Want a Full Service Frame Shop?

The FrameWorks is a full service frameshop located in historic Diamond Springs, CA at 512 Main Street, Suite 10. It is the pride of the entire staff who have made their frameshop a source of unparalleled services. Our range of picture framing services include:

• Custom Picture Framing of all kinds: original oils, watercolors and pastels, prints, giclees, needlework, shadow boxes for collections & other 3-D objects, heirlooms and almost any other item.
• Restoration/repair services for paintings and picture frames
• Work by local artists
• Limited Edition Prints/posters
• Ready made picture frames, mats, framed mirrors
• Contract picture framing and mat cutting for artists and commercial clients
• We specialize in needlework framing, blocking & backlacing

Check Sierra Frameworks.com for all your frame needs.

Photo Touch-up, Blow-up & Duplication

Photo touch-up, blow-up & duplication

We now offer a photo touch-up, blow-up & duplication process onto either paper or canvas ! Just bring us your photos or digital files and we can reproduce them from snapshot size to giant poster size. They can also be repaired or touched-up at this time. These are not your and regular photo reproductions, but are done with a high quality Iris printer that produces a modern "Giclee" print. These reproductions are of fine-art quality, with saturated colors and special one hundred year inks. They are generally done on heavy water-color paper or, if you prefer, canvas(which is suitable for stretching). So, if you have a special photo you would like to enhance and preserve, please bring it in for a free estimate.*
*Prices vary based on individual needs-can start as low as $35.






If you want more information, contact us HERE for Sierra Frame Works.com

Picture Frame Mounting Techniques

Picture Frame Mounting Techniques Mounting is the technique used to secure a photograph to a mount or display board. There are several different methods and materials to choose from when mounting a photograph. Selection is based on several factors such as cost, convenience, equipment availability, and conservation. Conservation True conservation framing dictates that the mounted photo must be cleanly removable from the mount board. Museums must adhere to conservation guidelines, even though all acid free materials are used in these frames. Acids and other pollutants will eventually penetrate the frame from the air and walls and contaminate the frame, at which time the artwork must be removed and reframed with fresh materials. For most of us, such extreme conservation rules are unnecessary, although care should be taken to ensure general household items such as rubber cement are not used for mounting. These items may contain chemicals that will harm your artwork immediately. There are several inexpensive mounting products available today that are safe for your artwork. Some products such as photo corners, mounting corners, and hinging tapes and tissues are all safe products for mounting your artwork. Photo Corners and Archival Hinging Tissue One of the main reasons that pictures buckle after being framed is that the image, mat, and mount board all expand and contract at different rates with changes in temperature. For this reason it is important to leave the image as free as possible to move within the picture frame. The two primary ways of achieving this are mounting with photo corners & hinging tissue. A key component of conservative framing is that the image can be completely removed from the photo frame with no change to the image. To allow the image to freely expand and contract beneath the mat, it should only be hinged at a couple of points along the top edge of the photograph as shown in the diagram. Larger images may require 3 points. How conservative the hinging method is depends on the type of adhesive used in the hinge. For true conservation, there is a special Japanese paper that is used with a water-soluble wheat or rice starch adhesive. Picture mounting – hinging photograph to mat One way to mount your photograph is to use acid free hinging tape or tissue such as Lineco Self Adhesive Hinging Tissue to attach the image directly to the mat. The advantage of this method is that the image will stay centered under the picture mat opening so you do not need to hinge the mat to the mount board. The disadvantage of this method is that is depending on the hinging product used, it may be difficult to change the mat. Note: If you are selling your image matted but unframed, it is recommended that you do not use this method. An easy mounting technique: Lay your image down on a table with the top of the image hanging off the edge of the table about 1 or 2 inches. Lay your mat on top of the image and center it. Apply two pieces of hinging tissue or acid free tape to the photograph and mat from the bottom as shown in photographs. Lift the mat up with the image hanging down, place the mount board or frame backing board behind it, lay your glazing (the glass or acrylic) on top and insert into the picture frame. Want to learn more, clich Here for Sierra Frameworks. They will answer all your questions.

Custom Picture Framing Using Wood

The Types of Wood Used in Making Picture Frames
Picture frames come from a variety of different trees

The picture framing industry has long sought to provide its customers good value as well as a range of high quality mouldings. To do so, it has sourced wood harvested from a wide variety of trees. Broadly speaking, however, picture frame mouldings can be gathered under two headings: hardwood frames and softwood frames. But as you are about to find out, it’s a little more complicated than that.

Hardwood frames and softwood frames. Hmm, this would seem to speak to the fact that one is made of a harder, more difficult to work wood, and the other is more soft and yielding. Well, um… not quite. In fact, the designations don’t always have to do with how hard or dense the wood is. For example, balsa wood – wait for it – is a hard wood, as is basswood, one of the most common woods used in making picture frames.

The one thing that all hardwood trees have in common is that their seeds have a covering, like an apple, acorn or walnut. Softwood trees by comparison drop cover-less seeds, like pine trees. Hardwood trees are typically deciduous trees which means they lose their leaves in the winter time. Softwood trees are more commonly evergreens.

While we can say that not all hardwoods are hard and dense, we can also say that the hardest and densest of woods are indeed hardwoods, and this is where the confusion comes in. In picture framing the terms are often used to refer to the workability of the wood rather than the strict designation. So basswood frames are often referred to as softwood frames, as opposed to oak and maple, which are universally acknowledged to be hardwood due to their density and stability.

To confuse matters further, many commercial frame mouldings are made of basswood or ramin – both soft hardwoods – but have a veneer meant to mimic an even harder wood like cherry, walnut or maple. In purchasing a picture frame you will want to stay alert to words like "finish", as in "walnut finish frames". This probably means a ramin frame with a walnut finish.

Hardwoods are generally tough, hard-wearing woods that resist dents and scratches. One way to tell a hardwood moulding from a softwood moulding is to scratch it with your fingernail. If it doesn’t scratch easily, it’s likely a hardwood.

Hardwoods are thought to be more attractive than softwoods as they have well-defined grain patterns. But truly dense hardwoods like oak, maple, hickory and teak can be a struggle to saw, sand and nail. Softwoods, on the other hand, are much easier to work but are more prone to warping and can ooze sap.

In recent years most commercial picture frame mouldings have been made from soft hardwoods imported from Southeast Asia, specifically Indonesia, where cheap, easy-to-work ramin and basswood are the lumbers of choice. Even when the mouldings are sourced through China, the Chinese are often getting the moulding from Southeast Asia. This is an issue as the Indonesians do not practice sustainability and deforestation is a growing problem in Indonesia.

Recently the furniture and picture framing industries have begun looking to hybrid poplar, grown in North America, made from black cottonwood and eastern cottonwood, for its better sustainability. But this has not yet ramped up.

The most common soft hardwoods used in picture framing are basswood, ramin, obeche and mahogany. The most common dense hardwoods are oak, walnut, cherry and ash. The most common truly soft softwoods are pine, redwood and cedar.

Whichever moulding you choose, remember that the picture framing industry has always endeavored to provide a low cost, easy to work wood that has the beauty and character to enhance fine works of art. In this they have largely succeeded.

Want to learn more about picture framing, click HERE for Sierra Frameworks

To Frame or Not to Frame?

“To Frame or Not to Frame” That is Only the First Question!

Challenged by the task of framing. So, first you have to ask yourself, “Do I frame or not?”

If you do decide to frame, this leads to many more questions. What color, what size, what width, what style, glass or no glass; all good questions to ask when you contemplate displaying your artwork in a frame.

Framing, basically, comes down to choice. But you have to decide whose choice- yours or your customer. Your choice is easy, but how do you choose a frame for the general public? There are some guidelines to choosing a frame for display, considering the presentation is usually what sells the artwork. The frame choice should complement the artwork and not compete with it.

The painting should always be the star of the piece. The style of frame should work with the style of the artwork. A barn wood frame would be suitable for a country landscape, but not a contemporary abstract. A metal frame can look sophisticated and futuristic; while, a plastic frame may seem simple and inexpensive.

Color can be determined quite easily if you are hanging the painting in a room with a particular color scheme. However, choosing something suitable, yet generic, is the best advice when you plan to sell your painting.

Some artists avoid the decision by selling the artwork without a frame and leave the choice to the customer. However, it would probably be a good idea to, at least, display the piece in an attractive frame, even if you intend to sell it without one. This allows the interested party to visualize how it would look on their own wall and possibly seal the deal.

Working in standard sized dimensions means you can probably purchase a pre made frame pretty reasonably. However, when you choose to produce odd sized and shaped artwork you may have to resort to custom framing for your masterpiece, which usually adds to the investment.

Professional custom framing can be expensive and almost always accounts for about 75% of the artworks value. With this in mind, artists have learned to be creative with ways of displaying their art.
Watercolorists and pastel artists normally use framed glass to protect their vulnerable mediums. They usually choose to frame with UV glass that protects the artwork from the sun’s fading power, but can be very expensive.

Other artists, however, choose to mount their watercolors to wooden panels and canvases for displaying without glass. This can save on the expense of framing, but also requires the painting to be treated with acrylic sealers that will protect the surface from dirt and moisture. This technique also changes the look of the artwork, which is not always a desired result.

Oil and acrylic artists, who often use the same styles of frames without glass, have the same dilemma of framing or not framing their artwork. Not framing saves a bundle, but may not suit the artwork, making it look and seem unfinished.

Presentation is everything and this choice can determine whether a painting sells or not. Artists who work predominately with extra deep canvases will usually hang the painting with no frame at all. This is attractive and very acceptable, if the canvases are larger pieces of more than two feet long or wide.

Smaller paintings, typically, need some type of frame to add substance to the artwork.
The option of framing an oil or acrylic painting can become an expensive one, especially, when the canvases are oversized and extra deep. Standard pre-made frames have an average depth capacity of about ¼ in to 1 in. However, back stapled, gallery wrapped canvases are typically 1 ½ in deep, requiring custom framing, which adds to the already costly expense.

The choice is tough, check out a professional, click HERE to contact Sierra Frame Works in Placerville.

How To Determine Mat Border Size

Question: How do I determine my mat border size?

 Answer:  While there is no mathematical equation, a good rule of thumb is to provide enough border to create a smooth transition from the artwork to the frame so as not to lose the picture among the matting.
 Most mats range in width from 1 1/2" for smaller projects (such as an 11" x 14" image) to 4" on projects that measure about 22" x 30". Some people like to make the bottom border a bit larger, to optically-center the artwork.

 This is called "weighting the bottom" and was quite common in previous eras. Like many aesthetic aspects of framing, this, too, is your preference.

Want to learn more, click HERE for Sierra Frameworks

Full Service Frameshop

The Frameshop is a full service frameshop with an 1800 square foot showroom/frameshop 1/2 mi. south of Walmart(towards Diamond Springs) on Missouri Flat Road. It is the pride of the entire staff who have made The Frameshop a source of unparalleled services. Our range of services include:
· Custom Picture Framing of all kinds: original oils, watercolors and pastels, prints, giclees, needlework, shadow boxes for collections & other 3-D objects, heirlooms and almost any other item.
· Restoration/repair services for paintings and picture frames
· Work by local artists
· Limited Edition Prints/posters
· Ready made picture frames, mats, framed mirrors
· Contract picture framing and mat cutting for artists and commercial clients
· We specialize in needlework framing, blocking & backlacing

Click HERE to see more about what The Frameshop can do for you. Sierra Framworks.com