White Bevels

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Ron Eggers

Ron Eggers

SPFG, Supreme Picture Framing God
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I am becoming increasing annoyed with bright white bevels on mats.

Remember when white bevels - that STAYED white - were a sign of quality material?

The problem, in my mind, is that they rarely look good on a print and even less often on an original.

Sometimes I'll color the bevel, sometimes I'll reverse it and add a fillet.

I've just been labeling some new mat samples for display and I've decided to start stocking and showing all of the Bainbridge Alpharags. There are about 65 of them, including quite a few 8-ply, and they aren't just neutrals.

I might even start cutting v-grooves again.

Is anybody else terribly bothered with bright white bevels or have I finally slipped completely?
 
The bright white bevels do not look appropriate on most things and our shop colors them or uses a fillet, too.

Half the time, bevels on multiple mats don't even match each other.

[ 08-19-2003, 06:25 PM: Message edited by: SusanNolan ]
 
Now that I have the Wizard I find myself using the reverse bevel if I don't want the white.It gets rid of the white and gives it some depth too.

But you knew that.

On the other hand you probably "have" slipped completely. ;)
 
I have always found the white bevels to be distracting, Ron.
And as much as I dislike them on 4 plys, I dislike them double on 8 plys! Ick.
Sometimes I color the bevels with watercolor to knock 'em down a bit.
But I have seen the light- and it is solid core mats. I love them. I want every color to come in a solid core.
I am not a big fan of reverse bevels.
I love fillets, but I like 'em better on frames than on mats.
But you knew all this already.

edie the preachingtothechoir goddess
 
I just can't warm up to the reverse bevel. It looks like somebody just screwed up. (I'm sure YOURS look great, though, Mark.)

I want to see a bevel. I just don't want it to be white.

We're accustomed to trying to match the bevels on multiple mats, so it'll be interesting to see what happens when I start stacking solid rag mats of different colors.

Probably the rest of you have been doing this for years. I've always been a late bloomer.
 
It just occurred to me what I think of when I look at a white bevel, and it ain't pretty.

It reminds me of exposed raw wood in a poorly-cut or poorly-joined frame.

This is a new development for me. I never had a problem with white bevels before. I'll bet Edie whispered in my bad ear last year in Atlanta, "White bevels suck," and the nearly-subliminal message finally reached my brain a year later. I'm very impressionable that way.

I was hoping she was whispering something else altogether.
 
I guess this would be a good thread for me to complain once again about Bainbridge discontinuing the majority of their ColorCore mats with the blue, green, pink, and gray bevels. I used to sell the heck out of 'em, but I guess I must be the only one, because if they sold well they'd still be available. I used to pull those out first much of the time, and the customer would always be fascinated by the colored, contrasting bevel. They made great v-grooves too. Fortunately my favorite mat (8881 Feldspar, blue core) is still around...for now.
Alpharags are nice, but the bevels do not contrast with the surface. They're expensive too. Some of the new colors are quite nice though. My rep tells me there is a crimson-type color on the way. I hope they hurry- all these Tuscan greens and yellows are making me a bit queasy.

:cool: Rick
 
In my design work on the package I if the piece warrants the white edge. I use it if it does not I reverse bevel. I have been using alot if inlaid mats. This way I eliminate all but one of the bevel edges. Looks extremely clean.
I have inlaid as many as 4 mats .5", .2", .75", .2" then using acid free white linen tape activated with ph neutral water I tape them together on the back. Never could figure why everyone buys acid free tape & either lickes it or uses tap water to activate it. (Both of which are acidic. Go to a pool supply place and get a kit and test it for your self.)
Little tip reverse bevel the inlay they go together better not really sure why. But they do.
 
I like the crisp white bevel.

I have replaced so many old dingy brown staining awful mats that I can easily overlook the very occasional time when an Antiquarian would perhaps be more suitable----when you are putting it on something old & brown like a newspaper clipping.

Isn't a bevel done in the first place to NOT have a shadow around the picture? Though I have used the technique on occasion, it often doesn't look as professional to me to be using reverse bevels. When we have wanted "no bevel" we've used Canson Paper (from art supply stores) for the "fillet" strips of color.
 
Ron, you've gone over the edge? Over the bevel - a deep bevel.

Less likes the bright white! Less also loves the rags. Less will also reverse bevel if the white is distracting from the design.

My concern with painting bevels is I don't know if they are archival, and I only got one response when I ask the question. Thank you very much Ellen.
 
Ron, you mean you don't get those customers like I do that ask: "It's going to have that white edge on it right? Cause that's what I want." :rolleyes: Whether or not I show a white core or some other color is entirely dependant on the piece and whether I feel it would look good with it.
 
Less, speaking of white bevels - I used your tip to get rid of the WHITE bevels on some raw silk mats that I used with Faux Fillets and Bevel Accents. I wrapped the silk around the bevels after cutting/peeling away the mat backing from the windows.

It was tedious. It was nerve-wracking. And it was fun. Most important, it looked outstanding.

The customer picked up the four pieces about 20 minutes after I finished them, so there won't be any photos.

I'll be playing with Alpharag Colors and Faux Fillets when they finally come to take me away.
 
This is scary - but at least I'm in good company. :cool:

Just this afternoon as we left the shop Kassandra and I got into a "discussion" about white bevels - I'm really tired of 'em.

I want to experiment with painting them, but am too busy :D to experiment and don't want to learn on customer work.

We sell lots of solid-color mats and fillets, and all of a sudden today I decided I've had enough of white bevels. So that's it - NO MORE!
From now on, when I'm at the table, it'll be solid or color core, fillets, or painted bevels -but no more white bevels.

NO WHITE BEVELS! NO WHITE BEVELS!

Tony

[ 08-19-2003, 10:58 PM: Message edited by: AWG ]
 
Ron

Worse then the white bevel is the ring of white around the picture...to show the signature number and title. :rolleyes:

I had one customer make me do a title drop around each of those elements once. I wish artists would either do this in the image or paint something white in the image. so that it makes sense and looks like it belongs.

Jill Hennes
Omro Gallery
 
I can count on my thumbs the number of colored alphamats I sell in a week. I find the white bevel to be a visual intrusion.

I get ribbed by the folks in production because the majority of the orders I write up use Alpharag (solid cores), the other ones are fabric wraps. They say that if I had my way every piece in the world would have an 8 or 12 ply rag mat (Our mat cutter has been stacking boards to make his own 12 and 16 ply mats for a long time) and a mahogany frame.

That's not strictly true. There's room in my heart for welded steel - with 8ply of course.

And then I remeber the early 90s when every job I sold had at least 3 colors, and rarely were any of them neutral and they couldn't make a glossy black frame that was glossy enough for me.
 
Originally posted by Ron Eggers:
I want to see a bevel. I just don't want it to be white.
Click to expand...
Use black core mats.

I love the white core. I really like the TruVue IWC mats better than the Crescent mat. Crescent becomes dingy looking very fast but TruVue keeps its brightness much longer.

To show dark, you need light. To show light you need dark. It is the contrast that makes the design pop.

Take 2 dark posters and mat both the same, one reverse bevel. Then stand back and look at them. Which one pops out? The one with the bright white bevel showing.

Try it
 
I don't want it to be black, either. I have already pulled every one of my black-core boards (except for black-on-black.)

I really want the bevel to be the same color as the surface. Lucky for me, they can do that now, and in a dazzling array of colors.

I don't care for much contrast, Jerry.

It's a good things we don't all design the same way. I love hearing about how other framers design - especially the mats. I'd be pretty disappointed if you or anyone else read this thread and said, "**** ! He's right! White bevels are awful!"
 
Take 2 dark posters and mat both the same, one reverse bevel. Then stand back and look at them. Which one pops out? The one with the bright white bevel showing.
Click to expand...
I suppose that, like many other things, is a matter of personal taste. Personally, I find it (and this is just my opinion, not trying to tell anyone else how to do it) that what "pops" is the white bevel. It's just distracting against a lot of dark.

Between Crescent's Artique mats, with their creamy bevels, fillets, wrapped mats, painted bevels, gilded bevels, black core rag mats, Alpha Rags (yum!) and inlaid mats I've gotten to the point where I hate to see a naked bevel. The only place I don't mind it is if it is against a light piece of art where it disappers, like on a diploma.

Reverse bevels? They have their place, but it always makes me think someone forgot to put the fillet in.

I've been playing with gilded bevels on 4 and 8 ply mats this week. I'm in love. I'm putting one on a diploma along with a painted panel, something I haven't done much until now. If it turns out, and Ron is feeling generous, maybe he'll be kind enough to post it for me so I can share.

I saw Bainbridge's new Alpha Rag releases this week. About a dozen in beautiful earth tones. Can't wait to get my hands on them.
 
That's what ahm talkin' 'bout, Dave!

I laid out all 65-or-so Alpharag mats just the other day and thought, "I could mat anything with these."

I lied - or at least generalized - when I said I don't like much contrast. Sometimes I'll paint a purple bevel on a bright white 8-ply rag. Or maybe lime green.

THAT'S pretty contrasty.
 
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