Valentine's day art gifts (better than roses, and they last longer)

Roses die in a week. Chocolates last about four minutes in my house, three if nobody is watching. A piece of art goes on the wall and reminds someone you love them every single day, which is frankly better value.

I'm Luis, and February is when the stall fills up with people holding a print, looking slightly embarrassed and asking if it's "too much". It's never too much. Here's how to get Valentine's art right.

For the romantic

• Love: big black letters, no explanation needed. Simple, classic and impossible to misread, even at 7am.
• You Are the Work of Art: the compliment that hangs on the wall.
• The Best Is Yet to Come: perfect for a new couple, an anniversary or a proposal year.

For couples who flirt by insulting each other

Some of the best relationships run entirely on cheek. If that's you, skip the hearts.

• I'm Not Always Right, but I'm Never Wrong: for the one who wins every argument.
• I'm a Drama Queen: a self-aware gift, or an accusation. You decide.
• Fuck Yes: for the couple who just got engaged, moved in or booked the holiday.

For the fashion-obsessed partner

• Born to Wear Chanel or I Was Born to Wear Prada, as a £20 print.
• This Is Not a Hermes Tote, the Birkin they can actually have this year. £25.
• Jesus Wants Me to Have a Birkin, a print that is also a hint.

The most romantic option: a commission

Your words. Your colours. Painted by hand. It might be the first thing they said to you, the name of your song, a private joke or a line from your vows. I paint commissions on antique book pages, so it's one of a kind in every sense. Please ask a few weeks before Valentine's: good things take time, and February books up.

Galentine's: gifts for your best friends

Valentine's isn't only for couples. February 13th is Galentine's Day, and art for your best friends is a lovely tradition to start.

• Hey Queen for the friend who always hypes you up.
• I Know I Am Beautiful for the friend who needs reminding.
• Notebooks at £12 for a group of friends, one each.

Valentine's ideas for every stage of a relationship

• First Valentine's together: keep it light. A funny print you both laughed at is perfect, and much less pressure than jewellery.
• Just moved in: something for your first home together. Please Leave by 9pm says "we're a team now, and we'd like our guests to go home".
• Married for years: the commission. Paint the phrase only the two of you understand.
• Long distance: send a print to their address with a card. It's on their wall while you're not in the room.
• Single and thriving: buy yourself something. I Know I Am Beautiful has never been more true.

How to give art on Valentine's day

1. Wrap it flat and beautifully. I wrap by hand on request.
2. Write the reason on the card. "This made me think of you because..." makes any print ten times more romantic.
3. Frame it, or include a frame. A ready-to-hang gift feels finished. See how to frame art prints.
4. Hang it together. Seriously. Ten minutes with a level and a pencil counts as a date.

Timing

Prints, originals and antique images ship quickly in the UK (£1.75 a print, free over £80). Totes, notebooks and sweatshirts are made to order and take 7 to 10 days, so order those by the end of January. Commissions need more time still.

In London? Come to the stall at Jubilee Market Hall on the weekend before Valentine's and take it home the same day. Covent Garden in February is very pretty, and it makes a nice date in itself. Here's my Covent Garden shopping guide.

Budget guide

More ideas in art gift ideas UK.

Valentine's art gift questions