Fireplace screen

Here is my latest creation. It is a 1:12 scale fireplace screen. I found a wonderful photo of this fire screen and just new I had to make it in miniature. It is oil paint on wood. I had an order for something that required me to set up and learn how to use my lathe duplicator. I had been putting that off way too long:) Now I was able to use it for this project! 

How I create a miniature oil painting

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Since previously I have been posting pictures of finished paintings, I thought it might be fun to show the steps to creating a one. The first step is finding an interesting painting I would enjoy doing. I chose this dog:

I cut a piece of good hot press Crescent illustration board. Then I lay out the subject and indicate the background lightly in pencil.

Below is my work station. Oil paint, wax paper palette, good brushes and turpentine.

Here is a home made brush holder, so you can suspend the brushes in the turpentine without them touching the bottom, ruining their shape. It was a plastic soup container, coat-hanger, spring, and the black "liners" courtesy of mac 'n cheese. (PS I don't eat this junk food any more!!)  Lots of them so if the turpentine eventually messes up the liner, just pop in another one.

Sorry for the terrible blurry photo, I hate this new phone. This is how I like to hold the board, with the photo taped to the right side, as I am left handed. It is impossible to hold the painting like I do in my right hand and shoot a pic with my left.....I want my little flip phone back 😒... Too lazy to go upstairs and get the good camera, sorry, I should have. Anyhow here it is about a third of the way done (my thumb will show size):

And finally we have the finished painting.

More Chicago-bound paintings

This first painting was a lot of fun to paint despite the the fact that the subject matter was less than desirable to an animal/ bird lover! It measures 3-1/8" x 2-1/2".

This painting of a little girl peeling an apple was intriguing. It measures 2-3/4 x 2-1/16".

All of my paintings will be available at the Chicago International.