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.
