How to choose wall art prints

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.

Most people know when a wall looks empty. Fewer know exactly how to choose wall art prints that will make the room feel right rather than merely filled. That usually comes down to a mix of instinct and a few useful decisions about scale, subject, colour and print quality.

The good news is that you do not need a grand theory of art to get this right. You need a clear sense of what you enjoy looking at, what the room can carry, and whether the print has enough presence to keep earning its place over time.

How to choose wall art prints for the room

Start with the wall, not the artwork in isolation. A print can be beautiful on screen and still look lost above a sofa or too busy in a narrow hall. Before choosing anything, think about viewing distance, ceiling height and what sits around it. A large open wall can take something with confidence and strong composition. A smaller wall often suits a tighter image with a bit of restraint.

Rooms also ask for different things. In a sitting room, you can live with a piece that has more edge, contrast or narrative because you spend time with it. In a bedroom, many people prefer something quieter, though not always pale or safe. A dark charcoal drawing or a black and white urban scene can work beautifully if it has calm in the composition.

If the wall already has shelves, lamps or patterned textiles near it, choose a print that brings focus rather than more noise. If the room is very plain, art can do more of the heavy lifting.

Start with what you actually like

This sounds obvious, but it is where people often go wrong. They buy to match a cushion, or because a print seems fashionable, or because they think a certain subject is what a grown-up interior ought to contain. You are better off choosing work that catches your eye and keeps it there.

That may be a landscape, a line drawing, a city sign, a stand of trees, a stretch of beach, a rural shed or a piece built around graphic colour. Some people want atmosphere. Others want structure. Some are drawn to humour, others to stillness. None of that is trivial. It is the whole point.

I have long been interested in the artistic qualities of old industrial buildings, sheds, corrugated iron and industrial metalwork. Those surfaces have history in them. They catch light in unusual ways and give a picture texture before you even think about colour. The same goes for large advertising signs in the Los Angeles area, which have a bold, accidental beauty all their own. They work well as photographic images and also as canvas prints because they already carry scale and graphic punch.

Size matters more than people think

One of the commonest mistakes is buying too small. A modest print can be excellent, but if it is meant to anchor a room it needs enough physical presence. As a rough guide, artwork above furniture should usually take up a fair proportion of the width beneath it. Tiny prints floating in a sea of blank wall often look apologetic.

That said, bigger is not always better. A very large print in a small room can flatten the space if the image is too dense or dark. This is where subject matters. A large, airy landscape can open a room up. A large close-up with heavy detail can make a room feel more compressed.

If you are hesitant, mark the likely size on the wall with masking tape first. It is a dull little trick, but it saves a lot of guesswork.

How to choose wall art prints by colour

Colour should support the room, not become a prison. You do not need to match everything exactly. In fact, perfect matching often makes a room feel a bit staged. It is usually better to repeat one or two tones from elsewhere in the room, then let the print introduce a fresh note.

If your interior is fairly neutral, a print with strong colour can bring the whole thing to life. If the room already has rich upholstery, rugs or painted joinery, black and white or limited-palette work may give better balance. A monochrome drawing can be every bit as strong as a full-colour print if the image has shape and conviction.

Think too about the quality of the colour. Dusty greens, ochres and muted blues tend to sit easily in many homes. Hard primary colours can be brilliant, but they ask for confidence and a room that can stand them.

Subject and mood

The best wall art prints do more than fill a colour gap. They bring a mood into the room. A good landscape can create breathing space. An urban photograph can add rhythm and edge. A well-observed drawing can pull a room together through line alone.

This is why subject should never be treated as secondary. If a print means something visually, you will keep seeing more in it. That matters. You want work that rewards familiarity, not something that feels used up after a fortnight.

For many buyers, narrative helps. A weathered outbuilding, a row of signs, a rough patch of metalwork, a distant road, a rural corner that most people would pass without noticing - these subjects can hold attention because they carry atmosphere and suggestion. They feel found rather than manufactured.

Print finish and quality

A good image deserves good production. This is not snobbery. It affects how the work reads on the wall. Fine art digital prints and giclee prints generally give better depth, detail and tonal subtlety than cheaper mass-produced options. That is especially noticeable in black and white work, soft skies, textured surfaces and delicate shading.

Canvas prints can be excellent where the image benefits from a broader, more painterly feel. They often suit bold compositions, architectural subjects and photographic work with strong graphic shapes. The Los Angeles sign images mentioned earlier are a good example. They have enough visual authority to carry canvas well.

Paper choice also changes the feel. A matte surface often gives a more refined and natural look, while glossier finishes can sharpen colour and contrast but sometimes create reflections in bright rooms. Neither is automatically right. It depends on the image and where it will hang.

One statement piece or a group

If you are choosing for a main wall, one strong piece is often the cleanest answer. It has confidence and gives the room a centre of gravity. A grouped arrangement works better when the images genuinely relate - through subject, framing, palette or mood - rather than simply being small enough to fit together.

A set of mixed works can look superb, but it needs a bit of discipline. If everything shouts, nothing leads. A gallery wall tends to work best when one or two anchor pieces set the tone and the rest support them.

Budget and staying power

Price matters, of course, but think in terms of staying power rather than cheapest option. A print you still like in five years is better value than one bought on impulse because it filled a gap quickly. If your budget is limited, buy fewer pieces and choose more carefully.

It is also worth remembering that not every room needs the same level of investment. You may want to spend more on the main living space and choose smaller or simpler prints for hallways, studies or spare rooms.

Trust your eye, then edit

When people ask how to choose wall art prints, they often expect a formula. There is one, but it is loose. Choose work that suits the scale of the room, sits well with the colours around it, and has enough character to hold your attention. Then be honest with yourself. If you are trying to persuade yourself to like it, leave it.

The right print usually has a certain directness. You see it and can imagine living with it. Not because it matches everything perfectly, but because it has presence, quality and a point of view. That is what makes a wall feel considered rather than decorated.

If you start there, your home will gradually fill with images that feel chosen rather than merely bought, and that is always a better way to live with art.