Cheap framing, cheap exhibitions!

Framing of small drawings (and there are a lot of them on my shelves!) may be relatively expensive when asking the assistance of an art store. Framing prices of these kind of minor pieces of art may cost several tens of euros per drawing.

But there is an alternative! Indeed! All three frames of the drawings above have costed 4:50 € together! I give a hint! You must take cartonboard sheets, comparable with the original drawings, with you when visiting FLEA MARKETS! The prices of empty frames / frames with a printed picture or photo cost, ususally, only 0:50...2:00 €.

I am currently planning an minor exhibition of my drawings from 1996 to 2014 in one of four alternatives available. Three of the sites are all free, so I tend to prefer them. You are very welcome to visit the exhibition when the site and date are chosen!

- The photos included represent two techniques: charcoal (uppermost drawing of the old Petäjävesi Church, UNESCO target) and felt-tip calligraphy pens with colour pens (two drawings below: left a winter view to Lappeenranta Harbour, right a moment in a Slovenian cafe).

A most inexpensive method for Do-Your-Self Framing!

Night-time is very good time to catch ideas! When the rest of the family (wife and dog) are sleeping, one has excellent chances to find solutions to problems.

I had several "not-so-very-important" drawings which I still want to store somewhere - in this case, on the wall of our toilet!

Commercial framing is reasonably expensive and restricted for the best works (I try to live economically). I tend to visit my art shop in the center of Jyväskylä to have good framing for bigger paintings and colour drawings. Some smaller drawings can be framed myself. Here is my method:

1. Visit some flea market / 2nd Hand Shop to find cheap, printed pictures with frames (this one costed only 2 €). Take the cartonboard sheets, cut in the sizes of your works, with you - it's much faster to compare the sizes of the potential frames and your works by using them than by measuring the sizes of the frames!

2. When arrived back home, check your empty canned food tin cans (or open one and eat it first), then remove the opener, included in it, carefully. Now you have a hanger for your framing.

3. Remove the printed photo/picture from the frame (carefully! The glass could be broken) and install your own work into the frame, under the class cover.

4. Find a piece of strong tape and attach the tin can opener on the backside of the framing.

5. Ask your wife/husband/dog, where you can hang your work!

That's all. Easy, isn't it?