3 Tips on How to Make Metal Wall Art
- How to Make Metal Wall Art
- Tip 1: Use Uncomplicated Images
- Tip 2: Post-Process for Vibrant Colors
- Tip 3: Display Strategically
- More Ideas on How to Make Metal Wall Art
- Recommended Photography Gear
- Custom Print on Metal: 4 Options to Consider
- Why Metal Prints are Great for Landscape Photos
- Try These Metal Print Options for Your Next Photo
Metal wall art is one of my favorite ways to display photos as enlargements…
Artbeat Studios has the solutions you need concerning how to make metal wall art. They also make high-quality acrylic prints, Giclee canvas prints, and archival quality paper prints and offer image enhancement if desired, plus various mounting methods.
In other words, Artbeat Studios is a one-stop shop for your printing needs! Let’s take a closer look at their metal wall art services.
Table of Contents:
How to Make Metal Wall Art
My first thoughts on how to make metal wall art center around these questions: What is metal wall art in the first place? And how does one make metal photographs as enlargements to hang on a wall?
Metal prints are just like what that label sounds like, photographic prints on metal. Artbeat Studios is a premium photographic printer specializing in unique and extremely high-quality processes and materials.
Let’s see how they do it!
Making a metal print is a multi-step process using dye sublimation, Epson printers and their archival inks, Chromaluxe aluminum sheets, and highly trained technicians/artisans doing the work.
Here is a YouTube video from their channel that gives a brief overview of the process:
The way dye sublimation metal printing works at Artbeat Studios is the image is first printed on a dye sublimation Epson transfer paper. You can specify your colors and exposure values in Adobe RGB 1998 color space or opt for the enhancement from Artbeat's trained artisans.
That transfer paper is then sandwiched into a sheet of near-perfect polished Chromaluxe aluminum. Heat and pressure are expertly applied, effectively pushing the inks into the metal. The aluminum is available in 6 finishes.
A recent test report (PDF) shows that Chromaluxe brand metal prints have more than three times better permanence than Kodak silver halide paper prints, resisting fading for over 65 years!
Now that you know what a metal print is, and the nuts and bolts side of how to make metal wall art, here are three helpful tips for making your own metal wall art enlargements.
Tip 1: Use Uncomplicated Images
photo by LeticiaWoest via iStock
Part of the appeal of metal prints is the extremely low-profile display they present. The sharpness and surface sheens available are the other aspects of their appeal.
With these things in mind, I’ve found that a simple composition of an uncomplicated subject is ideal for how to make metal wall art. Since a simple composition is often a powerful presentation tool, this type of image is a great fit for metal prints.
A simple composition or uncluttered subject matter doesn’t rule out creativity, go ahead and browse through your images to see what subjects you have that will fit well with creating metal enlargements from your photographs.
Tip 2: Post-Process for Vibrant Colors
photo by borchee via iStock
Look at the online image gallery and notice how so many photos have vibrant, exciting colors. Some may be monochromatic, while others use either contrasting or complementary colors, but almost all of them are simple in their color treatment, just as the compositions are usually simple.
One note, a Black & White image can be a very powerful display when made into a metal print. Whether it was processed for extreme contrast, warm or cool blacks, or any level of chiaroscuro, an excellent B&W photo makes an awesome metal print.
Tip 3: Display Strategically
My final tip on how to make metal wall art is to display it correctly. As mentioned above, the large flat expanse of a metal print offers unique display options that wouldn’t work as effectively with other types of prints.
You can mount them to your wall singly or as part of a gallery display and strategically direct the lighting for them. The wall aluminum mount option with an inset for hiding the mount is my personal favorite. It makes it appear that the metal enlargement is floating against the wall.
Since the metal prints are stiff, they can also be placed on a desk or tabletop with a slotted or grooved block. Other options from Artbeat Studios include a floating frame and a box frame.
More Ideas on How to Make Metal Wall Art
My final tip for how to make metal wall art is to completely discount the above tips and try out whatever you want to do.
Seriously, as good as the metal prints are from Artbeat Studios, just about anything you print as metal will probably look fantastic!