Foundation Course

Five Day Foundation Course

If you are a complete beginner or someone who is relatively new to the industry, this course is ideal for you. It will teach you the basics of running a profitable and professional picture framing business and will allow you to confidently serve customers from day one. The course is a balanced mix of discussion topics and practical application. It’s available as a full five day course or can be arranged over multiple weeks.

You may want to combine this five day course with a bespoke consultation day.

Course Overview

1. Workshop health and safety
2. General advice on design area, workshop setup and workflow
3. Overview of pricing, stock control and your legal responsibilities
4. Overview of Fine Art Trade Guild’s GCF Study Guide as a workshop manual
5. Review of Framing Levels, why they exist and how to advise your customer
6. Design desk practice and job sheet creation
7. Machine familiarisation, set up, maintenance and safety procedures
8. Moulding: Handling, storage, style and function
9. Moulding: Cutting and underpinning
10. Review of Mountboard Standards, why they exist and how to make appropriate choices
11. Mountboard: Handling and storage
12. Mountboard: Cutting single, double and multi-aperture mounts
13. Mountboard: Decorating with V-grooves and ruled lines
14. Review of tapes and adhesives: what to use and when
15. Art on paper: Basic identification, handling and storage
16. Art on paper: Practical application of hinging and support methods
17. Textile art: Basic identification, handling and storage
18. Textile art: Practical application of support methods
19. Art on canvas: Basic identification, handling and storage
20. Art on canvas: Practical application of support methods
21. Discussion on Object and 3D Framing
22. Overview of glazing options
23. Practical application of handling, storage and glass cutting
24. Overview of backing board options
25. Practical application of handling, storage and board cutting
26. Frame assembly and finishing
27. Review and Q&A

Please remember that the framing of artwork, whatever the medium, is a skilled craft which cannot be mastered in the space of a week. Ongoing learning, lots of practice and plenty of hands-on experience will be needed to reach the level required to pass the Fine Art Trade Guild GCF exam, if that’s what you want to do. When you are ready, we also provide GCF and GCF Advanced module preparation days.