Blue Skateboard Wall Art: The Blueprint Collection Guide

By Stanislav Arnautov · Berlin

Most blue wall art is either a seascape or an abstract wash. Blueprint is neither. Each deck holds one recognisable object, sculpted smooth and lit like a figure in a museum case, then turned entirely blue and set on black. That repeats nine times, with nine different objects.

This guide is for choosing between them. It uses one real shoot, the Lucky Cat in a narrow apartment hallway, to show what the series looks like away from the white product background. The rules of the edition itself are explained in deckarts limited editions. This page is about the decks, the rooms and the wall.

What Every Blueprint Deck Has in Common

The collection page sums the idea up in one line: everyday and iconic objects “cast in a single electric ultramarine against black.” Looking at the nine product images side by side, the shared rules are easy to see.

• One object, centred. Nothing in the background, no scenery, no text.
• One blue. The object is modelled in light and shadow, but it never leaves the blue range.
• Black ground. The blue sits on solid black from nose to tail.
• Vertical. Every object is composed to stand upright along the length of the deck.
• Single deck. All nine are sold as single boards. There is no Blueprint diptych or triptych in the collection.

The collection page also says each design is a limited edition of 50 numbered decks. The garden gnome page credits the series to Berlin-based artist Stanislav Arnautov.

Because the colour is fixed, the decision comes down to two things: which object you want to live with, and where it will hang. Every deck in the set will match every other.

The Lucky Cat in a Hallway

The shoot is a lived-in apartment in the evening: white walls, deep door frames, old wooden floors, a monstera, black-and-white prints, a record shelf. The Blueprint Lucky Cat hangs vertically on the strip of wall between a door frame and a framed print.

Hallways are a hard test for art. They are narrow, so you see the piece from close up and side-on. They are usually dim, so detailed paintings go muddy. Here the only light is warm lamps from the rooms on either side, and the blue still reads clearly at a glance. That is what one saturated colour on black buys you, and it applies to every deck in the series, not only the cat.

The cat itself is a smooth, rounded maneki-neko. Its eyes are closed in a smile, it wears a collar with a bell, and one paw is raised beside its face. Seen from the front, the raised paw is on the right, which makes it the cat’s left.

Three short facts, from the Wikipedia entry on the maneki-neko:

• The name means “beckoning cat.” The figurine is believed to bring good luck to its owner.
• The paw is beckoning, not waving. Businesses traditionally place the figurine near the entrance.
• A common reading says a raised left paw invites customers, and a raised right paw invites money. The meaning varies with time and place.

Near an entrance is exactly where this deck hangs. The origin legends are covered in The Real Maneki-Neko: A Lucky Cat in Its Natural Habitat, so they are not repeated here.

The Nine Blue Decks

All nine are in the Blueprint collection. The descriptions below come from each product image. Any background facts come from the product page itself.

Blueprint Lucky Cat

The seated maneki-neko from the hallway shoot: paw raised, eyes closed, bell collar. It is the warmest and friendliest face in the series. It suits an entryway, a hallway or a small shop counter, anywhere the idea of welcoming someone in makes sense. View the Lucky Cat.

Blueprint Koi

A single koi seen from above, swimming the full length of the deck, from the head near the nose to the tail fin near the tail. Its scales and fins are picked out in the blue. Of the nine, it is the calmest and the most vertical. The product is tagged Japanese and zen. The legend behind it is told in The Koi and the Dragon Gate. View the Koi.

Blueprint Dragon

A long, scaled Chinese dragon coiling up the board, its head and whiskers at the top. It has the most texture of the set, and it reads as movement rather than a still object. It was photographed in a lift in Notes from an Elevator. View the Dragon.

Blueprint Flamingo

A flamingo standing on one leg on a small base, neck curved, the other leg tucked up. The product page points out what blue removes: the bird’s famous pink. What is left is the structure, the long legs and the curved neck. View the Flamingo.

Blueprint Garden Gnome

A full-length garden gnome with a tall pointed hat, a curly beard and hands in its pockets, smiling. Its page calls it the suburban garden icon, “stripped of context, of colour, of irony.” Of the nine, it is the one with the most humour. View the Garden Gnome.

Blueprint Bust

A classical draped bust on a round pedestal, its face smoothed away to a blank surface. It is the most gallery-like of the set and suits a study, a reading corner or a minimal living room. View the Bust.

Blueprint Fire Hydrant

A squat street hydrant with chains, caps and bolts. The product page links it to contemporary art and New York street culture. It is the urban, industrial pick, good for a loft or a workshop wall. View the Fire Hydrant.

Blueprint Telephone

A retro telephone handset standing on end, earpiece at the top, mouthpiece below. It is simple, graphic and a little nostalgic. A hallway is where the house phone used to live, so it makes a quiet joke there. View the Telephone.

Blueprint Candle

A tall pillar candle with wax running down every side, the wick at the top. It is the moodiest of the nine and the most abstract from a distance, almost a column. It works well in a bedroom or by a dining table. View the Candle.

How to Choose: Subject, Room, How Many

Colour is not a choice here. All nine use the same blue on the same black. Your choice is about the object, the room and the number of decks.

By mood:

• Welcoming or lucky: Lucky Cat, Koi.
• Dramatic, lots of movement: Dragon.
• Funny or kitsch: Garden Gnome, Flamingo.
• Gallery or classical: Bust, Candle.
• Urban or retro: Fire Hydrant, Telephone.

By room:

• Hallway or entryway: Lucky Cat, Telephone or Koi. They are simple shapes that read side-on in low light.
• Living room: Dragon or Bust, as the anchor of a wall.
• Bedroom: Candle or Koi, the quietest designs.
• Kitchen or dining: Flamingo or Gnome, for a bit of humour.
• Office, studio or shop: Fire Hydrant, or the Lucky Cat by the door.

By number. One deck works as a single accent in a narrow spot, like the hallway above. Two or three side by side make a set, because the palette is identical. A good pair has one Asian subject and one Western, such as Koi and Bust, or Lucky Cat and Telephone. A good trio mixes animal, object and figure. Before buying more than one, read how many decks to put on one wall. It covers spacing and wall widths.

If you came here for lucky cats in general, deckarts also has a pastel Maneki Neko triptych. It is a separate three-deck piece and not part of Blueprint.

Hanging Blue Decks in a Hallway

• Height: centre the deck at about eye level, roughly 145–155 cm from the floor. In a hallway, err slightly lower, because you see it from close up.
• Door frames and switches: leave a hand’s width between the deck and the trim. Check that doors and light switches clear the board, as they do in the photos.
• Mount flat: people brush past in a hallway. A flat mount keeps the deck close to the wall. Mounting hardware is not included and is sold separately.
• Nose up: every Blueprint object is composed for a vertical board.
• Watch the lamp: in the photos, warm lamp light reflects off the black. Angle bare bulbs away from the board so the reflection does not sit on the object.
• Long corridor: hang two or three Blueprint decks in a row at the same height, so the line of blue leads you down the passage. More layouts are in the skateboard wall art hallway guide.

Size, Materials and Shipping

• Format: single deck, hung vertically. The Blueprint product pages that state a size give 85 × 20 cm. The Garden Gnome page lists 8" × 31.5", so check that page if exact size matters.
• Wood: 7-ply Canadian maple, the same build as a skate deck
• Print: UV print, no glass or frame
• Edition: limited to 50 numbered decks per design, per the collection page
• Hardware: not included, purchase separately
• Shipping: from Berlin
• Price: see each product page

FAQ

How many designs are in the Blueprint blue collection?

Nine: Lucky Cat, Koi, Dragon, Flamingo, Garden Gnome, Bust, Fire Hydrant, Telephone and Candle. All of them are in the Blueprint collection.

Are the blue decks all the same colour?

Yes. Each one shows its object in the same electric blue on a black ground. That makes any two or three of them work together on one wall.

Are Blueprint decks limited?

The collection page states each design is a limited edition of 50 numbered decks. How deckarts editions work is explained in deckarts limited editions.

Which blue deck is best for a hallway or entryway?

The Lucky Cat, shown in this guide, is the natural pick: the beckoning cat is traditionally placed near an entrance. The Telephone and the Koi are also simple, tall shapes that read well side-on in low light.

Is mounting hardware included?

No. Hardware is sold separately. A flat wall mount is best in hallways, where people pass close to the wall.

Can I get a Blueprint design as a diptych or triptych?

The collection lists single decks only. To make a set, hang two or three different Blueprint singles side by side. The shared palette holds them together.

Can I ride a Blueprint deck?

They are sold as wall art. The decks are skate-grade maple, but the print and the listing are made for display.