How To Hang Your New Artwork

An artwork can give a beautiful look to your room. Hanging a new artwork might seem like a simple task. But, there are certain things you need to take care of before hanging your new artwork on the wall. Placing it in the wrong position can ruin the overall decor of the room. This post will guide you through how to hang wall art like a professional.

I create different types of artwork: original paintings, fine art prints and framed paintings. Most of the original paintings I create weigh around 3 kgs, while framed prints under glass weigh around 5 kgs. Here are some tips on how to hang a new artwork:

1. Size

When positioning and hanging artworks, the first important thing you need to take into consideration is the size of your painting. Wall art with the right size and dimensions can anchor your room. A rule of thumb is the wall art should take up 60% to 75% of the available wall space. 

This includes the wall space that isn’t occupied with furniture or shelving. Talking about the art’s size, bigger is considered as better. So, you can consider a large canvas wall art can enhance your room decor. If you are considering small size artworks, that’s also fine but group them together to create the feeling of a larger piece.

2. Hang at an eye-level

Another aspect to consider is to hang single artwork pieces at eye level. A rule of thumb is to hang your artwork 60 inches from the centre to the floor. If your artwork will go just above furniture, make sure to hang it 4 to 6 inches above. And if it will go above sofa or console, it should be around ⅔ width of the furniture.

3. Tools you will require

Make sure you have all the tools or hardware in one place before hanging the wall art. Most of these tools would be available within your home. You will require a hammer, measuring tape or large ruler, a level, pencil, hanger, nail hole & corner filler and drywall anchor.

4. Considerations for hanging the artwork

This includes measurements and artwork placements. Measure the frame and make placements accordingly. Take measurements and consider hanging it 60 inches from the centre to the floor. This is an average eye height of an adult. Before the final artwork placement, you may want to check it from a distance. For that, you can cut out frame sizes from paper and tape and place them on the wall, stand back and judge from a distance. For accuracy in adjustments, you can make use of a level.

5. Hanging the wall art

Coming to the main part i.e., hanging on the wall. Hanging a new artwork can be done in three simple steps: measuring the frame, transferring it to the wall and attaching the hanging hardware. In the above section, I have already talked about the ideal artwork placement. After measuring the frame, transfer it to the wall. Then, you can attach the hanging hardware for the final fix.

So, this is a very simple walk-through on how to hang wall art and I hope it helps. Next time I'll delve deeply into the specialised hanging equipment available for larger and heavier artworks.