the painting, providing a backcloth where the focus is only on the work.

Or, does it appear to literally wrap itself tightly around the edges of the picture like a boa-constrictor, because it’s too small for the picture itself?

I’ve lost count of the number of times in local shows, where the artist has displayed a very fine oil or acrylic painting, only to spoil it by putting it into any old frame, probably because it happened to be empty and it happened to be the right size.

Look at this lovely acrylic painting of Venice by Robert Dutton. Something this size, about 18inches (35cm) square, which is not particularly big, probably needs a frame around 3inches (7.5cm) or wider to achieve a proper balance and to say to the viewer “look at this painting, isn’t it superb!”

In the left hand picture I’ve wrapped a thin, dark-wood effort around it from the ‘happens to fit’ school of framing. It’s a little over 3/4inch (2cm) wide and would be fine for a medium-sized, say, 14inch x 10inch (35cm x 25cm) watercolour, along with a mount.

But this acrylic work needs something more robust. In the right-hand view we have a gold & bronze frame - classical but not too ornate, which is heavy enough to set off the painting in the manner it deserves.

Being around 3inches (9-10cm) wide, it provides enough space around the actual painting for the viewer to take it all in, with their attention focused totally on the painting. In other words, the picture can ‘breathe’ in its own space, unconstrained by a puny frame that in the left hand version appears to be clinging to the painting for its own survival!

This can happen too with any picture behind a mount because, as we’ve already discussed, the mount opens up the space around the picture anyway.

However, a watercolour of perhaps just 14inches x 10inches (35cm x 25cm) needs a mount of at least 2 - 3inches (5 - 7cm) I would suggest, or it will itself look constricted.

In Rebecca De Mendonca's cheerful beach-side pastel of a little boy above, the left hand picture has a cream mount size of only about 1inch (2.5cm) all round. As a result, the frame appears to be closing in on it, almost as if the mount has been cut as narrow as possible to make sure the whole of the painting fits. In other words, “the frame is this size, let’s see if we can get the picture in with a bit of a mount for good measure”.

Now look at the other picture where a mount of 4inches (10cm) has been selected and then the frame size cut accordingly. Enough said!

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Factor 6 - Whats Your Budget?

Frames are not cheap.

Custom frames, where you choose the exact size and material yourself are significantly more expensive than ready-made frames (often twice as much).

So if you're planning to paint or draw a picture specifically to hang on a wall, you can save quite a bit of money by working backwards from the size of standard, pre-made frame.

It may take a little more searching and you will have to make compromises but there are enough framing stores online now to give you plenty of choice.

On the other hand, the cost of a custom frame allows you more creative freedom and makes it more likely that you'll tick all the boxes we've discussed above - because you're in complete control.

and remember the old adage...

“The quality of a product is remembered long after the cost is forgotten”.

If you tend to paint in one medium, say watercolour, and you produce enough pictures, then you can also save considerable amounts by ordering your frames in bulk. They’ll usually (but not always) need to be the same style and ideally, the same size. But most framing companies will offer discounts for buying even as few as five frames at a time.

If you’ve ever thought about producing framed prints of your work it’s now perfectly feasible to economically produce very short runs, as little as one at a time, as a sideline. Giclee printing, using a home computer and printer/scanner to digitise your work allows you to print onto genuine watercolour or canvas paper, specially produced for the technique. These can then be framed and sold at a more attractive price than many people would be prepared to pay for an original.

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Your Artwork in a Frame

If you go on to one of the many online framing sites where they offer a facility to upload your picture and test it out in various frame formations and styles, it can prevent costly mistakes and give you a real insight into how your next minor masterpiece can be so much enhanced with the right choice of framing material.

And of course, I couldn’t finish this blog without showcasing just ten of the hundreds of brilliant pieces of artwork submitted by ArtKula members to our Monthly Challenges.

I've added imaginary frames from one of the website I've described above so you can see the pictures in their best light.

You (or they) may think my choice could be improved upon for some or all of the pictures and that's fine.

As I've said earlier, selecting the frame is a very personal thing. However, I can guarantee that they look a whole lot better than when viewed merely as an unframed piece of work!

Andrea P