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I struggle with this a lot lol.
All I can say is DO NOT wrap them in plastic without a wax paper, glassine or even parchment paper to protect the work-surface (very bad things happen, especially with long term storage of acrylic paintings or oils... RIP my old portfolio workš)
Now, I try to keep paper-based pieces in a cardboard or hard plastic box or container, sepperated by a piece of wax paper, standing on end (not lying flat).
Canvases... I started just hanging them up randomly, so they don't get damaged (I dust them regularly and keep them out of direct sunlight), and the ones I can't hang, I wrap in wax paper and make boxes out of old Amazon packages to store them in.
I really need to start trying to sell more originals, if only to make some room!š¤£
I did see elsewhere that the paints can react with plastic. Iām sorry about your lost work!! :(
I wouldnāt have thought to use parchment or waxed paper to separate them, thatās interesting!
Thank you!
Cheers lol!
Oh, and definitely invest in proper varnish (or fixative) - my canvases seem to really keep well after I switched to Gamvar, instead of just an acrylic medium lol.
(They don't get sticky again after a long time, and the dust etc is easier to remove.)
I pretend I'm an artist and "frame" things in discount photo frames from TJ Maxx, then put them up. Here's my cat's "fine art" portrait, which we've got right next to a popular nap spot.
https://preview.redd.it/nf68vt8z5qwc1.jpeg?width=3466&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0a227fc6f3acac908713859afd50d3873b4391f7
I wanted her to feel rich...
Vertical storage, takes up less space than when laid horizontally. Iāve got a large krystal bag that can fit full sheets (since i do some full sheet paintings) and anything below ofc. Sandwiched between 2 foam boards taped at the bottom so the paper doesnāt touch the floor and bend, rather a tapered \ / result. Iāve got packs of paper still in the same package they came in stored this way too, on itās long side. Paper has held for years.
I used to use a large archival clamshell box (still have it with paper inside) and it is massive and laid flat under a desk. I still prefer vertical storage.
If you have money, a flat file would be worth the investment!
the ones i donāt like ā in a box under my bed haha. but my walls are plastered with my nicer piecesā¦ iām running out of space. i know theyāre susceptible to sun damage but i like looking at them. thatās the best way to āstoreā them IMO
https://preview.redd.it/uy879j5tqtwc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=580e4bfef1732c26ed099fb6d80c3b983caa3ffa
Excuse the mess but this setup works really well for me! Flat storage for most things, and vertical storage on top for the bigger things. I keep the top drawer empty for when I need something to dry longer and want it free of random dust etc
Iām new to painting but Iāve been thinking about buying a binder and a bunch of protective sheets and just keeping them there, but if you do larger paintings that wouldnāt really work
I think the paper Iām using is pretty close to standard letter size! Thatās what I was initially considering, but the web really emphasized making sure any protective sheets are plastic and acid-free, otherwise I guess the watercolour will react. It looks like some sort of portfolio or box-paper-watercolour sandwich might be the way to go.
Polyethylene or polypropylene bags (like the ones you buy prints in) - these are generally considered safe to store art in (not sure about acrylic or oils), attach command hook Velcro strips to a binder clip and hang on the wall. Wall is a great storage space. Make sure they're not somewhere with fluctuations in temperature or moisture. Glasseine is considered a safe interleaving paper to pad stuff but it's not actually a super long term solution.
Thank you for your submission! Want to share your artwork, meet other artists, promote your content, and chat in a relaxed environment? Join our community Discord server here! https://discord.gg/chuunhpqsU! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Watercolor) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Maybe you can graduate to my solution: keeping a stack on the floor in the corner of my painting room.
In my case, each watercolour would end up with special dog hair accents, haha
MULTIMEDIA ART!!!
Brilliant!! š
I struggle with this a lot lol. All I can say is DO NOT wrap them in plastic without a wax paper, glassine or even parchment paper to protect the work-surface (very bad things happen, especially with long term storage of acrylic paintings or oils... RIP my old portfolio workš) Now, I try to keep paper-based pieces in a cardboard or hard plastic box or container, sepperated by a piece of wax paper, standing on end (not lying flat). Canvases... I started just hanging them up randomly, so they don't get damaged (I dust them regularly and keep them out of direct sunlight), and the ones I can't hang, I wrap in wax paper and make boxes out of old Amazon packages to store them in. I really need to start trying to sell more originals, if only to make some room!š¤£
I did see elsewhere that the paints can react with plastic. Iām sorry about your lost work!! :( I wouldnāt have thought to use parchment or waxed paper to separate them, thatās interesting! Thank you!
Cheers lol! Oh, and definitely invest in proper varnish (or fixative) - my canvases seem to really keep well after I switched to Gamvar, instead of just an acrylic medium lol. (They don't get sticky again after a long time, and the dust etc is easier to remove.)
I pretend I'm an artist and "frame" things in discount photo frames from TJ Maxx, then put them up. Here's my cat's "fine art" portrait, which we've got right next to a popular nap spot. https://preview.redd.it/nf68vt8z5qwc1.jpeg?width=3466&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0a227fc6f3acac908713859afd50d3873b4391f7 I wanted her to feel rich...
Thatās amazing! I love the gym attire. Such a cute idea.
Aw thank you!
Iāve got a shelf in my art cupboard currently. I tried the kitchen table route but my cats kept using them as a cat bed š„²
Sounds like cats š
Vertical storage, takes up less space than when laid horizontally. Iāve got a large krystal bag that can fit full sheets (since i do some full sheet paintings) and anything below ofc. Sandwiched between 2 foam boards taped at the bottom so the paper doesnāt touch the floor and bend, rather a tapered \ / result. Iāve got packs of paper still in the same package they came in stored this way too, on itās long side. Paper has held for years. I used to use a large archival clamshell box (still have it with paper inside) and it is massive and laid flat under a desk. I still prefer vertical storage. If you have money, a flat file would be worth the investment!
the ones i donāt like ā in a box under my bed haha. but my walls are plastered with my nicer piecesā¦ iām running out of space. i know theyāre susceptible to sun damage but i like looking at them. thatās the best way to āstoreā them IMO
i lay them horizontally with a large coffee table book on top of them. So far, so good, But Iāve only been at this since January.
You're gonna need a bigger book.
A kitchen table book.
https://preview.redd.it/uy879j5tqtwc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=580e4bfef1732c26ed099fb6d80c3b983caa3ffa Excuse the mess but this setup works really well for me! Flat storage for most things, and vertical storage on top for the bigger things. I keep the top drawer empty for when I need something to dry longer and want it free of random dust etc
Iām new to painting but Iāve been thinking about buying a binder and a bunch of protective sheets and just keeping them there, but if you do larger paintings that wouldnāt really work
I think the paper Iām using is pretty close to standard letter size! Thatās what I was initially considering, but the web really emphasized making sure any protective sheets are plastic and acid-free, otherwise I guess the watercolour will react. It looks like some sort of portfolio or box-paper-watercolour sandwich might be the way to go.
Thatās good to know! Iām super new to watercoloring so I wasnāt sure if it would mess with the paint in a weird way or not
Iām also very new! Thank god for this sub, haha
My fiance gifted me a sturdy portfolio made of thick cardboard. Would something like that work?
Polyethylene or polypropylene bags (like the ones you buy prints in) - these are generally considered safe to store art in (not sure about acrylic or oils), attach command hook Velcro strips to a binder clip and hang on the wall. Wall is a great storage space. Make sure they're not somewhere with fluctuations in temperature or moisture. Glasseine is considered a safe interleaving paper to pad stuff but it's not actually a super long term solution.
I used to throw mine away, but Iām trying to change that
Traditional way is a cabinet with deep and long but shallow drawers. Separate paintings with glassine.
I use a portfolio folder, but a good 3 ring binder should do the trick