Miniature Portrait

FRASIER
Watercolour on Board, 3.25"x 3.25"

Here is a miniature portrait I did for a Christmas gift; This is Frasier, a wonderful old gentleman who was mostly beagle with a dash of the unknown.

Sadly, his body gave out before his wonderful soaring spirit did....

(Stage 1 shown right, stage 2 shown left, final above)

Max the Bunny Portrait

"MAX"
5.25" x 5.25" Watercolor on WC board

Time just keeps on slipping away around here! However, my Max the Bunny portrait is completed and delivered to happy clients;
Thanks to Liz and Katherine for being patient and having such a wonderful buns!
My friend owned a dwarf rabbit and he was a character, but Max surprised me by being so friendly and individual; He obviously loves his humans, asks to be petted and talks...plus he was quite adorable :-)

Above is the finished piece and the sketch we went with (left), while below is a little montage of Max sketches. When I put it together I thought it might look quite nice as an overall bunny painting. I am sure that idea came from fellow artist Kimberly Kelly Santini's latest post about her own wonderful "Westie" montage Check it out- it looks great!

I also want to send out my congratulations to miniature artist Tracy Hall, who had her gorilla painting, entitled "Pensive," shortlisted for the 2010 Wildlife Artist of the Year Competition!!

Blue Mahogany

Blue Mahogany
Miniature Watercolor 3"w x 4"h

I had done a little miniature for the Pyramid Society's Art Auction but realized I never posted about it! The painting is now on its way to Kentucky and will hopefully find a lovely new owner come June :-)

It was done in watercolor on smooth wc paper (the penny is there to show scale). I was pretty pleased with it, but might have changed the head position a bit so that the interior daisy design was also visible behind the top of the neck crest. This would have given some more continuity to the background. Now back to finishing up my lovely Max portrait :-)

"The Front Runner"

A busy April has kept me hopping...unfortunately only some of it has been at my drawing board! Here are a few updates...

My Trail of Painted Pony figurine, The Front Runner has arrived! I have a number of low editions that are signed and are available purchase. I will also hold a couple of others back to embellish and sign. Not sure what the embellishments will be, but I will post them here when they are in progress. These will be ready some time early summer.
If you are interested in purchasing a pony, please contact me.


Two of my miniatures ("A Lite Bite" and "The Raspberry Thief")have been accepted into the Artcetra Auction, to be held on Thursday, May 6th to Saturday, May 8th at the Elora Center for the Arts. There will be free previews and both a silent and live auction. Visit their site for further info

And last, but not least; I am working on a sweet little portrait of Max the Bunny, but can't post anything until he's done and the client has okayed it---Look for him possibly next week :-)

Miniature-Chickadee

Well the miniature chickadee is finally finished :-)

It didn't take me long to do it, I was just busy with other "stuff"..too much "stuff" and not enough ART!

This is a 3"x3" watercolor and I am still musing over a title. I was leaning toward "Dinnertime" or "What's for Dinner?" but am not sure. I snuck in a little caterpillar on the side of the stump in the foreground, so one could read that the chickadee is thinking whether to go vegetarian or not...!?!

I'll have to ask my hubby for his input. He's the Title Wizard around here.

Update: So the Title Wizard is in fear of being dethroned!
I'm going with Laura Hardie's suggestion of "Food for Thought" with this painting. We think it's a perfect fit, plus it's the name of the school snack program I volunteer with!
Thanks very much Laura! (P.S. Be sure to check out Laura's wonderful portraits on her blog)

Miniature - Chickadee (Work in progess)

Chickadee miniature WIP
3" x 3" - Watercolor on WC board

Here's one of the minis I am currently working on.
When we go for our walks to a nearby conservation area, the woods are filled with chickadees who have learned that hikers are suckers and almost always have food.
It is great to see young kids able to have one land on their hand or heads to grab a seed.
Needless to say, I have lots of photo reference :-)

Cavalier Portrait

"Kiss Me Kate"
Miniature Watercolor Portrait, Approx. 2.5" across

Here is another Christmas special...I know everyone who loses a pet says this, but this girl was definitely taken from our family far, far too soon. (Pennies shown for scale)

Miniature- Birman Cat Portrait

Blue Lynx Birman (TJ)
3"x 3" watercolor on board

I am currently working on some Christmas commissions, so I can't show anything...just in case...however, here is another small portrait sample, this time of one of my menagerie, our blue lynx Birman, CH Gwindors Year of the Tiger, otherwise known as T.J. .
And yes, his eyes are that blue :-)

Miniature - Pony Portrait

Miniature Pony Portrait
3" x 4" Watercolour on board

I am at a one day fall show tomorrow, so am really pressed for time and I just wanted to post the final miniature pony portrait I started earlier this week.

I'm sort of pleased with the result, my sticking point being the background. If I had to do it again, I think I would changed the colour to a lighter, more muted blue. It seems to be fighting with the pony for presence right now.

:-)

Miniature - Malamute

"Northern Light"
2.5"w x 3.25"h
Miniature watercolor on WC board

Here is another new miniature; a portrait of a gorgeous, happy Alaskan Malamute. Not sure of her name, we met her on a walk one afternoon at the park, so I am using a working title of "Northern Light"

This piece is available for purchase. If you're interested, please contact me directly :-)

Mini Boxer- A Bit of Regal Grace

A Bit of Regal Grace
Miniature Watercolour,
2.25"w x 3.5"h, completed size 5.5"h x 7.5"w

Wow! It has been a long summer, but school is back in full swing and I have a new painting to share!

I am getting ready for a few fall shows and wanted to introduce people to a Pet Portrait in Miniature. So I took my painting "A Regal Grace" and recreated it...at 3.5"x2.25"
It is shown above in a small frame, complete size 5.5"w x 7.5"h, ready to hang or display on a small, tabletop easel.

Miniature Painting-Chipmunk

"The Berry Thief"
2.75" x 3.25" Watercolour on board

Here's something to help us welcome in the summer season!

"The Berry Thief" is a miniature painting that I have been working on.
The scan is a little off, colour wise and I have some additional work to do, but I need to step back for a few days to see what has to be fine tuned.

Just to clarify, this is what I would consider to be a true miniature. This would meet the miniature requirements that many miniature artist strive to maintain:
•Minute in scale vs. life-sized. (Generally subject matter is 1/6th lifesize or smaller in scale)
•Delicate and painstaking technique that withstands magnification.
•Small in format and size. 25 inches or less for surface area.
•High in quality~ demonstrates a mastery of composition, color, values etc.

I have posted ACEOs here as well and although they are the correct size to be a miniature, I don't believe that my ACEOs are detailed and composed enough, to be a true mini {Note: Please understand that I am referring to my work, and not all ACEO painters in general}.

For more info, check out Assocation of Miniature Artists and the Hillard Society for more information and additional links.

And if you want to see some great miniature artists (to name a few), check out:
Tracy Hall,
Wes and Rachelle Siegrist,
Linda Rossin,
Bill Mundy
Gina Morton
Joy Kroeger Beckner


Happy Summer :~)

Miniature-Portrait of Bronwyn

"Bronwyn" NFS
2.75" x 4.75" Miniature watercolour portrait

This is a small portrait I did of a very special girl...Bronnie is a black great Dane and is a frequent visitor to our home. She is loving and sweet and gets along with everyone. As I was painting, I noticed I had left the camera on my desk so....

I begin by drawing my subject in pencil directly onto watercolour board and lay a pale red/pink wash to one side. As Bronwyn's collar is a pinky-red, I want this colour to peek through the background in places as well, for a cohesive look.


Cutting in carefully, I lay a wash of greens/blues and burnt sienna behind Bronwyn, coming back and floating in water and/or extra colour where necessary. I didn't use any masking fluid here because of the size. I can get a better outline by just painting.


After my background is completely dry, I start blocking in shadows with warm and cool blues. I also lifted some of the background colour out, as it was looking a little too dark.


Now I build up the colour of the dog with a variety of black and blue washes. Some are cool and some are warm, and I concentrate on what parts of the painting need to come forward or fade back as I apply them.


Now I just generally continuing on with washes and blending, building the colour to where it should be. When painting, I take short breaks and will often look at the painting in a mirror to see what is and what isn't working. Right now, I don't like the way her right jowl is pudging out at the bottom and I think her left ear is a bit too short. By lifting paint (with clean water) and adding washes, both these areas are corrected.


I now finish off the collar, touch up the dog overall with some additional blending and lifting. With the collar now painted, I wanted to see a few more rosy spots in the background, so I lightly laid in some small washes, and that's about it.
I'll come back and take one last look, pass it by my father/son critique panel and if all is good, sign and frame it :-D

Miniature-Cardinal Thicket

Cardinal Thicket
2.25"x4.25" (8"x10" framed) watercolour on HP paper

Here is the finished miniature that I posted as a WIP earlier this week.
This watercolour painting measures 2.25" x 4.25" and has been submitted for inclusion in the Dundas Valley School of Art 39th Annual Art Auction, a local fundraiser.
The auction will be held on Saturday, April 18th at 7:00p.m. Admission is $20.00 in advance, $25.00 at the door. Free previews will be held from 9 - 9 on Thursday, April 16th, Friday, April 17th and Saturday, April 18th (until 5:00 p.m.)
So, if you're in the area... :-)

Detail from Cardinal Thicket

Miniature-WIP

Here is a peek at what I am currently working on (sorry for the lousy scan...). A miniature painting, watercolour on hot pressed watercolor paper, measuring 2 5/8" x 4 5/8".

This differs from my recently posted ACEOs which are more like little studies, always measure 3 1/2" x 2 1/2" and don't have as much detail.

A true Miniature follows the following guidelines:
•Minute in scale vs. life sized. Following the general 1/6th scale.
•Delicate and painstaking technique that withstands magnification.
•Small in format and size. 25 inches or less for surface area.
•High in quality. The work should exemplify Fine Art ~ demonstrating a mastery of composition, color, values etc.

Additional info can be found here:
Association of Miniature Artists
Art in Miniature
Miniature Art History (Courtesy of Wes and Rachelle Siegrist)