I started doing miniature paintings as a daily exercise, primarily with the goal to paint more often and hone my skills for finer detail in smaller compositions. By the time I completed my first tiny painting, I was already fascinated by the amount of detail I was able to achieve on such a small surface and immediately wanted to paint another beautiful landscape. Despite my original worries of this exercise becoming tedious at best, these oil paintings quickly turned into my favorite part of the day.
I chose coins simply because I prefer to paint on metal, and preferably copper, so the penny was the perfect fit for these unique artworks. And yes, I do prefer pennies minted before 1981 because of their higher copper content!
I enjoy doing beautiful drawings for commissions and personal pieces with various subjects including landscapes, portraits, wildlife, and fantasy work because I am an avid book lover.
You can see more of my creative ideas and some behind the scenes pictures and videos on my Instagram or my website.
More info: Instagram | brymariearts.com
This post may include affiliate links.
The average painting can take up to ten hours to complete, but the process is stretched between multiple days to allow drying time between each layer. If I have multiple drawing ideas I'm working on at once, it can take weeks to complete one piece. Everything I achieve is done traditionally using oils, along with simple mediums to help with the flow of the paints, and of course, tiny brushes.
I got into painting miniatures about five years ago when I participated in a charity auction where we had to paint on a canvas no larger than 3 x 3“ I fell in love with painting minis partly for the challenge but mainly I enjoyed everyone’s excitement when they noticed such a small painting could be just as detailed and interesting as a larger canvas.
I did paint on larger canvases before I found coins. I tried many different mediums and surfaces but I mainly liked painting on copper panels so when I decided to paint smaller the penny was a perfect match.
The very first session and the last three brushstrokes are equally my favorite parts of the creative process. The challenge of making the world outside fit in such a small space always feels gratifying. Then, I don’t believe there’s anything more enjoyable than laying down those last few brushstrokes and seeing the whole painting come together the way you imagined.
My paintings will be on display at the LA Art Show with Abend Gallery in January 2022 and be sure keep an eye out for this summers limited print release!
More details will be in my Instagram and website.
Is it only me or do you want to just put them in a bag and pretend it’s like a piggy bank of hard work
Is it only me or do you want to just put them in a bag and pretend it’s like a piggy bank of hard work