#44: Making Your Own Shadow Box! (part 2)

Step 5:  Paint it!  I just used cheap gloss Black (Walmart's brand) and some Krylon Gold for some undertones.  I painted one coat of black and really layered it on; used about the whole can.  Then I sprayed on some Gold in the center and on edges.  Then I resprayed two more coats of Black.  I let it dry for about 2-3 hours before messing with it again.

 

Step 6:  Mounting; lay the painting face-down and lay out the shadow box on top.  I had one edge that wasn't my favorite (the edge that was bowed originally) so I put that one on the bottom.  I drilled holes in the center of each side (I just used the crossbeams of the painting as references) and then slowly screwed in screws.  After screwed into the frame, the screws are still about half as long as the wood that the canvas is wrapped over so that they can hold the painting in securely.

There are screws mounting the piece across from each crossbeam.

The screw on the left will be used for wiring.  The screw on the right is one
of four holding the piece into the frame.

Step 7:  Let's wire it up!  I added holes and screws 7 inches up from the center of the frame on each side.  In the picture below, I'm using a tape measure just to eyeball the holes.  Then I used a heavy wire and wrapped it three times.  The piece is a bit heavy so some extra wire makes me feel comfortable that the buyer won't have any problems.

I used a heavy wire.  Seems to be up to artist preference;
different artists have told me different things.

Here's the finished product!  I'm very happy with it and think they buyer will be as well.  Please comment if you have any tips or contentions.  :]