Design Tip Tuesday: Cheap Artwork

Have you noticed that there’s an amazing difference between what people’s houses look like on reality shows versus, say, Desperate Housewives? In reality, people have junk all over the place that they have every intention on putting away tomorrow. Also, in reality, no one has any artwork on the wall unless it’s those multi-matted things for holding lots of home snaps of your kids. They skip that part a lot. What to do? Here are some ideas for sprucing up those rooms for only pennies. Actually, that’s a lie. It will cost more than pennies, but it will still be income-friendly.

1. Don’t live in Detroit? Now you can feel like you do with these photos from Jan Kaulins. Each 5″x7″ print is matted and signed. Price? A mere $19.99. Find them at Pure Detroit. Pick up a few cool t-shirts while you’re there.2. Have your children (or borrow someone else’s) create artwork for you. The more abstract the better. Just make sure you give them quality paper and paints. Buy the real thing. Spy Magazine once staged an art opening at a fancy gallery in SOHO. Everything had been painted by children and all the patrons fell for it. If anyone can find that article, send it to me! Anyway, once the art is finished, get it framed in a decent frame. Frame it nicely. Trust me, this really works. Who knows? Maybe one day you can sell your child’s “infantile period” for millions!

3. You have my permission to steal this photo taken by Misterarthur. Photoshop it, whatever. Make it three different colors and hang them as a series. Misterarthur is out of town, so he’ll never know.

4. Go to the library and cut out images from books in the rare book room. NOT! Sorry, I’m not feeling so well today and am, obviously, not functioning on all cylinders. It is against the law to steal and really bad form to deface a book (especially from the library – your annoying neighbor is another story). Instead, go to garage/estate sales and look for old books with cool illustrations. Pay for the book (but bargain first for crying out loud).

5. Back to estate sales, you can find great frames at garage sales or Goodwill. Most people are only looking at the art and ignore the frame. A touch of spray paint and you’re good to go.

6. Hang out in the right places and you might get really lucky. Case in point, Misterarthur was taking his regular coffee and cigarette break during his weekend 25-mile bike ride (!) An artist came in selling piles of paintings for $1.00. “Mr.A” bought one for $1.00, titled “Carol Channing by the Pool”. We had it framed. The artist was just written up in The University of Michigan’s Alumni Magazine. See? It’s worth way more than $1.00 now.

7. Buy your very own Paint-by-Number set! This one even comes with its own frame. I found, during my extensive research, that the favorite subject seems to be wolves. Horses come in second. I suggest you paint your kit and then tell a great story about almost being eaten by a pack of vicious wolves. Just as they were closing in, you grabbed your trusty camera and the flash frightened them away! If you’ve got any old scars I would encourage you to weave those into the story for greater effect and realism. Of course, when you got home you found this great photo on your camera and decided to commit to history your brush with Fanged Death. This kit, below, costs a mere $12.00.

Egads, my brain is broken. That’s all for now. Tah!