One Bird, Many Fish: A Natural-History Pair for Two 8 × 10 Frames

Two prints can belong together without looking alike. In Aert Schouman’s bird study, your eye can travel from the feet to the tip of the beak in one sweep. A sheet of fish asks you to do the opposite: stop at one bright shape, then find another. Put the two in matching mats and that difference becomes the reason to hang them together.

Shown together in matching frames: Aert Schouman’s bird study and an 18th-century fish plate. Each is available as a separate digital download.

Start with one long, quiet shape

In the Aert Schouman bird download, the bird stands on a pale ground, its neck tilted up and its feet planted far apart. Most of the color sits within that single silhouette. Try this print on the left first. The upturned beak points toward the space between the frames.

Give the eye somewhere else to go

The 18th-century fish download packs several silhouettes onto one sheet. Pick out the warm orange fish near the top, then the round, dark striped fish farther down. From a few steps away, those changes in color and shape make this side of the pair feel busier. The pale paper around the fish links it back to the bird.

Choose the same file shape for both frames

These are two separately sold digital downloads. Each includes a master JPG plus 2:3, 4:5 and ISO printable JPGs. For two 8 × 10 prints, choose the portrait 4:5 JPG from each purchase. For the matted look in the breakfast nook, use two matching 11 × 14 frames sold with mats for 8 × 10 art. The mat window is slightly smaller than the print so it can hold the edges. For a closer fit on a small wall, use two 8 × 10 frames without mats. A mat marked 5 × 7 will cover too much of an 8 × 10 print.

Print both proofs on the same paper at 8 × 10. Choose “fit” rather than “fill” if your printer offers a crop setting. See the three frame picks in The RPS Frame Edit. Set the actual mats on top. Check that the bird keeps both feet and its beak, then look for the fish closest to the edges. If either image looks crowded, leave a little more paper showing inside the opening.

Try the pair on the wall before making holes

Cut two scraps of paper to the outside dimensions of the frames and place them on the wall. Start with the top edges level and a gap about the width of two fingers. Step back to the spot where you’ll usually see the pair. If your eye reads them as two unrelated pictures, narrow the gap. If the fish seem to crowd the bird, open it up.

For a different frame size, use the aspect-ratio guide. To try another pairing, browse the digital download collection and look for one print built around a single shape and another with smaller shapes to explore.