Having Fun with Miniature Paintings

Several years ago I bought an assortment of small Stampbord pieces. The largest was 2x2 inches and the smallest was 1x1 inches. A third size included in this assortment was 1 inch x 2 inches.

Stampbord is made by Ampersand. It's basically a clay type surface over hardboard. Stampbord doesn't warp so it's great for mixed media techniques.

I've been using the two smaller sizes to make pendants for my new mosaic jewelry collection. But rather than using the 2x2" pieces for jewelry, I've been turning them into miniature paintings. Here's one that's still a work in progress:

A tiny abstract displayed on a miniature easel from Michaels

This painting was created first on acid free artists tissue paper, which I then cut out and adhered to the Stampbord with soft gel. Once the gel dried, I continued to tweak my Lilliputian creation using fluid acrylics and a 1/8 inch wide nylon brush until I was satisfied with it.

After I took this photo I decided to paint the border surrounding the artwork black. I really liked the blue border but it didn't completely cover the pencil marks at the edges where I had marked off the paper's dimensions. Carbon black, however, does a great job of covering up unwanted marks. So as of today the border is black!

I signed it on the back rather than the front. It was easier to place my signature on the back where there was more room. Tomorrow I'll seal it and varnish it and call it done.

Creating the art on a separate piece of paper first, then adhering it to the Stampbord, made the painting process easier. The Stampbord's clay surface grabs paint and makes blending fast-drying acrylics somewhat tricky. Working on a separate piece of paper eliminates that problem.

I've got plenty more 2x2 inch Stampbords to turn into into miniature paintings. They're so much fun to do; already I'm dreaming up ideas to try with them.

Miniature paintings make terrific gifts. People really seem to enjoy having an original piece of art that takes up hardly any room and brings a touch of color to a desk or table top. Their small size carries an equally small price tag (mine are $45 including the miniature easel) making this art readily accessible to everyone!

Text and image ©2014 Lynn Edwards