It’s just about Easter time and I have just sent my March newsletter. I talk about how I make mini paintings, show my finished paper mache vases, and tell you all about Artwalk Freo coming up very soon.
Mini Paintings How To
Mini paintings are a great option if you have little space for painting. In addition the little paintings make wonderful affordable original art. Sometimes a person would really love to buy some art but it might be beyond their budget at the time. That’s why I make the minis so that everyone can enjoy owning art.
Before I start painting, I section off a large sheet of 300gsm watercolour paper using narrow tape into 6.6cm squares, usually using washi tape which is easily removed afterwards without ripping the paper. You need to allow a little excess around the image size for framing.
Once you do that, you can have loads of fun with using acrylic paint or gouache paint to create abstract designs or landscapes or still life paintings. I tend to do a mixture of these of course. Love variety!
In addition to paint I use wooden stamps with different floral or leaf designs, or I use sturdy leaves and flowers such as geranium leaves and daisies to paint and then press onto the paper. For finishing touches I like to use Posca acrylic pens or metallic pens to add to the layers and interest. You can see from the image below that I have used a watercolour sheet that had previously had leaves and flowers painted and pressed onto it. You’ll see them within the mini paintings here and there as part of the design. That is something else you can do - prepare the paper with pressings such as this and then once dry, tape up ready to create mini paintings over the top.
Once the paintings are finished and dry, carefully remove the tape. If it feels like it is sticking a bit, use a hairdryer on low to heat and soften the glue on the tape. This is a great tip for preventing paper tears. I have an A4 guillotine which I use to cut paper into the individual paintings. You can just use large scissors or a ruler with a sharp blade on a cutting mat instead. I love this bit to see the little pictures come to life.
For these mini paintings I bought two mat board sizes to create a double mat once framed. I did this because I wanted to use 20cm square frames and the double mat gives more impact and wow factor. You need to use acid free / archival tape to adhere the paintings to the back of the mat board ready for framing. Usually I put a little piece of tape on the painting and then place it where it looks best within the mat board opening. Then I use some tape on each side to secure it well. You can see in the video below how they look in the mat board frames.
I have used purchased pre-made frames for these paintings. I clean the glass till it’s spotless (it’s amazing how the glass in a wrapped frame isn’t spotlessly clean!). Then pop the painting in making sure everything is lint free, secure the backing and then I tape the edges of the backing to give a professional finish. Here are some of the paintings below in their frames.
The Studio Tour
Recently I moved my studio to a different space in my home so that I would have more room and better light. It was a lot of fun getting organised and thankfully I have a very creative and clever partner who installed a fabulous wall easel.
In this video I talk about a few things I really love about this new improved studio. Apart from the fabulous wall easel, I enjoy my electric stand up - sit down table and IKEA Alex drawers for my art supplies. See what you think.
Jan's December News
Happy December to you!
I have been tinkering again with iMovie and put together a little video showing the progress of a painting I created for a wedding present. Such a joyous painting to work on!
Creating texture in a painting
I painted this artwork as a gift for a nephew and niece-in-law for their wedding present. It was a fun one to work on. It is 101cm x 76cm.
I started by spreading a thin layer of moulding paste onto the canvas and then used the end of a paintbrush to mark the design to create texture and interest before the moulding paste dried. You can do this in sections so the paste stays moist. You can also use stamps and linocuts to create texture in this fashion.
Then using professional acrylic paints I painted the background colours, using the darker tones to start with and I mixed some colours with clear medium to make the paint more translucent where needed.
After that, I brought in the lighter colours, then highlights. It's important to check the tonal values (darks and lights) and I do this by taking a photo and converting it to black and white on the photos app. You need good contrast of tone and also colours for a painting to work well.
I used the @smartist app to pop the painting into different settings to see how it might look. This is always loads of fun.
My nephew and niece-in-law love it and I'm so glad Uplifted is in its new home.
September 2023 News
Hi and welcome to my latest news
It's now only two weeks until my art exhibition and I have just finished the last painting a day or two ago. I still have lots of mini art cards to finish off and a bit of framing to do over the next fortnight. And some marketing! Gavin is helping with the admin side of things such as labels, catalogue and so forth, thank heavens. Also organising wine and drinks for the opening and getting things organised for some nibbles too.
Every time I decide to have an exhibition there is a little thrill of excitement at the prospect. After that it's a roller coaster of emotion: from…
Abstract in Development
This shows the progress of a recent abstract painting and how it developed along the way. When it was finally completed I named it "Alive". This painting is 1 metre square on a stretched canvas.
When I begin an abstract painting I may have a vague idea of what I would like to do. Then as the painting develops it often changes direction like this one did. Colour choices might also change and this can depend on what I feel the painting needs to lift it or add contrast and excitement.
I tend to choose bright colours rather than muted and I have pondered if that is a psychological need for zing in my life or just that I love bright contrasting colours? Food for thought!
News from the studio April 2023
Hello and welcome to my April news.
Over this last month or so I have finished a very large commission painting for one of my nephews and his wife. They have moved into a lovely new home in Sydney and have a long wall that would look fabulous with a large artwork. The painting they asked for is two metres long and one metre high. I sourced the canvas and oak frame from Art Canvas Services who make top quality made-to-order canvases and frames. The canvas was so large I had it delivered, and then …
News from the studio March 2023
Hello and welcome to my March news.
I have been having a lot of fun in the studio since my last newsletter working on new paintings of various kinds and styles. I'm preparing for my exhibition in October and also working on a commissioned work.
In this news, I share some thoughts about starting a new painting. Also, I was so inspired by some beautiful photographs taken by dear friends in the Purnululu National Park in the Kimberley, Western Australia, that I had to …
Starting a Large Abstract
Sometimes when faced with a blank canvas I used to catch myself procrastinating. I felt like making those first brush strokes might ruin the whole painting before it’s even progressed. That all changed after listening to Nicholas Wilton from Art2Life. He recommended going straight in and making the first marks with paint or pen to get over the fear immediately.