Where to purchase an anniversary picture?

July 8, 2005 12:40 AM

I'm looking to buy an original drawing/painting for my S.O. for an upcoming anniversary. My budget is small ($50ish) and I'm not looking for anything abstract or capital-A art...

I'm fond of the drawings at explodingdog, and I'm considering some of those ink and paper prints. I'm wondering if there are other sites out there with similar artwork--simple sketches, line drawings, words & phrases are all okay. Posted anonymously so as not to spoil the surprise...

posted by anonymous to media & arts (17 comments total)

Ebay, believe it or not, has a lot of original stuff at good prices. I'm no expert, but you could start at http://search.ebay.com/art_Self-Representing-Artists_W0QQcatrefZC12QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQsacatZ20158 or so, and see if anything looks "right."

Exploding Dog's a good idea, too; much as I love him, I would never have thought of it.
posted by electric_counterpoint at 1:18 AM on July 8, 2005

Painting a Day sells his pictures for $100.
posted by Navek Rednam at 2:20 AM on July 8, 2005

tiny showcase or for something larger, the bird machine?
posted by gac at 3:15 AM on July 8, 2005

You could paint something yourself. E.g. something like this
posted by jonesor at 3:16 AM on July 8, 2005

Damn it, I knew I should have listed my crap in Self Representing Artists on eBay yesterday. Though, my stuff doesn't fit the non-abstract clause.

Support a starving artist. Look for something you like in the Self Representing section on eBay, hopefully with a good feedback record.

Or look up your nearest artist's village. Art can be obtained insanely cheap. Look for their Art Walk or Open House/Studio schedules.

If you need help searching, email me with your locality. I won't tell anyone who you are.

Or paint something yourself. Art is best when it's personal. Give it a go.

Tangentially, my GF has two huge Exploding Dog montages she printed for herself at the poster shop she used to work at. They're awesome. It's one of the many things that clinched her as an actual GF for me the first time I visited her colorful place.

Related to that, for around $50 bucks you could even use MS Paint to doodle something meaningful to you and your SO and have it printed small or large, even at Kinko's - though I would strongly suggest taking your work to a local print house. Kinko's has enough money and has screwed up enough jobs to last them for years.

The going rate for large-format inkjet prints is about $5.00-7.50 USD per square foot on quality papers, organic or synthetic. Mounting to various boardstocks is additional.
posted by loquacious at 3:35 AM on July 8, 2005

Go on down to your local art school. Wander around. You'll find something you like, and you'll find someone who will be damn glad to make a sale. If I had had money when I was in school, I'd have a wonderful collection now.
posted by bricoleur at 5:12 AM on July 8, 2005

Art schools often have student shows at which you can buy art quite cheaply. For example, the Ontario College of Art and Design (in Toronto) has student sales at least a few times a year, and these kids had to be very talented and accomplished just to get into the school. Imagine how skilled they'll be after three or four years.
posted by orange swan at 5:14 AM on July 8, 2005

Comic Art Collective!
They've got Johnny Ryan originals, most between $15 and $50. Martin Cendreda stuff goes for $30.
posted by ibeji at 5:25 AM on July 8, 2005

I have a painting by Andy Lee on my wall, I think his stuff is pretty cool.
posted by chunking express at 6:01 AM on July 8, 2005

catia chien sells art prints for thirty dollars. erika moen also draws great illustrations, but i think you'd have to contact her through email about actually buying one. not sure that's the look you're going for, but maybe. if you like comics and want a fairly cheap print, john pham sells some from-comics and promos posters for under ten dollars. i would also suggest natalie dee since you like explodingdog, but it seems like she only sells her paintings and they're more than you want to spend, and merchandise like tshirts and tote bags...jeffrey brown sells posters too, but i get the feeling that might not fly unless someone's already a fan of the books. i think matt madden is really great, but i get the feeling his stuff is probably not on sale for the general public, or is way too expensive maybe. sara varon doesn't seem to be selling posters, but she mentions you can inquire through email about items not listed. in fact, all of those comics artists do. nick bertozzi, alex robinson, and alison cole also come to mind. and now that i look, robert ullman is selling prints at a surprisingly reasonable price (i saw some for about 25).
posted by ifjuly at 6:49 AM on July 8, 2005

there's also that guy who does the creatures inside my head, and the guy posted on mefi who draws monkeys with hats on. i'm sorry i'm not more specific than that...i need coffee...adrian tomine too, but last i checked his drawings were going for 400 dollars a pop...
posted by ifjuly at 6:51 AM on July 8, 2005

America Oh Yes! has been my source of inexpensive folk/outside art for a while now. If your tastes run in this vein, you can get some good deals. I bought a lot of C.M. Laster's stuff and enjoy it greatly.
posted by bobot at 7:01 AM on July 8, 2005

Check out Novica.com for paintings also. They have a pretty wide price range, and several cool items in your range
posted by darsh at 7:11 AM on July 8, 2005

I've mounted some of my watercolored line drawings in 10" square oak shadow boxes if you like the style - tounge in cheek, very simple. They can be hung on a wall or sat on a shelf. They go for $49. Email me if you're interested, they are here.
posted by yoga at 9:00 AM on July 8, 2005

Jamie Dee Galley does tiny request paintings for $5 occasionally through his LJ and they're neat as hell.

They look really nice in a huge square frame with a mat cut for it, leaving a lot of white space. I've got two so far. Maybe you could get two or three of things that remind you of her, cut a three up mat for them and put them in a big frame.
posted by Gucky at 9:19 AM on July 8, 2005

Let me third art school! ART SCHOOL! ART SCHOOL! Actually, it doesn't even have to be an art school. Any university has an art department!

My S.O. is an artist, about to be enrolled in the #1 ranked grad program for his discipline, selling small pieces for thousands of dollars, and there are plenty of people who bought stuff from him a few years ago for $50. It's a win-win situation. You get a great piece of art that may go up in value, he gets to eat for a few days. Plus, you're supporting your local art scene.
posted by lalalana at 9:26 AM on July 8, 2005

If your S.O. likes birds, check out Scissor Tales or Language Arts (same site, diff artist)
posted by bloomicy at 5:50 PM on July 14, 2005