Where to Find Affordable Vintage Art
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If you’re looking for statement art for your walls that won’t break the bank – I got you covered!
Today, we are talking about Affordable Vintage Art online. This just happens to be my favorite kind of art! And, in full disclosure, I’m a little biased (very biased?) since I happen to own a vintage print shop!
Let me ask you; Have you considered a vintage print for your home yet? I do realize that vintage prints are not for everyone but let me just play devil’s advocate for a moment.
Vintage art may conjure up pictures of old Roman Renaissance paintings and medieval or gothic prints – but that’s just one (very) small piece of the pie.
I’m here to dispel the rumors that vintage prints are only for snooty museums and Grandma. (Although, Grandma may have been on to something with those old floral paintings.)
You can find the most beautiful, muted pastel paintings and even more contemporary-looking pieces of art within the vintage category.
Yep. You read that right. You can absolutely find abstract art and sketches as well as old-world paintings. It’s all in the mix. It’s also very affordable art! Digital prints can be downloaded, printed, and framed and you don’t even need to leave the house. When you want to change things up, it doesn’t cost that much to do so.
Of course, if you are looking for an original Picasso – then you’ll have to pay for it. Chairish is a website that sells a lot of original art already framed. But oh my word – the prices. Rightly so – it’s an investment.
Shop the Post
Digital art is one way to get the look for less! In this post, I’m highlighting many of the prints from my shop (organized by art category). Plus, there’s a free art print for you if you sign up for my list towards the end of the post so stick around! 🙂
Free Art for Your TV
Turn your TV into artwork! Simply play my YouTube video below on your TV, push pause when you have a piece of artwork you want to be displayed. Otherwise, let this play for the full 30 minutes on repeat and enjoy each vintage art. Each one plays for 5 minutes and is perfectly sized for your TV.
Landscape Paintings
You may have seen landscape paintings really take off in the last few years. If it’s all over Instagram – it’s popular.
Landscape paintings can range from Springy, pastel colors to deep, dark moody prints. They can be oil paintings or watercolor or sketches. They can be fields or mountains or cityscapes etc.
Whatever tickles your fancy.
Here are a few of my favorites from the shop.
Portrait Prints
Portrait prints are an easy way to create a more personalized touch to your walls.
There is something very thought-provoking about a portrait print hanging on your walls.
Whether it’s a portrait or a woman or an old man or a sweet child, I’ve seen designers create whole gallery walls of just portrait prints.
It adds some character and charm to your walls. Choose one that really speaks to you. And one that doesn’t scare you or make you think it’s looking at you. LOL.
Seascapes and Coastal Vintage Art
This is a favorite category. If you own a beach home or a lake home, these coastal vintage prints are a no-brainer for your walls!
From a beautiful, textured sea print to a rocky coastal painting, they are all so beautiful.
I especially love to group these prints together in a gallery wall. This would look cool in an office or bathroom or in a beach house.
Creates a wonderful sea vibe.
Cloudscapes
Cloudscapes are basically a landscape painting of clouds and sky.
Very soothing and a great gallery wall mix in. Why? Because cloud paintings tend to go with everything.
Kids Art
Bet you never thought vintage art was appropriate for a kids room or playroom?
Well, it’s all that and more.
In fact, you can find the sweetest vintage art that look perfect in any kids room – boy or girl.
I’m partial to whimsical prints of kids playing or cute animals. Think about your child’s favorite activities or animals and find a vintage print that speaks to that.
That’s why I love vintage art so much – you can always find something that really touches your heart.
Do they love turtles? Or horses? Or dogs? Or playing on the beach? Or reading?
It’s all there!
Or perhaps you have a theme going on with the room – I guarantee you can find an affordable vintage print to go with the overall theme.
Abstract Art
I love this category because so many of us think that vintage art is just paintings of people feeding each other grapes and this totally proves that myth wrong.
Take a look at some of these cool abstract art pieces. These are also great for gallery wall mixing with old landscape paintings and other vintage art prints.
These add a more contemporary and modern vibe to your walls.
Sketches
Sketches can be so beautiful. I’m a sucker for a good sketch.
While I do love black and white sketches, I am especially drawn to vintage sketches that have a bit of an ivory or beige background. I like when they look aged and a bit imperfect.
Equestrian Art
Horses are beautiful animals. And they make for beautiful artwork.
I know I keep talking about gallery walls, but horse gallery walls are easy to put together and create quite a theme. This past year, my family and I took a trip out to the Biltmore Estate.
During the tour, they had this “Smoking Room”. It was painted an evergreen color and had old hunting and equestrian art hung on the walls.
It was really neat to see – and actually very designer forward since dark moody colors are all the rage right now! 🙂
It inspired me to add more equestrian art and gallery walls to my shop.
Botanical and Floral Vintage Art
This is something that has never gone out of style in my opinion. There is always a place for botanical art.
There is something magical that happens when you add a grouping of four minimal botanical prints to your walls. It instantly looks pulled together.
How to Make Digital Vintage Art Look Good
When you buy digital art online, you might be wondering;
How do I take this from the computer to my walls and have it look like a real painting?
Here are a few tips!
ONE// Buy QUALITY affordable art online
You want to make sure you are buying art that has been digitally resized and enhanced for printing.
Some of what you see online is only suitable for screens – which means it will print out blurry and pixelated.
The art should be at least 300dpi and sized to the specifications of your frame. This way – you don’t have to squish, stretch and crop out parts of the painting.
TWO// Print the Right Way
The way you print your art can make all the difference.
If you are printing smaller sizes at home, use a textured paper for printing; like printable cotton. Another option is to use Matte Cardstock. These papers give some texture to your art.
Make sure your ink is not running out. I’ve printed some affordable art at home that ended up with weird printing lines in them due to the ink being low. It never hurts to double-check.
If you are printing through a company, go for matte or Giclee printing.
Giclee is a special printing method that prints every extra little detail in the painting. It also uses top-notch inks for color accuracy as well as archival pigments – so your painting lasts a long time.
THREE// Hang the Right Way
I’m not saying this is the only way to make a digital painting look good, but I’ve found that I prefer this look for this vintage art.
Skip the Glass. I don’t know why – but the glass causes a weird reflection that takes from the integrity of the painting.
You can choose any frame you want – whether it’s a gold antique frame or a modern black frame. But take out the glass and see the difference.
I thrift a lot of my frames and end up taking out the glass this way. It’s a great way to save money too!
I would love to have you added to my shop newsletter so you can be updated when there is a sale or new prints!
Free 8×10 Art Print
I’m giving away a free 8×10 landscape painting.
This is exclusive to my subscribers, so please sign up below and the print will be sent to your inbox.
That about sums up this post on affordable vintage artwork online.
I hope you guys are inspired by what you can do with vintage art.
xo Karen
