Standard water color paper versus stndard frame sizes?
Jack3000
blocks of paper never the same as the standard sizes of frames? It
always seems to be an inch off. I can find 10X14 or 11X15 watercolor
blocks, but I can only find 10X13 or 11X14 frames. Is there a
conspiracy? If so, I don't know what it's trying to accomplish. Or is
it because all the companies seem to be foreign and they have
different standard sizes in that particular country. (They always
annoyingly seem to write "watercolor" with the British spelling,
"watercolour".) However, that explanation doesn't make sense either
since isn't most of Europe using the metric system? So why would they
have the block dimensions set to an even inch?
If anyone out there has the reason, I'd be very interested in finding
out.
Thanks!
Tina Mammoser
So the sizes are based on the A0 size (which probably was related to the
size of a printing press bed? not sure). These they go down by halving
the size: So A1 is half of A0, then A2, A3, A4 (standard letter size
here), etc. They are given in metric now but I can't imagine that
anyone ever though 21cm x 29cm (A4) were a nice convenient numbers to
remember. *grin* So it doesn't explain the sizes you see, but maybe
somewhere along the line they just started rounding up or down to the
nearest inch?
Or it's a conspiracy. Much more likely. ;)
Tina.
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Mon Sune
mr_nic...@yahoo.com says...
>
>I have a bit of a quandary. Why are the standard sizes of watercolor
>blocks of paper never the same as the standard sizes of frames?
Speaking of the relationship to frame sizes,
watercolors are USUALLY matted so that the
size of the frame is based on the dimensions
of the matt, not the paper itself. Some framers
like very wide matt borders while others are
more economical. In other words, you'd buy a
frame large enough to accomodate the watercolor
paper PLUS the matt, with the outside dimensions
of the matt matching the standard frame.
On the other hand, you'll find that canvas
stretcher sizes more regularly match the frame
size since paintings on canvas are not matted.
Jack3000
supply store Dick Blick Art Supplies (http://www.dickblick.com) and
here is her response:
"The reason is the standard starting size of a full sheet of
watercolor paper is 22" x 30" that makes a half sheet of 11" x 15".
When you cut it down even further such as in thirds you get 10" x 14"
not 10" x 13" which would be the blocks. We do carry a watercolor
paper by Bienfang that is standard at
http://www.dickblick.com/zz100/26/products.asp?ig_id=745. I bought a
Strathmore Watercolor Sampler pad which the size is very similar to a
block of paper, only it was 10 1/2" x 14 1/2". I finished my picture
and wanted to frame it, well it took longer to frame it because I had
to cut down the styrene or double mat it and almost lost part of my
picture, because of the size. I wondered too, why that size wouldn't
fit a standard size frame"
So that's why watercolor blocks don't fit a standard sized frame. or
standard size matt for that matter. (sorry, Mon ;-)
Thanks!
Jack
Your Watercolor Portrait Specialist
http://www.jack-hand.com/art/