Packaging artwork to survive a rigorous postal or courier journey is a skill that I mastered many moons ago. At one point in my life I was a teenager working in a warehouse packing items to be sent out for record shop window displays. They taught me, “It’s all about reinforcing the corners, which get knocked the most”. It’s also about creating a tight fit inside the parcel, so things can’t move about. I even post large clay sculptures with success!

What goes on inside my packaging

Packing paintings

For paintings, the first covering is a layer of greaseproof paper – to protect the surface from marks. The next layer is bubble wrap – I save every piece of bubble wrap but often have to buy rolls of it too. I scour the streets for used cardboard boxes and make them into custom sizes. I make two boxes for each piece, one inside the other with bubble wrap in between. I make cardboard corners and keep them in place using clingfilm.

Packing sculptures

For sculptures, I wrap them in bubblewrap and then clingfilm. Then I make a custom card board box that is a tight fit, leaving a minimum of 2 cm around the sculpture, even if it is an irregular shape. I line the cardboard box with plastic sheet (an opened up bin bag will do), and spray an even layer of expanding foam. Once the expanding foam has puffed up and is becoming firm, I cover it with plastic sheet and lay the sculpture in it to make a nice custom dent. Not letting the sculpture touch the sides of the box or sink in too far. Once this side of the expanding foam is rigid, I make sure the sculpture is easily released and lay it back in it’s mould. I cover the sculpture with another sheet of plastic  and up the sides of the box and spray more foam to fill the cardboard box. Once the foam is set, i trim off the excess foam and plastic sheet and test how snug the fit is. I close this cardboard box up with brown tape and cover it in layers of bubble wrap. I then set this into a second custom made box, so that the inside box can’t move. I use a whole roll of parcel tape in the process and finish with a layer of brown paper.

Works on paper shipped in a tube

I post my artwork all over the world and have only ever had one problem when I tried to send a print flat – it arrived with a crease. Now I always roll works on paper or paintings off the stretcher and send in a tube. Very large paintings can be sent in a plastic pipe with sealed ends.

Prices

The other hint to keep the postal price down is to be economical on the size, make sure the outer box is as tight fit as possible. Over sized parcel prices depend on size as well as weight. I charge very little for packaging materials and my time for doing this.

Guarantee

So what I’m trying to say is, I am happy to guarantee the artworks safe arrival or give you a credit note!

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