Protecting my color pencil art. Why I mount my paper to board and how I do it

I love my color pencil drawings, But the fragility of the paper makes me nervous for the longevity of my artworks! In this video, I talk about the benefits of mounting my works permanently to board and show you my process for doing so.

*Note*
This is a fiddly process, and there is a potential to ruin your hard work while doing this!!
I highly recommend you read through my blog post http://cassandrahanleyart.com/2018/01... before attempting this for yourself, where I explain some of the ways to avoid making mistakes, and also recommend that you practice on some small, and less valuable pieces before attempting this on something special!!!

Tools you will need are:
A sturdy archival board - I have been using picture matting board from a local framer, as it is sturdy but still lightweight. However, you could use a much firmer surface like Ampersand clayboard, ( https://amzn.to/2CyuQwb or for Aussies https://amzn.to/2Mac4L5 ) or wooden boards https://amzn.to/2QhqYmj or for Aussies https://amzn.to/2M9TG55 ( please note, amazon associate links are for your visual reference, there are many other brands selling similar products and it's always worth shopping around!) . Whatever you choose should be archival as it would be a terrible shame to damage your piece instead of protecting it! It will help if the board you choose is slightly smaller than the artwork. You will get a better finish if you can trim the artwork to be completely flush to the board
An Archival binder gel I use Atelier heavy gel (gloss) https://amzn.to/2QfdffE or for Aussies https://amzn.to/2wVD1N1 to attach my drawing to the board. It is an acrylic medium that creates an extremely strong bond when dry.
The artwork you wish to mount
A brush
A brayer (optional) https://amzn.to/2wT1OkQ or for Aussies https://amzn.to/2QeM1Wss to roll your artwork down onto the board. A brayer will give you a nice smooth, even rolling action to press the artwork down onto the board. This would be very useful with larger artworks
A sharp blade to trim any excess*
Wax paper
A flat, heavy weight to press your work down overnight

There is more than one way to do this, but so far this is the method I have been using. Please feel free to add suggestions or other methods you might have down in the comments below. So that we can all learn from each other!!

check out my works in progress on
facebook: www.facebook.com/cassandrahanleyart
instagram: www.instagram.com/cassandrahanley_art

prints and originals of my work are available at my etsy store:
   • Protecting my color pencil art. Why I moun...