One of the hottest decorating trends right now is creating a gallery wall filled with personal photos on canvas. When they are done right, the pictures are vibrant and resemble fantastic, realistic paintings. And perhaps best of all, creating photos on canvas is fun and easy. Here’s a lens cap full of information to help you get started:

Go through your family photo album and select your favorite pictures. Choose wedding photos, pictures of the kids or whatever else strikes your fancy. Just keep in mind that no matter which ones you choose, they’ll need to be converted into JPG, PNG, TIF, BMP or GIF format and sport an optimal DPI of 250. If you absolutely can’t get the photo to have a 250 DPI, you could try using one with a DPI that falls in the 249 to 100 range. We would not recommend going lower than that. Otherwise, the photo’s clarity will decrease.

Consider using photos that show progression through time or panoramic ones that may be stretched out over more than one canvas. They tend to make a heck of a visual impact, especially if the photos on canvas, do not have a frame, and feature wrap around sides. Speaking of which, after settling on a series of photos, you’ll need to decide if you want to frame your photos on canvas or leave them just on canvas.

If you decide to go with a framed one, be sure to choose regular stretcher bars. They tend to be less than an inch thick, which allows for the use of a high quality frame, acid free mat and glazing. There are a handful of glazing options to choose from, including those designed to reduce glare. They are perfect in areas that get a lot of natural sunlight or are illuminated using harsh, overhead lighting.

Thicker bars are best when you want to go with a museum wrap or a very large gallery wrapped picture.When deciding to do a gallery wrap or museum wrap, consider the color of sides that would look best. In our experience, either option will give a gallery wall display a contemporary feel. The colored sides, however, can provide nice contrast between the wall and the frame. So they are a good choice if you want to create a particular pattern to tie into an overall theme.

 As summer rushes on with all the fun activities, school is not too far off. Back to school season can trigger a flurry of activities – time to get new shoes, new clothes, new lunch bags, new backpacks, and new school supplies. For the educator, a new school year gives you the chance to decorate the room for a new batch of students. For the parents, you may be looking to decorate your child’s room with educational art. If you’re looking to use educational wall art, consider these pointers:

School is Cool

As a teacher, you want school to be enjoyable and fun for the students. You want to create an environment where the student is constantly learning, in obvious ways or not. A classroom that has eye-catching visuals will not only appeal to the students, but it will spark interest in them to learn.  Cleverly chosen posters can make the classroom conducive to learning, even without the child knowing it. From the alphabet poster to the history of the United States, you can make your classroom a learning haven.  And the best teacher ever!

Classroom Chic

If you’re into themes for classrooms and don’t mind changing the decorative art from time to time, you can transform the room to reflect the theme you’ve in mind. Want to take the kids to outer space, introduce them to the magic of math, or the wonder of science? Whatever theme you pick, there’s bound to be a category of educational wall art for it.

Grade Appropriate

An elementary student may enjoy the magical world of make-believe while a middle-school student may need to learn about the rules of self-respect. Age-appropriate educational posters abound. Take your pick – the selection is as varied as your students’ needs.

Your Kid’s Personal Space

Perhaps you’re a parent hoping to jump start your kid’s school year to a great start. You want to create a learning environment for your kid, right in his own space. Choose an eclectic assortment of educational posters or a cohesive theme of ideas. Surrounding your kid with educational posters will foster learning without trying too hard. The visual presence will impart knowledge, stimulate creativity and motivate your child.

At its inception, the pop art movement brought relief to those that had grown tired of works created by abstract expressionists. From there, it went on to become one of the most popular art forms of the rebellious 50's and free-wheeling 60's. Today, designers’ passion for decorating with pop art featuring Andy Warhol helps to keep the love affair going.

Warhol, for those readers that may have not been around during the early pop art movement, was born in the 1920's and died in the winter of 1987. His work was renowned the world over. The colorful, iconic images that he used helped to convey what was going on in pop culture, whether the activity was ultimately controversial or not. As such, his artwork often stirred strong feelings in fans and critics alike.

When decorating with pop art featuring Andy Warhol prints, there are several schools of thought to consider. For instance, some interior designers like to display Warhol’s art in areas that match the picture’s subject matter. Others prefer to put the artwork in unrelated, unexpected spots that help jolt viewers out of their rote activities. There are also those that focus more on the colors and patterns inherent in Warhol’s artwork than the actual subject matter.

Take Andy Warhol’s Knives, c.1981-82 picture as an example. It could be hung up in a contemporary dining room or kitchen that has pops of black and cream coloring throughout. On the other hand, it could also be placed in a study or office with his series of Guns artwork and Skull, 1976 to show a love of mystery novels and forensic sciences.

There are other Andy Warhol prints on the market today that feature the artist’s quotes and images. One of our favorites is the one titled, Think Rich, Look Poor. It would look great on display in a bedroom changing area or walk-in closet. As would prints like It Takes a lot of Work to Figure Out How to Look So Good, Diamond Dust Shoes and Two Female Fashion Figures c. 1960.

To learn more about decorating with pop art featuring Andy Warhol, please contact us today. We have many prints of the artist’s work in stock as well as several other pop art prints of note.