Rat-Chewed Painting
Saturday March 21, 2009
"I have a watercolor painting that rats ate a corner out while in storage. It's only part of the sky in the upper right hand corner if you are facing it. How can I fix it?" -- AliceOnce paper has been torn or chewed you can't easily do invisible mending to it like you can with fabric. It'll invariably show. Could you cover it up with a mount if you framed the painting? Alternatively, recrop the painting, cutting off the edges to remove the eaten corner.
Use a ruler and knife on a cutting board, not a pair of scissors, to get a nice straight edge. Before you do, check how the new composition will look by covering over the areas you're thinking of cutting off with a piece of blank paper, then stepping back to view the painting from a slight distance.
Comments
Depending upon the shape and extent of the tear, you might look at “vignetting” the painting either by tearing away the other corners to an appropriate amount, or matting with torn, non-squared corners, then “paint-wash” the matting itself appropriately.
Don’t know if that makes sense, but had a friend who I used to study with, that sometimes a mistake (or in this case damage) is better utilized rather than hidden.
Bob
Lordie! Rats and paintings are certainly an unusual combination–but great advice there.