Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Wall Art-Cityscapes on the cheap!


I am drawn to cityscapes.  Take a look at the amazing work by Minneapolis artist Mike Welton.


Using photos from your trips both far away and close to home is a great way to personalize the art in your home.
Here is my latest project and some other ideas too!
I took this photo from the "never-ending bridge" at the Guthrie Theater one night last summer.  I think it really has the look of Mike Welton's work.....so-
  • I used my photo editor to crop and tweak it a bit for color, 
  • then sent it to Walgreens Photo center and had a 11 x 14 poster print made for $ 9.99.
  • I had a 16 x 20 frame from Goodwill...but it was white...so I painted it to pretty closely match the frame of the Mike Welton print.
  • Using my trusty mat cutter- I cut the mat and put the print in the frame.
  • Now I just have to wait for John to have time to help get it up on the wall....
The Foshay Tower print is in the stairway on a tall wall.  I think the Guthrie photo will look great above it.







Some things to think about if you decide to do this yourself:

  • Go on-line and look at photography websites and see the types of photos the pros take
  • When you are out and about on vacation or on stay-cation -take some photos with your walls in mind....you never know!
  • Go through your existing pictures....I bet you have some great images that with some "tweaking" would look fabulous if you enlarge them.
  • Look for interesting lighting and angles when you take your photos.
  • Take your kids on a field trip to a park with a skyline view.  Have them do a pencil sketch of the scene.  Frame it for a "Real" treasure.
  • Show your kids a picture of a favorite place and have them do a watercolor for you....instant contemporary art.
  • Get your frames at a thrift store or garage sale.  Look for standard sized frames if you don't have a mat cutter or a way to customize your mat. 
These are 2 pictures taken by my son in Moscow and Amsterdam.  The enlarged and framed versions now grace the wall of his home.
My daughter sketched this Minneapolis Skyline when she was 9 years old....found it mouldering in a stack of things I am "gonna do something with"...better do what I say huh?

Lastly....A crossover idea for Sweetwater Junior:
One of the art projects I used to do when I taught 2nd grade was to give the kids a large piece of paper, a ruler, and a black sharpie.  Then after showing them photos of skyscrapers. I had them start creating.  Many times I heard from parents that they framed their kids masterpieces. 
 


Use these images for your kids inspiration: 

I would love to hear from you about any fun and inexpensive ways you use your photos or kid's art!
Have a happy Wednesday.

1 comment:

BluBabesCreate said...

It just kinda takes your breath away, every time.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...