Budget Art

I never used to be a big fan of art, I also never understood the hype around it or why people were willing to spend hundreds to thousands of dollars on a piece of art. My walls were bare and it didn’t bother me one bit. That all changed when I took an interest in Renaissance Art. Everything from paintings to sculptures and architects from this era absolutely blew me away. I then found a love for all things vintage art in general. I will never be the kind of person that will look at a piece of art and wonder why the artist chose certain colors, and why the people in paintings have certain facial expressions, but I will always appreciate the talent. 

I love original art but it can be expensive and though the value of it appreciates over time, most of the time an original piece is not affordable. However, you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on a piece of art to make your home look extraordinary. 

Get the Print! 

I love original art, everything about it speaks to my soul, but I can not rationalize spending hundreds of dollars on a painting and thus I discovered digital prints.  

Digital Prints 

Downloading digital prints is one of my favorite ways to get budget art! It’s very easy and cost-efficient, I wish I would have taken advantage of digital prints sooner. You can also frame it yourself by purchasing a from your local Target or even Amazon, this will save you so much money compared to having it professionally framed.

All you have to do is find your favorite digital print, pay for it and then download the image, take it to your favorite pharmacy like CVS or Walgreen (you can get images printed also anywhere), and voila! you have your print. 

How do get digital prints to look like vintage oil paintings?

When you buy a digital print and then get it printed it looks like just that, a picture you got printed. But how do you make it look like a legit oil painted? My favorite way to do this is using mod podge, this is all you need: print, canvas, mod podge, and bristle brush.

Steps:

1. To make this look like a real oil painting you will need to put the print on the canvas. Do this by applying mod podge on the back of the print and laying it flat on the canvas (make sure the print and canvas are the same size). 
2. Smooth the print onto the canvas and lay a book in it to make sure it is flat on the canvas. 
3. Take a bristle brush and paint mod podge on the print, this will give the print the effect of brush strokes. You can use different size brushes to mimic the shapes of objects in the print to make it look more realistic than it was actually an oil painting. 
4. Let it dry and then frame! 

This is a super easy DIY and it looks realistic!

My Favorite Print Shops

1. Arteex- One of my all-time favorite digital print shops on Etsy! They have all different kinds of prints but their vintage prints will have my heart forever.
2. North Prints – A personal favorite of mine, this shop on Etsy has the most gorgeous vintage prints out there. They’re all super affordable (most are currently on sale) and the shop even has gallery sets making it even easier for you. These prints are digital downloads so you print them out yourself at whichever size you please.
3. InCotton Art- Another Etsy favorite of mine. These prints are gorgeous and (currently at 30% off) under $2 for one digital download. 
4. Waverley Prints– This shop on Etsy has a little bit of everything. All of the prints are so vibrant and gorgeous. They are all currently 25% off.
5. Juniper Print Shop– I love this shop because it gives you the option to have it printed for you rather than you downloading the digital print and then going and getting it printed yourself. 

*Note that when you purchase a digital print you will be paying additionally to get the image physically printed, the pricing will vary according to the size. 

Here are some of my favorite prints from these amazing shops!

1. Vintage Seascape
2. Antique Country Landscape
3. Vintage Textile Wall Art Print | Quilted Leaf Pattern
4. Venice Canal Painting
5. Vintage Neutral Flower Sketch
6. Vintage Floral Pattern Art Print / Boho Spring Wall 
7. Coral
8. Leaves I
9. Rustic Neutral Flower Print Set
10. Romantic Female Portrait
11. Woman Reading in Garden Vintage Painting

Until next time!