Buying artwork can be a tricky thing. What colors? What style? What size? It can all get very confusing and expensive, especially if you’ve spent the bulk of your budget on big ticket items like couches, tables and lighting. Fortunately, there are a lot of sites online that make finding low cost, high style original art fast and easy. Read below to find out where to buy cheap art that looks super pricey, so only you’ll know how much you spent.
This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something through these links, we may earn a commission. Thanks!! Featured image source: Set of 2 – Light and Emerging by NLS Design – Abstracts on Etsy
How to Avoid Your Cheap Artwork Looking Cheap
First, let’s go over what gives away a cheap piece of artwork. If you are going for an expensive look, I would stay away from art that has words or sayings on it. Not that there is anything wrong with text art, but it does not necessarily give the rich vibe that we’re going for.
Second, try to stay away from places that sell bulk artwork that you may see at your neighbor’s house. Original art prints, paintings or printable art are always the way to go.
Third, and this one is kind of debatable, but framing art behind glass will always give cheap art a more expensive air about it. The theory is that it costs extra money to have a pricey framing and matte job done. (Hint, it really doesn’t if you know where to look.)
Where to Buy Cheap Art That Looks Expensive
Etsy Printable Art and Cheap Art Prints
Etsy is a treasure trove of original cheap art. You can find all kinds of original wall décor on Etsy, but if you are on a budget, I would stick with printable wall art and already printed art prints. If you start getting into paintings, sculpture wall art, or mirrors, you run the risk of high shipping charges and even damaged goods. There will most likely also be a longer wait time
The easiest home décor to buy on Etsy is printable wall art. Printable art is easy to find in a variety of sizes, even large sizes, and then you can print it on your home computer or have it printed wherever you print your usual pictures. A lot of Etsy sellers will offer a way for their prints to be printed through them, like I do on my website here. If not, some popular places for printing are Shutterfly, Costco, Walmart, Walgreens, Staples, etc… I’d go with a matte finish photo paper for a more expensive look.
(Check out NLS Design’s travel and nature or abstract and abstract landscape painting printable wall art.)
If you are going with art prints on a budget, I’d stay with the smaller sizes and lean towards doing a gallery wall so that you are not paying high shipping charges. This also makes it easier to get a custom look with different styles and artists, while also covering a large wall space if needed.
Society6
A lot of people I run into have heard of Society6, but don’t really know what they have to offer. Society6 is an online art marketplace where artists upload their artwork and designs and then decide what products they would like to sell with their designs on them. Society6 handles all the printing, framing, shipping, etc… so the artists can focus on doing what they do best. It is a real win-win situation.
Society6 is great because it is all original artists with original artwork that you can buy inexpensively. You won’t run the risk of anyone else having the art that you chose because of the huge selection available and you know it will always be original. Use the filters to narrow down color and style to find what you’re looking for and then you can even have your art framed and matted right online.
(Check out NLS Design’s abstract and abstract landscape pieces on Society6.)
Amazon
Good ol’ Amazon. You can find literally anything on Amazon, so artwork is no different. You can search through thousands of pieces of art styles, colors and mediums. The only real problem with buying cheap art on Amazon is that you run the risk of it looking mass produced. To get a more expensive look, stay away from well know artists that might be on someone’s dorm room wall – Monet, Van Gogh, Ansel Adams, etc… Look for lesser-known artists that seem a little more unique. A bonus to this is that usually these works will be less expensive. While you’re on Amazon, pick up some frames with pre-made mattes, if your art doesn’t already come with it, and you are all set. This is also an easy way to get the look of a custom framing job.
Bed Bath and Beyond
Not just for the cast-off outlet style bedding. Bed Bath and Beyond carries everything home at very competitive prices. The wonderful thing about Bed Bath and Beyond is that you can always find a coupon and/or a sale. You can also play around with the filters for style, color and price so you are not using up your whole Saturday looking for art. As with Amazon, look for less popular artwork that is farther down in the search queue.
Minted
Minted is another creative source for original cheap art that is truly one of a kind. Minted works on a crowd approval type process where only the artwork and artists that are voted on get to show their pieces and have them for sale. This ends up weeding out a lot of the weird stuff that you’d find on larger more all-inclusive type sites. You can also find original cards, invitations, etc… on Minted. I really like using them for holiday cards. Classy and not outrageously expensive. You can also have your art framed, matted and shipped right to you.
Michaels
I’m always surprised when I mention going to hobby stores like Michaels for inexpensive wall art. Hobby stores are a great place to pick up cheap art and already matted and framed pieces. They do offer custom framing, but stay away from that if you are on a budget. Look for the already framed pieces of art or buy your art separate and then put it in a premade frame with matte. Michaels always has sales and coupons, so be on the lookout for those. I used printable art and frames with matting for a floor to ceiling inexpensive gallery wall in my dining room.
If you are truly on a budget, I know how frustrating it can be to try to finish off a space with artwork. Art is usually the last step and you usually just want it done and to look right. Finding art that doesn’t cost a lot but looks trendy and classy can be hard to come by. Try out these six online places for cheap art that you can actually be proud to hang in your home.
