Kinkos!

And where is that lovely bedding from? And does it come in other colors? I think I want it!

p.s. Kinkos is a good answer, but only if your photo/art is high enough resolution to withstand printing at that size--I think the real question if you want to go that route is where to get good files (other than one's own photography) that could be blown up that big.

Get one of your own photographs printed onto canvas; many professional photography printers do this now. My local shop will print a 40" by 60" for $380. The bonus is that it is a very personal piece of artwork. Other than that I'd check secondhand furniture stores.

There's probably a university, college, or community college around where you live. I would check out showings and exhibitions. Many art students also have online portfolios now, sometimes linked to the department's page. Around my school, I have seen very large canvases and posters done by students. It would probably be less expensive for you, and it would be good for the student artist as well. I'm not an art student, so I have no idea what average charges for pieces are.

Eerie timing!

NYT has an article about canvas printing, wall decal printing, and even custom sheets of wallpaper:

http://tinyurl.com/29d4dwp

There's a lot of price variation in this market; I'd suggest shopping around.

FWIW, I've used www.mpix.com for regular prints before. They have good customer service and they also do canvas/ gallery prints.

I have been on the exact same hunt for the last 6 months. Etsy was a bust for me too because there's no way to search for art of a certain size, and the site itself has become too huge to effectively navigate when you're looking for specifics. But, I digress...

For big art pieces, I've decided to create my own.
- I love all the Hubble Telescope photographs. They're beautiful, abstract, colorful images which are also public domain! All you have to do is find a high-quality place to print them (I personally haven't pulled the trigger on this yet though).
- The "DIY Color Field Inspired Painting" post that AT did last week totally won me over. I'm doing it this weekend.

www.20x200.com, I also like the Parvez Taj prints on bamboo that you can get on 2modern.com and other websites. I've seen them at Chiasso before. Sometimes I see great things at places like Pier1.

Just purchased a huge AND original painting on Etsy from womack studios. The artist, Destiny, is incredibly talented with her use of color plus her art work is amazingly affordable. The one I bought was $329 USD. See: http://www.etsy.com/transaction/31299407

I fell in love with this HUGE print of a Grecian goddess at a Michael's crafts store. It was 5 ft x 5 ft and weighed a ton... and it was $400 which was waaaaay out of my price range. I waited until they had a half off coupon and went to buy it. Because the print had been hanging up for so long and they were ready to put something new there, they gave me another half off! So I got it for $100! Yeah, it's a special case, but it wouldn't hurt to look at a craft store -- maybe they'll have something you like that they're dying to get rid of!

as a side note, the great thing about Destiny's art work is that they come in a variety of color combinations. So you're bound to find something that suits your room plus if you ever changed your decor in the future, the art piece would likely work in your new color scheme because of her frequent use of multiple colors in one piece. If you want drama, her art is drama queen.

maybe society6? http://www.society6.com
but their largest prints are around 24x36.
prices are kind of affordable.

I suggest going back to Etsy and convo-ing the photographers who took pictures that you liked on a smaller scale. Many of them probably do not have larger prints listed, because of either the higher cost of the size of the print or perceived lack of interest, but should have both the image resolution and the capability to print extra-large.

Just wanted to point out that getting decent quality framing done at a large scale can be quite costly. Although the initial payout for things like paintings on canvas can be more, it could potentially end up being cheaper once you factor in framing. Framing canvases doesn't require glass, and actually canvases often look great without a frame.

Checking out local art school shows is a great idea. Though being mid-summer, you've probably missed the end-of-the-year shows for this season. But there should be a bunch of shows throughout the year once the school year starts again.

I love large scale photography. I own the kinglet photo and it is gorgeous.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/46189142/20x30-kinglet-bird-photo
http://www.etsy.com/listing/33051036/large-photo-mosaic-stata-center-at-mit
http://www.etsy.com/listing/49611514/at-the-lake-30x30-fine-art-photograph
http://www.etsy.com/listing/27460860/figure-drawing-28-by-liva-sale
http://www.etsy.com/shop/debbiecarlos
http://www.etsy.com/listing/42877247/horse-of-course-monotype-print

I'm a big fan of photographer Sharon Montrose and she sells large-scale prints. I think her photos would look insanely great at large-scale - I own a small one of the owl, and the detail is amazing.

www.theanimalprintshop.com

Well if you like that horse print in the bedroom I recognize it from the architectural digest show in NYC this past spring. It is from www.artaddiction.com. Large prints at good prices

vintage film art is a pretty awesome bet. if you want something large and dramatic, look for original French one panel posters, which are about 45"x63" and almost always have stunning artwork. try ebay, www.filmartgallery.com, www.posteritati.com, etc. depending on the picture, the stars, and the quality of the poster, you can find some amazing deals.

The bedding is from Ikea. Brought back some memories of a few years ago when I had that spread. The spread got destroyed (thrown out) in an unfortunate cat accident but I still have the pillow cases. I dont think they have it anymore- its been several years.

Anyway, this post is timely. Ive been looking at the space on my wall, and thinking I might want a huge picture there. Those horses look perfect, since it is unlikely I will be able to afford the type of artwork I have in mind.

Ikea.

LOVE that bedroom! And also love the Dutesco horse photograph, would love one of those in my home as well.

Try iStockPhoto.com for downloadable photo options. A search for forest just got me 166,000 possibilities, so there is a lot to wade through. If you want to make a huge a print, you can download the x-large file size. The site works on a cost-per-credit system, so the largest file sizes will run you about 40 bucks.

I don't know what you consider "affordable", but a great resource for unique artwork is college and university student expo's. They sell large pieces of art that would normally go for $1000 dollars for a few hundred and you know you'll have something that no one else will!

I would suggest you take a look at your local school's calendar. They usually show in the final two months of the school year, so in March or April.

Have you tried doing a commission request on Etsy? They have a board where you can post with the scale you want and your price limits, then artists bid on the commission. They call it "Alchemy" http://www.etsy.com/alchemy/?ref=fp_nav_alchemy

Art galleries or local art walks can also be awesome, and affordable if you buy from students or emerging artists.

Kathleen: I love oversized art and have tons of wall space to fill (with really high ceilings) but haven't been able to find affordable pieces as yet - I've been searching regularly for ~6 months.

I have some basic artistic skills, so as a start, I've opted to buy large canvases (anywhere from $50-200 depending on source and finding sales) and make a piece or two of my own. It's really not that hard and has the benefit of being able to customize for your decor. Just a thought :)

I have a similar large scale art issue. I tend to get art when I travel and large scale is out of the picture for packing reasons.

In general though, I recommend waiting until you find something you love and spending a bit extra on it. We waste too much but if you wait for your dream purchase you are more likely to cherish it forever rather than toss it when you move!

Oh, one more thing - my boyfriend had the clever idea of doing a grouping of 4 paintings, framed or unframed to create the illusion of the large size. It's easier to find paintings in the 3' range to make a grouping.

It's perhaps the wrong time of year, but going to student shows at art schools is a good way to find good art for cheaper prices.

Art.com is always sending me e-mails about 25-30% off "sales"

I'm not sure if the above photo is the style you are looking for, but Ree (Pioneer Woman) has some of her photos availabe for download in high res on her site. You could probably take it to a place like Kinkos and have it enlarged to your liking.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/2009/02/free-download-redheads/
http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/category/high-res-downloads/

State Historical societies have FANTASTIC old photos and they will make prints of for you for a reasonable charge. You can search most of their photographs online by keyword to find what you want.

I had a 20x30 print of a 1890s photo of 2 farmers and their bounty printed for my kitchen from the Wisconsin Historical Society for like $70. I had to get a frame for it, but it was still a fantastic deal. And I'm pretty sure no one will have one like it!

I second the Sharon Montrose. I have 3 of her photos/prints.

www.theanimalprintshop.com

consider textiles. I have hung rugs, batiks, suzerains, Indian embroidery, etc.

Also consider maps.
Check out http://www.posterplus.com/postersprints/default.asp

This all depends on how big you need the art to be & what your budget is, of course. The posters are not expensive but the framing of any art can dramatically increase the expense.

More horses!

I've had the same dilemma, wanting something large and interesting on my wall, but I'm too cheap.

I'm thinking about using this photo from Flickr that is free to download in a large file format. It's by a German photographer and he shares his photos free to download under the Creative Common license. I was thinking about blowing it up somehow on my wall or in a frame and send him a donation for the photo.

As for frames, I've found pretty large ones, about 3 to 4 feet wide, for really cheap (<$5)at flea markets/swap meets.

I got a great original painting from an exhibition in my town on local artists. It was a great price (as they are not high profile artists, yet) and its 100% original, so you never know it could turn out to be an investment piece. Also our university holds exhibitions for its creative arts students. a lot of the pieces are for sale and they are AMAZING! i recommend sussing out your closest uni or art gallery that might host local exhibitions.

oh and the photo I found (in addition to many other great ones by this photographer in Bern, Germany) is this one:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulwb/3173296625/in/faves-20248708@N00/

maybe find a willing photographer who shares large photo files for free downloads who would be fine with having his/her photo blown up?

Marimekko prints stretched out on wood frames, or hung from rods. If you have a Crate and Barrel Outlet near you, they often carry bolts of Marimekko fabric. You can also try txtlart.com--though I have no personal experience with this website.

You can check out my work on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/lauratrevey

My Summer Breeze is abstract, bright, and colorful and comes in a Large 20" by 26" size:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/51103206/summer-breeze-giclee-on-gallery-wrapped

I welcome custom orders and would love to hear from you!
Laura Trevey
laura.trevey@gmail.com

YOU CAN MAKE LARGE PIECES OF ART BY BUYING MULTIPLE PIECES AND CREATING A GROUP. HERE IS A ARTIST ON ETSY WHOS WORK IS AFFORDABLE ........ his work has been featured on A.T. com before here:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/tree-ring-paintings-by-tracy-melton-091483

http://www.etsy.com/shop/focuslineart

Allposter.com

Their stock can be overwhelming, but if you have an idea of what you're looking for, you'll find it. I have two large prints from them (Over 4 feet wide once framed) and I love them! The prints will generally cost you more than the framing, as most of the larger pieces are photographs, not mass produced prints, but their very affordable framing cuts the cost. If you sign up for their newsletter, they always have deals where you enter a code and get a great deal off. Shipping is a lot if you're from outside the States (I'm in Toronto and pay close to $100) but I bought one of my prints with a code for free shipping, and my last one at 22% which was more than my shipping cost. Large, beautiful, non-mass produced framed photographs will cost you between 300 and close to 500 when all is said and done, but it's so worth it if you're a lover of large, bold pieces.

www.Allposters.com

Forgot the s. My mistake.

Lumas (www.lumas.com) has reasonably priced photographic art pieces that are quite large in scale.

Found a few great (large) original paintings on Etsy. Specifically, www.etsy.com/shop/YvonneWagnerStudio
I found the prices very reasonable given the size and quality. Paid around $175 for the largest (36x48). The frame ended up costing more than the art!

Another best seller: Caribbean Time
36" by 24" - only $158.00
http://www.etsy.com/listing/45254944/caribbean-time-giclee-on-gallery-wrapped

What a great post. I've been dying for great, large scale art that won't set me back a grand. I can't wait to browse all the suggested links!

@ ghanski,

Those tree ring things have gone up to $95/set of 3. You'd have to buy several sets to cover a large area of wall and have it look good... not very affordable.

ײַIkea has a couple of huge pictures that are stretched on metal frames...for images you can then get blown up, I think you can buy pictures off of Getty Images and the AP for a small charge. A large number of Pulitzer Prizewinning photos are AP :)

I love this post. My husband and I just moved from a 1 bedroom in Chicago to a 4 bedroom in Austin. We're dying for art and furniture. I'm definitely using some of these ideas and I *love* that horse photo.

cinematika, great idea!

coyotbeck, that bird photo is really bothering me...it looks dead (?).

telegramme in toronto has awesome posters- some are old, some are new, some were never released- checkout www.telegramme.ca

i have 3 of Sharon Montrose's prints, they are lovely.

Website: www.sharonmontrose.com
Blog: www.sharonmontrose.blogspot.com

I work in the photo archives of my university's library. We do oversized prints all the time at archival quality. Granted, the photos are all antiques and/or vintage, and it will take you some time to research a collection that might be interesting to you. I recommend befriending your local (or favorite) university archivist and rummaging around through some old collections until you find something stunning. Lots of libraries have digitized parts of their collections and low-resolution scans are usually available online. Also, in many cases the entire ordering and shipping process can also be done online. For a single, oversized image, your total would easily be under $100 at the library where I work. ;) Just a suggestion.

The Rasterbator! It's free. :) You upload any picture and it makes it big by turning it into dots - it says you can make a poster as big as 20 meters.

I'm not crazy about most of the examples in their gallery... but I think that's mostly about the photo selection (and the cheap paper).

Ditto a previous comment. Look for BFA and MFA programs in your area and check out their graduation thesis shows! Invest in an emerging artist --- you can find something amazing to love for ever without breaking the bank.

alisonb et al. are right - the best way to build your collection on a budget is to buy from students! I work for an art college and just bought a fabulous large painting (3 by 6 feet) from a graduating senior for $300. and the artist was so thrilled to sell one of her paintings that she gave me a bear hug when she dropped it off for me. woot.

it's almost as if this post was sent from above for me to answer. sticviews offers an artist API so that painters, photagraphers and vector artists can sell their art online. this would be great for large wall murals. they also allow for you to upload any image to print.

Does anyone have a source for the horse print shown? I tried artaddictioninc.com as someone mentioned and it's there. I also tried Dutesco's Sable Island gallery and it's not there either. Something similar(a close up of several horses) would work too! Thanks!;)

*not there

someone already mentioned this but it worked really well for me -- i bought some cool fabric at ikea and then had it stretched and framed. people always comment on it and i think it looks great. that way you can have the size fit whatever size you want.

As a photographer on Etsy I never list prints at a large size but I am always open to print one of my peices at a larger size. In fact I have done two such peices, one of which I also had framed for the customer.

http://www.henatayeb.etsy.com

Not sure what is considered "affordable" but you can do some searching on these sites:

www.20x200.com
www.muralsyourway.com
www.beholder-art.com
www.gallerydirect.com
www.ugallery.com

I work for a printer, and if you have images high-resolution enough, we print on paper for about $4/sqft. Not too shabby! Also, for black and white prints, you could also find a blueprint shop. (We do both!)

I also check out thrift stores, I found a HUGE (4x4) print of that guy who does amazing landscape photos (and has a gallery on Pier 39 in sf?) for like $40 yesterday.

If you love the western/wild horse theme www.thepioneerwoman.com offers a lot off free high res downloads here: http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/category/printable-photos/ . You would just need to download and get them printed and/or framed.

AZLove84: Did you look at this gallery:
http://dutescoart.com/gallery/sablehorses/index.html

The exact photo isn't there, but if 'something similar' is fine, maybe you'd like one of those (there are 4 pages of photos).

I just discovered that the Library of Congress has photos you can download for free (!). Some of them are high res enough that you could blow them up to a poster size print...

http://www.loc.gov/pictures

If you find an etsy print you like, don't be afraid to ask them if you could buy a larger size. I did that very recently and the seller took the original painting to a print shop and got back to me with size, price and paper options. I told him which one I wanted and he had it enlarged for me. Never hurts to ask for what you want. There are also lots of online frame shops that will make any size frame you need.

make a poster yourself:

http://www.blockposters.com/

i tried it with a close up of my dog's face, everybody loves it.

I really love the artwork of a well-known canadian artist called Deirdre McCay. Her latest collection is all horses.
You can order limited-edition prints up to 36" x 36" and they are very affordable..prints appear to range from $60-$300.

If you are referred to her by somebody else, and send her a message with code HORSE01, she gives 25% discount on top of it!!

www.deirdremccay.com

I do large,custom Urban art paintings as well....

http://urbansoule.com

http://www.md-canvas.com

Modern Canvas. Large scale, designs that are actually cool and free shipping.

Just popping in to say Thank You so much for mentioning my photo, Coyotbeck!!! :)

And, Kathleen, I hope you were able to find what you were looking for! Sometimes adding in the dimensions you're looking for can help in Etsy searchers - it can be hard to find things! :)
Amy

coyotbeck posted:
I love large scale photography. I own the kinglet photo and it is gorgeous.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/46189142/20x30-kinglet-bird-photo
http://www.etsy.com/listing/33051036/large-photo-mosaic-stata-center-at-mit
http://www.etsy.com/listing/49611514/at-the-lake-30x30-fine-art-photograph
http://www.etsy.com/listing/27460860/figure-drawing-28-by-liva-sale
http://www.etsy.com/shop/debbiecarlos
http://www.etsy.com/listing/42877247/horse-of-course-monotype-print

posted by coyotbeck on July 14th 2010 at 5:35pm
view coyotbeck's profile

the website
thebagpipe.net
has some great large 24x36 brigette bardou gold framed prints, I got one I love and everyone asks me where I got it

I'm a well-known contemporary artist that paints original oversized paintings up to 48"x72" single gallery wrapped canvases at very reasonable prices and can ship anywhere within the US, Canada and some International Locations: http://www.madartdesigns.com

Special section for "Oversized Art" that is 48"x36" or larger: http://www.madartdesigns.com/oversized-original-paintings.html