How to make your Own print?

So, working with our good friends at Canon USA, today I thought I'd show you three super easy (and quick!) ways to make your own art prints. You ready???

So, working with our good friends at

Before we jump into these three methods, a quick word about printing. Anything worth printing is worth printing well. Well, everything outside of tax documents. Ha! For this reason I love using our Canon PIXMA iP8720 to print large scale art prints or photography I plan to display or save in our albums. It's great with color as well as getting true black (and white) prints.

OK, now let's talk making our own prints.

1. Use Photoshop actions to enhance pictures.

I mainly use actions to edit photos (brighten, add a little more contrast, maybe adjust the colors slightly, etc.). But one thing I love about some of the A Beautiful Mess action packs is they come with a few actions that lean more on the artistic side. These have effects that are more extreme and probably not something you'd use for everyday editing, but they are perfect for taking a nice photo and making it feel a little more like an art print. I used Blue Color Dip Dye (from the Complete Collection) and Double Rainbow (from the Fresh Collection) to enhance the photos you see above. I had decided ahead of time that I wanted to keep the color palette for my entire display in the blue, yellow, black, and white arena. So these worked well.

2. Use fonts to add a graphic element to your collection.

This is just as straightforward as you might think. You can use favorite fonts (typing phrases, song lyrics, punctuation, etc.) in whatever color you like to add a graphic element to your entire collection. I usually do this in Photoshop so I can easily make any size print I want.This is a great tip for when you have a gallery wall or small collection going but you feel like it's just missing one or two pieces. It can fill out the entire look of the wall without breaking the bank. These are also a great way to create a pretty "place holder" in case you plan to spring for a more expensive art piece later.

3. Use an app to add words or doodles to your photos.

If you're thinking, "Emma, all these tips have to do with Photoshop and I'm just not interested/I don't have that program, " good news—this last one is even easier. You can use apps to add words, text, doodles or other art elements to your photos. I created the two images you see above using our A Beautiful Mess app. (Love these new hand painted looking words!) But of course, you can use any app that allows you to add elements like this. Whatever you prefer.

There you have it—three super easy ways to make your own art prints. I dare you to decorate some bare walls in your space this week! xo. Emma

Credits // Author and Photography: Emma Chapman. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions.