How to use the site

1. Where you see a picture, double click on it for more information and a larger view of the picture which still fits into one screen. There you will be able to zoom into the picture on your own computer and see the detail down to the brushstrokes.

2. Why not think of a word or two that summarise the art you most want on your wall, and type that into the keyword search box which appears in the top right of each page and press the "FIND" button or your keyboard's 'Return' key. Perhaps you would like a "yellow landscape" or a "Red deer stag in Scotland" or a "blue abstract" or a picture of old "Chester":.. just type the words for what you want into the search box.

3. If you prefer a quicker and more accurate search (fewer, but more appropriate results) then go to our search page and enter the words you intend in any or all of the 6 different search areas.

4. When you find a picture that you want to keep in mind or show somebody else, save it to "My Gallery" by clicking on .   You can store the picture in My Gallery to return to when you wish, from the main menu bar. But you will only find your saved picture views there once you have registered, so that we can recognise you on your return.

5. Usually, the first you will see of a picture will be a small (~10KB) "thumbnail" view, designed not to slow down your computer or internet connection. Clicking on a thumbnail produces an intermediary size picture (less than 200KB) which you can see clearly on one PC screen, with information about the picture. This much can quickly be displayed on a PC even over a dial-up internet connection, but you will need a broadband connection to go to the next step and zoom to view detail. Below the picture's details page you will see a "ZOOM" button - to look at the detail of a picture, click on ZOOM. This will download to your PC a very large photograph of the picture, with a file size of upto 7Mb. Hover your mouse over the part of the picture you wish to examine in detail. That part of the picture centred on your mouse will be displayed to the right of the whole picture. This will give you as good a view of a painting as holding it under a magnifying glass. Some would say an even better view and probably clearer than with the naked eye!

6. As we photographed some of our pictures, so we noticed certain details outside the main view but worthy of being noticed. Often this is on the back of a picture (even a secondary picture there) or outside the margins of a sketch, and may be in the artist's hand. Where such views are available, a "VIEW OFF-PICTURE DETAIL" button will appear for you to select if you choose: if you do so, a new window will open with that view.

7. Emailing a picture results in a link to your chosen view of the picture being sent. We have chosen not to send JPG files to avoid proliferation of very large email files and to protect our artists' copyright. You might wish to email yourself so you can edit the message and add notes before forwarding it to somebody else.

8. Sometimes printing a picture on a computer printer will not produce a result as good as the original or even as on your screen, sometimes it may look better because your printer reproduces more detail than your screen displays.
If you want to print, make it easy by using our print facility available near the detailed view of a picture, in the Framing area or at our Virtual Wall.

9. All our pictures are sold framed in a high-quality frame that you select. So do check what it will look like in the frame of your choice in our easy-to-use You choose the frame and mount or slip and we show you what it looks like. When you are happy with the result, you can buy it ready framed.

10. Be sure to look at the picture on the we have provided for you. To help you visualise what the picture will look like on your intended wall, you set the colour of the virtual wall to look like that on which you intend to hang the picture. You can move your selection from the furniture we have made available into place in front of the wall to resemble the setting you have in mind. Change the colour of the wall (and the floor) to produce a scaled representation of the colour setting in which your picture will hang.

11. When you are ready to buy, click on "Add to Basket" next to the picture of your choice. When you have chosen all you want to buy, pictures and or Room4artVouchers™ to give to somebody else, then click the button at the bottom of the Basket page marked "Click here to order items & proceed to pay" and follow the few simple steps.

12. You might find one of the artists' works particularly to your liking. If so, click on the button at the bottom right of the detailed view of one of their pictures to go to a page of all their works in our collection. Browse the collection, double click on any picture to view detail and information, add to "My Gallery", print, frame and buy exactly as elsewhere in Room4Art.com™.

13. If you are just browsing for the pleasure of viewing fine art, then go to "Our Gallery" where you can choose from 2 different ways of scanning through our massive collection at your leisure. As always, double click on any picture to view detail and information, add to "My Gallery", print, frame and buy exactly as elsewhere in Room4Art.com™.

14. If you want to change either the measurement or currency units in which we describe the pictures on Room4art.com™, go to My  Gallery/Personalise Site, change the unit you would like to see changed and click the "Update Registration" button at the bottom of the window. 

Be aware that, as a company registered in the United Kingdom, we only sell paintings in Pounds Sterling and the prices we show in US Dollars and Euro are approximations for your convenience only -- if your credit card bill is in a currency other than pounds sterling your credit card company may charge you slightly different amounts.

15. If you are using a slow Internet connection to connect with Room4art.com™, you will improve your viewing experience if you click the small "stop moving images" button at the top right of every window just above the "contact us" menu item. This will stop us sending you new examples of our pictures to the top of every window until you click again on that button.

16. We have collected under the heading "Technical Solutions" our useful technical tips on how to adjust your computer or browser if you are experiencing difficulties with Room4art.com™. Please click on “Technical Solutions" at the bottom of any page, to see these and do let us know if you experience any problems that we have not covered.