What size of painting is right?
When painting in oils on canvas or wood, generally the size of the painting is determined by the size of the canvas or wood panel you buy. You will then need to have a stock of all the sizes you might wish to paint. You can of course create your own canvas or wood panel in any size you like. This work (like framing) takes a lot of time and effort and leaves you with less time to paint.
When painting in watercolour (goache or acrylic) on paper the decision on size is easier. You just cut the paper to the size you want. You can buy watercolour paper in pads of differing sizes, but often the quality is not good. I buy my paper (Arches, Fabriano, Saunders) in sheets of 78cm by 56cm. I use 140lb (300gsm) which I cut into smaller sizes and 300lb (640 gsm), which I use for large paintings.
But what size is right?
Metric or Imperial Frames.
I started thinking in frame sizes early on. It seemed A4 was an easy size of frame to buy. So I cut my paper to A4 size. After a while I had quite a few of A4 sized paintings, framed up in cheap and cheerful frames. However, the A4 size is metric, whereas the paper is sold in imperial sizes, so there is a certain amount of wastage. This was also true when I moved to A3.
I stopped using the cheap frames, as the quality was often poor and started to get my paintings framed professionally by a local framer. Now that each painting is individually framed, I don’t need to keep to the standard sizes. This gives me more freedom. For instance, before I only got two A3 size pages from the large sheet, with a lot of wastage, I now get four nearly A3 pages with no wastage. Using a slightly wider mount they look the same size on the wall.
Therefore one aspect of the question is the ease of framing versus the cost of paper wastage, and the imperial / metric issue is relevant here also.
Likely hanging space
The other thing is to try to understand what size the customer wants. That’s virtually impossible (unless its’ a commission), but if we try to think where the buyer might hang the painting, it gets easier.
Certain images work well in the study/office, detailed ones I think, that will be viewed close up. These can be small. Street scenes, studies of boats, bicycles, cars, tractors etc, work well in small – A4, or 20cm by 20cm square, or even smaller.
Almost everyone has a painting over the mantlepiece, this is usually large. This will be viewed from further back, and should be less detailed. Seascapes, mountains, woodland, and also abstract, will work well, in the larger sizes. These could be one meter or more when framed.
On walls in bedrooms, dining rooms and hallways, A4 and A3 work well. I sell a lot of A4, and fewer A3, which I think end up in these spaces.
Exhibition spaces
Another consideration is the exhibition space. I have a solo exhibition coming up later in the year in a very large space. Small paintings will be lost in such a space, so I am working on a series of A3 and bigger paintings for the exhibition.
Your own mood on the day
Finally there’s yourself, and what you want to do, today. I often do an A4 painting of the scene I’m working with, which if it turns out ok, and while I still have the paint on the palette, I do a larger one immediately.
If I am feeling free and easy I like to paint large waves, the full size of the sheet of paper. I have to control myself, though, because, these ‘over the mantlepiece’ paintings have a smaller market.
When I just don’t know what to paint next, of if I’m just not in the mood, I will do something small, probably based on a detailed drawing.
It is good, I think to have available a mixture of sizes. I have a wide selection of smaller sized paintings, and I try not to have too many larger ones.
April 2023 blog
What size of painting is right?
When painting in oils on canvas or wood, generally the size of the painting is determined by the size of the canvas or wood panel you buy. You will then need to have a stock of all the sizes you might wish to paint. You can of course create your own canvas or wood panel in any size you like. This work (like framing) takes a lot of time and effort and leaves you with less time to paint.
When painting in watercolour (goache or acrylic) on paper the decision on size is easier. You just cut the paper to the size you want. You can buy watercolour paper in pads of differing sizes, but often the quality is not good. I buy my paper (Arches, Fabriano, Saunders) in sheets of 78cm by 56cm. I use 140lb (300gsm) which I cut into smaller sizes and 300lb (640 gsm), which I use for large paintings.
But what size is right?
Metric or Imperial Frames.
I started thinking in frame sizes early on. It seemed A4 was an easy size of frame to buy. So I cut my paper to A4 size. After a while I had quite a few of A4 sized paintings, framed up in cheap and cheerful frames. However, the A4 size is metric, whereas the paper is sold in imperial sizes, so there is a certain amount of wastage. This was also true when I moved to A3.
I stopped using the cheap frames, as the quality was often poor and started to get my paintings framed professionally by a local framer. Now that each painting is individually framed, I don’t need to keep to the standard sizes. This gives me more freedom. For instance, before I only got two A3 size pages from the large sheet, with a lot of wastage, I now get four nearly A3 pages with no wastage. Using a slightly wider mount they look the same size on the wall.
Therefore one aspect of the question is the ease of framing versus the cost of paper wastage, and the imperial / metric issue is relevant here also.
Likely hanging space
The other thing is to try to understand what size the customer wants. That’s virtually impossible (unless its’ a commission), but if we try to think where the buyer might hang the painting, it gets easier.
Certain images work well in the study/office, detailed ones I think, that will be viewed close up. These can be small. Street scenes, studies of boats, bicycles, cars, tractors etc, work well in small – A4, or 20cm by 20cm square, or even smaller.
Almost everyone has a painting over the mantlepiece, this is usually large. This will be viewed from further back, and should be less detailed. Seascapes, mountains, woodland, and also abstract, will work well, in the larger sizes. These could be one meter or more when framed.
On walls in bedrooms, dining rooms and hallways, A4 and A3 work well. I sell a lot of A4, and fewer A3, which I think end up in these spaces.
Exhibition spaces
Another consideration is the exhibition space. I have a solo exhibition coming up later in the year in a very large space. Small paintings will be lost in such a space, so I am working on a series of A3 and bigger paintings for the exhibition.
Your own mood on the day
Finally there’s yourself, and what you want to do, today. I often do an A4 painting of the scene I’m working with, which if it turns out ok, and while I still have the paint on the palette, I do a larger one immediately.
If I am feeling free and easy I like to paint large waves, the full size of the sheet of paper. I have to control myself, though, because, these ‘over the mantlepiece’ paintings have a smaller market.
When I just don’t know what to paint next, of if I’m just not in the mood, I will do something small, probably based on a detailed drawing.
It is good, I think to have available a mixture of sizes. I have a wide selection of smaller sized paintings, and I try not to have too many larger ones.
