Paper Cut Art can be mounted using various methods which are used with other contemporary Chinese Art that uses Xuan Paper like Calligraphy and Chinese Paintings. There are also some unique framing techniques which are applied to paper cuttings to give the art work a 3 dimensional floating effect.
1. Scroll Mounting
Traditional scroll mounting techniques used for Calligraphy and Chinese Paintings are also used for Chinese Paper Cuttings. The common denominator among these traditional arts is the use of Xuan Paper. Xuan Paper is a very delicate material and requires proper handling to mount properly without any resulting creases or folds on the mounted paper art work.
A scroll mounted paper cut is pasted on a backing material. Traditional paste used which is made of flour paste with alum. Pasting the paper cut art is more complicated than pasting calligraphy or Chinese paintings because the paper cut is very delicate with the intricate cut outs and mis-handling the paper cut art may cause a part to be torn or detached. The back mounted paper cut is then given silk borders which are also pasted on the backing material. The ends of the silk framed paper cut art work is then mounted on black wooden knobs.
2. Lamination
Hot and cold lamination processing can be applied as a mounting technique for paper cuts. This totally seals the paper cut under a sheet of plastic laminate. Since the paper cut art is not a continuous sheet of paper, the lamination rollers may displace some part of the paper cut when it is rolled together with the backing material when the laminate is sealed. This can be overcome by initially dry mounting or pasting the paper cut art onto the backing material. Dry mounting is the process of applying adhesive by using pressure and heat. If pasting is not done, lamination may also create air bubbles under the paper cutting. The part where air is trapped either expand over time or gets wrinkled.
Wet lamination sometimes referred to as plaquing uses resin to laminate paper cutting to a hard backing material. The paper cut art is pasted against the backing material and then coated with the resin. The resin is allowed to dry and is then polished to smooth out the resin surface. Resin lamination allows paper cut art to be mounted on other objects like plates and vases.
3. Wood and Composite Frames with Mattes and Borders
The common picture frame is used to encase a paper cut art both for decorative and conservation purposes. Pre-laminated paper cuttings can be mounted on a picture frame without the need to use an outer glass cover.
There are a number of framing options when using a picture frame to mount a paper cut art work. Glass or plexiglass are used to cover the framed art.
Pasting the paper cut art work can be avoided by using a layer of glass to press the paper cutting onto the backing material or sandwiching the paper cut between two layers of glass. A glass sandwiched paper cut art work gives a 3 dimensional or floating effect when it is encased in a box type picture frame. The ingenious use of background mattes can enhance the artistic value of the paper art. Sometimes painted backgrounds are used.
As in common picture framing, single borders or multiple borders are also applied around the paper cut art.
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