Thoughts on Painting Small

Kiawah Magic     2.5 x 3.5 pastel   ©Karen Margulis      sold

I love painting small. I love painting large too. Who am I kidding....I love painting any size as long as I am painting. But I do have a soft spot for painting mini pastels. I consider a mini 2.5 x 3.5 inches which is the standard artist trading card size. I started doing these small ones as color studies and I soon realized that it was the perfect portable size to do while traveling. You only need a small kit that can be easily thrown into a backpack or bag.  When I travel for pleasure (not a dedicated painting trip) this is the typical size that I paint.

I am often asked how on earth I paint so small....how do the fat sticks make the marks I want? I don't use pastel pencils or even hard pastels. I use the small bits and chunks of my favorite soft pastels...mostly Terry Ludwig pastels. I can make any size and type mark I want with these chunks. 

It is all about PRACTICE. The more you try to manipulate the little pieces the more dexterous you will be come. It is fine motor control and practice will help you get the feel for making small marks. Try it. There are so many benefits to working on these small studies that it is worth the effort to get through the learning curve!

The paintings in today's post are all minis of Kiawah Island South Carolina. They are a series commission I just finished. Enjoy!

I share more tips for painting mini pastels in my pdf digital download available in my etsy shop. This week only all of my digital lessons are available are on sale. Take 20% off at checkout with coupon code DEMO20. Here is the link: http://etsy.me/1kl3JTn 

NOTE: I am headed to Venice Italy today and then on to Croatia to teach a workshop. I can't wait to share my trip and paintings with you. I will post as often as wifi and time allows!