How to Pack Up Framed Artwork for an Art Show
Introduction
I have been in the gallery business since 1993. Though I now own Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale and Pinetop, AZ, I started in the concern on the footing floor. My showtime job was in the backroom, aircraft artwork for a Western art gallery in Scottsdale. The gallery had a high sales book, then I got a lot of experience packing, crating, and shipping fine art of every shape and size. I shipped paintings and sculptures big and small-scale and learned what was important in making sure artwork arrived safely.
Over the years I certainly learned some lessons the hard mode – not every piece arrived safely. Sometimes, despite my best efforts, artwork would be damaged by the delivery company, and sometimes, I would neglect a pocket-sized item, resulting in a shipping disaster. Somewhen I became quite adept at information technology, and even though I eventually moved into a sales position and ultimately opened my own gallery, I continued to sneak into the shipping room from fourth dimension to time to keep in do. To this 24-hour interval I will sometimes pack and ship a piece myself – in that location's something satisfying virtually the physical human activity of shipping a piece of artwork.
Shipping is both science and fine art, and I would similar to share with you some of the lessons and techniques I've learned over the years.
While shipping is almost 2d nature to me, I know that it poses a perplexing challenge for many artists and gallerists. I know this first manus: Some of the boxes I receive at the gallery are packed atrociously. From these boxes it is clear many artists either don't know how to ship their work effectively or they know but don't care very much. I hope I tin make your life a footling easier the next fourth dimension y'all have to ship a painting.
While this postal service will focus on aircraft 2-dimensional art – paintings, prints, photographs – I hope to have a companion post on shipping sculpture in the next several months.
Disclaimer
While the advice I'one thousand sharing with you comes from years of practise and experience, in that location are no guarantees in the arena of shipping fine art. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, artwork gets damaged in transit. I cannot guarantee every slice you ship using the techniques below volition go far safely, but this volition aid you better your odds.
Some other important thing to remember is that each painting provides its ain unique challenges. While these guidelines will piece of work in most cases, occasionally you will have to suit them to run across the needs of your individual situation.
My Goals when Aircraft Fine art
When aircraft artwork, before I brainstorm I have 3 key goals in mind. I accept listed them hither in descending order of importance.
Safety
One of the worst imaginable calls in the art business is from a client who has received a piece of artwork damaged in transit. No matter how great a work of art is, no affair how well y'all have served your collector, if the artwork arrives damaged your customer is going to be upset. Later we'll discuss how to mitigate your customer's frustration and turn the disaster into an opportunity to provide exceptional client service, but it'south far better to avoid the damage in the first place.
In my experience, most harm can be avoided with careful planning and packing, and this should be goal #1 when you are shipping fine art.
Professionalism
I have often declared that artists and gallerists are every bit much in the performance art business concern equally the visual art business. We desire to convey to the collector that the piece of work of art they merely bought, or are considering buying, is a masterpiece. Everything we practise in human relationship to the physical work of art should reinforce this bulletin. When handling the art, we should practise and so respectfully and well-nigh reverentially. This applies to how the art is shipped also. When the art arrives on your client'southward doorstep, you want the packaging to look like it is worthy of the artwork inside, non something that brutal off the recycling truck.
Efficiency / Economic system / Ecology
Finally, I don't desire my shipping expenses to swallow so far into my profit margin that the auction becomes unprofitable. While rubber and professionalism certainly come first, those concerns have to be balanced against your costs. Yeah, you could lease a jet and hand-evangelize the artwork to your client to make certain it arrives safely and professionally, but this arroyo would be neither economical nor efficient (probably not all that ecologically friendly either). Ultimately, I want to send the artwork for the to the lowest degree toll, while nevertheless maintaining condom and professionalism. These factors can exist balanced, and I am going to give you lot communication that volition save you lot money.
We are also fortunate to live during a "green" revolution, when recycled materials and energy efficient ship is becoming more easily accessible. I try to use recycled materials wherever possible, and many transportation companies will allow yous to purchase carbon offsets for your shipments inexpensively. With a lilliputian careful planning you can minimize the ecology bear on of your art shipping action.
The Right Tools for the Job
My father-in-law is an chaser by day and an gorging woodworker past night and weekend. He has an amazing woodshop where he crafts fine article of furniture. I stand up in awe of the finely detailed and precise work he does in the shop. His success is equal parts skill, practice, talent, and creativity. He can envision a piece of furniture so engineer and execute a design that allows him to manifest the furniture precisely to his vision.
While his talent, skill, and inventiveness are vital to execute his work, none of it would be possible without the vast assortment of tools he has assembled over a lifetime of woodworking.
Fortunately shipping is far less exacting than fine piece of furniture making, but the importance of having and using the right tools is analogous. Your shipping will be simpler and safer if you have the right tools.
For nearly $100 you can assemble a basic shipping toolkit. I take five favorite tools I apply consistently when shipping. While there may exist a few additional tools that will come up in handy from time to time, these tools are a good place to commencement.
Don't skimp on these tools. You may pay a trivial more to get loftier quality tools, but this investment will quickly pay off in increased productivity and professionalism. A good tool will concluding years; you lot'll want to rid yourself of a poor one as quickly as possible. In other words, you'll really spend less in the long run past buying and maintaining good quality tools.
My Shipping Toolkit Contains the Post-obit:
Pocketknife (Box Cutter)
A loftier quality, heavy-duty box cutter with lots of blades is one of your most important, virtually used tools. Once you showtime shipping seriously, you lot are going to be cutting cardboard like crazy. If your pocketknife isn't sturdy and sharp, your cuts are going to be messy. A dull, or rickety knife will cause the paper-thin to crumple and buckle rather than cut.
I alter the razor blades in my pocketknife after every five packages – more than ofttimes if necessary. Blades are inexpensive, specially if you purchase them in majority.
Tape Gun
For my tape gun, I prefer 1 with a handle that holds 2" packing record. Find one that provides a way to adjust the gun's resistance, usually through a knob or spiral on the tape roller. You lot'll see why this is important later when I show yous how to most effectively use the gun.
T-Square
A good T-Square will help you make straight, fifty-fifty cuts when modifying your boxes. The T-foursquare is primarily used past builders who are installing drywall, which is typically 48" wide. I am going to recommend you buy your paper-thin in 48" widths, which makes this the perfect tool for measuring your cuts.
Sharpie
Nothing beats a Sharpie for marking your cardboard for cutting. A pencil works likewise, and some might fence that an errant pencil mark is easier to conceal or erase, but I like to get my score marks down chop-chop and boldly so there is no room for doubt. A marker line is hard to miss or confuse and is therefore ideal for marking upwardly your packing materials.
I buy the versatile Sharpie markers by the dozens so I never have to worry about running short.
Box Sizer
All of the other tools in this listing take been adequately common and are easy to find at your local hardware store. The last tool in my toolkit, the box sizer, is a tad more specialized and may need to exist ordered online. But it is indispensable once yous get the hang of using it. In essence, it is an adjustable tool that allows yous to create even and smooth scores on paper-thin. These scores so let you lot to fold the cardboard wherever you demand. With a box sizer you can modify boxes to fit your verbal needs or even create boxes from raw cardboard. I actually utilise this tool far more than often when packing sculpture, but information technology as well frequently comes in handy when boxing up paintings.
Supplies
Just as having the correct tools on manus makes it easier to pack your art professionally, having the right supplies on hand volition simplify your shipping life and salvage you a lot of running around when y'all make a sale.
While packaging suppliers offer an overwhelming variety of supplies – boxes in every shape and size, tapes in every width, large bubbles, pocket-size bubbles, peanuts – you can meet most of your packing needs with just a small arsenal.
Again, the goal is to be able to do the virtually with the least.
Hither are the supplies I try to have in my inventory at all times. While I occasionally have to special order a box for a particular work of art, nine times out of ten I tin can pack any ii-dimensional artwork that comes my way using just these supplies:
Boxes
For my painting shipments I take three primary picture box sizes that I use.
28" ten 4" 10 24"
37" x 4 3/eight" x 30"
36" x six" x 42"
Your supplier's sizes may vary slightly, but about volition take boxes very shut to these dimensions.
The 2 larger sizes are both telescoping boxes. Telescoping picture show boxes are terrific considering you can utilize just one if the artwork fits, or, if the work is larger than a unmarried box, you can slide 2 boxes together to make a larger box. With a little surgery you lot can even slide four boxes together to accommodate still larger pieces.
The boxes are relatively cheap, and, when used properly, provide sufficient protection to keep your art rubber in transit.
Palette Tape & Wrap (4" wide & 24" wide)
This versatile plastic wrap is perfect for giving your fine art a protective skin before boxing. It is very like to the plastic wrap you lot use in the kitchen to cover casseroles and other food you want to go along fresh in the fridge. Equally the proper name implies, its master function is to wrap boxes on aircraft palettes, but I will show you lot below how you can use the wrap as a protective coating around your art to protect against scratches and scuffs.
48" ten 96" Cardboard Pads (single & double wall)
These are large, flat sheets of cardboard that tin can be used someday you need extra padding or wrapping. You'll see that I use these pads to provide an extra layer of cardboard between your art and the world, but you lot can also use them when you lot are customizing a box and end upwards with a gap, or when you need extra padding on a corner.
Bubble Wrap
Your kids (or grandkids (or you!)) dearest stomping on bubble wrap to create the satisfying little "pop." Information technology might be a little hard to believe that something that pops so easily has incredible power to protect your precious paintings. While whatsoever individual bubble is piece of cake to pop, a sail of the bubbles, working in concert, draws a surprising corporeality of strength by distributing pressure and impact across a broad area.
Bubble wrap both cushions the art and fills space, preventing unwanted move within your packaging. When aircraft paintings, bubble wrap should be your filler of option – never utilize styrofoam peanuts when shipping paintings (more on this after).
I order two to 4 rolls at a time so that I always accept enough on hand. I practise occasionally employ the small-scale bubble variety, but the vast majority of my shipments crave me to use the larger, 1" bubble rolls.
I used to social club both 36" and 24" broad rolls, simply I found that I used far more of the 24" and, in the involvement of infinite, decided to order only the 24" width, figuring that I tin ever employ more sheets for those occasions when I need more width.
I also always order chimera wrap that is already perforated at 12" intervals. The perforations make measuring and cut much easier and cleaner, and it costs the same as the non-perforated rolls.
We suspend the rolls on wires from the ceiling in our supply room so that the curlicue is out of the style and however easy to access and unroll.
Packing Record
I'one thousand merely going to say this once, simply I'yard going to say it emphatically:
Purchase the very best packing record yous tin afford!
I know we're all on budgets, and we accept to stretch to make those budgets meet our e'er-increasing needs. While I understand that every penny counts, packing tape is not an surface area where y'all should be pinching those pennies.
I have received packages before where the fine art was literally falling out of the box because the tape had failed to concord. Inexpensive tape is harder to apply and harder to cut, and information technology doesn't stick. Y'all volition end upward having to use two to iii times as much tape to secure your boxes, and fifty-fifty then you adventure it non working effectively.
Cheap packing tape may actually stop upward costing you more, not to mention a client, especially if your artwork is damaged because the tape fails.
I always utilise three.5 mil (that's iii.five thousandths of an inch) thick tape in 2" wide rolls. This volition commonly be the heaviest duty option bachelor, but, when in doubt, ask your supplier what their all-time tape is, or just buy their most expensive selection.
"Frail" Stickers
I tin can't call up where I heard it, merely someone once said, "Plastering 'fragile' labels all over a package only ensures that the delivery company will toss the parcel under-mitt instead of throwing it over-manus."
This is probably truthful. I imagine that delivery company employees become pretty immune to those stickers after a while.
Nevertheless, I use large fragile stickers on every shipment. The freight company might non pay much attending to them, only they brand me feel meliorate, and they let my clients know I care.
Packaging Procedures
Now that we have our tools and supplies together, we're ready to brainstorm boxing our first piece of art. Ideally, yous would accept a dedicated shipping area in your studio where yous go along all of your supplies and tools and have a large tabular array to work from. If this isn't the example, clear the largest flat surface yous tin can detect – your dining room table is probably the next best candidate as information technology's improve to work at table acme than on the flooring.
Sizing
The offset step in packing a painting is determining which boxes and materials you are going to use and then planning how to use them optimally. This procedure begins by measuring your artwork.
I start by determining which outer box I am going to utilise. My general rule of thumb is that I want to find a box that gives me a minimum clearance of about ii" all the way around the artwork.
As an illustration, permit'south say nosotros have an 18" 10 eighteen" painting that is 1.5" deep. We will therefore demand an outer box that is at least 22" x 22" and about 5.v" thick.
In this instance, I would use my 28" 10 4" x 24" box. This is a fiddling bigger than we need, just because this package isn't large enough to incur dimensional weight (encounter section on dimensional weight below) we are going to be charged by the weight of the box, not the size. Then this box will piece of work just fine.
You'll discover that the box depth isn't going to give me a full 2" clearance front and back, merely I'll have over an inch. If the slice isn't extremely fragile, this is okay. Depth isn't as big of an result as height and width because the edges and corners are the most impairment-prone areas of the artwork. We are also going to be double-boxing our artwork, which gives u.s. an added layer of protection.
The ultimate goal of sizing is to give ourselves enough room to buffer the artwork from the exterior earth and to see our freight company'south padding requirements. Well-nigh of the freight companies will only cover damage in packaging that gives you lot this 2" buffer. Be sure and read your freight company's damage and packaging policy to ostend you are meeting their requirements.
Dimensional Weight
Another consideration when planning packaging is your freight company's dimensional weight policy. If your commitment company ever charged you shipping fees based purely on the weight of your bundle, calculating and minimizing your shipping costs would be pretty piece of cake. Unfortunately, this is not the instance. Because the size of a package impacts the number of packages a freight company can motion just equally much every bit the weight does, the companies have come up with a way to account for both dimensions by computing the "dimensional weight" of a package. If a bundle exceeds a certain size threshold, the carrier volition charge you based on the size or the actual weight, whichever is greater.
Though this sounds complicated, information technology's really pretty easy to figure out. Simply contact your delivery company and enquire them how they calculate dimensional weight and what their size thresholds are. Many of the companies volition list this info on their websites. The formula typically looks something similar this:
L x W x H / 166
and the company might say that any package that has a total volume over 5,184 cubic inches has to use the dimensional weight formula or the actual weight, whichever is greater.
This happens to be UPS's current dimensional weight policy, which is why I'm using it hither, simply these formulas can change from time to time, so make certain y'all are using up-to-appointment information.
In our case so, we would start figure out the volume of our box. Since we are using a 28" x 4" 10 24" box, nosotros multiply those three dimensions to calculate our volume, which happens to measure out to 2,688 cubic inches. Since we are well under their 5,184 cubic inch threshold, we don't have to worry about a big charge for dimensional weight.
When aircraft larger artwork, you can often run head first into this issue. Let's say nosotros had a painting that required a bigger box. If we used our 37" x 4 iii/8" x 30" box, we would find that our book comes to 5,550 cubic inches. Since we've passed their threshold of 5,184 cubic inches, we accept to cistron in the dimensional weight (5,550/166), which comes to a total of 33 lbs. So, even if the painting only weighs x lbs, nosotros're going to exist charged for 33 lbs since the size takes up and then much space in their shipping van. Recollect of this actress charge as leasing van space.
Knowing this, if y'all find that the box has a lot of empty infinite inside, information technology might make sense to use a smaller box or to cut information technology downward with the box sizer so that we avoid the dimensional weight charge. In this instance if we took just 3" of the length or top of the box, nosotros would exist at 5,100 cubic inches and would only be charged for our actual weight.
Information technology still might not exist worth the hassle to cut the box down or go another box, but at the very to the lowest degree you should be aware of the impact that size has on your shipping costs.
Size Restrictions
You should besides be enlightened that many of the mutual carriers, including UPS, FedEx, and the The states Mail service accept unique size restrictions. Check with them to find out what those restrictions are. Exceeding these size restrictions will crusade yous to incur additional fees or force you to seek out another commitment option.
The size of the artwork dictates the size of the last package, and at that place are going to be times when you simply take to go over the threshold for dimensional weight and bear the additional costs. This is not the end of the globe, though, and you should certainly never compromise the safe of your artwork simply to shave off a few inches to remain under the thresholds. Over again, damaged artwork costs you far more than than slightly higher shipping fees.
I will discuss how to transport larger artwork in more depth below.
A Protective Skin of Plastic
I mentioned higher up that i of my essential supplies is palette wrap. I employ the plastic wrap to protect paintings and frames from scratches and scuffs. There's cipher complicated virtually applying the wrap, but the secret is to pull the wrap tightly around the artwork, applying pressure the unabridged time you are wrapping the painting so the wrap doesn't become bunched or tangled. With our example painting at 18" x eighteen" we only demand to go around the art once to cover the entire surface. All the same, with larger pieces you lot should pass the wrap over the surface multiple times to embrace all of the artwork.
This next tip is hard to explicate on paper, merely as you wrap a larger piece yous'll run across exactly what I mean:
Start wrapping on the dorsum of the artwork.
Your natural trend is going to exist to start on the front, only if you lot start on the dorsum and wrap at a straight bending all the manner around once, you lot can then pull the wrap diagonally down the back side of the artwork to start your next row of wrap. Past having your diagonals on the back, the front of the artwork is covered with polish, straight rows of plastic, which not only protects the art itself, but also looks attractive to the client upon opening. It's a small matter, only it volition make the wrapping job look more than professional.
Finally, and I'g not certain if this is superstition or science, carefully cut minor slits in the back of the plastic then that the fine art can exhale. I tin can't imagine breathability being a huge effect for the cursory time most artwork spends in transit, simply 1 could imagine a slice of artwork wrapped for too long having issues with trapped moisture or groovy. I don't know if this has been proven scientifically, but I can't encounter any harm in giving the art some air, so I do it.
Cardboard Padding
Now that we take given the artwork a skin of tightly wrapped plastic, nosotros're ready to add a thicker, stiffer layer of protective cardboard. This inner layer of paper-thin is going to create a kind of 2d box that volition greatly diminish the possibility of having a foreign object pierce or scuff your artwork. This box will too assist absorb shock if the package is dropped. Most shipping companies crave that freight exist double-boxed before covering information technology for damage, and in my feel, this layer of paper-thin has always satisfied the requirement for a second box.
As mentioned before, I ever have 48" 10 96" sheets of paper-thin in inventory. I keep both single-wall and double-wall sheets on hand, but I almost always employ the single-wall. It'due south much, much easier to cut and fold, and in most cases information technology is more than sufficient protection. I simply employ double-wall paper-thin when I am dealing with extremely heavy or delicate art.
You will notice that the cardboard has a grain that runs the 48" length. This makes the lath easier to fold parallel to the 48" side. I try to plan my folds and so that they are on this axis. Typically, the best and virtually efficient way to accomplish this is to have the longest side of the painting also parallel to this 48" side. You tin then measure the width of the painting and double it, mensurate the depth of the painting and double that, then add together a few inches for skilful measure and marker the paper-thin using your T-foursquare and Sharpie. Apply your box cutter to make your cut. At present measure out the length of the painting, add four inches, and cutting the cardboard to the proper length (this cut will exist perpendicular to your original 48" side, and therefore is against the grain of the cardboard).
At present, lay the cardboard apartment, identify the artwork roughly in the centre, and fold the ends over. Tape the overlap to seal the cardboard closed. The cardboard will naturally fold over the corners of your artwork if you've followed my instructions near following the grain.
The ends of the inner-box will be open up, and because we immune four extra inches at the finish, you should have about 2 inches of empty space at either stop. Instead of cut and folding this extra space, simply squeeze the sides together to form a kind of triangle and tape information technology closed. By taping the ends in this style, you are creating an boosted buffer at the end of the artwork that volition act as a great shock absorber. I mentioned earlier that the edges of the artwork or frame are the about prone areas for impairment, and by giving yourself this extra cushion, y'all have given the two ends of your artwork an virtually bulletproof barrier.
Bubble Wrapping
Our last inner layer is bubble wrap. Just like we did when we were wrapping the plastic around the fine art, we want to keep some tension on the bubble wrap as we are applying it to the artwork. Keeping the wrap tight volition allow us to maintain clean edges and preclude bunching. I usually employ just one layer of wrap to the large flat sides of the art – the chimera wrap isn't doing much in the mode of protection hither anyway. Next, I almost ever employ a second layer of bubble wrap effectually the edges of the artwork. I exercise this by measuring enough chimera to completely circle the edges of the artwork. I fold the bubble in half lengthwise and and so record it to the edges of the painting. For our example artwork, we would need about 72" (18" x iv"), but I would add an extra foot or two to accommodate the layer of cardboard nosotros added and to accept into account the fact that the corners will steal several inches from us due to the volume of the bubbles.
The Outer Box
Now we are fix to slide this whole, neat package into the cardboard box. We want to make full this outer box every bit completely as possible. The number i cause of damage to frames and corners of the artwork is movement immune by extra space in the box. You tin can become about eliminating this infinite in one of ii ways. First, you can cutting the box down to size (as mentioned above in the department on sizing), or you can make full whatsoever voids with bubble wrap. Either option is acceptable if yous don't take a lot of extra infinite. I unremarkably cull the bubble wrap because it takes less time than performing surgery on the box. Just keep the guidelines on carrier size restrictions in mind when making this conclusion.
If you do terminate up cutting the box downwardly, I suggest you use your T-foursquare and Sharpie to create directly cuts. Your box will expect much better if all of your cuts are direct.
I won't get into a lot of detail well-nigh modifying the boxes because every surgical performance is going to exist different depending on the size and shape of your art. Information technology will exist easier to become skillful results if you tape one finish of the box closed so that yous are dealing with the box in its iii-D course instead of apartment. If you minimize the cuts (I usually only have one continuous cut all the way around the box), y'all tin telescope the parts of the box together to eliminate your extra space. Telescoping is dandy because it reduces waste matter and adds an extra layer of cardboard wherever the boxes overlap.
Taping
I consider sloppy taping a primal sin, and I want to devote an entire section of this certificate to the subject of taping.
The first step to skilful taping is to apply good tape. I said it above, but information technology bears repeating: Use the highest quality record you can find. Not only does good tape adhere meliorate, it's easier to apply.
The next undercover to proficient taping is tension. Virtually every packing tape gun allows you to control tension with a knob on the tape wheel. I doubtable that many beginning shippers (and mayhap even some experienced ones) don't pay much attending to the tension, or they mistakenly recall that the tension should be minimized then the tape rolls off more hands. Depression tension will cause your tape to bunch and fold as you are sealing your box, and it will also arrive nearly incommunicable to cut the tape.
To get the correct tension, I first set up information technology to where it is and so tight that I can't pull the tape off the roll without straining, so I loosen it just a petty so that I no longer accept to tug to get the tape off. In other words, yous want the tension just before information technology becomes impossible to manipulate.
Applying the record is a 2-handed operation. When starting on a new seam, I hold the tape gun in my correct hand and utilize my left hand to hold the tape downwards at its starting point on the box. I pull the record gun dorsum to unroll enough record to comprehend the seam, simply I practice this several inches above the surface of the box. Once I have enough tape, I go along information technology tight, line it up with the seam, and then lower it onto the box – keeping tension on the tape past pulling the gun.
Cutting the tape is an art. If you've tried it unsuccessfully, you know what I mean. I once saw someone pull out a pair of scissors every time the tape needed to be cut because she hadn't mastered the fine art of using the tape gun's built-in bract.
A video, or even meliorate, an in-person tutorial would piece of work best here, but since I can't practise that, I'1000 going to do my best to draw the cutting procedure.
I want to maintain this tension on the tape, then I'm going to continue pulling the tape gun toward me. Of grade, pulling on the tape gun causes it to dispense more tape, and nosotros don't desire that to happen correct now. I utilise my correct thumb as a brake, holding the roll in place. I now accept a couple of taut inches of tape extending from the box to the gun. The residual is in the wrist. I desire the saw-blade knife on the gun to first cutting on one side of the record. I'm not trying to cut the whole width at in one case. I make this happen by turning my wrist in a clockwise movement while maintaining tension.
In short, the tape cutting procedure is a combination of tension created by my thumb holding the tape roll while I pull on the gun and twisting my wrist then the blade can seize with teeth through the record.
Like shooting fish in a barrel!
I encourage you to tape all of the seams of your outer box, including the brusque seams at the ends of each flap. This may seem like overkill, but any untaped seam is a potential snag, and if something catches under the seam, your box could hands exist ripped open.
I also always apply record all the way around the length and width of the package to tighten everything upward.
Dealing with Glass
For those of you who are shipping watercolors, photography, prints, or anything else behind a panel of glass, let me first say I'thousand pitiful. Aircraft artwork backside glass is nearly infinitely more difficult than shipping anything else. Drinking glass is and so susceptible to great in transit that some carriers refuse to insure anything that involves it.
Because the slightest jolt or tension can cause your drinking glass to shatter, it is even more important that you provide ample padding and eliminate all possible movement.
As important equally breakage prevention is, I feel it's even more of import to think near harm command. Basically, if the glass does break, you want to apply added protection so it doesn't scratch, slash, or otherwise mangle your artwork. When I ship anything out with glass in information technology, I only assume it's going to pause and then focus on making sure the shards don't destroy my artwork.
Many aircraft supply companies sell 8-12" wide masking record that is specially created for glass coverage (it doesn't get out a sticky glue residue on the drinking glass when y'all remove it). You can utilise this record to the unabridged surface of the drinking glass, and, if the glass should happen to intermission, the resulting shards volition stick to the tape instead of slashing your artwork to shreds. 3M also makes a clear moving picture that does the same thing.
Another approach is to get out of the glass shipping business altogether. I know of an artist who does pastels, which are, of course, displayed behind glass. When a piece is sold, the artist takes the artwork to his framer, has the framer remove the drinking glass and replace it with a canvass of clear plastic. He ships the piece to the client'due south local framer where he covers the cost of new drinking glass. The artist has built the cost of doing this into his pricing. I'm non sure this would piece of work for anybody, simply it'southward certainly an option to keep in mind.
Shipping
Now that nosotros have the artwork professionally boxed up, we're prepare to become it on its way. There are a number of options available when it comes to choosing a delivery company, and I don't want to endorse whatsoever one in particular. Everyone seems to develop favorites, and if y'all've found one that works for you, stick with it. If y'all are dissatisfied, keep trying different companies until you find one that makes you comfortable.
In that location are two full general classes of delivery companies: the common carriers, such as FedEx and UPS, that primarily handle small to moderately sized packages, and the larger freight companies and freight forwarders that bargain with larger shipments.
Generally, nosotros will transport anything that is 30" x 40" or smaller using one of the common carriers. Annihilation larger will send via a freight company or truck line.
If y'all are shipping infrequently, you tin can simply drop the packet off at one of the carrier'south retail locations, give them the delivery accost and permit them exercise the rest. Yous will be paying retail, but you'll as well be saving yourself time and attempt.
If you program to ship in whatever kind of book, however, y'all should set upward an business relationship with the carrier and ship using their online service. This will save you lot money, and often you can schedule a commitment driver to option up the package from your studio, saving you a drive every bit well.
If you offset aircraft in even higher volume, say an average of 10 pieces or more than per month, you should talk to a sales representative for the visitor and ask if any volume discounts are available and if they would apply to your situation. Depending on your volume, the savings could be significant.
Almost of these companies offer a variety of options for delivery time. Ground shipments tin can take anywhere from a couple of days to over a week, depending on the distance and accessibility of your customer. You tin can also utilize their 3-24-hour interval, 2-day, and overnight express services.
In theory, these expedited services are both faster and safer (the less time a package is in the commitment company's easily, the fewer opportunities they will have to damage it!), but the costs are so prohibitive, specially for larger packages, that in nearly cases footing service is the only practical pick.
For larger pieces you can employ one of the trucking lines like Conway or freight forwarders like Bellair Limited. The freight forwarders may ship the fine art via air, truck, or train, depending on your timing needs and budget. Unfortunately, many of these companies volition only selection upwards from a commercial address (rather than from a private address) and may be unwilling to come to your studio, no matter how hard y'all attempt to convince them it is a business.
For more than on shipping large work, meet the section below on dealing with large paintings.
Some Things to Avoid
Upwards to now we've discussed what you should practice to ship your art safely and effectively. Now I would like to discuss some practices y'all should avoid.
Don't Permit Chimera Wrap to Come in Direct Contact with Your Art
Recently we received a painting the artist wrapped using only bubble wrap. As I mentioned to a higher place, chimera wrap is neat for padding your art in transit, merely it should not come up in directly contact with the art.
When we unwrapped the painting, nosotros could see that the bubble had stuck to the varnish. Removing information technology left an imprint of the bubble wrap on the surface of the entire painting. From certain angles yous could run into the perfectly spaced imprints of the bubbling. We had to accept the artwork re-varnished before nosotros could present information technology to a customer who had already purchased it.
Sometimes when delivering a slice of artwork directly to a client, I will wrap the painting with only chimera wrap, but when I practice this I make sure the bubbles are facing out so the flat side of the chimera wrap is turned toward the painting.
Don't Reuse Ugly Boxes
Recycling is both environmentally conscious and economical, merely every cardboard box has a lifespan. Avoid pressing a box into service beyond that lifespan, particularly if y'all are shipping to a customer.
Even a new box is going to evidence signs of vesture and tear when it arrives at your client'southward doorstep. Using an erstwhile box is inviting trouble. As an artist, you desire your customer to feel that they are buying ane of your masterpieces. Yous are sending the client exactly the opposite message if you show them yous feel the artwork isn't fifty-fifty worth the cost of a new box.
Don't Use Styrofoam Peanuts when Shipping Paintings
Equally I stated in the shipping procedures department, bubble wrap is the correct material for filling voids in your boxes. Never use peanuts for this purpose.
There are two main reasons for this. The first, and I'll admit information technology'southward a personal pet peeve, is that peanuts make a huge mess. This is especially truthful when you are shipping ii-dimensional artwork. There is only no way to go a painting, photo or print out of a box filled with peanuts without disgorging them all over the unpacking area. Peanuts are very difficult to clean up – they besprinkle earlier the broom and often, if they've picked up a static charge, will literally leap out of the garbage tin.
2d, and this is more of import, peanuts don't work in a painting box and can actually cause damage. Peanuts will settle to the lesser of the box, and as the box gets jostled about in transit, the lesser of the box volition flex and aggrandize, allowing more peanuts to concentrate there. The infinite at the peak of the box will exist left unprotected.
Peanuts are dandy for packing sculptures – they accept no place in a painting box.
Insurance
In spite of your best efforts in padding and protecting your artwork, damage is inevitable. In one case your artwork leaves your hands, it is passing into a vast and complicated shipping network with lots of moving parts. There is no mode to completely eliminate the possibility of damage, so you should plan for its eventuality and consider purchasing insurance to protect against loss.
You can insure yourself against loss in several ways. Kickoff, you can purchase the carrier'south insurance each fourth dimension y'all ship a bundle. The commitment companies usually offer some minimal coverage by default, only this is usually just a few hundred dollars. For an additional charge you can add more than coverage. You should be enlightened, however, that some of the companies limit their liability to $500 for fine art. Again, these policies are always changing, so it's worth visiting your shipping company'southward website or calling them to ostend their limits for fine fine art.
If you are only occasionally shipping, carrier insurance is probably the simplest and most efficient way to insure the work with the least hassle. If you lot ship regularly however, it makes sense to have a concern insurance policy that covers your art not simply while it is in transit, but at all times. Y'all'll pay far less in the long run for this kind of insurance than you will for the carrier coverage.
Talk to a concern insurance agent and they will be able to get you a quote. We accept a business policy with a fine arts "floater," besides every bit an inland marine policy that gives u.s.a. boosted coverage for artwork. I'll be honest, I don't know what "floater" ways or how something called "inland marine" protects art, only nosotros worked closely with our agent to get the right coverage, and nosotros have always been protected on the rare occasions our art has suffered damage.
In that location is, of form, another option: Yous tin insure yourself. If y'all feel that the likelihood of damage is small enough, or that the cost of insurance is too loftier, y'all tin but cover the cost of whatever damage yourself.
I suspect nearly artists follow this class, and I tin't fault those who do; there are only and so many dollars to get around, and insurance tin can't always be a peak priority. Often, damage is repairable, and since you fabricated the art y'all probably have the perfect skillset to repair it!
Dealing with Impairment
On the rare occasion that damage occurs, the way in which you react volition touch your relationship with your client and the likelihood that you volition recover damages from your shipping visitor or insurance policy.
First and foremost, it's important that you follow the procedures laid out earlier to ship the artwork safely. You are in a far meliorate position if your client feels that you lot did everything in your ability to protect the artwork. You are also far more likely to file a successful claim with the shipping or insurance company if you accept met their shipping requirements.
Reassure your client that your are doing everything in your power to rectify the situation. In that location have been times where we have provided an immediate refund for their buy and and then worked to go a replacement piece from the artist.
Typically, when harm occurs, the shipping visitor will return the artwork to yous. When the piece arrives, talk to both the shipping company and your insurance adjuster to find out how they would like you to go along. Document the impairment to the packaging and to the artwork per their instructions. You can never take too many photos or as well much documentation.
Provide the shipping company or insurance agency all of the data they need in a timely fashion.
Shipping Larger Works
As I mentioned in the introduction, I enjoy shipping artwork from time to time. When I first opened my gallery, I would ship everything from the smallest sculpture to the largest painting.
The techniques I've shared here piece of work cracking for paintings upwardly to about 48" 10 48". Any artwork larger than this most always requires a wooden crate for shipment. In the early days of my gallery I had access to a smashing woodshop, and I would build the crates myself.
I felt I not just enjoyed shipping, just was certainly saving money by doing all of the work myself. Imagine my surprise when, several years after opening the gallery, I had a local art crater ship a large painting and discovered that the total charges for his crating and shipping services came to less than what it would have price me to ship the piece myself.
Because the shipper did such a large book of aircraft, he was able to reach economies of scale with his materials and got a huge volume disbelieve in his freight charges. It was actually costing me more than to send the fine art myself, especially if I factored in the time.
You will probably discover this to be the instance for you besides. When shipping large artwork, it will probably ultimately save you money to detect someone locally to ship the piece of work for you lot. Talk to other artists in your area and enquire if they've found someone who does a good task at a reasonable price. Unless you already have the tools and woodworking experience, information technology just isn't worth the effort to ship larger pieces yourself.
Conclusion
Shipping artwork can be a challenge and frustration, but it has actually never been easier to ship than information technology is today. With the right tools, supplies and shipping procedures, you lot tin can ship your artwork safely and efficiently.
What have you learned by aircraft your artwork? Do yous have whatever tips or communication that might assist other artists? Simply want to share feedback on this article? Leave your comments below.
Source: https://reddotblog.com/how-to-ship-paintings-a-step-by-step-guide-for-artists-and-galleries-21/
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