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Want to feature some oversized art in your home but don’t have hundreds (or thousands) to spend? I’m going to show you how to DIY your own show stopping piece for $100 or less with-here’s the extra fun part- actual fine art.
Did you know there are so many fine art pieces from artists like Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh and virtually every art era available as public domain art? This means you can download and use these art pieces personally for absolutely free. Several museums have whole archives online of public domain/open access art for you to download and print on your own (National Gallery of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Metropolitan Museum of Art are a few) .
I knew I wanted a LARGE with a capital L piece in my dining room. I had read lots of blog posts on how to download the art and print it through Fed Ex or UPS, but it was turning out to be a big, expensive hassle. As I was trying to figure out how to print what I wanted my husband (in like 30 seconds) found Art.com- where they essentially sell prints of all of these public domain art pieces.
You can order them on canvas and framed but I did NOT have a large budget and had an idea for how to make the piece look like a pretty floating framed canvas. Step by step, here’s what we did:
Ordered this print "Joshua Commanding The Sun To Stand Still Upon Gibeon" in the biggest size available: 56”x42”, and this print "The Evening" by Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot in 24x36. The key to make it look like a canvas without paying for a canvas is to order a “Giclee” print- it will be matte and look similar to a canvas. I spent $79 on the print.
Next, go to the hardware store and get a piece of foam insulation (I used this one but this is a cheaper option) and some spray adhesive.
Cut down the piece of foam insulation one inch shorter than the dimensions of your print (so in this case 55”x41”). You can use a razor blade, score your cut line and then bend the insulation until it breaks on the line.
Spray the foam with the adhesive (including the sides) and then lay the print over it, keeping a half inch to lay over each side. Using your hands, make sure every part of the print is smoothed out and adhered to the foam. I cut tiny slits in each corner and pressed the overlap into the sides of the foam board to look like a full canvas. Set heavy books on top while the adhesive dries all the way to ensure no warping.
For the frame I used 1x2 Alder trim pieces and cut them down at 45 degree angles to frame the DIY “canvas” and nailed them together with my brad nailer. For stain I used Minwax Special Walnut and let it dry over night.
The next morning I slid the frame over the canvas", stuck my favorite command strips on the back and hung it on the wall!
The longest part of this whole process was honestly picking out the print I wanted. To actually make the print and frame took me my toddler’s nap time, and now I have a stunning piece of fine art hanging in my home for a fraction of the price I would have paid for a framed print! The best part is- you can choose art that has meaning to you instead of finding something pretty but meh in a big box store!
