You love your pet, you’ve commissioned a custom pet portrait to have a tangible and artful treasure to always remember them by OR, perhaps you’ve printed one of your own images.

NOW, you’d like to frame and protect this wonderful representation of your soulmate to enjoy every day in your home!
You wonder how you might like to frame this unique and special artwork.

Read on for help with:

• Choosing a frame
• How to take good care of your art
• How to actually hang your art easily

CHOOSING THE BEST FRAME FOR A PET PORTRAIT

Choosing a frame is such a personal choice as it depends on your style, the decor of your home and your budget. Since your Greyboy Pet Print is matted to fit a standard sized frame, you have the choice of going to a local craft store for a frame OR you may choose to have your portrait custom-framed by your craft store or local frame shop.

DIFFERENT FRAME MATERIALS

• Metal = sturdy
• Wood = warmth and character
• Plastic = may look like metal or wood (budget friendly)

WHAT I SUGGEST FOR A GREYBOY PORTRAIT
Since the Greyboy pet portrait is created with a warm black ink on light cream paper, then I usually suggest one of the following colors for framing, depending on your personal taste and home decor:

• Black
• Brown
• Gold
• Silver

I usually recommend something classy and simple to keep the focus on the art. A pretty black or brown frame is nice and my own personal prefernce. Sometimes, a silver or gold frame might look nice with your decor.

PET PORTRAIT MATTING

You may choose a frame with a mat, or a frame without a mat. Your Greyboy pet portrait comes with matting, but you may choose to change the matting or not use any.

Matting Options:

• Use what is provided with the art and just purchase the standard size frame
• Take the matting off and just frame the actual art (not recommended since the matboard keeps the print off the glass)
• Float Mount Treatment – this sets the art a bit off the backing to give it dimension
• Have Your Own Mat Cut – a 2 or 3 inch space around all sides of the art is typical

PET PORTRAIT ART CARE

Here are some factors to keep in mind when choosing a frame for your custom pet portrait

1. Use glass to protect art from dust and scratches. Plexiglass may sometimes scratch the art and seems cheap
2. Keep an acid free mat on the art (like what is provided with your portraits) so the art isn’t touching the glass
3. Never use adhesive or fixative on an original print
4. Hang the art at eye level, not too high or low on the wall (Generally 56 – 60 inches from the floor and if it’s above furniture, hang 4 – 8 inches above the furniture
5. Keep it away from direct sunlight so the ink doesn’t fade over time
6. When storing, be sure to keep it in its original packaging or wrap it with acid-free paper and store flat, not on top of or under other items that may damage it
7. Every few months, use a glass cleaner to wipe down the outside glass of your frame so you can see your art clearly

WHERE TO DISPLAY YOUR CUSTOM PET PORTRAIT

Wall / Desk / Shelf

You can enjoy your custom pet portrait on the wall, a desk or a shelf, depending on what size you have framed it to. I’d suggest only setting an 8×10 or smaller for the desk or shelf. Frames larger than this are best enjoyed on the wall.

MULTIPLE PRINTS ON THE WALL

If you are hanging multiple pieces of art together, here are a few layout ideas for hanging art. Typically, the grouping of art should take up two thirds the width of your furniture if hanging above furniture.

You can always cut tissue paper or butcher paper to your frame sizes and tape those pieces of paper to the wall to get an overall view of what the arrangement may look like.

HOW TO EASILY HANG YOUR PET ART ON THE WALL

When preparing to hang your pictures up on the wall and have it looking great, here are some tools to have handy for hanging your framed art. By the way, I usually pour myself a half glass of wine, turn on some music and have some fun with it.

Grab a:

• Level
• Hammer
• Drill
• Nails or screws
• Scissors
• Tissue or craft paper
• Painter’s tape
• Pencil
• Tape measure

12 Steps To Hang Art:

1. Laying out the frames on the floor the way you’d like them grouped
2. Cut out tissue paper the size of each frame
3. Tape them up on the wall (usually around 2 inches apart)
4. Pin them up with a pushpin or tape them
5. Make sure they are level by setting the little level tool on each frame
6. Measure the back of your frame to know how many inches down the sawtooth or wire hanger is
7. On the paper, measure down to where the sawtooth or wire is
8. Hammer the nail where it should go
9. Remove the tissue paper
10. Hang the real art on the nail you have in the wall
11. Set the level on top of each frame to even them out a tad
12. Stand back and revel in your lovely wall of art with your favorite furry face smiling back at you
    You did it! Now enjoy the rest of your glass of wine and remember the happy memories your companion provided.
    Savor that artwork that is so personal and breathtakingly beautiful!