Artwork Hanging Systems - After You Paint (20 of 27)

When hanging two-dimensional artwork, there are two primary ways you can approach it. You can simply hang one painting at a time with wall hardware, or you can use a formal hanging system. Let's talk a little bit about each. If hanging one painting at a time, it's best to use something like a plated wall hanger as opposed to a single nail. Nails can sometimes accidentally cause damage to the painting. Although people have used nails for centuries, there is a risk that the nail could puncture the back of the painting or canvas. I actually had it puncture a dust cover many years ago before making the switch to a plated nail and hook set. For heavier or large work, make sure your nail set is hammered into a wall joint if at all possible. You can often hear where the wall joints are by knocking along the wall. where you have a joint in the wall, it'll sound more solid. Home improvement stores, arts and craft stores, framers, they all normally carry plated wall hangers or something similar. Look for sets that use a thin, strong, angled nail and a separate hook. The angled nail increases the strength thanks to physics. But there are also some new methods. They have some new devices like you can see here that are intended to go into the drywall. And apparently they're pretty strong. So look around and see what's available. There are a few best practices when hanging your work with a nail and hook set or something similar. First, make sure you check the maximum weight for the hanging hardware. They're usually designed for a specific weight limit and try to stay well below the maximum. Second, make sure all hanging hardware is secure both on the wall and on your painting. Third, if a painting is especially heavy, I would suggest you use a multi-nail hanging set and consider using a double screw D-ring on your painting. And lastly, if a painting leans forward awkwardly when it's hanging, try using two hooks on the wall to distribute the weight better. You can also try raising the location of the wire on the back. Using a nail and hook set for each painting is one option for displaying your work on a wall. Another option is to set up a formal hanging system where a rail of some kind is attached to the wall or to the ceiling and they have a wire or a cable of some kind hanging down from which you hang your art. Each cable or wire will have some kind of special hook that can be adjusted to different heights. There are even hanging systems that suspend from special crown molding, a practice carried over from history. I have a hanging system on two walls in my studio to create a studio gallery, and I love them. If you want a spot to display framed work, they are super convenient when it comes to moving and shifting paintings without damaging your wall. I mean, we've all experienced hanging a painting only to have to shift it left and right or up and down and then end up with a series of holes behind the piece. A hanging system also results in a nice, clean gallery look, although it does require a financial investment. you may be able to come up with a do-it-yourself version for much less. My gallery hanging system is made by Arakawa Grip. And as you can see, I simply attached the primary metal bar to the top of the wall and then attached the related hanging wires wherever I needed them. Once that was in place, there are these special hooks that secure right into the wire and they can go up and down or turn. And it's from those that I hang my paintings. I do use two because when I'm hanging from wire, I find that you get a more balanced presentation if you use two hooks connected to wires behind it. So, let's take a minute and look at some of the hanging systems that are available online. [Music] So, you can see there are a lot of options when it comes to hanging systems. In the next lecture, we'll discuss creating a wall display.