Eclectic Framed Picture Gallery

I’ve been away from the blog for awhile, but I’m back to show you some cool stuff that I’ve been working on, like my just-finished eclectic framed picture gallery!

In what we call the sitting room, I’ve lived with a blank wall for years, never putting up a single picture. Why? Because I always had in mind doing an eclectic framed picture gallery, and knew that a blank wall might better motivate me to create one.

So finally, after too many years, I finally did it! I learned so much from doing this project. Now, I’m offering some valuable tips, in case you decide you want to create your own eclectic framed picture gallery.

Be aware that this project requires time and planning.  

I had no idea how much time and energy that my eclectic framed picture gallery would require, from start to finish. Someone’s first impression when they see an art gallery wall might be that the curator or designer quickly gathered various art pieces and just nailed them up on the wall, where everything happens to look stylish and wonderful together. But in reality, a striking and tasteful eclectic gallery art wall requires lots of time, planning, and deliberation.

Budget for the art and the frames.  

Being cost savy with both the art and the frames is even easier to do when creating an eclectic art wall, since the artwork probably will have a range of styles and quality anyway. Juxtaposing finer art, such as the black and white photo above, printed from an original Ansel Adams negative, with a child’s fourth-grade colored pencil drawing to its right, and art cut from a pulp magazine cover to its left, adds great interest, and makes all of the pieces stand out more.

This striking drawing of two cats, the piece that seems to wow everyone the most, was made by the G’s daughter in her high school drawing class. The art was made even more stunning after I had it custom framed at Michaels Stores. Seriously consider reserving some money in your budget for at least a few art pieces to be professionally framed–I think it makes a world of difference with the overall look and quality of an eclectic framed picture gallery.

The remaining pieces of art probably will look just fine in very inexpensive frames and pre-cut mats that can be purchased in the aisles at discount stores such as Walmart, Target, and Hobby Lobby. The butterfly piece above was a greeting card from a relative, which I placed under a pre-cut mat and inserted into a $3 frame. To allow some inexpensive store-bought frames to hang perfectly flat against the wall in your eclectic framed picture gallery, don’t be afraid to rip out and destroy the backing on the frames–I did this many times.

Be sure to have more art pieces, especially smaller ones, than you think you’ll need.  

When planning your eclectic art gallery wall, you’ll find that there will be gaps and larger spaces that beg to be filled in by some small art pieces. For instance, the plaster ceramic Mayan sun (purchased at the Dollar Tree, for yes, a dollar) and the smaller framed drawing to its right both came in handy when planning the layout of this wall art gallery.

Consider size, color, and frames when planning.  

I think this point is really key for eclectic framed picture galleries. Because contrasting colors and styles of the artwork and their picture frames are what define the eclectic feel of such a gallery, be sure to play around with the positioning of the art. You want the pieces, when presented as a unified whole, to look “right.” I don’t want to use the word “balanced,” since that might unintentionally give someone the impression that all of the artwork needs to be perfectly aligned with carefully coordinated angles, which isn’t the case at all. To get an overall look that’s “right,” I suggest bookmarking various photos of eclectic framed picture galleries found on the internet that appeal to you. For instance, I have a Pinterest board with numerous pinned ideas for picture galleries. Near the end of this post, you’ll find some helpful links showing examples of stylish art gallery walls.

Add pizzazz by positioning contrasting colors and styles of the picture frames next to each other. Juxtaposing different styles of art and frames side by side allows the contrasting pieces to “pop” and stand out.

Some specific prep tips.

• • Lay out the artwork on the floor first.   Above, I mentioned playing around with the position of pieces next to each other.
    

    First things first: lay out the artwork on the floor

    To do that, lay out the artwork on the floor, positioning it in the way you think is most pleasing to the eye, taking into account color, contrast, frames, etc. I actually took and reviewed photos of various layouts while standing on top of a painter’s ladder, so as to get a better perspective.

  • Cut out paper guides.  On craft paper, trace an outline around each picture frame to mark where to cut the paper to be used as a “ghost” or guide. I used the craft paper that was wrapped around my custom-framed artwork, but dollar stores like the Dollar Tree carry inexpensive rolls of craft paper. If you don’t have craft paper, you can use paper grocery bags taped together, or even newspaper. The main idea is that those various pieces of paper will go up on the empty wall with masking tape or painter’s tape, mimicking the original art that you have laid out on a floor, if you have room.
    

    Trace around each frame to mark where to cut each artwork’s paper “ghost.”

    

    I used craft paper, but paper grocery sacks or newspaper would work too

    

    Artwork laid out, with paper “ghosts” waiting to go up on wall.

    

    Use craft paper to plan a gallery wall

• Mark and measure paper where the nails will go.  In the photo above, from top left and then clockwise: (1) on the back side of the artwork to be hung, stretch the picture wire to the center point where it will hang on a hook or nail (2) then mark that spot on back of the artwork (3) then measure from the outer edge of the frame of the artwork to the spot just marked (4) then measure the same distance from that artwork’s previously cut out craft paper “ghost” and mark it.
  

  Using craft paper and masking tape to plan for art wall gallery

• Tape paper cutouts to wall and adjust accordingly. 
  From this point, it gets way easier and more fun.All of those pieces of paper are ready to go up on the empty wall with masking tape or painter’s tape, mimicking the position of the original art lying on the floor. At this point the paper cutouts and tape are easy to shift and adjust until the placement of everything on the wall looks just right.
• Hammer in nail or hook on the marked spot of the paper. 
  Once the craft paper cutouts are all taped exactly where you want the various art pieces on the wall, then simply hammer the nails (with or without hooks) on the red marks previously measured and made on the paper cutouts.
  

  Line up placement of picture hook

  Then just tear away the craft paper, and hang the framed artwork.

  

  Give yourself plenty of time when putting together an eclectic wall art gallery.

  Planning like this is so worth it, and helps avoid mistakes and the frustrating need to hammer too many holes in the wall.

Some helpful links.

Here are some links to other blogs that you might find informative and helpful when planning and creating your own eclectic framed picture gallery: Laurel Home, Emily Henderson, and Homeyohmy. MyDomaine also has several great posts about gallery art walls here, here, and in this video.

If you have created your own eclectic framed picture gallery and have any helpful ideas or hints, I’d love to hear from you in the comments section!

Please note that I received no samples, payments, or financial incentives from Micheal’s, Walmart, Target, Hobby Lobby, or any other store, person or entity for comments or links in this article.

–G