Framed Intaglios Tutorial

I am a DIY'er and always have been.  If I think I can duplicate something that I have seen, and at a much better price, I will certainly give it a shot.  That's why when I decided I HAD to have the somewhat pricey Framed Intaglios that seem to be all the rage right now, I knew I had to make them myself.

 

As I diligently surfed the Internet looking for the Intaglios themselves, I discovered that they were harder to find then I thought they would be. I ended purchasing them from plastercraftinteriors.co.uk, and they were very reasonably priced in a variety of sets.  Shipping from the UK isn't as bad as I thought either.

This process was a little trickier than I thought it would be. As the Intaglios are of different sizes and depths, finding frames deep enough to accommodate the Intaglios proved difficult.  You will probably have to adjust with extender clips which I will explain below.

 

This is a brief tutorial on how I made my Intaglios and I hope that anyone looking to do the same, can benefit from my experience.

 

Materials: Intaglios, 11'x14" frames, fabric, paint, glue, extender clips, foam board, matting, craft paper.

Step 1:  Dry run: Layout design for Intaglios.  This will give you an idea of how you want your mat cut. I had mine cut at Hobby Lobby for 6.00 per mat.  If you have a mat cutter you can cut yourself.  You will need to have your mats cut before you glue the Intaglios so that you can use it as your guide to center the Intaglios.
There are limitless ways to lay these out. Try out many designs during this dry run.

 

Step 2: Prime and paint 11x14" frames

Primed frame

I bought frames at Hobby Lobby, but of course waited until they were half off.

 

I used Titanium colored metallic paint from Hobby Lobby and applied with a small brush.

 

  

Step 3: Cut fabric for backing of Intaglios.
Since I was saving so much money by doing it myself, I splurged on my fabric and got a really good quality beautiful linen to use as my backing.

I cut the fabric to the size of the backing board that came with the frame.

 

Step 4: Iron the fabric to prep for adhering to backer board.

 

Step 5: Use spray adhesive to apply fabric to backer board, then tape around edges to neaten them up(the tape is really optional, I just didn't like seeing the frayed edges and loose threads. You won't see this once in the frame, I was just being particular.).

 

 

Step 6: Layout Intaglio designs. I suggest laying the cut mat down to use as your guide and center the Intaglios within the mat. (you should have your mats cut to interior opening you desire before this step) Glue Intaglios to the fabric centering them within the mat. Let the glue dry completely. At least 1 to 2 hours. I used Gorilla glue.

 

Step 7: Attach extender clips to frame. You will need these to account for the difference in depth from the glass to the back board. I used 1/8" extender clips.

 

Step 8: Cut foam board.  You will need to put the foam board behind the mat and in front of the Intaglio board.  This is to fill the space between the mat and the board (due to depth of Intaglios) so that there is a tight fit and mat wont lift from behind glass. You will need to cut the outside of foam the size of the board and cutout the center large enough that the foam doesn't show behind the mat.

Step 9: Put frame together

•  Clean glass
•  Lay glass in frame
•  Lay mat behind glass
• Lay foam behind mat
• Lay back board with Intaglios behind foam
• Tighten extender clips to snug up to board
• Glue craft paper on the back
• Add picture hanger

 

You are now ready to hang them.
I hung mine over the fireplace mantle, but will probably move them umpteen times before I am totally satisfied.
REMEMBER ~ Delight the Eye.........Nurture the Soul.
Bye for now,
Colleen

 

 

 

 

 

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