DIY

As an artist operating with a narrow profit margin I long ago embraced the concept of "do-it-yourself." When I was sculpting I taught myself everything from how to weld armatures for clay sculptures to how to sew costumes for people who modelled for me.
Pastel paintings have framing requirements that include a sheet of protective glass plus two mats, so now to my list of skills I have added mat cutting. Since I save so much by doing it myself, I splurge on tools, and have acquired a very fine mat cutter that helps me produce precisely-cut mats quickly and easily.
Pastel paintings require a hidden middle mat between the outer mat and the artwork in order to create a gap for pastel dust to sift into, out of sight. After ruining a pastel painting I had labored over, and was very pleased with, by spraying it with fixative, I no longer spray them.