Archival Paper And Its Role In Art Preservation

There are two situations when there can be a lot of artwork collected and stored. First, if you are an art student and for the sake of practice and work all these years you have hundreds of paintings with you.

The second situation is if you are an art collector, or you work in a gallery that showcases the work of several artists from time to time. 

In both cases, the artwork on paper or canvas will have to be stored in a specific manner. The storage of the art material made on, for example bright white paper, must remain preserved and  not turn yellow because of the conditions it is stored in.

By noting the following instructions you can ensure that you protect your art as well as check all these factors before buying art.

# Use acid-free paper

In particular, if you are a student you will end up practicing endlessly for your techniques and exploring your personal style for art. 

This means you may not require high-quality archival paper for all your artwork. You can very well switch to acid-free smooth finish paper from ThunderBolt Papers, whenever you require to make an artwork that isn't going to be disposable or just practice.

Archival paper is an acid-free paper that can protect your artwork for hundreds of years, and you can choose it for important work at your discretion. 

# Acid-free adhesive

Any artwork made with paper or photos may require mounting over another surface for display. 

By switching from your regular adhesive to an acid-free glue it helps your acid-free paper artwork remain acid-free. When the adhesive is acid-free it provides a strong and yet non-toxic surface for the paper to attach to the mounting board. 

The acid-free adhesive does not turn yellow over time neither does it affect the acid-free properties of the paper helps create a safe environment for art preservation.

# Acid-free board

When it comes to displaying your artwork you may come across a lot of varieties of mounting boards to frame your work. 

By choosing a product that is made with acid-free properties you further propagate the preservation of artwork while putting it out to display. 

To prevent your artwork from succumbing to degradation because of acid formation, you must find a mounting board that is of archival quality. 

# Acid free tissue

If at some point you are required to store pieces of art that are not mounted on board you can store them flat inside boxes that are acid-free.

As an additional step you can separate the artworks by leaving them with acid-free tissue papers. 

These tissues act as a buffer between the adjoining artwork that is stored together as well as keeps the dust and oil from our hands to transfer to the surface of the painting. 

# Use gloves to touch

When it comes to exceptionally important artwork and the process of ensuring its longevity you will need to do a lot more than just using acid-free materials. 

It has been advised by the art museums and handlers to make sure you touch the paintings for artwork only while wearing cotton gloves.

This simple precaution allows you to keep your artwork safe from fingerprints, oil, and dirt transfer from your hands onto the artwork. 

# Take care of the storage 

While you can ensure everything regarding the quality of paper and the materials that we used for making the art when it comes to storage or display of the same you will be required to take the environment under consideration as well. 

Keep the humidity under check, keep moss and fungal growths away. At the same time position the artwork away from direct sunlight to prevent the colors from fading. 

By storing your art in a place that remains dark, cool, and free from moisture you will procure a near to perfect environment for your art.

In the end, by taking care of these few steps not only do you make sure that your art stays safe and is in its pristine condition for as long as you'd like. You may even check for these conditions when you buy a piece of art to guarantee its long life. After all, the real importance of any artwork remains in the condition it has been made despite having stored over the years without affecting its quality. Tell us about your favorite piece of artwork?