Framing 101 - Day 2: The Fillet

     On most of my paintings, I choose to inlay a small piece of wood moulding inside my matte's edge.  This is called a fillet.  The process of measuring and cutting the fillet requires a bit more time and effort.  But the final product is a first class presentation.  I use a chopper to cut my fillet pieces (below).

     By measuring each fillet corner I am able to custom fit al four pieces of my moulding for a clean professional look.

     After each piece is cut, I color the ends with a brown marker.  This keeps my cut marks from showing.  Now I apply a special tape which holds the fillet in place.  Each side is carefully fitted and taped into place.

     In the above photo, the first side is taped in.  I proceed to tape in all 4 sides until the fillet is secured.

     In the following photo, all the fillets have been taped in and are ready to be secured on the back.

     I use framer's tape to reinforce my fillet on the back side of the matte.  I use my trusty bone folder to carefully crease the tape, so that my tape is perfectly flat against the matte.

     Tomorrow I'll show you how I build up the matte to fit the frame.  Things are progressing nicely!

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