What type of frames can be purchased?
Can you ship pictures to a framer in my locality?
Can I just order a standard frame?
How can I see what my chosen painting will look like in various different styles of frames?
Is it more expensive to ship a framed picture than an unframed one?
Why are some paintings unsuitable for shipping rolled up in a tube?
Are the pictures framed?
Most paintings are available either framed or unframed. Buying unframed means that you can have the picture framed to your liking, and also saves on shipping costs, since the paintings can be rolled into a tube for despatch. (But note that a few paintings, because of their thick paint, cannot be rolled up, so they need to be packed flat - for these, the shipping cost is the same as if they were framed.)
Photographs are only sold in frames. We use Nielsen Gallery classic black frames for photographs.
What type of frames can be purchased?
You can choose almost any type or style of frame. E-mail us to let us know your requirements, and we will do our best to get the frame you want.
Can you ship pictures to a framer in my locality?
Yes. We are happy to do this. Let us know the name and address, and we will ship to them so that they can frame the picture for you.
What size of frame do I need?
This depends on whether your are going to use a mount. Traditionally, acrylics are framed without a mount, (as are oils). If you prefer this style, the frame size will be just the size indicated below the full-size image of the picture - that's the page which shows the prices.
For example, most of the acrylic paintings here are 30" x 22" (762 x 556 mm). So the frame would be made to suit this size. This would show the 1" (25mm) border though, so you may prefer to trim the original to 28" x 20" (711 x 508mm), and make the frame to this size.
If, however, you prefer, as I do, to place a mount around a painting, the size of the frame is calculated as the size of the cutout (the window) in the mount, plus twice the border. So, for a 3" (75mm) border, the window size would be 28" x 20" (711 x 508mm), and the frame would be made to fit a mount size of 34" x 26" (864 x 660mm).
Can I just order a standard frame?
Yes, of course. Our standard frames for acrylic paintings are made by Arqadia.
How can I see what my chosen painting will look like in various different styles of frames?
We will soon be offering the facility to choose and view frames for any picture on the web site. Meanwhile, you may wish to take a look at PictureFrames.com. They have a great web site, where you can choose a frame, and see what your chosen picture will look like in it. Full instructions are on the web site, but it's very simple:
First, select the picture you want to see framed, by clicking on a Gallery thumbnail to see the full-size version. Then right click the mouse button over the picture. Select "Save Picture As..." and save the image to a convenient location on your hard drive. In the PictureFrames.com Frame Shop, use the browse feature to locate and upload your saved image.
Note: Although you are permitted to use any image on my site for this purpose, this does mean that you can make prints from them, and Copyright remains with Richard McBride for all images on www.richard-mcbride.com.
What shippers do you use?
We use ParcelForce International or DHL, depending on the country we are despatching to. Both have online tracking facilities, so you can check on the delivery status.
You can track ParcelForce deliveries here.
You can track DHL deliveries here.
What about insurance?
We insure all our deliveries to the full purchase price.
Is it more expensive to ship a framed picture than an unframed one?
This depends - when a painting or print is suitable for rolling up into a tube, it can be airmailed. If a picture is framed, or if it is unsuitable for rolling, it must be shipped flat, and incurs a much higher delivery charge.
Why are some paintings unsuitable for shipping rolled up in a tube?
Paintings with thick paint cannot be rolled without risk of damage. These will always be shipped flat, either in a frame, or within a protective carton. Generally speaking, acrylics, with their thicker paint layers, more often have to be packed flat than watercolours.
Some Limited Edition prints are also unsuitable for rolling. This depends on the printing technology used. If they are not framed, these are packed flat like an original.