What size art print should I buy?

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.

If you are asking what size art print should I buy, the honest answer is usually not “the biggest one you can afford” and not “the standard one everyone else buys”. It depends on the wall, the room, the image and the sort of presence you want the piece to have. A good print can quietly hold a space, or it can change the whole room. Size is what decides which of those jobs it does.

What size art print should I buy for the wall I have?

Start with the wall, not the print. People often fall in love with an image and then try to force it into a space that wants something quite different. If you are hanging above a sofa, bed, sideboard or desk, the print usually needs more width than you first think. Small art on a large wall can look apologetic unless it is part of a group.

A useful rule is to let the artwork, or artwork plus frame, take up around half to two-thirds of the width of the furniture beneath it. So if you have a fairly broad sofa, a modest A4 print will usually disappear unless you are deliberately going for something restrained. A larger print, or a pair of prints with breathing room between them, tends to look more settled.

On a narrower wall, though, a very large print can feel overbearing. Hallways, alcoves and tighter rooms often suit medium sizes better, especially if the subject has strong detail that rewards a closer look.

The difference between small, medium and large prints

Small prints work best when the viewing distance is short. A print in a study corner, next to bookshelves, above a small table or in a landing can be wonderfully effective at a smaller scale. Detailed black and white drawings, lino cuts and pieces with fine line work often do well here, because they invite you in.

Medium prints are the easiest all-rounders. They fit most homes, they are simpler to frame, and they can stand alone without swallowing a room. If you are buying your first proper piece of wall art, medium is often the safest place to start.

Large prints are for confidence. They suit open walls, higher ceilings and rooms where you want one image to carry the visual weight. This is where landscapes, bold urban scenes and images with strong shapes really come into their own. A photograph of a large advertising sign in Los Angeles, for instance, has a different sort of authority when printed at a generous scale. The same goes for canvas prints, where the image can feel more architectural and immediate.

What size art print should I buy for the image itself?

This is the part people miss. Not every image wants to be huge.

Some pictures have a quiet kind of power. A charcoal drawing, a rural shed, a weathered roofline or a study of corrugated iron and industrial metalwork can be deeply satisfying at a moderate size, where texture and composition stay intimate. The pleasure comes from noticing surface, shape and marks, not from sheer impact.

Other images need space. Big skies, street scenes, signs, graphic compositions and pictures with bold blocks of colour or contrast often benefit from being larger. They can hold a wall without fuss. If an image has strong silhouette and simple structure, it usually scales up well.

If the work is intricate, ask yourself whether you want to stand close and inspect it. If yes, a smaller or medium print may suit it beautifully. If the image reads instantly from across the room, larger can be excellent.

Think about framing before you choose

A print rarely hangs on the wall exactly as you imagine it on screen. Mounts and frames change the overall size quite a bit. A medium print with a generous mount can end up having the presence of a much larger piece.

That matters if your room leans minimal and you want something with a bit of air around it. It also matters if your wall space is limited. People sometimes order a print that technically fits, then discover that once framed it is too dominant for the spot.

Frame style affects mood as well. A simple black, white or natural wood frame will keep attention on the image. A wider mount can make a smaller print feel more considered. So if you love a piece but worry the print size is a little modest, framing can solve part of that.

Room by room, scale changes

Living rooms can generally take more art than people expect. You are viewing from farther back, and the room usually benefits from a stronger focal point. Bedrooms can go either way. Some people want calm and restraint there, while others want one image with enough character to anchor the room.

Kitchens, studies and hallways often reward slightly smaller works, especially pieces with personality. A set of prints can work well in those spaces if one large piece feels too heavy.

If you are renting or know you move things around a lot, medium sizes are practical. They are easier to re-home if you shift furniture or move house. Large pieces are brilliant when you know exactly where they are going.

One large print or a group of smaller ones?

If you have one wall to solve and want a clean answer, one larger print is often better than several smaller ones. It looks intentional and gives the image room to speak.

But groups of smaller works have their own charm, especially if the subjects relate. Black and white drawings, sheds, industrial details, landscape studies or a sequence of Los Angeles sign images can look terrific as a set. You get rhythm, variation and a more collected feel.

The trade-off is that grouped prints need a bit more planning. Spacing matters, and so does consistency in framing. A single larger work is usually easier to get right.

If you are still unsure, err slightly bigger

Not wildly bigger. Slightly bigger.

Most people buy art a touch too small for the wall they have. They picture the paper size and forget the scale of the room. If you are choosing between two sizes and both could work, the larger option often feels more resolved once it is up.

That said, there are exceptions. If the image is subtle, if the room is compact, or if you want the piece to feel discovered rather than announced, smaller can be absolutely right. There is no medal for buying the largest print.

A practical way to decide before you order

Cut out paper to the size of the print, or the finished framed size if you know it, and tape it to the wall. Live with it for a day or two. This simple trick tells you more than any product photo can.

Stand in the doorway. Sit down. Walk past it. If it feels mean, go up a size. If it looms awkwardly, go down. Trust your eye more than any formula.

The final choice is part proportion and part instinct. A good print should feel at home on the wall, but not too polite. Whether it is a weather-beaten shed, a stretch of corrugated iron catching the light, or one of those striking Los Angeles advertising signs available as photographic prints or on canvas, the right size is the one that lets the image properly live in the room. Buy the size that gives the work enough air, enough authority and enough pleasure every time you pass it.