How to Find And Frame Vintage Art Prints


I am excited about today’s blog post because it’s such an easy and budget-friendly idea to add life, personality, and interest to your home. We’re talking all about finding, printing, and framing vintage art prints. Plus, I even have a super easy hack to make your vintage art look more realistic!

Nursery updates with a three month old baby
Rory’s Room with Art By My Great-Grandmother

Of course, I love original art. I’ve found some amazing pieces for our home at flea markets and thrift stores. Plus, I have art painted by my great-grandmother and my grandfather hung throughout our home. But, digital art is another avenue to explore when you’re finding art for your walls.

Digital Art Prints – Old & New

How to choose the best rug for your space
Our Main Bedroom

One of the great things about the internet is that art is more accessible than ever before. You can find digital art prints, new and old, to download and add to your walls or even your Frame TV – as I showcase in this blog post! However, there are some things to know when it comes to digital art, so that you can buy and display it in an ethical way, while honoring the artist.

Searching The Public Domain

Gallery wall in a bathroom
Our Basement Bathroom

Ever since I read this post by Pretty on Fridays, my eyes have been opened to the world of art and how itโ€™s copyrighted. Essentially, an artist owns the copyright to their piece until they die, plus an additional 70 years. After that, it is available in the public domain. Many of the art shops that you see on Etsy and online, take these art pieces that are no longer copyrighted, edit them, strip them of any credit to the original artist, and sell them at an insane markup. Iโ€™ve fallen prey to this, even buying some vintage prints from shops that use these methods.

But don’t fret if you want to get your hands on vintage art prints. I found this public domain print shop and love her mission. This blogger curates the content, honors the artists, and still offers these gorgeous pieces for FREE! This post goes into more detail about the process and how it all works. Whenever I need a new piece for my home, I browse through the hundreds of fantastic pieces, read up on the artists and the stories behind each piece, and download what speaks to me.

My Go-To Spot for New Art Prints

Our new living room gallery wall
Our Living Room Gallery Wall

If I’m looking for current art prints, I’m a big fan of Juniper Print Shop. They offer digital downloads as well as physical prints, depending on your needs. They work with independent artists to license their work, so the artists are paid a commission for each of the prints sold. They also have a vintage collection and purchase commercial rights to these whenever possible. They provide attribution to the original artist too, which I appreciate.

Finding a New Piece for Our Bathroom

the vintage art prints hung in our main bathroom
$25 Flea Market Find in Our Main Bathroom Reveal

Our first-floor bathroom has needed a little refresh for quite some time now. I had a painting in here that I adored, which I found at a flea market for $25. I moved it up to our main bathroom and it looks phenomenal up there over the toilet.

Our first floor bathroom
Our First Floor Bathroom

But its disappearance left our first-floor bathroom feeling a little sad. I vowed to find a new piece of art to hang.

how to find vintage art prints online

After searching the public domain, I stumbled upon this gorgeous piece of art. It was painted in the late 1800s by Alexander Helwig Wyant and is called “End of Summer.” I was instantly drawn to the pretty blue and green color palette in the piece.

How to Print Vintage Art Prints

Since I was able to download it for free, the only real cost to obtain the art was the printing. And, spoiler alert, it only cost me $4.18! Personally, I’ve had a lot of luck using FedEx Office. I uploaded the file directly to their site for printing.

how to print vintage art prints at Fedex Office

Just upload as a “custom product” and then be sure to change the size, based on your frame. For me, I chose 11″ x 17″, knowing I would have to cut a bit off the sides to fit my 11″ x 14″ frame. You can then choose your card stock. I upgraded to water resistant so it would withstand moisture in the bathroom. But if you’re putting it elsewhere in your home, you could just go with thicker card stock.

Making It Look Old

My new vintage art prints

My print was ready in a few hours and the employee even told me how much she loved it when I picked it up. That made me feel good! Once I got it home, I wanted to try a new-to-me technique to give my print some texture.

Using mod podge to make a new print look old

I grabbed some Mod Podge in a matte finish and realized it was so old that the top was glued completely shut. Not wanting to run to the store to get more, I took a knife to the bottle and cut it open. That worked like a charm!

paint brush over the painting

I then took a paint brush, dipped it in the glue, and started painting over the print. I used back-and-forth strokes, going in a bunch of different directions. My hope was that it would give the print a textured look so it would look like it was actually painted and not just printed on a flat piece of paper.

The glue drying on the paper

As it dried, I got kinda nervous. The glue was looking kinda globby and I started second-guessing myself. As with most DIY projects I do, I asked myself, “What’s the worst that can happen?” If it didn’t work, I would just spend another $4 for a new print.

My vintage art prints

Luckily, it dried just fine and I got that textured surface look that I wanted!

My Favorite “Vintage” Frame

My favorite vintage frame

I love the look of vintage art prints in ornate frames to really drive home that old antique look. This gold frame is a favorite of mine. It’s new, of course, but the detailing gives it that vintage feel. I have this frame in multiple areas around our house and it’s a winner. For this project, I opted for the 11×14 size in bronze.

How to find and frame vintage art prints

Since I wanted to show off the textured look of the piece and make it look like a real painting, I removed the glass and mat from the frame and set them aside for a future project. I then cut my print to the exact size and popped it right in.

The End Result

My new vintage art prints framed in a gold frame

I was shocked by how great this turned out! Guys, I only spent $4 on the art and another $20 for the frame. It’s a large piece (11×14) and looks so real!

Hanging vintage art prints around your home
Frame // Art // Marble Tray // Candle // Planter // Match Striker // Shelf (from a local boutique)

It adds so much life and color to our space. Rory noticed it immediately and told me she likes it. So that’s a win in my book.

Hanging vintage art prints in the bathroom

The frame is so light without the glass, so I just used Command Strips to secure it to the wall. I thought about leaning it on the shelf (I love that look), but since this is a bathroom that the kids and all of our guests use, I don’t want anything ever toppling down on someone!

How to print and frame vintage art prints

All in all, I’m so happy with our new piece in the bathroom and I think I’ll be adding more vintage art prints around our home using the mod podge technique!

Our First-Floor Bathroom – Sources

Our first floor bathroom

Paint Color: Sherwin Williams HGTV Home โ€œClary Sageโ€ //ย Floor Tileย //ย Black Faucetย //ย Brass Vanity Lightย //ย Flushmount Fixtureย //ย Towel Hookย //ย Toilet Paper Roll Holderย //ย Shower Curtainย // Shelf (vintage) //ย Match Stick Holderย //ย Towelsย //ย DIY Wood Wallย //ย Wood Mirror (similar)ย //ย Soap Dispenserย //ย Cloe Tileย //ย Shower Trim Packageย //ย Shampoo & Conditioner Bottlesย // Frame // Art // Marble Tray // Candle // Planter

More Art Posts

I’ve done a lot of art posts here on the blog if you need more resources and ideas for your walls. Here’s a big list to peruse…

Casey


The Year of Casey

Hey there!

Iโ€™m Casey Finn, the voice behind The DIY Playbook. I’m a Chicago gal teaching you how to design, DIY, and maintain your home…by yourself! Learn more about me right here.