Large Gyotaku Print Mounting

Eric A

CGF II, Certified Grumble Framer Level 2
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Oct 14, 2020
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Sarasota, FL
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Artfinity Giclee Printing
I have these gyotaku prints I need to frame but they are 24" x 66". I have worked with smaller ones of these but these are really big. How do I mount these? Normally they are on a heavier paper and I mat them. These are on a very thin lighweight rice paper like substraight. I don't think I can get 66" mat anywhere without having to handwrap something which is not in the client's budget. However I have to do something nice with them as the customer is our landlord. Thanks for any ideas and help!
Eric
IMG_6251.webp
 
4-ply rag mat in 48" X 72" is available from both LJ and AMPF (In 48" X 96" as well).
Nice Kingfish BTW.
 
4-ply rag mat in 48" X 72" is available from both LJ and AMPF (In 48" X 96" as well).
Nice Kingfish BTW.
Would you float it or just over mat it? I do not hava a way really to cut that size mat. If you would float it, what method would you use to do that? If I use standard mulberry paper and paste you will see it since the mulberry (or any for that matter) paper is white and this is a very thin black. Thank you, Eric
 
I've cut mats larger than that with one of these. All you need is a good straight edge.
1724948348835.webp

Hint: they are easier to control by pushing rather than pulling.
 
With an open budget, I would be inclined to pinwheel a second layer onto the mat to create an 8-ply, and then cover the mat in a natural ecru silk.

I think that traditionally these pieces are wet mounted using Nori, not unlike how Sumi-e is treated. Not that I would attempt that on someone else's art.
 
I would over mat the piece as well. Any type of hinging is going to show.

First I cut my short sides on my manual mat cutter, then I take the arm and top off of my 60" manual mat cutter and cut on the clean floor atop scrap mat board. Cut as far as you can, weighing down the ends of the mat cutter, then move the whole arm, weigh it down and cut the rest of the way.

Honestly less time consuming to pin wheel 8 ply mat board and wrap in fabric.
 
I've cut mats larger than that with one of these. All you need is a good straight edge.
View attachment 49776
Hint: they are easier to control by pushing rather than pulling.
That is exactly how I cut mats with dimensions larger than 40 x 60. I love that little Dexter Mini. I use spring clamps to hold the straightedge in place along the overhanging edge of my front counter. I have a little mark on the side of the cutter to indicate exactly where the blade is relative to the straightedge and marked cutting lines. This works really well. The trickiest part is supporting the cut mat back to the workroom without it folding up on itself.
 
Be sure to manage the customer's expectation of results... in other words, they have to understand that the ripples in the paper are the "nature of the beast", and it will NOT be smooth and flat like a dry mounted poster.
:cool: Rick
 
If you buy a 48 x 72" board, you can cut strips to make a pieced mat. Just be sure to back them with hidden strips that have splices meeting
at a different area than on the main mat. You can hide the splices with something that's an intentional design element. Maybe, strips art paper,
that's been crumpled up, then flattened back out. Or flat hemp/jute rope?

Another option is, to cut the centers out of two 40 x 60 boards, on the diagonal. That gives you two 3" strips, each about 68" long.
Or, if a narrow mat is fine, you can get two 68" strips from one board, but they'll only be about 1 3/8" wide. I'd hesitate to use a super
narrow, spliced mat, though. On something this long, it would be easy for the strip to wow.
 
I frame a good amount of Gyotaku prints for my artist friend here and we have jointly agreed
on this presentation.
We always float mount so the deckled edges show.
Glass is spaced off the piece with liner/matboard/ or spacers
The piece is adhered with small dots of Klucel G sparsely placed around the perimeter.
Klucel G prepared with alcohol will not swell the paper fibers, and it dries clear. If necessary down
the road the dots can be removed with alcohol.

The ripples in this type of artwork should be accentuated, they are a result of the printing process. We don't
attempt to "stretch" the paper in any way to remove ripples
 

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Exactly! You took the words right out of my mouth regarding the Klucel-G. It is an absolute must in this application. You can get black Kozo from Hiromi Papers or a number of other sources if you like the idea of using hinges better. The paper is going to be thinner than you would want to use on something this size, but you can laminate two or more pieces together to get a stronger hinge.
 
I've had both the original and the Mini and prefer the Mini. YMMV.
 
I frame a good amount of Gyotaku prints for my artist friend here and we have jointly agreed
on this presentation.
We always float mount so the deckled edges show.
Glass is spaced off the piece with liner/matboard/ or spacers
The piece is adhered with small dots of Klucel G sparsely placed around the perimeter.
Klucel G prepared with alcohol will not swell the paper fibers, and it dries clear. If necessary down
the road the dots can be removed with alcohol.

The ripples in this type of artwork should be accentuated, they are a result of the printing process. We don't
attempt to "stretch" the paper in any way to remove ripples
I use Klucel a lot. That is a good idea! I was just not sure if it would show where the dots are. How far apart do you space the dots and how big of dot do you use?
Thanks,
Eric
 
I use Klucel a lot. That is a good idea! I was just not sure if it would show where the dots are. How far apart do you space the dots and how big of dot do you use?
Thanks,
Eric
Every 14 - 18" or so.

I sort of flatten the dots in an abstract shape, about 1/4"-3/8". Barely noticeable, experiment with some scrap
 
Every 14 - 18" or so.

I sort of flatten the dots in an abstract shape, about 1/4"-3/8". Barely noticeable, experiment with some scrap
I can do that. It sounds pretty straight forward and for sure the easiest. I don't have any scrap. I wish I did. Thank you so much for the help!
Eric
 
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