Mount Paper Art to Wood Panel
Below is a step by step guide on how I mount finished works of art on paper to a wood panel. This will work with any medium on paper.
Supply List
- Heating Iron
- Thin T-Shirt/Pillow Case
- Exacto Knives/Razor Blades
- Plastic Container (for water and glue mix}
- Wide Large Brush
- PVA Glue (archival)
- Water
- Soft Cloth
Step 1: FLATTEN
Before I begin the mounting process I prep the art by getting it as flat as I possibly can. I use a clothing iron set to it’s highest setting and will use a clean pillow case or thin t-shirt over the art to iron it down completely. I usually make slow passes over the art while making sure I don’t stay in one area for too long. I don’t want to burn the art.
If you need a visual you can reference this great tutorial from Emily Olson.
Step 2: SIZE IT
I trim the art on all four sides but leave around 1/8″ to 1/4″ of excess paper around the border. By doing this I don’t have to worry too much about getting the artwork perfectly lined up with the wood panel. Just make sure your painting is bigger in width and length then the panel you are mounting it to. I’ll later be able to cut the excess off using an Exacto knife butted up against the wood panel to give me a smooth clean edge.
Step 3: MOUNT
Ok now comes the moment of truth. It’s a good idea to have all your tools ready to go since you don’t want the glue to dry and set before you are completely done. I use a neutral PH water soluble PVA glue by Lineco. It doesn’t dry yellow, become brittle, and you can remoisten the art with water if you ever wanted to un-mount it.
I use a bit of water to thin down the glue About a 3:1 ratio. I’ll spread the glue on back of the art and a thin layer on the wood panel.
I’ll line up one corner of the finished painting to the corner of the panel. Then the adjacent corner. I’ll bring the art slowly down on the panel while I simultaneously use my hand to flatten it out. You may need a second pair of hands for this part if it’s your first time!
Once the art is mounted. I’ll use craft paper to cover the top of the art and use a silk screen squeegee to get any air bubbles out that may have been created by the water in the glue. Once I’m satisfied that all the air bubbles are out from under the paper I’ll clean up any extra glue that has squeezed out with a moist cloth.
Next I will lay non stick wax paper over top of the art and lay it on a flat surface.
Finally, I’ll take a large piece of plywood or my drawing board that covers the entire area of the art pretty well and stack a bunch of books, or anything heavy on-top to distribute weight. I’ll leave them on-top overnight.
Step 4: SAND & PAINT
Once the art is finally dry I can trim the excess paper that I left from step 2. I like to sand the edges where the glue dried and created bumps or ridges. I make sure to blow off any remaining saw dust from the art or edges and paint the edges black to get a finished piece.
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