Start with what you already keep looking at
Before you buy anything, look at what is already on your walls, your phone and your shelves. The pictures you save without thinking are a better guide than any list of artists to follow. Most collections begin as a pattern nobody noticed.
Buy one good print, not five cheap ones
A signed print on decent paper will outlast a wall of posters and will tell you what you like faster. Ask how many were pulled, whether it is numbered, and what paper it is on. A maker who is glad to answer is usually a maker worth buying from.
Frame it properly
Framing is where a print is won or lost. Use a mount with plenty of air around the image, and glazing that filters ultraviolet light. It costs a little more and it is the difference between a print that lasts a year and one that lasts a lifetime.
Let it grow slowly
Live with each piece for a few weeks before you add the next. The second print should talk to the first without matching it. If you are unsure, keep a list of what you almost bought; the ones still on it a month later are the right ones.
