Mixed Media Art: How to Mat Small Paintings for Gifts or Art Shows

[@gloriawellington1444]

Inspiring. Thanks for sharing.

[@pamhemmerling]

Thanks Gloria! I appreciate you watching!

[@spiralcrafts]

Awesome. I do the same with my pieces. And heh Emily Carr worked on cardboard as her substrate!

[@pamhemmerling]

Oh, I love to hear that Nancy! I'll have to check out Emily Carr's work. Thanks for watching!

[@RajPereira-tt5ku]

🎉 Really enthralling colourful touch lovely 🌹

[@pamhemmerling]

Thanks

[@deborahneumann9162]

My love of gel printing led Me to Narrative Surreal Collage. I have m-a-n-y gel prints, so when I stumbled upon this video of yours, I thought "Wow!"... I can make a million of these! LOL LOL Not everyone can afford big-ticketed items, so this is PERFECT! And instead of getting a 'print', they would be getting an 'original'. Thank you SO much, Pam, for the idea! Sometimes the simplest solution is the BEST! LOL

[@pamhemmerling]

I agree with you completely Deborah. I would never have thought to do this myself until I recently watched the Bob Burridge video (link above).

[@deborahneumann9162]

I also just LOVE him... been watching his videos for many years now. Have a LOVELY day! (: @@pamhemmerling

[@maybee...]

I love this idea, I can see turning the paint blots into leaves by adding branches, or using an ink stamp that is only words to add an element of interest. Thank you for sharing.

[@pamhemmerling]

Definitely! That's a great idea for turning the abstract into a more representational image! I hope you give it a try.

[@juanasmith7223]

I love this idea! My husband suggested I get a couple of collages framed. I thought it was crazy but he pointed out the work is original and I shouldn’t be embarrassed or think it’s not good. So. I did it and glad! And now I have another way of breaking the negative voice in the back of my brain! Love this idea for personalized gifts!

[@pamhemmerling]

I know Juana, what is it that makes us think our art isn't good enough to be hung or framed? I'm so glad you pushed those thoughts aside and listened to your husband. I bet they turned out beautiful!

[@conniehubbell7383]

Thanks! I got so many ideas from that!

[@pamhemmerling]

Oh, I'm so glad Connie! I hope you give it a try.

[@HollyMcLaughlinArt]

I'll have to give this a try! I've been mounting my collages on wood panels, but I want to try matting them as well. Looks great!

[@pamhemmerling]

Thanks Holly! It's an inexpensive route compared to wood panels but probably not as nice.

[@sarahhutchison8190]

Love this idea. Thanks for sharing

[@pamhemmerling]

I'm so glad you found this helpful Sarah! Thanks for watching and letting me know.

[@katewalton6350]

Love Bob Blast, this whole thing was great! Makes everything look so professional. Thx

[@pamhemmerling]

Isn't Bob the best?! I imagine he would be fun to take an in-person class from because he seems so easygoing and encouraging.

[@danielmoore1980]

Terri again. I had a collage teacher years ago who said that once a year (at least) you should get a piece of your art framed. Just something you should do for yourself as an artist. These little ones are great. Thanks for the link for the mat boards, with the bags, they are now on my Christmas list.

[@pamhemmerling]

I think that is a great idea, Terri. I mostly paint on wide-edged canvas so don't typically frame my larger art but I do hang it in my house. I haven't yet framed any of the littles but if I find I need a small piece somewhere I definitely will.

[@CAT-Anne]

Very special.

[@pamhemmerling]

Thanks for watching!

[@Nightwind-nn9wn]

REALLY NICE !!! LOVE YOUR ART!

[@pamhemmerling]

Thanks so much! I hope you are inspired to mat your own artwork.

[@fatoomgierdien110]

This is such a WONDERFUL IDEA‼️👌♥️. Thank You🎁 Toom@CapeTown

[@pamhemmerling]

I hope you give it a try. Thanks so much!

[@fatoomgierdien110]

Thank you for a wonderful and useful video.👌‼️💐Toom@CapeTown

[@pamhemmerling]

I'm so glad you found it helpful. Thanks for watching and letting me know.

[@louloufabrique]

Merci! Great tutorial for simple and quick gifts. 😊

[@pamhemmerling]

You're welcome--I hope you give it a try.

[@pamelagilmour8060]

What a fun video. So inspirational and not intimidating. Very freeing! Thank you. Do you teach-workshops?

[@pamhemmerling]

Thanks so much Pamela! I have never taught a workshop or online class--maybe one day!

[@erinberge5020]

❤ I just received my first gel plate and learned sooo much from your video. I’m ready to begin thanks to you!

[@pamhemmerling]

Oh, I'm glad to hear that Erin! Have fun creating!

[@Colleen1978]

Great ideas! I have piles to go through now. Thanks!

[@pamhemmerling]

I'm so glad you were inspired Colleen to go through your stash! You will be amazed at how good those scraps look under a mat!

[@CyndiDuncanArts]

I love your book of possible titles. The one with the ladder looked like a tree swing: A Time to Return. I love that one!!

[@pamhemmerling]

Thanks, Cyndi--I love meaningful words and phrases so jotting them down works for me. I know some people keep a Pinterest board of quotes (which I also do!). I can tell you'd be good at naming art!

[@stevenjohnson4656]

Thank you Pam for sharing. I find your videos both inspiring and educational. Please keep producing your videos.

[@pamhemmerling]

I appreciate your encouragement Steven! Thanks for watching and letting me know.

[@artzology]

I love this so much! I have many art pieces just in a bin! Awesome idea! 🥰

[@pamhemmerling]

Great--I hope you give it a try!

[@KateColors]

This was great! Thank you, Pam! ❤

[@pamhemmerling]

I appreciate you letting me know--thanks Kate!

[@kcnolan3258]

I love the ladder cards!!! I just bought them. 😂😊

[@pamhemmerling]

Oh, thanks so much, Karen! I will ship them out first thing tomorrow.

[@H537ilda]

Thank you for this video, I learned a lot, but mostly that small work of art you framed is beautiful, I definitely would buy that.

[@pamhemmerling]

You are so kind--thank you so much!

[@hv2579]

Wow. What a difference a mat makes! TFS

[@pamhemmerling]

I know, right?! Transformative!

[@maggiemunroe1149]

This is a great idea. When I was in Alaska, I found so many art pieces I wanted to take home, but didn’t have room in my suitcase (nor the money for originals). So, I brought home many minis! And I love Bob Burridge, too!

[@pamhemmerling]

I agree Maggie, there are so many options with the mini paintings. And two thumbs up for Bob Burridge--a crowd favorite!

[@sandypinardo3931]

Lovethese, Pam! Have you found a place to get mats?

[@pamhemmerling]

Thanks, Sandy. I got the mat, boards, & plastic sleeves on Amazon (the link is below if you are interested).

[@margaretmcdonald8029]

I love Bob Burridge

[@pamhemmerling]

Isn't he the best Margaret?! So informative, approachable, and helpful.

[@kirstenweidinger3416]

soo helpful! thanks for sharing! and I love your small paintings !

[@pamhemmerling]

Oh, Kirsten I'm so glad this was helpful! Thanks for your kind words.

[@evocationart8370]

I love your creative words book idea, I always struggle with titles 😊x

[@pamhemmerling]

I would definitely suggest creating a book of phrases and words that are meaningful to you--it's a great catalyst for naming art. I also will look through books of poems to get ideas.

[@judymiller975]

Just found you and I loved watching this. You are so genuine and talented. I'd have never thought to do something like this with my scrap stuff. I'm very please to be a new subscriber.

[@pamhemmerling]

Oh Judy, I am so glad you are inspired to mat your scraps! That is exactly why I made this video. Thanks for your kind words, for watching, and subscribing--my whole goal is to encourage others on their creative journey!

[@arlenemurphy804]

I’ve been cutting up my larger watercolor paintings and doing exactly this.. sometimes the entire painting isn’t the greatest BUT certain portions are great.

[@pamhemmerling]

Such a great idea Arlene! Often there is just a section of a painting that we love. Glad to hear you were already doing this--such a new thing for me!

[@creativebreathings]

Thank you for the informative video! I just ordered the 100-pk matboards through your link. I hope this works with some of my blackout poetry on book pages and other mixed media experiments. New subscriber! (Oh, and love the notebook with phrases and words you like.)

[@pamhemmerling]

Thanks for subscribing Sandra! I hope the matboards work for you--I couldn't believe that I had never tried doing that before. Let me know what you think.

[@carolyndaughton3373]

Loved this tutorial! Do you paint mostly in watercolor or acrylic? Is this painting that you framed up both? It's really beautiful. Thanks for sharing your process.

[@pamhemmerling]

Thanks Carolyn! I primarily use acrylics because of the crazy amount of layering I do in most of my art. I often use water-soluble supplies like charcoal, neo-color 2 crayons, stabilo woody, etc but no traditional watercolors.

[@carolyndaughton3373]

Than you Pam. Very helpful and I appreciate you taking the time to reply.@@pamhemmerling

[@pamhemmerling]

@@carolyndaughton3373 No problem Carolyn. If you have any other questions I'd be happy to answer if I can.

[@JanetBoyer]

I've been feeling to do mini-art! Got out the mini brayer and metallic acrylics yesterday, in fact. 😀 Thank you for your inspirational videos! 🙏

[@pamhemmerling]

Well, sounds like this video was just in time for you! I'm glad it was inspirational and hope you were encouraged in your creative journey!

[@JanetBoyer]

Absolutely! And now I know how to mat art thanks to you. 🙏 Never heard of Yes Paste! 😲

[@pamhemmerling]

@@JanetBoyer I'm actually rather new to matting art myself--I didn't realize how simple it could be. It is definitely a game-changer. And let me know if you get the Yes Paste--it is expensive but lasts a long time.

[@veronicastewart1112]

I have often wondered how many people get trolled for not using archival materials. Some people will care and others won't. I agree with you that the dilemma can be solved by being honest about it up front. You'd have to charge less, but I don't care about that. I'm not Pable Picasso after all.

[@pamhemmerling]

So true Veronica. I guess I'm under no illusion that my art will last 500 years, let alone 50! And I agree that it is always good to be upfront about the materials you are using. I was at the Seattle Art Museum last week and was surprised to see a few old paintings made on cardboard--I guess you just never know.

[@reinettemarais6868]

Pam I love your artwork. I have noticed that the majority of the U Tube video’s I watch as far as mixed media art is concerned that the desks where the awesome art is made is either white or brown and wood grain. Any specific reason?

[@pamhemmerling]

Thanks so much, Reinette! In regards to the faux wood grain on the desk--I can't speak for others but I just love the look of it.

[@patjonker6576]

Thanks for the demo's. Very interesting and helpful

[@pamhemmerling]

Thanks for watching Pat! I'm glad you found it helpful.

[@dorothytomaszewski5953]

What kind of glue are you using. Looks very thick.

[@pamhemmerling]

I'm using Yes Paste.

[@qso3566]

Hi, I have a couple of questions if you don't mind: Why back the painting with cardboard (or chipboard), why not just glue it to the mat backing and then glue the mat to that? Would it not be stable enough? I guess I don't understand why the mat and back would not be glued together before selling. Also, if you sign the back of the cardboard and the buyer glues it to the mat back, then your signature and name of the piece are hidden, so wouldn't it be better to sign and name on the back of the mat board? Thanks! :)

[@pamhemmerling]

You raise some good questions. You are probably right about signing the back of the mat board and just gluing it all together. This is the first time that I have ever matted any of my art so I am rather new to the process and took the advice of artist and youtuber Bob Burridge. I'm sure it would also be fine to ignore the mat board altogether as you mentioned--although I think the presentation in the cellophane looks cleaner with the mat board included. Basically, I think if you decide to do this just go whichever route works best for you.

[@qso3566]

@@pamhemmerling Hi Pam, thanks for the reply. Just to be clear, I didn't mean to suggest that the solid mat board should not be used and yes, it definitely looks cleaner in the cellophane, which is a nice touch to the completed pieces. My confusion is about why the mat frame and mat board are not glued together and then the artist could sign the back and I would think a buyer would want to use the back mat board when framing, just my opinion. Now, the cardboard backing in-between could still be used for stability, though I wonder if that could make it harder to glue the other two pieces securely. I've not done this either, so that's why I was asking. I found your channel last night and really like your work and was inspired about this mat process and ordering a supply from Amazon but want to be sure what a buyer would expect. I LOVE trying new processes in art and glad to find your channel and explore! :) THANKS!

[@pamhemmerling]

@@qso3566 I wish I had some clear answers for you. I have only begun to mat my small art pieces so I can't really answer as to what or how a buyer might frame the piece. At this point, I haven't sold any but I will definitely offer an update if I do receive feedback once something is sold. Honestly, I would just do what makes the most sense for you. I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination!

[@qso3566]

@@pamhemmerling Is that right? Oh ok, well yes, please do keep us all posted on how it goes. Yes, I think each artist has to find what works best for them while still getting inspiration and tips from other artists. I've found that experimentation is a must in art. Thanks, Pam! :)

[@pamhemmerling]

@@qso3566 Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

[@CyndiDuncanArts]

I often make the mistake of signing BEFORE I mat them. It is definitely a better idea to do it AFTER.

[@pamhemmerling]

I can see how that would be a problem! I have never matted my art before so this is all new to me. Like I said in the video I learned a lot of this from Bob Burridge's youtube videos.

[@caelidhg6261]

I tried doing this last year. I had made some small paintings and bought those mats with cellophane. I didn't sell any.. but I did sell some Jewelry I make. I really like your style and your color pallet you use. It is very inspiring. I will say, as a librarian, I still always cringe when I see books being used for art pieces... I mean its fine for mass market work but i know that folks don't generally bother looking up to see what they have.. (I hate it when folks paint over even vintage or antique furniture!).. I just say PLEASE research what you have before you just paint over it. If it is just a mass produced thing (check copywrite etc)... Also, regarding the archival quality.. I remember there is a spray or something that allegedly you can use on things like newspaper or old old books to stabilize the acidity in the paper. I have used it in the past but I don't know where I put those to check how they are holding up. I used to save a lot of newspaper stories and wanted to keep them from falling apart. My great grandmother was a genealogist and saved all our family newspaper clippings back in the 40s and 50s before more awareness was known.. so these super fragile scrapbooks (the paper in the scrapbooks were crumbling!!!) THey are now in an archives but I photographed all the pages to save the information..... but yeah, its a problem...

[@pamhemmerling]

Sounds like you are a multi-faceted artist! Jewelry maker & painter--impressive! I will say that I am not under the illusion that any of my matted art pieces that I create will eventually sell (as I mentioned in my earlier response in general I don't tend to have many buyers for my art). I love that you are a librarian--libraries are my happy place! I'm sorry that you are bothered by the use of old books in mixed media art--my thrift store is so full of these books that I feel like I'm doing a disservice by not buying and using them. They literally are thrown out after a specific date on the shelf. I love books and nothing makes me happier than using them in my art. Can we agree to disagree? In regards to sealants, I often use the Sennelier spray fixative when I want to seal my art. I know there are a lot of good sealants and varnishes out there. When I use cardboard as the substrate I don't think there is anything that can make that long-lasting or archival nor is it really meant to last forever. That is super awesome that you have so many old family newspaper clippings--what a treasure!

[@outoftheforest7652]

how do you handle the non archival lpapers?

[@pamhemmerling]

To be honest, I don't really worry about it since I am upfront about the materials I am using and price accordingly. I know for some artists this is a critical element so if you fall into that category I would definitely stick to archival supplies.

[@lindablumer18]

what do you charge for the 5x7 pieces?

[@pamhemmerling]

Linda, they are currently priced at $20 (+ free shipping) on my website. And just to clarify the interior art measures about 3-1/2 X 5-1/2 but with the matting it is 5X7.

[@caelidhg6261]

so how much do you charge or would you charge for a non archival piece of art? I know that each location is different.. but are these more of your "affordable for the masses /sample" pieces? I mean do you charge 5, 10, 25?? How do you figure that out? (I Mean after you account for supplies etc)

[@pamhemmerling]

I think for these matted pieces I would probably charge $18-$20. If I'm selling in person I charge a bit less compared to selling online from my website as I offer free shipping. To be honest, as much as I've put myself out there mostly my art doesn't sell--whether large paintings or 5X7 greeting cards--my art is not for everyone. I'm just trying something new with these matted pieces and attempting to use up my random painted paper. I'm not in it to make a lot of money (obviously!)

[@bonnie_nelms]

I’m curious what kind of price you’re asking for these that would make it worthwhile. It seems like a lot of work for pieces that are so small and not archival and, therefore, would need to have a price reflective of that. Although the buying public isn’t typically educated about matters of permanence so maybe that’s not an issue?

[@pamhemmerling]

I haven't really figured out a price point for these mini's yet Bonnie--maybe $20? I don't know. I suppose for most people it would be a lot of work for minimal return but I have yet to make much money off any of my paintings large or small. I guess I think of it primarily as a way to use my painted scraps and give others a low entry into original art. It's definitely not an option for everyone.

[@DrummerGrrrl]

Isn't Robert Burridge amazing??! 😊❤

[@pamhemmerling]

Yes, his videos are great! He is such a good teacher.

[@cynmillar1]

None of your pieces were ugly as you call them. Your matboard opening is too small and doesn’t show the originality of the pieces. I’ve been a framer for over 25 years.

[@pamhemmerling]

Thank you for that feedback. Good to know as I am definitely not a professional nor do I have any experience in framing.