How to Become a Picture Framer Apprentice

How to Become a Picture Framer Apprentice

Professional picture framers spend years perfecting the art of preserving prints.

Picture framing is a deceptively difficult skill to master and requires a very steady hand. Framing a piece of artwork or a photograph is tough to do without harming it. You must be able to accurately manipulate the picture, keeping the edges safe from damage, then carefully apply a semi-permanent adhesive to keep the art firmly secured within the frame. Most professional picture framers started out as apprentices, generally doing between two and four years of on-the-job training with a master picture framer.

 Instructions
1 Search out a nearby framing company that specializes in pictures and artwork. Schedule a meeting to speak with one of the master framers about the job. Picture framing is a career path with few formal training options, so master framers are generally very excited to help people get started on their own framing careers.

2 Ask the picture framers you meet with if they have any apprenticeships open. Have them direct you to other framing businesses that may have openings. Apply for a part-time job at department stores that offer picture framing, and use this as a ground-level opportunity to learn about job skills needed.

3 Take classes in art preservation and art history to learn more about the techniques preservationists use to frame pictures properly. Begin your on-the-job training as an apprentice framer. Keep a small notebook on you at all times to jot down notes and observations. You may have to work for free as an apprentice until you have the experience to expertly mount a picture. Use this time to soak up as much information as possible about the profession.

Want to learn more, click HERE to see Hight Street Gallery, a master framer.

High Street Gallery Services

High Street Gallery
Custom Picture Framing
Special services we offer:
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• Hand-painted and French matting
 • Hand-wrapped fabrics
 • Genuine Leather and Barnwood
 • Textiles and needlework framing
 • Object boxes
 • Hardwood moulding
 • 24 k gold
• Museum quality conservation

We can do wonders cleaning up your tired looking antiques!
Always free estimates.

Want to talk to Kelli, call her at (530) 885-3822

Why Choose a Master Certified Picture Framer?

When seeking to protect and preserve your memorabilia, artwork, and valuable items, look to a master with the thorough knowledge of techniques and materials for the best possible presentation.

The designation of MASTER CERTIFIED PICTURE FRAMER is awarded by the Professional Picture Framers Association (PPFA) .  This certification signifies that a framer has demonstrated superior framing skills and has passed the industry's most comprehensive test of practical preservation and framing knowledge.


PPFA initiated the MCPF program in 2003 to raise the standards of the framing profession.  The improvement in educational standards within the industry and the recognition of those framers who have proven their knowledge and expertise would establish a professional criteria for the proper identification and preservation of frame artwork.


Trust your valuable items to a professional – look for the MCPF designation.

Want more information, call HighStreetGallery.com

We love Frames of all types.

We love frames of all types.

Tiny ones, inset with small stones, oversized baroque ones, rickety wooden ones -- frames can show off a photo, a print or a piece of art...or they can do so much more. Here are some ideas

•Frame a piece of cork
•A mirror
•Or a piece of wood coated in chalkboard paint (or have masonite cute to size) to make a blackboard
•Slip a piece of wallpaper behind a piece of glass, remove the hanging mechanism and use your frame as a tray. Works especially well with an ornate or deep frame (a framed mirror can do double duty as a tray or leaning against a wall as a looking glass)
•Hang a piece of art on the wall, then hang a frame separately, deliberately letting the wall space between frame and art peek through. Works best on a brightly coloured wall.
•Boring medicine chest? Find a frame to match the size of your mirror and glue it on. Or forgo the mirror all together.
•Spray paint a collection of frames the same colour, then hang them on your wall empty, letting the frames be the art.
•Make a French ribbon board or a mat board with pockets to organize your receipts and small papers.
•A large frame can double as a headboard -- empty or framing a piece of fabric

Want a professional, click HERE for High Street Gallery.

Why Look for a Certified Picture Framer?

Why look for a Certified Picture Framer?

When seeking to protect and preserve your memorabilia, artwork, and valuable items, look to a master with the thorough knowledge of techniques and materials for the best possible presentation.

The designation of MASTER CERTIFIED PICTURE FRAMER is awarded by the Professional Picture Framers Association (PPFA) .  This certification signifies that a framer has demonstrated superior framing skills and has passed the industry's most comprehensive test of practical preservation and framing knowledge.

PPFA initiated the MCPF program in 2003 to raise the standards of the framing profession.  The improvement in educational standards within the industry and the recognition of those framers who have proven their knowledge and expertise would establish a professional criteria for the proper identification and preservation of frame artwork.

Trust your valuable items to a professional – look for the MCPF designation.  Click HERE for High Street Gallery

Framing Metalic Prints

My first thought was to frame it under museum glass.  Museum glass is the highest-quality framing glass available, with superior visibility, glare reduction, and UV protection--and I mean really superior.  It is normally used on museum-quality artwork, so the collections can be as easily seen as possible, but will suffer the least damage from their environment.  It would almost certainly give you the effect you want; visually, museum glass has no equal in beauty and visibility.   It almost looks as though there is no glass there.  The cost of this glass is consistent with the quality--it's pricey. Museum glass dealers will have a sample for you to try over your print and help you decide whether the high cost is worth it to you.

You may well decide to go ahead and frame the print without glass.  There are three things to consider.  First, how will you keep the piece clean?  Depending on the fragility of the piece you will need to gently dust it periodically.  (With a piece that absolutely can't be touched, I suggest just gently blowing the dust off every few weeks.) Also, if you smoke in your home, the smoke will eventually discolor the piece and it will become yellowish; consider not smoking in the room the glass-free piece is in.

The next question is, how will you design the framing package?  You need to consider how it looks, of course, but you also need to do what is possible; the absence of glass means you have to find another way to keep the piece from falling out of the front of the frame. 

For a paper piece, you can just have it mounted (your framer can help you with selecting the mounting method), mat it, and put it into the frame as though glass were a part of the package.  That's probably the simplest and nicest-looking option.

 You can also have the piece dry-mounted and frame it straight up with no mat; this is good for inexpensive and/or temporary displays, not really for pricey items.

The third question relates to the type of frame you choose. You may want to use a wooden frame.  Metal frames (the kind that screw together at the corners and have spring clips around the perimeter of the frame to keep the art firmly in the frame) are okay for the inexpensive/temporary art but they have the potential to damage the edges of nicer works.  A wood frame is really your best bet, because the framer is more in control of the snugness of the fit.

You can get wooden frames in sections; they come in pairs, and you buy two pairs in the dimensions you need.  They are easy to put together at home.  If you're dry-mounting the piece, or using a custom-sized mat, you'll need special equipment; this would be a good time to involve a framer.  You can have the framer mat and mount it, then put it into the frame at home.

Floating it sounds good, too.  My decision to float or not is usually decided by 2 things.  First, consider whether the method is appropriate for the piece.  (Your framer can help you make the decision.) Next,  consider the condition of the edges.  If they look interesting enough to display, consider a float. 

Paper pieces are typically floated on mats, while dimensional canvases are usually floated in an L-shaped floater frame.  For your piece, I'd consider a sink float.  A sink float mat is a top mat with a window in it mounted over a bottom mat with no opening. The piece is mounted to the backing mat, and the backing can be seen through the mat window all the way around the piece.  Your framer can make you one, or you can buy precut mats and put them together yourself.

Like these ideas, click HERE for High Street Galler and a true professional.

Auburn California Master Framer

High Street Gallery located in Auburn, California has been providing custom picture framing services to the Auburn area and local surrounding communities since 1996.

Kelli Fortenbaugh MCPF, and owner of High Street Gallery, has worked in the picture framing industry for over 24 years and is a Master Certified Picture Framer (MCPF).

She is also the current president of the Northern California Chapter of Professional Picture Framers Association.

We specialize in the exotic and unusual. Click here to read all about the services we offer.

Are you interested in having a custom frame done? Click here to read our article entitled, "Before You Visit Your Custom Framer", featured in the Sierra Heritage HOME magazine .