10 ways to create (or find) free art for your home and interiors
Updated: Nov 11, 2020
I want to start this post with a BIG disclaimer! There is no substitute for real art by true artists- there is nothing better than owning a piece of original art created by a talented artist. In a perfect world we would all curate every frame in our home by artists we admire and are passionate about. But, the reality is sometimes we can't afford that incredible oil painting or breathtaking watercolor we've been eyeing and we need a place holder while we save up for the real thing. So this one's for you (and me)! I'm currently working on a large gallery wall in my bedroom and I suddenly found myself in need of a lot of art... so bring on the free art ideas!
Press and frame your own flowers. There are some great tutorials on how to press flowers to preserve them- then framing them to display in your home can be a beautiful art display. I love them in this grid, it makes a huge impact!
2. Download botanical prints and print them out on book pages. This is what we did in our front room to flank our piano and they look beautiful! You can search free botanical print on google like I did- or Simplicty in the South has some you can download right here.
3. Print open access art- this includes any artwork that can be considered "public domain". There are thousands upon thousands of pieces of art that fall under this category- most artwork enters this arena because of its age. This includes most art that was published before 1924 or sometimes modern day artists choose to make their work public domain. Either way, if vintage/antique art is your jam- then searching for open access art is going to be your cup of tea. The Met is a great place to start when searching for open access art. Just make sure you check the box "open access" in the filter and anything you find is available to use! Here are some of my favorites that I pulled- which you can see most of in our gallery wall in the master bedroom!
You can also find more open access images here at Unsplash, these tend to go a bit more modern, or here at at the Art Institute of Chicago- or just search "open access" art on google- lots of museums will have an online collection of art that is just waiting for you to look through and find the perfect piece!
4. DIY your own painting - I think abstract art is a great way to create some custom art that anyone can do! You can select whatever colors you want that will coordinate with your space and do whatever you feel! Simple lines? splatter paint?
5. Cut out beautiful book pages and frame them. Ok, so this one may not be free...but it will be if you already have a book with some beautiful photos in it! Coffee table books are typically where you can find large scale full color pages that are beautiful enough to frame. Find a coffee table book on your favorite style of art- or some architecture that moves you. You can slice the pages out neatly with an exacto knife and there you have some free art!
6. Frame some pretty wrapping paper.
7. Frame wallpaper samples. Most wallpaper companies are more than happy to send free samples (or charge just a few dollars for shipping) of their wallpapers. Sometimes these samples are enough to show off the entire repeat of the paper and could make for a nice and large impact in a frame.
8. Frame magazine pages.
9. Search free online art printables. There are so many wonderful resources online and bloggers are constantly creating round-ups of free printables. Like this one of Modern art printables from Little Gold Pixel or this one of minimalist art prints from Fox and Hazel. Whatever your art style type it into google or pinterest with the phrase "free art printable" and see what you can find!
10. DIY pen and ink drawing. Take a fine point sharpie and make some cool modern line art.
Whatever style you are going for in your home I hope this gets your creative juices flowing to fill your walls with some free art! If you make any of these ideas or print any of these I would love to see- be sure to tag me on facebook or instagram!
