Logan Team System Mountcutters - January 2011 special offer!

Framing can be an expensive business, whether you are framing photography or your own artwork for an exhibition, or you have a special picture you want to frame nicely and give as a gift...

If you do your own framing you will probably have noticed - as I have - how expensive (yet essential for a professional finish) the card mounts are.

So... here is the solution - cut your own mounts!

The tricky thing about cutting your own mounts is getting that lovely 45 degree angle on the cut - a small detail that makes all the difference. Logan mountcutters are specially designed to cut this angle, and enable you to produce professional, unlimited mounts to your own size and specification, for a fraction of the price it would cost to buy ready-made.

I bought a Logan Team System Mountcutter (24") myself a few months ago, as I do a lot of framing and was becoming frustrated by the amount I was spending on mounts. (I hate paying for something when I think I can do it myself!) I have found it to be an excellent purchase and well worth the money - in fact it has definately saved me money over time.

The system comes in 2 parts - the ruler and the blade. The ruler is a very sturdy, metal 24" that can also be used for general cutting. On one side it has a groove that the blade holder fits into. To cut your mount, you simply measure out the size of the hole you wish to cut, mark the mountboard on the back of the card and line up the mark you have made with the special mark on the blade. The blade is spring-mounted, so you push the blade down firmly with your thumb and run the blade along the length of the line to make the cut. Do this 4 times, one for each side of the rectangle you are cutting out, and hey presto - done!

I was a bit nervous when I first used my mountcutter, as I thought it would be quite difficult to master, but it really wasn't - in fact I was surprised how easy it was. So long as you are precise with your measurements and careful with your cuts, you should achieve perfect results. One little note - watch the corners, you may need to push the blade 1mm further than the end of your marked line to ensure your cuts meet at the corners.

RRP £54.95 but currently on offer at Chromos for £39.95! (We also sell the mountboard in a range of colours, A1, £3.55 per sheet).
Grab one while you can!
(reviewed by Lydia)

Meet the Chromos Team! Jane Ford

Jane works part-time in our Chromos shop in Canterbury. The rest of her time is spent working hard in her studio creating wonderful paintings for her two regular galleries - Galeria San Maurizio, Venice, and the Val Gould Gallery, Sandwich, Kent - as well as new work for various upcoming exhibitions throughout the year.
Jane was born in Staffordshire and studied fine art at the Newcastle, Longton and Stoke Schools of Art.
The folloing two paintings are from a new series of work, titled 'Big Apple Dreaming'. Images of New York as reflected in Skyscrapers. All are oil colour on canvas.

Series on British Wildlife. Charcoal images of the more mysterious of our wildlife.

Venetian portraits in the old Venetian style of paintings. These are what Jane is really well known for:

Upcoming shows:
May:
- The Opus Gallery Ashbourne, Derbyshire. Venetain Portraits - Hares.
- Pilgrims Way Artists Lenham, Kent. Big Apple Dreaming Series.

June:

- Untitled Gallery Art fair Chelsea Town Hall, London. Big Apple Dreaming Series.

Sept:

- The Blackheath Gallery Blackheath, London. Venetian Portraits.

- Brighton Art Fair Big Apple Dreaming Series.

Nov:

- The Blackheath Gallery Blackheath, London. Hares.

To find out more about Jane Ford and her work please visit her site: www.janefordart.com
Well done Jane - how do you manage to find the time to fit everything in, thats what I am wondering!

Next time we hear from Jane I will make sure I ask her more about her techniques and the materials she uses.