Blog

Painting minis.

I've been painting what I call minis (original watercolors, usually 5x5 or 5x7) for over a year now, and offering them for sale on my website ($100 or Less) and on Daily PaintWorks. It all started when I read a book by Carol Marine entitled Daily Painting. The subtitle says it all: Paint Small and Often To Become a More Creative, Productive, and Successful Artist.

I've advocated for painting small since I began teaching many years ago. It's a great way to practice, experiment and improve your skills. The investment of time and money (art supplies) is minimal, but the rewards are exponential.

House Finch and Shadow step-by-step.

Come along as I take you through the process of this little painting.

First of all, when I saw the birds hopping along the sidewalk creating glorious shadows, I stopped what I was doing and took lots of photos! The full image was lightened, brightened, and cropped to create an optimal reference photo.

As always, a careful drawing is important. I either use Arches 140lb cold press paper or whatever small scraps of 300lb I have laying around. I place a little masking fluid in areas I want to remain the white of the paper. (See Masking Fluid Magic for my masking fluid technique.)

I've been using a wet-in-wet technique for my little birds. Once I wet an area, I can drop in juicy color, controlling the spread of color by using more concentrated pigment on my brush as compared with the wetness of the paper. This technique requires lots of practice!

The painting sat overnight before I added the red on the bird's face and upper breast. I removed the masking fluid from everything except the feet and eye areas in order to subdue those highlights by subsequent glazing.

The shadow was painted in the same wet-into-wet manner, and values continued to be adjusted on the bird. The painting was left to dry.

After the final touches, which included removing the remaining masking fluid, adding another layer over the shadow area and some careful lifting, this handsome guy is finished!

Paint. Love. Repeat.