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Monday, November 06, 2017

It's Mini Week. 5 Reasons to Paint Small

'Fall Fantasy 1'            2.5 x 3.5            pastel            ©Karen Margulis
sold
Why would you want to paint so small?  This is one of the questions I get when someone sees me painting these mini pastels. I can think many reasons to limit the size of my paintings every once in awhile. I've boiled them down to 10.  Enjoy my latest mini pastels as I share 5 of the top ten reasons to paint small (2.5 x 3.5 inch artist trading card size)

1: Simplify. Limiting the size of the paper limits how much I can put in. It forces me to simplify and pick out the big simple shapes. It is easier to suggest details in a smaller space. This is great practice for seeing simply that can be transferred to larger paper.

'Fall Fantasy 2'   2.5 x 3.5    

2. Color Studies: Trying out color schemes on small paper saves time and frustration. It is quick and easy to try several color scheme possibility in a mini painting. I get a good idea of the color choices before investing time and supplies on a larger painting.

'Fall Fantasy 3'         2.5 x 3.5

 3. Affordable: I love having small affordable originals for my collectors. These minis are affordable for anyone to add fine art to their home. It's a win-win. I learn from painting them and collectors enjoy collecting them!


'Fall Fantasy 4'       2.5 x 3.5 
4. Gifts:  Not only are mini pastels affordable for collectors they are great gifts for anyone. I love to gift my minis throughout the year but especially for the holidays. They are great to give to children as an introduction to collecting original art. I have also used them as table place cards for the holiday table. Put them in small frames for a great party favor!

'Fall Fantasy 5'          2.5 x 3.5 

5. Portable: This is probably my favorite reason for painting small.... I can take them with me anywhere!  I have a small pastel kit that I keep in a zippered book cover. It holds a small box of pastels, 2.5 x 3.5 inch papers, wipes and a small piece of foam core.....I can throw this in my car or backpack and I am ready to paint anywhere!


4 comments:

Verna Puglisi said...

Thanks Karen. This is just what I needed. Only wish I had seen it before last week while camping at the ocean (Bodega Bay, CA).
I will put together my mini kit today.
Verna

Pam Short said...

Thank you Karen, great post! I have a question - do you cut your own mats or have a vendor you suggest for buying ready-made mats?

Karen said...

Thanks! I usually get the mats in eBay. You can search for artist trading card mats for choices.

Brad Utterstrom said...

Great idea! I just bought a ton of frames from Walmart on clearance, but haven't had luck finding mats yet. Loving this weeks theme, I'm inspired to get back to it now! I'm at the beach so I ought to be able to find a nice subject. I know I've emailed you before but I am the sketchcard guy, 90% or more of what I do is this size (mini, atc, sketchcard, however you want to say it!)