09/01/2024
I wanted to show the progression of this piece- it wasnāt necessarily linear! Each miniature I paint is an exploration: of the technique, of finding a visual style evocative of the time period, and of obtaining a lifelike quality and likeness to the subject. The more I paint, I hone a surer technique that gets me to my goal more directly than before. But I still spend much of the process wrestling with the piece, finding and amending where I added something superfluous or where proportions are off.
Erasing a mark or edge with water isnāt usually achievable, as the laid paint will bead up and coagulate. Ideally I can employ subtle changes of shadows and marks to visually manipulate rogue facial features into their proper place. Worst case scenario is adding water and wiping away whole areas of carefully-layered paint entirely, which means losing my work and having to inconspicuously blend new elements in with the finished sections.
But thereās joy in the discovery! My favorite moment of painting is seeing everything suddenly come into balance with the addition of one particular shadow, color, or outline. That moment when a face goes from vague and flat to a 3D, recognizable person.
Painting miniatures has been a fun technical challenge that is well worth all the wrestling. Itās also been a particular joy getting to engage hands-on with a historical art form and piece of culture, and to work with such excellently-dressed subjects.
