I thought it might be useful to write a little note about sizing, mainly because I would find it helpful if it weren’t for the occupational hazard of already being intimately acquainted with paper sizes. Whenever I am considering buying art online, even for me it can be a struggle to imagine the correct size. I am very much a visual person (obvs haha) and appreciate a visual reference, so here we go.
I have been using a few standard paper sizes in my practice throughout this year. Initially I was really into A2 (594 x 420mm) - big enough to get sort of loose and also make a reasonable impact, but portable and not intimidating. I also liked A5 (210 x 148mm) for the minis because I liked the fact that these were easy and low pressure. Standard A-series paper sizing also has the benefit that it will fit into pre-made frames.
Since about the middle of the year, my preference has shifted to a larger size for the big works. For some reason, instead of A1 (841 x 594mm), the art shops stock a slightly different (but for all intents and purposes very similar) size, 900 x 640mm. I’m finding these way nicer to work on now than the A2, which suddenly feels very constraining - it’s very much all about what you get used to!
My preference for the large original works is to always sell these either mounted onto an MDF box board or framed professionally in a floating style. For the box board, these are made by Frames by Daniel - I get them made slightly smaller in order to have wiggle room during the mounting process, so the final result is 880 x 620mm. When framing, the floating frame is best practice for original works on paper, and it looks tres chic, the final dimensions end up being 720 x 530mm.
I’ve also now started making minis in A4 (297 x 210mm), which I’ve discovered I actually prefer over the A5 size, in terms of the shapes that can be made on the larger surface. I think it’s nice to have both on offer though, so I will continue to make the A5s as well.
Now, at the risk of shooting myself in the foot here, I will say this: I think my work looks better bigger (please note, I refer to my more involved works, not the minis which I love in the smaller size). I have made A3 and A4 printed reproductions of my A2 and A1-ish works and they just do not hit the same. I wish they did... but I don't feel it really does them justice. I feel these smaller sizes are more appropriate for markets, which is why I got them made, but in this case bigger does actually equal better. It's entirely possible I'm going to quietly discontinue these smaller sizes outside of market settings.
Anyway, I'm just sharing things as they come up in hope they might help or at least interest someone, so if either of those things are true for you, or if you have any questions about sizing, I'd love to hear from you! x