Best Way To Store Artwork For Artists And Art Collectors

The best way to store artwork is by displaying it on your walls, where people can admire it daily.

However, you will want to protect your paintings and colored pencil drawings for future sales as an artist.

If you are an art collector who enjoys displaying different paintings for different seasons, you will want to protect your investment while not hanging on your walls.

Did you know that sunlight fades colors and plastic traps humidity, which grows mold?

Whether an artist or an art collector, your art collection is valuable, and you will want to protect your investment.

Here are some helpful tips for storing artwork.

How To Store Oil Painting On Canvas

Storing a painting could cause damage to the paint, frame, and canvas if you are not careful.

Most art collectors and artists do not own a storage facility to store art pieces.

Here are some tips to help protect your paintings and choose the best storage space in your home.

1. Find a place to store your artwork. An ideal location would be a closet or a room with minimal traffic. Avoid unfinished basements, attics, and garages. The best area would be a place with no windows or vents and a controlled temperature.

Fluctuating temperatures could damage your painting. Keep your oil paintings away from furnaces, heating vents, and air conditioners.

Direct sunlight will fade the colors of your fine art over time. Keep the canvas covered with an acid free-cloth or packed if it is stored in a room with direct sunlight.

Check the area for mold.

The ideal temperature is between 70-75 degrees, with a humidity level between 40-50%.

• Prepare your painting for storage by removing any dust with a microfiber cloth.

If you are storing your painting in a closet, place it in an acid-free cardboard box and separate the art with a crescent board, a professional acid-free mounting board that will separate your painting from the cardboard.

The best solution for storing multiple canvas paintings is to use a canvas storage cabinet made for storing canvas paintings. A canvas storage cabinet is ideal for artists and art collectors.

Diverse Woodcrafts Portfolio and Canvas Storage Cabinet – Blick

• Keep your painting off the ground. The canvas storage cabinet is ideal for keeping your art off the floor, but elevate it with a crate if you plan to store it in your closet. Canvases and frames can absorb moister from concrete.
• Do not store paintings on top of each other. Too much weight on top of a painting could damage paint or frames. The ideal way to store paintings is vertical.

How To Store Paper Artwork

Graphite drawings, colored pencil drawings, and pastel drawings could easily smudge and get ruined if you store them incorrectly.

Here are some tips to help you protect your paper artwork.

1. Frame the drawings. In most cases, I will matt and frame all my graphite and pastel drawings. And then, I follow the tips for storing oil canvas paintings.  However, this is not the most conventional or cost-efficient way to store your finished artwork.
2. Store drawings in a portfolio. Portfolios come in various sizes and materials and will keep the drawings safe and prevent smudging.
3. Pastel drawings differ from graphite or colored pencil drawings because they are fragile and smudge easily. The best way to store unframed pastels is by attaching the pastel surface to drawing board support more significant than the drawing and covering the drawing with glassine paper. Glassine paper is an antistatic paper that leaves no noticeable alterations to the drawing when removed.

Conclusion:

Artwork is valuable to both art collectors and artists. Take special care of your investments so the artwork can be cherished for years.

Related Posts:

How to Preserve Paintings for the Long-Term: Expert Tips

Best Way To Sell Art Prints