HOW I PACK & SHIP AN OIL PAINTING

Hi everyone, just thought I would take a minute to share how I pack and ship an oil painting panel. After spending hours on Youtube researching, I was able to gather the best information and create my own method. Materials Needed: Home Depot Shipping Box (Large), Glassine Paper, Kraft Paper, Bubble Wrap, Artist Tape, Shipping Tape, and Shipping Label. Note: This information is regarding wood panel paintings, not stretched canvas or framed paintings. Although, I still think this information might be useful.

First, make sure the varnish/ oil paint has fully cured. Make sure to wipe down any dust or particles. Label the back of the panel with important information such as, varnish type/ brand, title of painting, date, etc. 

Protect the painting from the elements with Glassine Paper. This paper will not, and should not stick to the painting. Cut a piece of glassine paper to size and wrap it around the front of the painting, and tape it to the back with White Artist Tape. Make sure to fold the ends of the tape to make it easy to pull off.

Create four cardboard corner protectors. Check out the diagram or check out this youtube video on how to make these. The gal in this video has a ton of good info on packaging paintings as well.

Next, wrap the panel with kraft paper, just like you would wrap a birthday gift. When its all wrapped up nice and neat, I place the corner protectors on all four corners.

At this point, I tape my business card and promo material to the front. You could have this wrapped inside the kraft paper, but I prefer to have this on top like a birthday card on top of a present. I believe this makes the unboxing experience that much more exciting.

Now it’s ready to be bubble wrapped! I usually wrap it with two layers of bubble wrap. Make sure to have the bubbles facing away from the painting and the flat side down on the kraft paper. This will ensure you have no bubble imprints or markings on your painting if any pressure is applied to your shipping box.

What box size do I need? Where can I find a good price on shipping boxes? I spent quite a bit of time trying to find the answers to these questions. And the only answer I came up with was to build the box myself. Just go to Home Depot and purchase the ex- large or large shipping size boxes for about $2.75 each and cut the box to size. Here’s a diagram I use to make boxes.  

Once it’s all cut out, tape the heck out of it, slap a shipping label on it, and you’re good to go. I use PirateShip for all my shipping label order needs. If you haven’t heard about them, I really encourage you to check them out. Its free to join and they give you the best shipping rates possible. No fees! So cool.

So there you have it. It takes a bit of time, but once you’ve done once or twice, it gets easier and easier. To me, this is the most economical way to package a painting and ship it out. Also, if you use the same size panels for all your paintings, or you stick to certain size panels, you could easily prep the corner protectors and boxes ahead of time. Hope this helps.