Something little is coming your way, and it's been quite a long time coming.
I'm now launching a new miniature portrait size!
I have loved miniature art for a long time now, my instagram feed is constantly showing me tiny work from the likes of WhiteonRice, Lorraine Loots and Salavat Fidai. I have always been drawn to them, but I always thought it was such an odd way to go about art. Usually I like to go a little bigger than life with my drawings so that I can cram as much detail into them as possible. However, by making them a fraction of the size this become really rather tricky (but not impossible!)
Whilst I was in Edinburgh last year, I went to the national gallery of Scotland (you can read about it here) And during my visit I saw some miniature portraits - they were very old, so old, that we don't know who the artist is anymore. They were tiny enough that a magnifying glass was provided to get up close and personal. As the other visitors were looking around the gallery, I noticed that they would almost always look at the miniatures longer and more carefully than the giant masterpieces. I think it was the novelty factor, it's an interactive piece - to get the most out of it, you need to pick up the magnifier!
This trip to Edinburgh was the push I needed to make the decision that I wanted to explore my portraits as minis. I have been drawing small pieces of art for a long time now, with an entire sketchbook dedicated to small sketches and studies (perhaps one day I'll share some of the pieces in it). It's fair to say a lot of practice has gone into these miniatures to make them as good as I could possibly get them.
So, I would like to introduce you to two miniature pieces I have recently drawn. First up is 'Fi'. You may recognise her as my model from my 'Taking the perfect photo for your commission' guide,
She measures just 7cm x 7cm.
I have found that although these pieces are very small, they do take a surprisingly long time. The challenges with creating a miniature piece is completely different than creating a life-size piece of work.
This size works best for 'close-up' portraits, so pieces which include the head and shoulders. My miniatures have plain backgrounds, much like my other larger pieces - I like to keep the focus on the subject for these.
Once I had drawn Fi, I just couldn't resist drawing a new piece of Ruby, my very own pup...
So, I think it's about time that I finally offer you this new, tinnie-tiny size!
These miniature portraits are available to commission now. These miniatures are not just for pets either, but for the two-legged kind too.
So...it's competition time!
I'm giving you the chance to win an original miniature piece of your very own...
Head on over to my Facebook or my Instagram to enter - details are listed on each post on how you can win your own miniature portrait of a subject of your choice!
Good luck!
KTx