Custom art for less than $20

By Jay Cridlin
Published August 10, 2007

Nothing screams wealth like the ability to commission your own work of art.

For the right price, an artist can turn one of your personal photographs, sketches or ideas into a painting, a sculpture, even a print in the style of Warhol or Lichtenstein. Unfortunately, the key phrase there is "for the right price." If you're penniless and/or just plain cheap, you might not feel like spending $200 on a custom-made, gallery-ready piece.

Fortunately, thanks to the Internet, it's possible to own a piece of affordable, personalized, unique art for a bargain-basement price. Here are four sites where you can order custom artwork for less than $20.

iPop My Photo

(www.ipopmyphoto.com)

Cost: $19.95

What you get: Submit your digital photo, and in return you will receive a bold, splashy silhouette that looks like an iPod ad. Then it's yours to print on mugs, T-shirts, greeting cards, etc.

Who's to blame: Needless to say, not Apple. Pals Kevin Muoio and Dave Schroeder co-founded the site in 2004, and have a team of designers around the world Photoshopping each piece. Their work has been featured in Wired and the Washington Post.

Is it wall-worthy? It's quirky pop art, yes, but those iPod ads are so 2004. So no. (Although the one showing a silhouette of the bride and groom with the caption "iDo" is pretty cute.)

Monster By Mail

(monsterbymail.com)

Cost: $20

What you get: A 4-by-6-inch portrait of a zombie drawn in pencil, pen and markers. You send in the zombie's name, and the artist does the rest. Each one takes about 15 to 20 minutes. For a little more, you can get a video of the art being created, as well as a T-shirt featuring your zombie.

Who's to blame: Len Peralta, a Cleveland zombie/hobo artist of some renown and host of the podcast Jawbone. On his site, there's a poll asking which theme buyers would like to see Peralta explore next - vampires, werewolves, vixens or aliens.

Is it wall-worthy? Some of the sketches are a little gross, but if you're into zombies - and really, who isn't? - you can probably find a place for it.

Joe Mathlete Will Draw Anything You Ask On An Index Card

(joemathleteart.blogspot.com)

Cost: $11.99

What you get: It's pretty obvious from the title, isn't it? You submit a concept, and the artist uses crayons and black markers to bring it to life. The only limit is your imagination; some past works include "Anne And Steven Visit Ireland," "A Cosmic Duck Race," "A Giant Anteater Drowns His Sorrows At The Bar Alone After Being Laid Off By The Box Factory," and "A Wizard F&#ing A Unicorn."

Who's to blame: Joe Mathlete, a Houston musician and artist best known for the satirical blog Joe Mathlete Explains Today's Marmaduke.

Is it wall-worthy? Considering it's an index card, probably not. But the drawings are pretty whimsical and funny, and of course they're unique. So a framed one could serve as a nice piece of small desk art.

Adee Art

(www.adeeart.com)

Cost: $20

What you get: You can buy custom fabric art for $20 (and custom cartoon paintings for $25), as well as custom finger dolls and pockets for under $10. But the best items are the custom stuffed fabric dolls. Simply describe what sort of creature you want, or send in your own sketch, and for $20 (plus $10 shipping), the artist will design, sew and stuff your own personal plaything. The cheapest ones are 10 inches tall.

Who's to blame: Adee Schreiber, a Brooklyn crafter who is, her Web page states, "obsessed with cute, silly, happy, sad, creepy, sleepy and crawly things."

Is it wall-worthy? Forget the wall. This is art you can curl up with at night - or at least use as a crazy throw pillow.

[Last modified August 8, 2007, 13:51:33]