Tips on how to take care of your art

[Konstantina]

Hi everyone! Are you an art lover? Even if you are not a collector, you may find that art is something you really enjoy. I love paintings for example as well as antiques, but I can't afford them. I do know how to make the best of what I have, though, and here are soe tips that I want to share with you. These tips concern every item that falls under te art category, items that you love and want to last for a long time.

Tips for paintings:
Most of us have paintings in our homes and it may not be a Picasso, but it is certainly something we like to look at. It may even be your own work, so here is what you can do to protect it

- If you have the painting on the wall, make sure you have chosen the right position for it. Paintings need light so that all the fine work and coloring can be seen, but they really must not be in direct light and even worse in direct sunlight. So make sure the sun rays don't catch a glimpse of your painting. Otherwise in a couple of years it will fade away.

- If you store the painting as you haven't decided where to put it yet, you should avoid humidity. If you have it on an attic or basement, check it regularly. Humidity is the number one problem in these places as are rats and insects. It is in all, not a good idea to keep it there.

- It is said that paintings should be protected from dust and people that might touch it. I think that this is impossible around the house. I mean, ok, we love art, but it is still a house, not a gallery, let's be real and practical here. So since it is going to get some dust, simply dust it away with a soft piece of cloth. Make sure the cloth is absolutely dry and it is also a good idea if it is something soft.


Antiques, vases etc
- Again, the position of the antique plays an important role. If you have an old chinese vase for example, don't put it in a room where your children play often. It will at some point be destroyed!

- Furniture is also easy to get ruined, mainly through harsh cleaning. I know that most people believe that since these items have been around for so long, you can do whatever you want with them, but this is not the case. Don't use harsh cleaning products and I wouldn't suggest vinegar either. It has acid that will eventually ruin the furniture.

- I have some jewelry in the house that has no actual money value, but they were my great grandmothers and I think they were also given to her, so they are just really old. I didn't know what to do with them, when finally I got an idea. I placed them in a case, like we do with picture frames, and I have them on the wall. It is not something rare, but it is beautiful. I put a red paper beneath so they have a background color and now they are protected, look great, and I show them as something I got from the old times.

So, take care of your items and make the most of them.

Great tip! Stickied!

[audreyso]

This are good and simple to follow tips. Maybe instead of using cloth, you can use feather duster instead? I do love art but instead of buying, i like to make them myself. The problem is, my mother doesn't like hanging anything on the walls so most of the time, I just keep them wrapped with plastic cover (the one used for books or notebooks) and it does great in protecting them.

[kingjay071]

When I draw, I normally put my drawings in plastic covers. Also my jewelry, I put them in cases for protection. Especially from being dusty. Anything can be use to protect your art it just goes down on using imagination. Imagination is apart of art as well.

[SharonCrawford]

Very informative tips..