Affordable art prints in London (that don't look affordable)

London is many things. Cheap is not one of them. You can spend £7 on a coffee and £40 on a candle that smells of "Hampstead", so when people hear "art" they assume it starts at a month's rent.

It doesn't. I'm Luis, and I sell art in Covent Garden every Saturday and Sunday. Half the people who come to my stall say some version of "I didn't think I could afford real art". Then they leave with a print under their arm and a slightly smug face. Here's how to do the same.

What "affordable" really means for art in London

Let's put numbers on it, because vague is useless.

• Under £25: A4 prints by independent artists, notebooks, cards. My A4 prints are £20.
• £25 to £100: A3 prints, small originals, antique images. My A3 prints are £79, my antique images £25, small originals £55.
• £100 to £500: Larger originals and framed pieces. This is "proper art" money, but still less than a sofa.

If your budget is £50, you can get two A4 prints and the frames to go with them. That's a whole wall changed for the price of a mediocre dinner in Soho.

Where to buy affordable art prints in London

Artist stalls and markets

The best value in London is buying from the artist directly. No gallery mark-up, no middleman, and you get the story behind the piece for free. Covent Garden has artists trading in Jubilee Market Hall at the weekend, and there are good markets across the city. I've rounded up the best art markets in London if you fancy a day out.

Artist websites

Most market artists sell online too. You get the same price as the stall, without the crowds. My whole shop is online with UK delivery at £1.75 a print, free over £80.

Affordable art fairs

London's affordable art fairs are fun, but they're a big day out with bigger price tags than a market. Brilliant for browsing, less brilliant for £20 budgets.

The prints I'd buy on a tight budget

If I had £20 and one wall, I'd go for something that gets a reaction.

London or Nowhere is for the Londoner who complains about the Tube daily and would never live anywhere else. It Is What It Is is a whole life philosophy for twenty quid. Please Leave by 9pm is for anyone who has ever hosted a dinner party and regretted it at 11.

If you can stretch a bit further, a small original is the best-value art in the city.

My small originals are hand-painted on antique book pages and signed, from £55. The antique images, old portraits I've painted over with a new attitude, are £25 each and every one is a one-off. Want to know how originals compare? Read art print vs original.

How to make a £20 print look expensive

This is the trick nobody tells you. The print is half of it. The other half is how you show it.

1. Use a mount. A white mount (the card border inside the frame) makes any print look like it came from a gallery. Put an A4 print in a bigger frame with a mount and it instantly looks pricier.
2. Go bigger with the frame, not the print. A simple black or oak frame a size up does more than a fancy one the right size.
3. Group them. Three cheap prints hung together look like a collection. One cheap print on a big wall looks lonely.
4. Hang at eye level. The centre of the art should be around 145 to 150cm from the floor. Most people hang too high.

My full guide to framing art prints has sizes and mount measurements if you want to get it right first time.

Renting in London? Same rules, fewer nails

Most Londoners rent, and most landlords have Opinions about holes in walls. You can still have great art: lean frames on shelves, use a picture ledge, or use removable adhesive strips rated for the weight. I've written about how to hang art without damaging walls for exactly this.

Questions about affordable art in London