A Small Step to Better Paintings

'Aspen Study'        2.5 x 3.5        pastel       ©Karen Margulis

No time to paint? It can be frustrating. We are told that in order to become better artists we need to paint miles of canvas. To get past the learning curve or get to the next level in our work we need to paint more often.....and more paintings!  The more 'starts' we have the more we learn. So what can we do when our painting time is limited?

Take a small step by painting smaller!
When I was working full time and wanting to take advantage of my very limited time at the easel I painted small. I would try to do a daily 5x7 study every day during my lunch break. Little paintings with a time limit taught me so much and contributed to my growth as a painter. But we can get similar results with even less time by painting mini pastels.

2.5 x 3. 5 inch mini pastel

I save all of my paper scraps and cut them into artist trading card size 2.5 x 3.5 inches. Frames and mats are readily available but I often paint minis just to learn....practice. I don't even need to be at an easel. All I need is a table and a box of pastels. I often paint minis when I am trying to practice a new idea or concept. This week I painted several minis with my new Terry Ludwig Stunning Yellow set. It allowed me to get to know the colors without using a lot of paper. I ended up with several studies for future paintings....and I contributed a few inches to my miles of canvas!

Why not paint some minis this weekend? I have a $5 PDF demo which shows a simple way to paint a small landscape.

 How To Paint a Mini Pastel PDF Demo available on Etsy click here

3.5 x 2.5  pastel