Home › Forums › Explore Media › Oil Painting › The Technical Forum › Transporting Oil Paintings of Various Sizes
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June 25, 2018 at 2:44 pm #458034
I’ll be needing to take about 10-12 paintings to a friend’s place to be photographed next week, and I’m trying to figure out the best way to carry them there. The paintings are all on panels, some cradled, some not, ranging from 11″x 14″ up to about 12″ x 36″. Most have been finished for a long time and are varnished. A few have been finished only recently… So I’m guessing I need some sort of briefcase style bag with dividers in it or something. I guess I could just wander down to Blick and see what they have in the store, but I was wondering if maybe someone here knows of a super duper carry case and could link me to it.
Just like any other man, only more so.
June 25, 2018 at 2:59 pm #647020I’ll be needing to take about 10-12 paintings to a friend’s place to be photographed next week, and I’m trying to figure out the best way to carry them there. The paintings are all on panels, some cradled, some not, ranging from 11″x 14″ up to about 12″ x 36″. Most have been finished for a long time and are varnished. A few have been finished only recently… So I’m guessing I need some sort of briefcase style bag with dividers in it or something. I guess I could just wander down to Blick and see what they have in the store, but I was wondering if maybe someone here knows of a super duper carry case and could link me to it.
For the uncradled panels, what’s worked for me in the past is a pizza box, as close as possible to the size of the panel. Then, especially for still-wet panels, use small binder clips on the corners of two sides of the panels to prevent them from touching the cardboard. Also, any box just a little larger than the size of your panels will work with this method. One of my carriers is made from a plain cardboard box just slightly larger than 8×10, with a carrying handle made of duct tape. If you get a deep box, cut pieces of cardboard to fit and it will be able to hold more than one panel – just put a piece of cardboard between each panel and use the binder clips to keep it offset.
This method doesn’t work for cradled panels though, and like you, I’ll be very interested in hearing the ideas others might present. Note that I have used a deep pizza box for a gallery wrapped canvas, putting small tacks in each corner to hold it away from the carboard. But since the sides were painted too, they could touch the sides of the box. I suppose I could have put tacks in all sides too, but it’s not such a hot method anyway because there are tiny holes left when the tacks are removed.
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June 25, 2018 at 4:42 pm #647025Finding a pizza box big enough to hold a 12” X 36” painting could be challenging.:) I can look to see if there are any boxes downstairs in my building tonight. I’m also open to using a nice carry case.
Just like any other man, only more so.
June 26, 2018 at 9:43 am #647026Have not found any carry cases that can accommodate the whole lot. None of the paintings will be wet when it’s time to transport. In fact all but one have been dry for many weeks. Would finding a large enough box for the lot and then putting cardboard dividers between the paintings or placing each in a plastic bag be sufficient?
Just like any other man, only more so.
June 26, 2018 at 11:04 am #647017Ok, from one NYer to another….. are you taking the train?
Put wax paper over the surfaces of the paintings. Secure it to the sides/back of the paintings with painter’s tape. For the smaller paintings, stack them and bind them together with string, kind of like gift wrap. Do the same with the larger paintings. So now you have 2 bundles- small paintings and big paintings. The small ones will probably fit in a shopping bag, like the big Duane Reade ones.
Really, the most important thing is protecting the surface.
Depending on how far you have to go, you could take a cab but if you’re stuck with the train, bag the small ones, tie up the big ones and you should be ok.
Lady Mars Orange Marmalade Stapleford
Moderator: OIls, Pastels, Plein Air
Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken. -Oscar Wilde
June 26, 2018 at 11:37 am #647027Why, thank you, stapeliad! I was probably going to just take a cab, but will do as you say with wax paper, painters tape and string and see how comfortable I feel with the train. Either way I feel better now. Thanks again!
Just like any other man, only more so.
June 26, 2018 at 11:52 am #647021Hey, Jess, since we’re on the subject, have you ever tried to transport a gallery wrapped piece that’s still wet? I hope I never have to do that again :eek:, but would appreciate any thoughts you might have on how best to do it. I was on the bus and had to do a transfer too!
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“Life is a pure flame and we live by an invisible sun within us.” ― Sir Thomas Browne [/size][/font]http://s3.amazonaws.com/wetcanvas-hdc/Community/images/29-Jul-2007/85002-sig-thumbnail_composite_2.jpg]/img]
June 26, 2018 at 12:16 pm #647018Annie- no. The only wet paintings I transport are plein air panels which are packed in my plein air gear.
I would not transport a wet painting at all unless I could lay it flat in a car.
But then I would not leave it somewhere wet so this isn’t a situation I would get myself into.Or if it is from a class and I couldn’t leave the painting until it dries, I would have to build some kind of box to transport it in.
Lady Mars Orange Marmalade Stapleford
Moderator: OIls, Pastels, Plein Air
Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken. -Oscar Wilde
June 26, 2018 at 12:21 pm #647022Annie- no. The only wet paintings I transport are plein air panels which are packed in my plein air gear.
I would not transport a wet painting at all unless I could lay it flat in a car.
But then I would not leave it somewhere wet so this isn’t a situation I would get myself into.Ah, the sensible approach. <<
[FONT=Arial]C&C always welcome ©[/I] [/font]
[FONT=Palatino]
“Life is a pure flame and we live by an invisible sun within us.” ― Sir Thomas Browne [/size][/font]http://s3.amazonaws.com/wetcanvas-hdc/Community/images/29-Jul-2007/85002-sig-thumbnail_composite_2.jpg]/img]
June 26, 2018 at 12:22 pm #647019Sorry, please see edit… if it was from a class and I could not leave it there to dry I would build something out of cardboard, tape, and probably velcro.
Lady Mars Orange Marmalade Stapleford
Moderator: OIls, Pastels, Plein Air
Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken. -Oscar Wilde
June 27, 2018 at 8:25 am #647028Look for canvas or wet canvas carrying devices at Dick Blick or other merchants. I have some excellent Ray-Mar carriers that will hold several panels ranging from 5×7 to 6×8 to 8×10, and they makes carriers designed to hold larger sizes. The Ray-Mar carriers are relatively inexpensive but you can buy wooden boxes on line that are larger, sturdier and much more expensive. Years ago when I did a lot of woodworking, I built a wooden carrier that will hold multiple panels and canvases ranging from 5×7 to 16×20. It is great for plein air painting or simply transporting wet canvases to and from art classes.
https://www.dickblick.com/categories/canvas/carriers/
June 27, 2018 at 9:59 am #647024I have several large portfolio cases to carry paintings around, some even have shoulder straps. Very convenient and worth the investment, especially if you can get them on sale. For wet oil paintings, pizza box or that Weber cardboard box with the pop-out corners to hold panels in place, I have a 16×20 one, I don’t know if they make different sizes. Carrying around a bunch of wet paintings sounds like a nightmare though. Can’t you get your camera-friend to come to you?
~Christine
June 27, 2018 at 11:25 am #647023Jess, no reason to apologize and thanks for the additional info.
Boyd, I recently found these very lightweight and inexpensive carriers that might be of interest: https://www.judsonsart.com/products/handy-porter They come in a variety of sizes, the largest being 12×16. Blick doesn’t carry them, but some of the other online art supply stores do. For dry paintings, though, the method Jess suggested is probably much easier and definitely less expensive.
[FONT=Arial]C&C always welcome ©[/I] [/font]
[FONT=Palatino]
“Life is a pure flame and we live by an invisible sun within us.” ― Sir Thomas Browne [/size][/font]http://s3.amazonaws.com/wetcanvas-hdc/Community/images/29-Jul-2007/85002-sig-thumbnail_composite_2.jpg]/img]
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