MyPicture Wall Art: Review
I often get asked to review wall art of different kinds and just before Christmas I had a bit of a brainwave when a request came in from MyPicture.co.uk, I asked the lovely William Allen from KernowinFocus to take on the job of being chief reviewer and he kindly agreed. So for today it is over to Will and his review:
I am always looking out for a service to create something special to hang on my wall and the opportunity to test some products from Mypicture.co.uk was exciting.
I decided to pick a medium sized canvas and an image printed onto aluminium as I could see both being a great way to show off my photographs.
The packaging arrived and the products were very well protected inside bubble wrap. Just as well as the courier firm looked like they had stood on the box leaving footprints and nice dents in the cardboard.
So what are the products like? Well, they are currently on my wall but there were a few compromises you may like to know, so let’s run through it.
Canvas
For the canvas, I picked a photograph of my son I took in the studio with an old Victorian chair.
I was pleased to see that the canvas frame was made of nice clean timber and the corners were neatly folded and stapled on the reverse. However, it is very noticeable that on the dark image the material is pulled tight causing marks down the sides in line with the frame. On lighter canvases, I don’t see this as much, either it’s a side effect of the darkness or the actual framing process. Either way, it does not seem to improve with any amount of effort to remove them.
While we are talking about the darkness/brightness of this image I will add that this is a reprint from the company. The canvas was so dark (unlike the supplied photo) that I had to contact the customer services and ask for it to be fixed. They were brilliant at resolving this but be aware that any communication to their email will take 24 hours to have a reply.
As a photographer, I spend a lot of time and money ensuring that my equipment is calibrated for colour tones, brightness and cropping areas I want. I have noticed that while the colours are vivid on the canvas the colours don’t match my original tones.
Having said this I will probably be looking at the small things in far greater detail than most people due to my profession. For most people wanting a cheap option to put an image on the wall it’s a great service and a fab price for the size of the items. I would just suggest that especially if they are for gifts you wont go wrong as long as you bear this in mind.
- Keep the image light
- Expect some colour shift may occur
- Any issues will be resolved but it will take time (the company has good customer service if any issues should occur)
Aluminium
The next product I picked was an image from one of the weddings I photographed last year and rather than print on a canvas an option to print onto metal was curious.
It’s amazing to print on metal and I have no idea how they do it. The product feels weighty and solid and arrives with a bright blue film adhered to the image which you have to peel off to reveal your image.
It is very reflective, just getting this image for you without lights, windows or any of the studio reflecting in it took me longer than I ever imaged it could take. It’s worth considering this when placing on a wall, while it looks great it’s not going to be for everyone.
This product needs to have the fixing added at the checkout. Without it, you are going to have a real issue finding a way to hang it on a wall. The wall bracket is metal with a sticky back and comes with 2 rubber feet for the bottom corners.
Yet again with this product the colours have been altered at printing stage to give more bold, vibrant tones. For most this would be fine but I know that my original was edited as a matte styled image so I know the image is nowhere near what I ordered despite looking amazing.
Extra Information
Importantly the website often runs offers that either help or mess up the pricing when you try to apply a coupon code at the checkout. Sometimes I had to wait 24 hours before purchasing as I needed a timer banner to run out at the top of the site so I could apply my coupon code. A bit frustrating if you are on the clock to buy a present for someone and your discount beats the current website offer.
The website is super easy to add items and step through the stages to pick your product and options. I don’t fully understand, but the company is also linked with “Trusted Shops”. After the checkout stage, you can opt to protect your order for free for up to a value of £2500. But understand or not it adds an additional piece of mind especially when using the company for the first time.
At these prices, it’s purely a wonderful service with some really nice products. They are nicely made and feel solid and durable. (Most people wouldn’t notice the difference between the print and the original digital image unless it’s really scrutinised). These products I ordered look fab on my wall for visitors and friends to see. I know they are not quite as I had intended in colour, contrast and tone but you have to weigh up if you would be personally be bothered by that or not.
You can check out MyPicture.co.uk online, where you can view the different types of wall art they offer.
Does MyPicture.co.uk sound like a website you could utilise at all?
Wow, those are gorgeous! I love canvas prints, I am in the process of ordering one for my husband’s birthday.
I actually love My Picture UK and used it a lot in the past before blogging as presents for friends and my foster mum! I actually need to order some canvases soon for some friends birthdays and My Picture is the perfect place to order from x
I have photos that I would love to have printed on canvas, but because they are too many, I will have to make time to decide on the “perfect” one. I haven’t seen anything printed on metal so that is also something new to me. I am just thinking how much maintenance it would need to keep it from looking like new.
We love having our photos framed. Love how the canvas turned out. It really looks good and the quality. Will have to give the canvas a try after seeing how well yours turned out!
I think it would be a website i’d use! I don’t have my own flat yet but for sure i would love to have some canvas up on the wall!
I hope one day when you have your own place you can decorate it with all the art and photos you could wish for.
I really like the sound of the metal wall art – I’m moving house soon and want to do a wall of images so this may be a really good idea. The canvas print showing the frame is quite disappointing though. Items like that aren’t cheap so you expect a high quality.
C x
I’ve seen some beautiful walls of images they look like such fun things to do – I hope you find the best way to put yours together.
I love that people now have easy ways like this to use their own photos to decorate. I’d like to redo a wall in my living room with photos I took.
It is fantastic isn’t it – I think it is probably one of the main ways people do print their photos now.
I love finding new wall art companies so will definitely have a look at MyPicture next time I’m buying something. I love both prints you have, especially the aluminium one. It’s good to know they have good customer service and fix any problems too.
They are both so different aren’t they – I’m so glad I asked Will to have a try as he knows so much more than when it comes to photos.
Wow, those look like they are really great quality. What a perfect addition to a gallery wall, or a statement piece.
I’ve been planning on creating a gallery wall in my living room for a while now, so I’ll definitely need to check that website out! I love the idea of putting a picture on metal; I’ve never heard of that before so would definitely be a unique piece to add to my home!
It is such a unique ideas isn’t it – I think it is nice you can look to get things over than canvas these days.
These are so unique and i will defo look into getting one of my own!
I love a canvas print, we have a ton of them around my home. They are a great way to capture our family moments. I would totally check them out.
I really need to have more photos like this. My wedding photos are hung up like this.
I really love this framing technique. It adds so much to a room.
I worked with a couple of canvas companies last year and the quality was impressive. I am loving mypicture.co.uk I will definitely check them out
I have seen this canvas thing become really popular among many of my friends. Really makes the photo come alive.
They really do in some ways – I have some lovely ones myself around the home.
Wow that canvas is such a great quality! I need something to go over the sofa in my living area, so I bet something like that would be perfect!
I used to have a canvas over our sofa where we used to live and it is such a nice way to display something.
That aluminum pic would make a nice gift. I love gifting grandparents and loved ones who live far away with quality pics of the kids and My Picture looks like it would be ideal.
It is such a nice thing to do, I know my Mum loves getting pictures of the family who live far away.
I will keep this site in mind for sure! I do need some more photos on the wall. I love how yours turned out.
My walls are literally empty, sad I know but I need to figure out what pictures my walls need. I guess it’s because of moving all the time that I do neglect them.
Aww that’s such a shame, but it can be hard when your always moving around to know what to do.
This sounds like a cool company. I’ve not heard of printing on metal before either, that’s really interesting!
It is such a different idea isn’t it – I think it will likely become more popular.
Oh wow, I might just give this a go, my mums birthdays coming up so a nice family photo would be great, and they look so neatly done and professional.
Well Will is a pro with a camera, when your at family gatherings you have to dodge the camera haha! But it does mean we get amazing pictures of the littlest cousin.
I love that they listened and were happy to correct the image. I am really intrigued by printing on metal, that’s something I haven’t heard of before and like the idea of!
I totally agree, it is really good they did change it for him quite quickly.
I’ve never seen a photo printed on metal before. That’s a great option and one I know I’d love. I’ve had several of my photos printed on canvas and it’s a great option as well. Glad to get the tip about keeping the images light.
It is such an interesting way to do things isn’t it and definitely makes for something different considering so many of us have canvas prints now.
My walls are filled with photos of my kids, but I have a lot more space to fill! I think a canvas or two would fit in perfectly in my house 🙂
Ohh go for it 😉 there is always room for an extra print or two!