For artists, packing is the last act of making. A work can be beautifully resolved and beautifully sold, and still arrive disappointing if it is poorly packed. Treat packing as part of the craft.
Pack for the journey, not the room. A piece in transit is handled by many hands, stacked, moved, and sometimes treated less gently than you would like. Pack for the worst the journey might bring, not the best. Sturdy is never wasted.
Protect the surface first. The face of the work needs a barrier against scuffing and pressure. Use a clean, non-abrasive protective layer in direct contact with the surface, and make sure nothing can shift against it in transit.
Guard the corners and edges. Corners take the hardest knocks. Reinforce them. For framed or rigid work, edge protection matters as much as facing the surface.
Immobilise the work inside the package. A piece that can move inside its box is a piece at risk. Cushion it so it is held firmly, with protective material filling the space around it. The work should not shift if the package is turned.
Choose the right outer container. A strong outer box or crate, correctly sized, is the shell that carries everything. For works on stretchers or panels, rigid protection is essential. Roll only works that are genuinely safe to roll, and never force a piece into a size it does not fit.
Label clearly, and mark it as fragile. Make the destination unmistakable, and mark the package so it is handled as the fragile thing it is.
Consider documenting the packed work. Photographing a piece before and as you pack it is sensible practice — a quiet record of the condition it left you in, should any question ever arise.
A collector’s first physical encounter with your work is the moment they unpack it. Pack so that moment is a good one.