Paper Art Restoration

Paper Art Restorations

Works on paper encompass a wide range of mediums—watercolors, lithographs, pastels, drawings, maps, documents, fine art prints, and photographs. These pieces are especially vulnerable to environmental conditions and can deteriorate quickly if not stored or handled properly. Damage may include structural issues such as creases, tears, and punctures, as well as aesthetic concerns like surface dirt, foxing, adhesive residue, UV fading, high humidity, or staining caused by acidic materials. Each medium requires its own specialized restoration approach, carefully tailored to both the artwork and the type of damage present. In many cases, digital restoration offers the most effective solution, achieving results that may not be possible when working directly on the original paper artwork. Read on below to explore examples of these techniques in action.

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Paper Art Restoration

This watercolor restoration project involved repairing damage caused by poor storage, including brown spots known as foxing. The extent of the damage was assessed with a magnifying glass under UV light. It had also suffered from being mounted to cardboard with acidic glue, which over time left the paper brittle and dry. Removing the backing was a painstaking process, requiring hours of careful shaving after adding some humidity. A suction table and the right solutions helped loosen the backing. Now, this watercolor is proudly displayed in Annapolis, Maryland, with truly amazing results!

When work is active, we provide more frequent visual updates so clients can follow each careful step—from surface cleaning and backing removal to inpainting and final varnish—without needing to visit the studio.

Backing Removal

You can watch videos of many of my paper art restoration projects on my YouTube channel

When this remarkable hand drawing arrived at my studio, it was in critical condition. It suffered from severely damaged edges, multiple tears, missing sections, and deep discoloration from old Scotch tape that had turned highly acidic over time. To make matters more challenging, it had been stored tightly rolled inward, leaving the fragile paper incredibly brittle.

I used specialized conservation methods to gently relax and flatten the fibers, carefully lifted the deteriorated tape, and painstakingly rebuilt the torn and missing sections along the edges. Every step demanded immense patience and absolute precision to ensure the integrity of the original linework remained entirely untouched.

Today, the piece is completely transformed. I stabilized and beautifully restored this artwork, which is now safely mounted behind museum-grade glass—fully protected and ready to be enjoyed for generations to come. 

Antique Map Restoration

Antiques such as this 1840's Northern United States map presented their own unique challenges. Careful flattening followed by weeks of meticulous hand work mending and cleaning the soot, dirt and grease from the face of the map with archival dry-cleaning erasers.