I found this charcoal on paper at the estate sale of local artist George Corneil. The image measures 17" x 11.5". I paid $15. I like the tree and the clouds. There's very little about him online. He was apparently a WW2 sailor, but otherwise searching primarily turns up the estate sale itself. The piece is signed followed by '46,' which I assume is the date. There's that small tear on the bottom and there's old tape on the back. (those dark shapes are my shadow) I'd like to ask what you think of the image, and what advice you'd give about doing anything (or nothing) to improve the condition. Thank you in advance!
do nothing.....u can't even mat and frame over the tear.... the dent on the side ...maybe.....but why invest more in it?
I'm not sure... I usually keep things for a while and then make a decision later. I guess my goal is simply to make it look as good as possible without, you know, seeking a professional restoration or any such thing.
For tape removal, I use Un-du. It's what we use on art in framing and it's acid-free. Always test beforehand, but I've never had it leave a mark or mess with inks. I would not use it on the areas with actual art materials like charcoal without a very careful, tiny test. I've immersed full prints before to remove dry mount with success. For the tear repair, use Hayaku tape. It's mulberry paper with water activated adhesive and very thin. Acid free and removable with water. If there are any dents, creases, etc. then you would need to take it to a conservationist with a heat table or local framer who has a dry mount press (aka heat table with a press). They can warm it up to loosen fibers, and weigh it down to flatten it. Or you can use flattening methods at home, they may just take forever and may not work.
Like this one! Besides mirana's excellent advice, I would mat it with acid-free materials and frame it behind glass for protection.
If it is in fact a charcoal drawing the surface will be very easily smudged. I am surprised it looks as good as it does given the age. Any treatment that would require immersion or blotting/weighting could be detrimental.
It was under a plastic cover and taped to a mat. The plastic had become brittle, and tear-prone, as can happen with age. I agree it looks like it could be easily smudged. If it's not charcoal, then maybe graphite, or conte crayon? Thank you for the observation.
I would say any finalized modern drawing like this would probably have fixative as a standard finish, but of course you should be careful anyway. A pressing would be done with a top sheet for protection. I was adding extra info for anyone who has other pieces they'd like to use un-du on. Immersion I've only used on prints with all-over adhesive. I wouldn't recommend that on original art.
The black areas cover deep into the paper texture and seem to have some fairly delineated edges, so I would expect something chunkier with a bit more binder like pastel or Conte. It could still be charcoal, but it's hard to tell from these photos. I would lay a clean piece of paper on an area, press down a bit with my hand, and lift straight up to see if anything transferred. Then you know if it's had fixative or not.
