A thought struck me - poor, lonely little stranger - when replying to a point in the forum. There are some painters who do everything - stretch their own canvas, size and prime it to their own recipe, even some who make their own paper. Indeed, there are those who actually make their own paint, buying raw pigment and preparing it with the vehicle of their choice and even tubing it. They're also expert woodworkers, and frame the completed result. You wonder how they find time to paint the picture.... Then there's another kind, the one who doesn't necessarily believe in pursuing a project like this from start to finish, regarding that as an art in itself, but is keen to save money - as we all are - and frames his or her own work by buying ready cut and mitred lengths of wood, customizing them with a coat of paint or limewashing, or gilding. I'm lost in admiration for the former. I understand, and have been one of, the latter. But it does sometimes occur to me that I'd rather be doing something else. I would no sooner stretch and prime my own canvas, or boil up rabbit-skin size, or apply my own priming, than fly to the moon. I can see the many virtues of doing it: in a way, I wish I were one of those people - but how long would it take to acquire the expertise, how much time would be devoted to experiment in making different surfaces to paint on? In my case, a damn' sight more time than I've got. Those who take the real trouble are not necessarily interested in saving money: by the time they've prepared their painting ground and made up their paint, they will have spent as much (bearing in mind time costs money too) as the painter who just buys his canvas ready-stretched and primed online. It must be a labour of love for them, and an expression of the fact that they believe preparation of materials to be an inherent part of the painting process. Philosophically, but not practically, I am with them. The others - those who will buy their ready-made frames from a hobby shop - will certainly save money on a professional framer; and paintings need protection, it's entirely reasonable that if you're not looking to sell but want your pictures reasonably well displayed you will go down the ready-made frame route. It's economical and practical: and these days, some of the shop-bought frames are excellent, a world away from the thin bits of shoddily gilded moulding you used to be able to pick up on the high street. All the same - I just have the feeling that, as I'm trying to sell my work, I ought to think enough of it to hand it over to a professional framer to enhance for me. It has to be a good one: a framer with a real aesthetic sense, who will come up with ideas that I wouldn't have thought of. I could, theoretically, acquire the skill to be a professional framer myself, although as I never got beyond making a scissor-rack in woodwork, I'm not too convinced of that. But what an outside professional really brings, apart from the competence that you'd expect, is an independent, objective look - fresh eye, balanced judgement. I can't judge my work objectively. I can't even see it objectively. A framer can; so if you find a really good one, treasure him and build a professional relationship. Incidentally, as an after-thought: I know a professional painter who used to stretch and prime her own canvases. One of them, on exhibition - and a lovely painting too - began to sag from the top like a curtain that had lost its rings. I have never (so far) known a bought canvas to do that; and I can't help feeling that if you want a job done properly - best NOT do it yourself....