How to care for your paper art
Humidity, heat and handling
:: The chief danger of excessive humidity to fine art on paper is mold growth. Avoid hanging pictures on outside walls of a house, especially if the walls feel cold or damp.
Clean frames and storage areas regularly, as dust contains a large amount of airborne mold spores.
Good circulation of air reduces chances of mold growth. Air circulation behind a frame is improved by attaching “bumpers” to the lower two corners to keep the frame away from the wall.
Never store artwork (or books) directly on the floor (this includes under the bed)! Raise on supports to allow air circulation.
Works of fine art on paper should be framed so that the art work doesn’t touch the glass or Plexiglas. An acid-free mat or spacer will provide space for the art to “breathe”, thereby preventing mold growth or moisture condensation.
Generally speaking, never store or hang art in your basement, bathroom or attic.
Don’t expose pictures to heat; high temperatures accelerate the deterioration of paper. Don’t hang pictures over a radiator, heating register or air duct.
Think twice about hanging artwork over the fireplace. It’s trouble on two counts: first, because of the heat, and second, because soot and gummy residues produced by the fire adhere to the glass and obscure the art work.
Use clean hands to handle art work. When lifting matted or unmatted art work, use two hands to support it evenly and to keep from bending, creasing, or tearing it.
Never use pressure-sensitive tapes such as Scotch tape or masking tape on any art work that is to be preserved.
:: Source: How to Care for Works of Art on Paper, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Storing your prints and drawings
:: Remove paper art work from any outside corrugated containers. Never store unmatted prints directly on top of one another: separate them with smooth, acid-free tissue or glassine. Take care not to touch the surface, as pastel drawings, silkscreen prints and mezzotints are particularly vulnerable to surface damage.
Resist the temptation to blow on paper art to remove dust. A spitless blow is exceedingly rare.
Ideally, you should store your paper art work in individual folios with acid-free tissue on both sides of the prints or drawings. As an alternative, you can mat the prints using acid-free matboard and then cover them with acid-free tissue.
If you have a choice between wooden or metal shelving, choose wood. Metal shelving can cause moisture condensation over a period of time, and it is also a greater conductor of heat in case of fire.
About light
:: All light fades works of art on paper; less light means only less fading. Although all the rays of the spectrum will fade art work, ultraviolet rays do the most damage. They not only accelerate fading, they also cause deterioration of the paper itself.
Never place your art in direct sunlight, and avoid hanging it opposite a window. Use curtains or blinds to moderate or redirect sunlight.
Be aware that fluorescent lights are a strong source of ultraviolet light. They can be covered with special plastic sleeves which act as an ultraviolet filter.
KR,F offers both ultraviolet-filtering glass and Plexiglas to help protect and preserve your drawing, painting or print. Incorporated into the framing package, these products filter out 97% of ultraviolet rays.
Cutting and pasting
:: Don’t do either! Cutting or trimming the margins of a picture or gluing it down may damage its aesthetic effect, destroy evidence of authenticity, and in general, diminish its desirability and monetary value.
