A guide to choosing art sizes

Welcome to my blog. I am a professional cartoonist, illustrator and writer. My site here is intended to promote a range of works that I think will look good on the wall. I've included here not just my work but some works by other artists whose work I love and hope to bring to a wider audience. I've chosen to 'illustrate' these blogs with my own photographic images that have inspired some of my latest works. I hope you will feel inspired to look further.

Choosing the right print size is often the difference between a picture that merely fills a space and one that properly settles into a room. This guide to choosing art sizes is really about getting that sense of fit right. Not just the measurements on paper, but the feeling of weight, balance and presence once a piece is actually on the wall.

A lot of people buy art by image alone and leave size until the end. That is understandable, but it usually works better the other way round. Start with the wall, the furniture beneath it, the distance you will view the work from, and the kind of statement you want it to make. A strong piece can disappear if it is too small, while an oversized print can bully a modest room.

Guide to choosing art sizes for real rooms

The first thing I usually suggest is simple. Measure the wall area you actually want the print to occupy, not the whole wall from skirting board to ceiling. If there is a sofa, sideboard, bed or desk beneath the picture, think of that furniture and the art above it as one visual unit. In most cases, the artwork wants to be around two-thirds to three-quarters of the width of the furniture below. That tends to look settled rather than accidental.

If you have a large blank wall, a small print with a wide mount can work, but only if you want a quieter effect. If what you really want is impact, go larger. People are often too cautious. A decent-sized piece with strong composition has a much better chance of looking intentional than a timid little print floating in the middle of nowhere.

Ceiling height matters as well. In a room with good height, slightly larger work has space to breathe. In a smaller room, the answer is not always to go tiny. It is usually better to choose one well-proportioned piece than several undersized ones that create fuss without presence.

Small, medium and large - what changes

Small prints are good in narrower areas such as hallways, studies, alcoves and landings. They also suit shelves, picture ledges and grouped arrangements. Their strength is intimacy. A smaller drawing, photograph or print invites you closer, which can be lovely for more detailed work, black and white images or pieces with quieter atmosphere.

Medium sizes are probably the most flexible. They work above a chest of drawers, in a dining area, beside a bookcase or in a bedroom where you want character without overwhelming the space. If you are unsure, medium is often the safest starting point, particularly if the image has a clear subject and strong structure.

Large prints are where you go when the wall needs conviction. They suit open-plan rooms, bigger sitting rooms and spaces where the artwork is meant to anchor the look of the room. This can be especially effective with scenes that already have graphic force - old industrial buildings, sheds, corrugated iron, industrial metalwork, river edges, signage and landscapes with bold shapes. These subjects naturally hold scale because they are built from strong lines, tonal contrast and clear forms.

That is one reason certain images from the Gloucestershire countryside work so well at a larger size. A broad sky, a weathered shed, a stretch of land near the River Severn, or the hard geometry of old farm structures all carry enough visual weight to stand up on a wall. The same goes for photographs of large advertising signs in the Los Angeles area. Those images have a graphic punch that can look particularly good as larger photographic prints and on canvas prints, where the shape and colour of the sign can really take command of the room.

Think about viewing distance, not just dimensions

One of the easiest mistakes is choosing size without considering how far away the work will usually be seen from. In a narrow hallway, a modest print can feel perfectly scaled because you are close to it. In a living room where you mainly see the wall from three or four metres away, the same print may look lost.

Detailed images often reward close viewing, but that does not mean they should always be small. A larger print can let those details breathe. Equally, a very graphic image with bold shapes can still work at a modest size if the setting is compact. It depends on the room and on the job the piece needs to do.

This is where masking tape or newspaper templates help. Put the rough dimensions on the wall and live with them for a day or two. It sounds basic because it is, but it works. You quickly see whether the size feels confident, mean, overblown or just right.

Framed prints, mounts and canvas prints

When people talk about art size, they often mean image size, but the overall finished size matters more. A mount changes everything. It gives the image breathing space and can make a smaller piece feel more considered. That is especially true for line drawings, monochrome work and images with delicate tonal variation.

A frame also adds physical presence. So if you are comparing a mounted and framed giclee print with a canvas print, do not think only in terms of paper dimensions. A canvas often reads as more immediate and architectural because the image runs right to the edge. A framed print can feel a little more formal, quieter, and in some rooms more refined.

Neither is better in every case. Canvas prints can look very good with bold imagery, including urban signs, strong landscape forms and pieces with rich colour. Framed works suit interiors where you want a more drawn, composed look. The room usually tells you which way to go.

Choosing art sizes for grouped displays

Not every wall needs one dominant statement piece. Sometimes a cluster of smaller works is the better answer, particularly if you like variety or want to mix subject matter. A group can combine rural scenes, black and white drawings, urban details and photographic studies without feeling messy, provided the spacing is consistent.

Treat the group as one large shape. That is the key. People often hang pairs or sets too far apart, and the eye reads them as lonely singles rather than a coherent arrangement. Keep the gaps fairly tight and work out the total width and height of the whole composition before you start hammering anything into the wall.

This approach suits more personal spaces especially well. A landing, study or dining nook can carry a run of smaller pieces beautifully. It also works if you are drawn to work with a narrative thread - weathered buildings, sheds, corrugated textures, roadside signs, stretches of countryside, bits of river industry - where the pleasure comes from seeing one image speak to another.

Let the image decide something too

Size is practical, but it is not purely practical. Some pictures simply want more room. A landscape with big shapes and long sightlines often benefits from width. A portrait-format drawing of a narrow building or sign can look excellent in a slimmer format that echoes the subject. The best result usually comes when the image, the print process and the room all agree with each other.

That is why there is no single perfect formula. You can follow the usual rules and still end up with something a bit dead if the scale does not suit the character of the image. A moody charcoal drawing may need enough size to show its texture. A crisp graphic print may hold its own in a tighter format. Good art is not wallpaper. It has its own voice, and size affects how clearly that voice comes across.

A few sensible checks before you buy

Before making a final decision, check three things. First, measure properly and note both image size and finished size. Second, think about the wall in relation to furniture and viewing distance. Third, ask yourself whether you want the piece to lead the room or support it. That last question clears up a lot.

If the artwork is there to set the tone, be brave enough to give it scale. If it is part of a quieter arrangement, smaller can be exactly right. And if you are between two sizes, the larger option is often the better one, provided the composition is strong.

A good print should not look as though it ended up on the wall by compromise. It should feel at home there, whether it is a Gloucestershire landscape, a study of old industrial metalwork, a weathered riverside building, or one of those striking Los Angeles advertising signs. When the size is right, the room relaxes and the picture starts doing what it ought to do - looking good on the wall.

If you are hesitating between two sizes, trust the wall, trust your eye, and give the image enough space to matter.