Cels:Do you display, frame or store 'em?

I currently have 13 of my cels framed, and hanging on my walls. I plan on getting more in the future, but it's a costly process.

I believe all cels have a "threshold" that their lines will fade to no matter what you do with them. That's just what I've experienced over the past 10 years. I do believe framing them will speed up this process, especially if you let them be around light. My cels are in a room that isn't often lit, and doesn't receive direct sunlight constantly. any sunlight it gets is indirect.

Out of all the cels in frames, only 2 stand out as having changed, only slighty. Some of the lines have faded a bit, but nothing near where it would look un-normal. I haven't seen any recent changes in their line quality either. All my other cels are in as good of shape as the day they were painted =)!

So, I don't believe there is any harm in framing your cels. I keep mine in a cool, dark basement otherwise. And, even there...After airing out my cels every other month or so, there was still line fading on some cels.

So, no matter what you do...You can't stop something like that. It's the natural breakdown process of the chemicals made tho use the lines and paint. Some just hold up waaaay better than others.

You can definately curb the speediness of the process by following a few basic steps though:

1. NEVER LET YOUR CEL BE IN DIRECT SUN/LIGHT CONTACT!

2. Keep your cels stored in a cool, dry place. NO EXTREME TEMPS!

3. Air your cels out every now and then from their captive cel bags.

This one is controversial. Some say it doesn't matter, but from my experience, it's good to give something a little air now and then, especially if something's chemically breaking down, and stuffed in and air-tight space.

4. SEPERATE YOUR CELS FROM THEIR BACKROUNDS/SKETCHES/ETC!

YES! Keep them all seperated! Sometimes paints used in painting backgrounds can leak through your cel >.<! And you don't want your pretty background or drawing stuck to the back of your cel!


I know there should be more, but I can't think of any right now. If anyone else has suggestions, please feel free to add!

All I have to say is...I LOVE SEEING MY CELS EVERY DAY! Framing cels is great for me, and makes great conversation for guests...Especially when there's tit-tays staring you back in the face(Sawa fancel)!

LOL!

Most of my cel's are kept in plastic cel boxes in a cool area of my house on the bottom of a bookcase in my living room.
I do have 6 cels currently framed on my wall though space is short due to the comic book artwork I have displayed.
All of my artwork has been framed using museum glass which does not distort the colors yet protects them from UV rays. It is not cheap but to me is worth it. Still I make sure that they are not in areas that are exposed to heat(Direct sunlight, bright electric light & heater vents)

I do use acid free mounting paper and have the cels placed between 2 mats away from the background and the glass.

I have the sketches to some of my cels framed in my bedroom. I still get to see the basic image of my cel, and I don't risk damaging the main part of my investment. I do still try to change out the sketches every 1-2 months so they don't get damaged themselves, and because I like having a new look in my room now and then.

For my cels, they are all kept in the very back of my closet where the dog can't get to them. Like the others said, rubberslug allowes us to look at our collection in the light, and without any damage to the cels themselves.

I keep all of my cels, sketches and backgrounds in 11x14 plastic top loaders, like those used for trading cards but obviously bigger. I like that they are made of rigid plastic and give my cels the maximum support possible. They are not held in place with any pressure that could damage them but they also will not flex at all if picked up to look at, they are always perfectly flat. Each item is also in a cel bag but I do not close the end in an attempt to let them breath some. I then store them vertically in an oversized office filing box. This way they are very easy to thumb through and because of the support I mentioned, I don't worry at all about damaging them. I can actually look at my cels more often and don't have to rely on my Rubberslug gallery just to look at my collection!

The very first cel I bought is framed and up on the wall in my home office.

All of my cels with the exception of 3 hankens are kept in a cool dark closet with the cel books on hangers. Two of the hankens are framed with all archival materials by a art conservation studio using UV protectant acrylic. I also make sure they using a "floating" frame to keep the cel off of any paper or background. These cels are displayed in a hallway that does not have natural light to avoid any unnecessary fading, although fading due to natural chemical processes with the xerographic toner and cel paint is unavoidable. So far, it appears that over 3 years most of the cels have held up pretty well. I have noticed that certain types of paint, particularly red and brown colors, tend to fade xerographic lines the most.

I always separate backrounds, sketches, and any paper from cels. There just is too much risk of sticking.