Framing and Matting FAQ and Info

Getting a drawing or picture matted and framed?

You can either DIY (do it yourself) or get it professionally done at a local shop, Hobby Lobby, Joan’s or Michaels.

Professional: Places to get a picture matted and framed?

I have used Hobby Lobby and Joan’s, both do a wonderful job. Joan’s has more options but is the pricier of the two. You can find links to their weekly coupons at the bottom of this section. You will take the picture in and one of the employees will help you choose the right frame and mat. They will send in the picture to be matted and framed and will call you when it is ready to be picked up at the store.

DIY:  place to purchase a mat and frame?

I purchase my frames and mats at Hobby Lobby. They have a coupon every week and have their frames on sale fairly frequently. You can either purchase a precut mat, or a custom mat which they will cut to fit the picture and frame of your choice.

I usually choose a frame and have them cut a custom mat for the picture.

DIY or Professional: How to choose a mat and frame color.

When you’re purchasing a mat and frame you want to choose colors and styles that compliment the art. For pencil drawings you’ll usually want to go for black, whites and grays.  The frame and mat should be two different colors. For example you don’t want a black frame with a black mat.

Why mat a picture?

A mat keeps the art from direct contact with the glass and also provides support. The right mat can give the framed piece that extra punch.  Matting makes the art more professional in appearance. A mat can also make an unusual piece of art fit into a standard frame. Look for acid free mats as they will not cause damage to the picture.

Joan’s Coupons:  http://www.joann.com/coupon/

Hobby Lobby Coupons: http://www.hobbylobby.com/weekly/

Recent Comissions

 Commissions I've completed in the last three months. In no particular order.

My Birthday

2001

2001

2012

2012

Random Sketches

I call them sketches even though the proper term is probably "unfinished drawing".

Christian Artists I've Met

I decided I'd do a post dedicated to the various Christian Artists I've met or know. All of these people are great at what they do and are amazing people. It's been a pleasure to talk to them and several of them have given me advice, answered my questions or just given encouragement.

Please check out their websites!

Ron Wheeler - Cartoonist - www.cartoonworks.com
Mr. Wheeler was my soccer coach for several seasons. I also attended his summer cartoon camp one year. During the camp I got to try my hand on the first digital tablet I'd ever seen first hand. He's a lot of fun and both he and his family are lovely people. He was also the first professional artist I met. (or at least remember meeting)

Mr. Wheeler has several published books and comics. My brother and I loved the Jeremiah series when we were younger. I highly recommend them, as well as the Stinky Stevens books. (:

Sharon Jeffus - Art Teacher - www.visualmanna.com/
I took an art class from Mrs. Jeffus in 2011 and then again in early 2013 through online classes. She helped me in my jump from hobby to hobby/side job. She also used my art as examples in a Schoolhouse feature that can be found here. She puts a lot of emphasis on creating art to glorify God and encourages her students to use scripture in their work or as inspiration.

Regann R Hunt - Murals, Pet Portraits - www.artelegance.net/index.html
I met Regann at a conference several years ago. The musician who was performing that night, mentioned an artist friend who had come to see him perform that evening. Afterwards I asked my mom if I could go up front and try to find and talk to the artist. We did and I was able to talk to her for several minuets. She was so very nice and gave me a ton of advice. Including the reminder that glorifying God through my art is what matters the most. I'm still working on it, but she mentioned that when people comment on her art she tells them that she enjoys it and is grateful God gave her the passion and skills to create art.

Lucas Knauss - Cartoon, Various - lucas-knauss.tumblr.com/
I met Lucas through a Christian training camp (CYIA) he was a staff there. We didn't connect art wise till the year after, I suppose as neither of us realized the other was interested in art to a similar degree.

Lucas is an art student at Sterling. He has a lot of variety in his art and it's nice to talk to a fellow young adult artist. He's also an excellent resource for my questions about college art classes and Sterling.

(I also envy his creativity and fantasy like drawings)

Jack E. Dawson - Paintings with symbolism and hidden meanings - www.jackdawson.com/
I met Mr. Dawson at his shop located in Silver Dollar city. He was extremely pleasant and answered a few of my questions. His work is amazing, I really enjoy looking for the hidden pictures and meanings. The creativity and skills needed to produce the paintings he does is pretty impressive.

Follow this link to find more information on the bellow painting, including closeups of the hidden images.

Sarah Elizabeth Taylor - 
I met Sarah several years back when she was still a college student. I was helping with a church event and while I was cleaning tables I noticed she was working on something across the room. I walked over and started talking to her. After several minuets of talking back and forth, I mentioning my love of art, and she asked if I had some art with me. I grabbed my beat up sketchbook and let her flip through them. I asked her if she had any tips and she filled out a sheet of paper writing things down for me. All I have to say, awesome!
It was a huge benefit to get some info from a college art student, and she was incredibly nice! Our styles are completely different but it made talking to her all the more interesting. Artists see things differently most of the time. So critiques from fellow artists are valuable.

So, if you have the opportunity to talk to an artist, young or old, jump on it. Artists are some of the most fun loving, wonderful people you can meet. (Or maybe I'm just lucky) I've never had an artist turn down the opportunity to give me some tips if asked. I end up learning a lot, from how to handle critiques, to places to buy art supplies, to pricing tips.

Old Sketchbook Drawings

I apparently lived, breathed, and drew art when I was 15. I found my old sketchbook the other day. I picked out my favorites to share with you. :) Man, I wish I had the time to draw as much as I did then.

I actually saw Tangled in theaters, which is a huge deal in my family. We see maybe 1-2 movies in theater a year. I can name the last few movies I've seen in theater.  Wreck it Ralph, The Hobbit, Courageous, Soul Surfer and Tangled.

Don't know where the reference photo is, I only drew from photo's back then.

I guess I was going for a western vibe?

This was back when I use to help with the soundboard at my old church. If I recall I got the pens and drawing pad for Christmas, so this was December 2010.

Review of I Print at Home ( iprintathome.com )

I haven't been in the print making part of art for very long, but one thing is for certain. It is very very hard to find a decent price for small number prints. At least, I have trouble with it. Sure I can scan and print decent prints at home, but those are certainly not sell-able quality. 

I've used various print services for the past two years. When entering art contests I often send in a print of my work. If also had prints done for family and friends. Even sent some over to Africa. (but I digress)

From my experience prints are either, expensive or a poor representation of the original. In some terrible instances I've had both problems. So I'm always trying out new print services.

Enter iprintfromhome.

I've haven't ordered extensively from iprintfromhome, but here's my review based upon my experiences thus far.

• Quick Shipping, mine have consistently arrived a day earlier than expected.

• You can ship a print directly to a customer if you so desire.

• Quality prints

• Little expensive, but as far as high quality prints go, this seems very reasonable. I'd say if you only want a few prints, then this is the way to go. If you wanted a large quantity of prints there certainly can be other cheaper options.

Also, many places require you to ship in your art so they can do a high quality scan of the piece. Their scans are well done, however if you're wanting.

• They seem to print a little dark. I've had prints come back and they are certainly darker than the image on my computer screen. Could be my problem, could be theres, just a heads up. It wasn't a big deal to me, just something I noticed.

• The use high quality materials, which is important if your interested in a lasting print.

Over all, I would recommenced them. They also send a cool little sample pack when you first order, so you can see the different types of prints they do. I certainly find it useful and they have some attractive artwork and photography printed on some of the samples. I find it useful when trying to determine the paper I want it printed on.

Also, if you put my name ( Rachel Fetting) as your Reference. (There's a "Referred by:" box) You'll get 10 promo dollars. I used them on my first order and was impressed. (I love a good deal!) It also gets me 2 promo dollars so if you use it, I appreciate it!