How to package your work for freighting
Tips for packing your artwork securely to help protect it against shock, movement and damage during freighting.
Overview
It is often your responsibility to pack your artwork if it is sold or included in an exhibition such as the Queensland Regional Art Awards.
This guide is not an exhaustive source of information — artwork packing can be complex and sometimes costly, especially if the work is three-dimensional, very large, fragile, or travelling long distances. If so, consider consulting a professional art packing or transport service and getting quotes, as bespoke packing can also be costly.
Packing need not always be expensive. Research the materials you plan to use to make sure they’re appropriate and good value. You can even reuse materials, provided they are clean, dry and pest-free. At Flying Arts, we will return your artwork to you or your buyer, if sold, in the packaging in which it was sent.
Paintings and framed artworks
These can be “soft-packed” using layers of soft materials rather than a box or crate. Pack paintings using acid-free (pH neutral) materials such as soft, tissue-type paper or glassine, with bubble wrap on the outside — always with the flat side of the bubble wrap against the painting, not the bubble side, as this can damage the surface. Give extra support to weak points such as corners; pre-made corner supports are available, or you can make your own.
Works on paper
Paper works can be rolled and placed into a strong tube between layers of acid-free tissue paper or glassine, with both ends of the tube protected with bubble wrap or soft material and securely taped. Small works can instead be laid flat inside an acid-free plastic sleeve (e.g. Mylar or Melinex polyester) before packing between two pieces of strong cardboard, with the sleeve taped down so it doesn’t move. Take extra care with pastel or charcoal works — a layer of glassine helps prevent the medium from transferring onto outer surfaces.
3D works
These should be supported with padding in a box or crate strong enough to hold them in place, protected against shock and knocks, unable to move around inside the box, kept clean, dry and insect-free, and easy to handle (add handles if the work is heavy to lift). Soft-pack the work before it goes into the box, paying special attention to fragile areas, then add padding — scrunched-up bubble wrap and packing peanuts are often suitable.
Labelling your work
Clearly label the outside of the packing with:
- Your name, title of the artwork, date, medium and dimensions
- Address where the work is coming from
- Address where the work is going to
- A small image of the artwork on the inside of the packing
Rather than hand-writing these details, it’s often better to attach a typed sheet inside a waterproof sleeve, securely taped in several places to the outside of the packing. Indicate that the artwork is “fragile” and mark which side is the top, using arrows or the word “top”.