CHAPTER XXVII.
A CHAPTER ON FRAMES.
AFTER the foregoing chapters on drawing and painting, it is surely our duty to provide the means of framing the various pictures which we hope will be the result of their teachings. Unframed, a picture is apt to be tucked away out of sight, or it becomes rumpled and spoiled when left lying about, and a picture-frame, as a rule, is quite an expensive article; but with a little ingenuity and good taste almost any girl may manufacture frames, if not of equal finish, at least as durable and quite as artistic as any the dealer can produce.
The cost? The cost is the price of a wooden stretcher and a bottle of gold paint.
The first sketch shown here (Fig. 189) will give some idea of the appearance of a frame decorated appropriately for a marine picture. The articles necessary for this frame are a stretcher, some rope, a piece of fish-net, several dried starfish, and gold paint. The stretcher must first be gilded; then the rope, upon which the fish-net has been strung, should be fastened with small tacks around the outer edge, joining it at the corner, where the starfish will hide the ends. The net must be large enough to drape gracefully across one corner, along the top, and fall a short distance down the other side of the frame. When the starfish, graduating in size, are tacked around the draped corner, and they, as well as the rope and net, are given a coat of gilt, a pretty, unique, and substantial frame is the result.
If starfish are not to be had, sea-shells may be used instead (these of course will have to be glued in place), and if fish-net is also out of reach, a piece of fine netted hammock can be used as a substitute.
For the benefit of those who spend their summers at the sea-shore where such things are obtainable, I would advise that a small collection be made of the quaint and pretty products of the place, as they will be found useful in various ways for decorative purposes.
The next sketch (Fig. 190) shows a corner section of frame especially appropriate for a flower piece. The open lattice-like border is cut with a sharp penknife from stiff pasteboard and tacked along the edge of the frame.
The pattern shown in diagram (Fig. 191) is simple, quite easily made, and well suited for a border, though other and more elaborate ones may be used. This border must, of course, be made in sections. The edges to be connected should be cut to fit exactly, then after tacking them upon the frame the whole may be laid upon a table, face downward, and strips of paper pasted across the joints (see Fig. 192), which will hold them securely together. If the work is neatly done, when the gilt is applied all traces of the joints will disappear. The decorations of this frame consist of a spray of artificial rosebuds and leaves, gilded and tacked on the upper left-hand corner. A few scattered rosebuds look well upon the lower part of the frame near the right-hand side.
Figure 193 is the section of a frame which will look well on almost any kind of picture. It is made by tacking a small rope around the inside edge and then covering it and the frame with crumpled tin-foil, which, after it is pressed to fit the rope, is brought around and tacked on the wrong side of the frame, joining that edge which is turned over the top. Care should be taken while handling the tin-foil not to flatten it, as its beauty depends upon its roughness. The pieces are joined by simply lapping one edge over the other, the uneven surface hiding all seams. This frame like the others must be gilded.
A very effective rough surface on a frame can be produced by dabbing on it with a palette-knife the scrapings of the palette. Of course this frame cannot be made in a day, but if every time the palette is cleaned the paint is used in this way it will not be long before the surface is covered and ready for gilding.
The cork paper used in packing bottles makes quite a handsome frame for black and white pictures or photographs (Fig. 194). This paper is sprinkled all over with small bits of cork, making a rough surface and one admirably suited to the purpose.
First the foundation of the frame is cut of stiff pasteboard exactly the size and shape desired; then the cork paper is cut the width of the frame and glued securely to it, the corners being joined as in Fig. 195. The frame is very pretty when left its natural color, as it resembles carved wood at a little distance, but it can be gilded if preferred.
The inside mat is made of white or gray-tinted cardboard, cut with the open space for the picture, from half an inch to an inch smaller than the opening of the frame. The mat is pasted to the back of the frame and then the entire back is covered with strong paper pasted at the top and two side edges, and left open at the bottom until the picture is shoved in place, when the lower edge is fastened also. The mat will look well if the inside edge is gilded.
Another frame is made in the same manner as the one just described, only instead of using cork paper a thick coating of glue is put all over the face of the foundation, and sand or small pebbles are sprinkled over the entire surface. This must be quickly done before the glue has time to harden.
The writer has in her possession a pretty little winter landscape done in water-colors. It is a snow scene, and its light effect is well set off by the frame, which is made simply of two pieces of heavy brown strawboard or pasteboard. The two pieces are cut exactly the same size; then the centre is cut out of one, leaving a broad frame of equal width on all sides. The picture is placed between these two boards, which are then glued together. The cord for hanging it is fastened to two small brass rings which are attached to pieces of tape glued to the back of the frame, as in Fig. 196. Fig. 197 shows how a piece of paper is pasted over the tape to hold it more securely.
When making a frame of this kind the picture to be framed should first be measured and the width of the frame decided upon; then cutting a piece of paper the size the open space is to be, or one-half inch smaller all round than the picture, it must be laid upon the pasteboard and a mark drawn around it showing its exact size and proportion (Fig. 198). The width of the frame can then be measured from these lines, which will place the opening exactly in the centre (Fig. 199). The lines must be perfectly straight and the measurements correct or a lop-sided frame will be the result.
In cutting out the frame a sharp knife should be used, and it will be a great help in keeping the lines straight if a ruler is held down firmly close to the line to be cut, and the knife guided by that.