Your new portrait is a hand-painted work of fine art. I use the best archival materials for its creation. If properly taken care of, your portrait will last for many lifetimes.

The artist’s pigments in my pencils and pastels are the same as those used in fine oil paints. The only difference is that the pigments are not mixed with a liquid binder which may degrade over time.

The paper support for my pastel paintings is made of the same natural fibers as artist’s canvas and will last as long or longer.

Your pastel portrait may shed a few particles of pigment when new. This is normal and will not damage the image. The surface will become more solid with time and shedding will stop. Please do not attempt to rub or brush away fallen particles, as you may mar the surface of your portrait. Lightly shake them off and store your unframed portrait flat in its case until you take it to your framer.

Framing: You will receive your portrait in a protective sleeve. This is fine for short-term storage, but to protect and preserve your portrait while it is on display, you should have it professionally framed behind glass. Please choose your framer carefully. Discount framers may charge less, but they often save money and cut corners by using non-archival, non-acid-free framing materials. These materials may harm your portrait. It’s worth choosing the best quality framing materials so that your family can enjoy your portrait for many years to come.

What to tell your framer

You want acid-free, archival framing materials. The backing board and mats, if any, should be museum quality. 100% rag board and acid-free foamcore is best. Cheap mat board or brown cardboard backings will stain and yellow your portrait within a few years.

Do not spray any sort of fixative or coating on your portrait in the framing process or allow your framer to do so. Further coating or fixing may change the colors in your portrait, damage the paper or dislodge the pastel particles from the surface. Careful handling is a must. Do not touch the painted surface. Putting fingers or other items on top of the portrait or allowing it to be rubbed or flexed will damage the surface. Keep it flat, supported from underneath and facing upwards to protect the pastel surface.

Choose a framer who is experienced in working with fine art pastels or pencils. A framer who works mostly with posters and printed reproductions or oil paintings may not realize that pastels take special handling. Do not risk the welfare of your portrait in the hands of an inexperienced framer.

Do not use Plexiglas™ or non-glare glass to frame your portrait. Plexiglas™ holds a static charge that may pull pastel particles from the paper and in time create a “ghost” image on the underside of the glass. This will probably not seriously harm your portrait, but it will obscure your view of it! Non-glare glass makes your portrait appear blurry and dull in color, and it is best avoided.

One good approach for framing your pastel is to use a reversed double mat, with the larger window underneath. This creates a gap behind the mat where any fallen particles will be invisible. Another is to use a spacer strip between the glass and the painting so that no mat is necessary.

Hanging your portrait:

Choose a dry place indoors out of direct sunlight. Sunlight, even filtered through a window, is the enemy of all fine artwork. It degrades paper and canvas and may fade pigments. Dampness may damage paper and even allow mold to grow on paintings. Outside walls, basement walls and stone or concrete walls may transmit dampness, so avoid hanging art on them. An interior wall without nearby windows is ideal. Bedrooms, sitting rooms and hallways are often the best places for fine artworks. Bathrooms and kitchens may have very damp air, so please avoid hanging your fine artworks near showers, tubs and stoves.

Never lean the front or back surface of a stretched canvas on a pointed or sharp object, no matter how small. Corners of chairs and tables must be avoided. If you lean the canvas against it, it will leave a dent that will disfigure your work. If you must lean it against something, lean it on the wood of its stretcher bars or the frame, so that nothing presses against the canvas.

You might want to dust your painting regularly, so that a thick layer of dust does not build up which will dry out the paint and possibly result in cracking and peeling. Do not spray anything (like Pledge) on the work. Never clean it yourself. Only dust with a light brush. Cloths and feather dusters might catch so it is better not to use those. Do not use chemicals or household cleaning products. Do not use water or damp cloths.

Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight will fade the colours in your oil painting. Please be aware of this when choosing a location for it. Never expose your painting to extreme heat, extreme cold, or to extreme humidity. Never hang in direct sunlight. Never hang directly over fires, radiators, heaters, in bathrooms, kitchens or around a swimming pool. Do not use picture lights attached very close to the painting (as some light bulbs will get very hot). Do not keep in a damp room as it encourages mould and mildew. Check your painting regularly (at the back) for any pests or insects.

If you must transport the work, lay a flat piece of cardboard, mat board or similar firm material over the front and back surfaces, and then wrap it in bubble wrap or Styrofoam wrap. Keep bubble wrap away from the painting surface as it could leave marks. Always keep a painting upright and never lay it flat. Be careful of the frame corners as they are easily damaged. Carry a painting with two hands from the sides of the frame, never just by the top.

Make sure the painting is hanging securely and safely. Make note of the weight of the painting and use suitably heavy screws and hooks. Ask a framer for advice if you are not sure.

Don’t hang your art work too high or too low. Remember you want to enjoy looking at it and hang it at a good eye level. A recommended height is 156cm from the floor to the middle of the picture, depending on your own height and wall space.

Please note that the artist will always retain copyright in the painting. This means that nobody but the artist can copy, reproduce or photograph the work for distribution or commercial gain without the prior consent of the artist.

I hope you will enjoy your painting!

Varnish should be used to protect paintings from pollution in the atmosphere, UV rays and scratches. Another factor is as oil paintings dry, the dark colors have a tendency to ‘sink’. Varnish brings out the rich colors and the brilliance they had when you first applied them.

Here’s the problem, it can take 6 months to a year or longer for an oil painting to completely dry. So, what does the artist do for those dry-to-the-touch paintings that are commissioned art or ready for a gallery opening and in need of some ‘varnish’?

I use the temporary varnish, otherwise known as Retouch Varnish, because it dries quicker and is a great medium to use for those ‘uncured paintings’ that need a finished look and some protection before they are completely dry.

If you purchase a painting that has been varnished with just retouch you have two options. One is to return the painting to me for a final varnish (at no charge) or you can take it to a art curator/fine art framer for a final varnish after the painting has cured.