Need to Know Before You Buy - Print Sizing

The Collections by Carol Blogger entry for today is information you might "Need to Know Before You Buy" when shopping for art or print sizes this summer; whether you are walking the long lines of booths at Craft, Art Fairs or Farm Markets searching for the perfect piece or pieces you would like to add to your art collection, or your shopping on-line at CollectionsbyCarol.com, or at "Capture Wisconsin"....pay attention to the size of the images you purchase before you buy.  Ask your self these questions first:  Why do you buy a piece of art?  What do you want from the art?  How can you get the most out of that expensive set of frames...that matches all of your furniture and cabinetry?  At the end of this article I include an example and a Table of Standard Print Sizes

Why do you buy a piece of art? 
I believe, when you see photo art you love,  something that is inspirational to you, something that stirs memories, or emotions.....it is something you invest in.  I also believe that art can be an expression or extension of yourself  in your space. It can simply be just about color or texture.  It can also be fun or interesting. That's why simple block style lettered signs with one word, like "Believe or Faith or Love" have become so popular. I also believe art can be constantly changing and evolving with your interests and desires...your decorating style, and needs.  
 
I like to change out my art with the changing of the seasons. Colors, textures, common themes or a mixture of several ideas are what normally inspire me. This spring, I am attracted to lemon yellow for my kitchen. So I will pick: yellow daffodils, yellow tulips and scenes that include those colors in my print choices. For the kitchen, I will use 4x6 print images (I'll explain later*)....and  I will disperse or alternate some elements, like real lemons in a crystal bowl and a bright crisp lemon candle for my stove-top.  I can very easily add one or a collection of three small bud vases, to hold...single flowers, also in a bright lemon yellow.  Ta da....I have a perfectly beautiful spring display all around my kitchen.  


What do you want from the your new piece of art?
What I want from my art is that it be interchangeable!  Each season I like to swap out my art with color and theme appropriate changes.  So in the fall, when I have 30 or so pumpkins in various sizes that I disperse throughout my entire great room and entryway.... my art can easily change to reflect fall colors.  If I again use 4x6 prints, I can use the same mats and the same frames to do just that.  Ta da....I have a fall kitchen.  The key here is....the interchangeability of the art.  A using a standardized size print, mat and frame for any designated area....makes it easily interchangeable.  Therefore, size is very important.  Ask yourself, where do I want to display the art?  So that can you determine what size art you want?  And do this....before you buy!


How can you get the most out of that expensive set of frames and matting...that you already own, that matches all of your furniture and cabinetry?
Don't let anyone fool you....size is important....especially when considering where your new art will go and what, if anything, you will display with it. Don't be swayed by new, popular and rare sized prints.  (Unless its the only piece of art you ever want to display....for the rest of your life.)   Matting and framing unusual sized art prints is very expensive and almost impossible to swap-out. If you have a 4x4 print in a 7 x 7 frame....you are stuck with it.

The art from my site:  CollectionsbyCarol.com is meant to be purchased and is specifically created to be...Affordable, Collectable and Interchangeable.  Size is very important when picking more than one piece to go into a grouping or "Collection" or in making your art "interchangeable". Below I have displayed a small Table of Standard Print Sizes, a simple guide to show you examples of  what size a finished piece of art will eventually become, once matted and framed. And, I have purposely chosen "standardized" sizes for all of my images, so that they are consistent with common everyday frames and matte sizes, something you can purchase anywhere and at any price point.  I have created my art and this guide to make the interchangeability of your art extremely simple.

Example
For my kitchen, as described in the example above:   *I specifically chose 4x6 prints because after I matte and frame them, they actually become 5x7 finished pieces....perfect for the wall space under my kitchen cabinets  and above my kitchen counter-top.  It is also the perfect size for a grouping of 4 prints above my stove top.  It is also the perfect size for flanking both sides of my dinning room window...in my dinning room.  Now as I follow around the room....into the living space....I will want to change the size of the prints for those larger spaces.  But my kitchen and dinning room have a consistent easily interchangeable size designation.  Now, I know, I can easily change out my art with any of my 4x6 prints.  Whether it be a bright yellow lemon candle that inspires me in spring, or an orange pumpkin scented candle in the fall, or a candy apple red for Christmas.
                           Table of Standard Print Sizes

Frame Size	Image Size	Mat Opening*	Sleeve Size
8" x 10" 11" x 14" 16" x 20" 20" x 24" 24" x 36" 30" x 40"	5" x 7" 8" x 10" 11" x 14" 16" x 20" 20" x 30" 22" x 32"	4.5" x 6.5" 7.5" x 9.5" 10.5" x 13.5" 15.5" x 19.5" 19.5" x 29.5" 21.5" x 31.5"	8" x 10" 11" x 14" 16" x 20" 20" x 24" 24" x 36" 32" x 40"