This week is going to be very brief, i have my market on Saturday in Scone in the Hunter Valley NSW. I have to say that as i write this i am in a mild state of panick. We are due to leave tomorrow morning and i am yet to pack any clothes for either myself or the kids and that is just a minor thing on the list.
I still have to arrange:
- my printed portfolio for display,
- various bits of signage (which i am just going to print off on a laser printer),
- gather bits and pieces i need for the day
- cut, hinge and attach mats on 15 works some of which are going into frames,
- prepare a sheet for people to leave their email address or actual address for visitors who want more information or receive updates of my work,
- print out various bits of info i had planned to have available on commissions and coloured pencil artworks ,
- create and attach labels for the backs on artwork
- also create price labels
- and for the piece that is going into the show add my details for that
- updating my “work reference sheet” so i can see what works i have on display, what sells what medium they are etc etc(as i may have help at the market)
- plus i am sure there is more i am just forgetting.
This week has flown by, my time was taken up which was supposed to be spent doing all this stuff had to be used on actual design / web work so yes i am having a bit of a mental freak out LOL.
The rest of this afternoon i will finish off testing out my new mat cutter and ruler and getting the artworks sorted out (i think i am up for a late night).
So anyway atm my head is in the framing world which i am very new to but i am learning. Yesterday I picked up my framed horses eye, pear and white horse from the framers (gosh you just reminded me i have to take some pics of them framed!!) anywho… while they look ok i have to admit they dont jump out at me like i was expecting them to. I think i just didnt choose the right frame, and was totally influenced and daunted by the framers advice (i never really had anything framed before). As a result, i have decided unless its a specific thing that i cant do i i will just do my own mats and buy premade frames. This is also influenced by cost. My artwork at this time is not demanding extremely high prices, and adding another $80- per piece minimum for framing doesn’t really help anyone. Anyway, all in all i am taking it all as a learning lesson and have researched framing for myself
So for this week i am going to leave with you some framing links i have come across. Alot of them have free tutorials which are great 
FrameCo – online video talking about framing and matt cutting showing you how.
Framing 4 Yourself.com - Step by Step showing you various framing techniques
Pawleewurx - More step by step instructions – he also has artwork and other interesting articles i will have to check out another time.
Ok, so i did say that I going to be brief, i just cant help myself can i… back to the matt cutting sigh…..
Good luck at your show Belinda!!
Take lots of pictures for us.
I know you’re going to do wonderful.
Yikes Belinda! At least you’ve got a list. For similar reasons I have been looking into matting and framing myself. I have the same push cutter as you do, and that green mat looks familiar too. Seems to me that the blade dulls quickly…I am thinking of investing in a little better equipment. You may already have the nicer stuff. Anyway, good luck, it will pay off, just keep up the hard work.
Good luck at your show
And thanks for the framing links, very helpful.