Framing

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Framing the piece can make it or break it! 

Much of the visual impact of the finished piece will be due to a beautiful, well suited frame. Of course, I recommend professional framing, however that can be VERY expensive, if you did not know. Therefore I thought I need to add some framing advice to my website, as well as some DYO ideas.


The traditional frames for Gobelins are the golden, richly ornate French frames called "blondel". Click the following link to see some examples of blondel frames: Blondel Frames


Even the smallest Gobelin piece may look stunning in a large blondel frame... here is one of mine's, a small "Poppies" work, looking fantastic in a classical frame:

And below are my sister Lucia's works, professionally framed in this classical style:

I also like modern frames, which are simple, and may be better suited to the modern interior. I have used some simple white frames, but keeping the golden matting, for some of my own pieces that I display in my lounge room:

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Now, oval shaped pieces like those above, will look great in oval frames. But oval frames are hard to get and will be more expensive. Below are some seconds that my son Dan got from a frames shop for about EU40 each: 

Which ones do you prefer?






Dan seems to prefer the brown wooden frames with a golden inside rim and dark mats, for the religious pieces representing Jesus and Mary; he thinks they give a dramatic, profound feeling to the piece. Below are some very affordable frames that Dan got from a "Cheap as Chips" shop, for about EU10 each. Don't they look just fantastic?

For the Egyptian pieces I suggest golden frames with a dark matting, for eg black or blue(try: cobalt, ultramarine, turquoise). The dark matting gives depth while the golden frame brings light and style to the piece. They will match the gold and blue from the thread.  Below we show you again some very affordable frames we found for Nefertiti and Tutankhamon, the favourite Gobelin pieces of my grandson Vlad, as they are displayed in his new home:

And we have used the same golden frame for a Gobelin classic and favourite of mine, van Gogh's Sunflowers:

You too can frame your own Gobelin and save hundreds of dollars (or Euros!) ... for some tips, see the DYO Framing tab on this webpage! 


There are also many HOW TO videos on Youtube on simple picture framing,  for eg:



For more info just check my Youtube channel, as I have placed some picture framing "how to" videos under "Favourites": http://www.youtube.com/user/GobelinArt/