Matting Tips - Part 4 - Floating

4. SINGLE MAT FLOAT

Another technique is to float your image instead of attaching it to the back of the outer mat. To do this – choose a mat that will make a good background – or similar to choosing a double mat – a good “liner” color. Then choose your outer mat and cut the opening to be ½” LARGER than the image you are matting. This will create a ¼” “liner” around the image. Ensure both mats have the same outer dimension and glue them together. You will then have a “window” in the middle where you mount your artwork – using a rice paste or acid-free double sided tape. Centre the image and it will float on your background.

You can modify this to add a bottom weight to your “liner” as an added touch

Experiment and you will find lots of ways to modify this to add a great look.

Artwork courtesy of Patricia Arndt and inspired from Karin Jurick's "Different Strokes" website.
Mat created using the MatoMatic tool - courtesy of www.matshop.com.
You can do it too and best of all its FREE!