What are some good ideas for artwork when you're on a budget?

Question

I'm moving to a new apartment with tons of wall space, and I don't have enough artwork / wall hangings to fill it! What are some good do-it-yourself ideas for this?

FYI, I'm almost 29, so tacking up posters is too juvenile for me.

Answer 1

Hi, great question. What I did that was really classy looking and inexpensive is bought some plain black frames and put black and white photos in them.
I also found some pictures on the internet that I liked, so I printed them off in black and white and framed them in black frames. Then I put them all in an arrangement on the wall.
You could visit a fabric store and buy remnants that are interesting and frame them.
You could also buy some blank canvases and paint your own! It's easy to make abstract paintings and you can use whatever colors you feel will coordinate with or complement your space. I have also seen the canvases painted just one solid color and then hang three of them in a row next to each other.
Also, you can hang items up as "art" such as old ukuleles, guitars, mandolins, etc. Or vintage womens' hats . Or exotic baskets. Or search the thrift shops and junk stores for offbeat items like pieces of wrought iron, old shelves, or other pieces that would look good hung up on a wall.
Have fun!

Answer 2

Head to the nearest art supply shop and buy some stretched, primed framed canvas. Pick out some acrylic paints that coordinate with your space. Then act like your a kid again. No one cares if your an artist. You don't have to be. You can draw recognizable images OR, just draw lines or circles or blocks. Whatever. The importance here is to get full paint coverage all over the canvas and for the colors to work with your interior.

Then, just tack up a nail and hang the canvas on its lip.

A 12"X 14" canvas will cost you aboout $6 and the paint (depending on how many colors) is about 99 cents per bottle. Sometimes you can find acrylic paint in a kit that has a variety of different colors that sells for about $3

Can't beat that deal and it will be unique to you!!!!

Answer 3

When my husband and I moved into our first place we had this problem as well. We had so much to buy so there was little money alloted for wall decor. Here are places I have found with cheap but nice pictures..

1. Big Lots as some cute stuff for CHEAP. A lot of the time things are picked over but I have found some nice stuff

2. Kirklands or Briar Patch... They have AWESOME stuff! They have great pictures ranging from $30- $100 and they look so much more expensive. They also have super nice picture frames. Personal photos in beautiful frames is always a cheap way to go.

3. Wal mart or Target. Our local wal mart had big framed photos for almsot any decor for $20. The frames are kinda cheap and break easily so just be careful when hanging them.

4. Bed bath and beyond. They offer cute pictures and also many candle sconces. Sign up for their mailing list to recieve 20% off coupons.

I hope this helps. :)

Answer 4

One idea I used in my home was to take pictures of your favorite places/things/vacations and have them blown up. The best subjects are individual items, like flowers, trees, wildlife, the sunset, one friend in an interesting setting, etc. If you have a digital camera, take a slew of pictures next time you're on vacation or at your favorite spot, then go through and pick the best/most interesting ones.

Once you have your pictures, take a list of the amount of photos and sizes with you to a local discount store or wait for really good sales (like buy one get one free) at art stores or craft stores and buy nice frames for the pictures, then create a collage of photos on the wall.

I used floating frames (they don't have actual framing around the edge, so all you see is the photo). I loved it and plan on doing something similar when I move into my new home.

Answer 5

Buy a canvass at an art store (they're pretty cheap - even the big ones) and do a simple art installation. You can put blocks of color on the canvasses - or single words - or simple graphic designs or symbols that you like.

you can also skip the canvasses and paint overlapping blocks of color on the walls themselves to fill up space without overcrowding it. Take the color on your wall, pick one 2-3 shades darker, one 2-3 lighter (from the same strip) and one accent color and tape out large squares/rectangles on the walls. You can find more details if you search online or go into a paint store. I did this on one large wall in my apartment and its great fun :)

you can buy different picture frames at thrift stores/antique stores/etc, paint them all the same color and fill them with your old photos from your younger years or photos of travelling, etc. Hand them in a cluster to make them connect to one another. Having the frames be the same color unifies the idea.

Most copy stores can blow up a photo to poster size for 50bucks or so...

put floating shelves on the wall and display frames, jars, martini glasses, vases, dried flowers, etc

hang a curtain rod along a wall and drape curtain on it to soften the room, cover wall, and imply more windows.

have fun! I'm jealous!

Answer 6

Well I'm 34 and I still think posters can be tastefully done. I just dont think they belong in a livingroom.

I've seen some interesting things done with hanging plates, platters, and other odd things on walls with funky geometric patterns.

You could go minimalist for awhile, or very modern and sparse. Can you paint? Monocromatic canvasas can be way cool. Mirrors can be a decent deal sometimes and consider traveling to some junk stores to find your treasures.

Answer 7

Go to a fabric department in a major department store and chek out the panels they have for makig various pillow, bedspreads and so on. There are lovely panels available that you can stretch on inexpensive stretcher bars or even just sew a hem along thre top and run a thin dowel through to hang.

Could also make a moasic of stuff. get a sheet of hard board ( like card board) cover with a neutral fabric and then glue "things" on to it. In fact, invite freinds and family to add something to it every time they come over.

Can also create a photo collage of your life, present and past - always a good conversation piece.
Have fun creating!!

Answer 8

try a paint by number. sometimes they aren't cheesy. Use fabric to cover some of the walls, by that I mean hang it like a curtain in the corner, it will soften the wall.
frame placemats
draw a grid and paint some diamonds on the wall in two coordinating colors
go to walmart and get the little mirror squares (in the frames/clocks/mirrors dept and hang them
use a wall shelf and a few framed 4x6s
a wall planter

Answer 9

Having no idea on the actual length of the room, i ought to anticipate that that is a minimum of of minimum length. Paint the walls in cool pastel colors to make it look higher. purple ought to look perfect for little females yet blue, being a funky colour will make the room look a touch better spacious. If available, organize the beds in an L-structure, sharing one table on the intersecting nook (which may also function a hardship-loose headboard) the position you may positioned a small lamp and some gentle toys. the last area will then be spacious adequate to operate an interest area.

Answer 10

I placed some of my son's water color paintings into 11x8 clear plastic box frames. I grouped them in sets of 3 and 4. They look real nice and he loves them. You can buy the frames at craft shops.

You may also want to consider shopping for art work at thrift stores or discount places like Marshalls, Ross, TJMaxx, etc.