APRIL MINI PROJECT! "The Mini Landscape"

[Bertoni]

Title: The Miniature Landscape"
Project Leader: Bertoni
Relative Difficulty: Medium
Size: Maximum 16 sq. inches or less. 3 1/2"x5 1/2" max.
Medium: Your Choice
Subject: Landscapes in Miniature
Maximum Participants Allowed: Unlimited

Note: This is the first of our monthly Miniature Painting Projects!
Style and technique are up to you! Indicate size, surface and a thought or two on your painting if you like.
Images are posted here for reference. Feel free to change the composition if you feel it improves upon your work!
Post comments, suggestions, questions here in this thread.

Here are 4 images to work from!
Have fun and "POST YOUR MINIS"!!

[Lady Rando]

Looks great Burt! This should be lots of fun and I can hardly wait to see what all of these talented artists post. :)

[Bertoni]

Tamara:
Yes, it will be terrific to see what everyone does with the posted images! :)
Bertoni

[alfstan]

Hi
New to this thread. Do we have to use one of the posted reference images or can we use whatever we want so long as the subject is a landscape? Just thought that I would ask.

[Bertoni]

alfstan:
Don't see why you couldn't use one of your own landscape images. If you do, I would post the photo image along with your painting! Hope to see your work! :)

[Bertoni]

ps: You can use one of your own landscape photos if you like! Just post your photo along with your painting so we can appreciate how you painted it!!! :)

[alfstan]

Hi Bertoni

Thanks for the answer. Most times I work from my imagination so I usually don't have photo images of a scene that I do. Sometimes I may take something out of a photo and intigrate it into what I am doing, but seldom do I use a single photo to base a painting on. Hope that it won't be held against me if I enter your event. If I use any photo aids I'll post them.

[Bertoni]

alfstan:
Post 'em! Let's see your landscapes!!!

[watercolorbill]

What a wonderful idea Burt.Thought I would take up the challenge of doing
"Blue Mountain"
3" x 4" Watercolor Arches 140 lb CP

Since I try not to use masking fluid, I changed the flowers to yellow.

The frame is a fake ! :evil:

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/28-Mar-2005/32011-blue_mt_sm_copy.psd.jpg

[Bertoni]

Hi Bill:
Thanks for being the first entry in the project!! I like the way you handled this image! The addition of yellow in the field gives it a lot of zip!!!
Nice work! :clap: How did you do that fake frame!!!?

[Bioartist]

What a wonderful idea Burt.Thought I would take up the challenge of doing
"Blue Mountain"
3" x 4" Watercolor Arches 140 lb CP

Since I try not to use masking fluid, I changed the flowers to yellow.

The frame is a fake ! :evil:

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/28-Mar-2005/32011-blue_mt_sm_copy.psd.jpg
WOW - this is beautiful, and done VERY quickly :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

[LynneClomina]

hi!

thought i'd join in the fun, becuase it sounds like a lot of fun, and a good exercise to practice on.

so, this being my first mini, please bear with me!

spent one hour on it last night, before i had to conk out for the night.... and i am not sure if i can still work on it as a single layer of paint today, or if i have to let it dry for a few weeks! i was going to do it entirely alla prima (?one layer? if i'm correct?) but got too tired to do any more last night, and i'm still relatively unfamiliar with drying times in oils....

it is 3x5, oil on canvas board.

thanks!

[edit: whoa, really bad photo of my painting, and boy did i skew my proportions somehow despite my original sketch on the canvas....eek. should i start a new one maybe? :(

[Bertoni]

Lynne:
You might try getting some white reflections in the water like your photo and possibly some dabs of color with a bristle brush on the foliage might help things along.
Check your darks with the photo and see what happens. :) Give it a try, minis are a lot of fun!!!

[Marge Cline]

Here's a contribution to this project. Hope this is where they are supposed to be posted. FRame is from Hobby Lobby from there 50% off sale last week; oval is 2 1/2" x 3 1/2", acrylics. Nice pictures. May try another one next week.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/30-Mar-2005/48361-mini_landscape.jpg

Marge Cline

[bullyluvver]

Hi all,

Love all the new pictures and can't wait to see the oil one finished. Do we get ALL of April to complete this or just what's left of March :) ? I'd like to take part but have never done a landscape so might need a bit of prodding to get started, lol!

[watercolorbill]

Beautiful work Marge. Love the yellows and oranges, and I like the oval format. :clap: :clap: :clap:

[Bertoni]

Marge:
I like what you've done a lot! You have some really effective looking color in this one!!! :clap: You should do a lot more minis!!!

Bullyluvver: YOU HAVE ALL OF APRIL AND EVEN BEYOND TO SEND ONE IN.
SO START PAINTING A MINI! (How's that for prodding!) :)

[valchina612]

Wow, I love all of the Minis so far. What a grand idea to have these four paintings as subjects for a full month. I am desperately trying to find time to get the first one done, and would love to have a go at them all.

Looking forward to seeing everyone's masterpieces.

Val. :wave:

[paintsplatter]

Very nice landscape Marg..

[thegodmother]

[edit: whoa, really bad photo of my painting, and boy did i skew my proportions somehow despite my original sketch on the canvas....eek. should i start a new one maybe? :(


I love your painting - don't know if you intended the little bit of moodiness - especially in the background, but I love the colors, atmosphere, and style so far.

I like to think of skewed proportions as Devine Intervention.

May I use your photograph for reference on another project I'm working on? Or am I asking to infringe on your copyright (which I wouldn't want to do).

gm :wave:

[LynneClomina]

I love your painting - don't know if you intended the little bit of moodiness - especially in the background, but I love the colors, atmosphere, and style so far. hehe, actually i was just trying to get the shapes right so far. painting so tiny is overwhelming (this being my first!) becuase one wrong brushstroke and the tree is suddenly 40 feet taller! :p

I like to think of skewed proportions as Devine Intervention. whoa... kewl perspective..... thanks :)

May I use your photograph for reference on another project I'm working on? Or am I asking to infringe on your copyright (which I wouldn't want to do).

gm :wave:you may. it's my copyright to give you permission to! :D
my biggest concern is that nobody gets their hands on the full size photo! :evil: hahahahahahaha

:wink2:

[raindreemer]

After seeing the April project this morning, I picked out one picture, grabbed a rock and took all my paints outside (beautiful spring morning here). Unfortunately family decided to be outside too and kept interrupting so this didn't turn out quite the way I hoped. I'll make the stand for it a bit later..or maybe try again when I'm alone.

Acrylic on rock approx. 2.5"x5.5". Took about an hour with all the interruptions.

AJ

[Bertoni]

AJ:
Nice work even with the interruptions and all that in only one hour!!! :clap:
What kind of stand would you make for it??

[raindreemer]

Thanks Bertoni. I carve wooden stands for my rocks that don't stand upright on their own. For these small ones its usually just a flat base in an appropriate shape, with the center carved out to fit the shape of the rock so that it stands upright, then I stain or paint the wood a complentary color. Sometime I'll just buy or make a small wooden tripod stand. Depends on the rock.

The bases for my "babies" are simple but when I get the larger rocks it gets a bit more complicated and sometimes a friend who has a bit more woodworking skills than I do helps me out making them.

I've been thinking about making my own frames, maybe small shadow box type for the small rocks. Just haven't gotten around to trying it.

AJ

[3chaway9]

:clap: Hi,
these are all fab. i have never done a landscape (in any size) i think i'll have a go with the snow scene one...as it seems the easiest ..lol
Marg. i love the frame it's so sweet. :clap:

[3chaway9]

:clap: For all....... :clap: well now...here is my first ever landscape...in any size...this miniature is 2.1/2 x 3.1/2 acrylics. on acrylic board. it was fun to do ...but not my favourite...subject. I'm looking forward to the next project
(wonder what it will be)...

[Bertoni]

Caroline:
It's excellent! And only your first landscape!! :clap: Nice work! :clap:

[3chaway9]

:wave: Hi Bertoni...i forgot it's not strictly true...about this being my first landscape... :o ...forgot i did an acrylic project last week...ooooppppsss!!!
but it's the first mini. for sure lol

[Bertoni]

:wave: Caroline:
Well Congratulations on your first mini then!!! :D Do more!!!!

[3chaway9]

:wave: Hi,
your brill. thanks....

[raindreemer]

Another mini landscape. I didn't use a photo for reference (maybe should have) so can't give you one.

Marge I adore your mini. Its lovely but it also make me wanna keep looking and looking. So much detail!

Unless I missed something, Marge is the only one chose (or at least posted) the fall reference photo. I WANTED to use that one but have a very hard time with water reflections and haven't mastered using yellows..so I took an easy one.

So now I'm curious as to why others chose the reference or landscapes that they did.

AJ

[3chaway9]

:wave: AJ,
great work...nice colours too.....I picked the Blue Mountain as it was the easiest...i thought (for me anyway) as not used to Landscapes...
The advice as the start of the miniature forum...says to get your frame first before you paint...I think thats a good way to go... as personally...I would paint a picture to match my frame...if you know what i mean? I got a couple of frames yesterday and they are quite plain...so the sky's the limit...but say if i got an art deco one (which i'm looking out for) then i'd paint a picture accordingly...or a very ornate one would be better suited to say a flower painting I love the oval one used earlier in this article...sorry to go on...lol :)

[kazzi]

Wow, everyone is doing so great. :clap: :clap: :clap:
Mine harbours a few firsts - first this size (2x3in), first mini in pastel, first mini on black paper. I'm not 100% happy with it but I think it isn't bad for a quick 10 or 15 minutes. It was a little difficult to photograph. I usually don't use the flash but I had to with this one. Oh well...
If I have the time, I'd like to try the same one in oils and see what the difference is. I'll have a go at the other pics too.
Kaz :wave:

[Bertoni]

Kaz: Interesting use of black background!! Not at all bad for 15 minutes!!! Why not have a go at the other pics!:clap:

[kazzi]

Thanks Bertoni. I did have some trouble using chunky pastel sticks for so small a pic. Next I'll try oils and see how I go.
Kaz :wave:

[3chaway9]

:clap: Well done Kaz......I like the autumnal shades...so difficult with it being so small....pastel pencils would have been easier ....keep up the good work..

[kazzi]

Thanks Caroline. I agree about the pastel pencils. I'm not sure how well they'd go on the black paper though. I'll give them a try.
Kaz :wave:

[carolann goblirsch]

XXX} I HOPE THE 4TH TIME IS A CHARM, COULDN'T GET THE PICTURE TO LOAD. lOOKS LIKE IT IS HERE THIS TIME. FIRST TIME EVER POSTING IN MINIS (DID TRY IN THE WEEKEND EVENT TWO WEEKS AGO JUST TO SEE IF I COULD WAS ANXIOUS TO SEE HOW I WOULD DO, BUT HAD ONLY PENCIL & PEN AND INK AVAILABLE, SO MADE IT A DOUBLE CHALANGE, SINCE I NEVER WORK IN PEN, INK OR PENCIL. SOME REAL CRITICISM AND ADVICE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANKS, Carolann Goblirsch

[Bertoni]

CarolAnn:
Welcome to the Miniature Paintng Forum!!
That's a nice sensitive pencil drawing! What size is it?
Couldn't tell if the upright in the mid section was part of the fence or tree trunk??
I think it would look great in color!!! :clap:

[carolann goblirsch]

HI, THANKS FOR THE INPUT. WILL TRY TO DIFFERENTIATE POST FROM TRUNK, BUT I HAD A PROBLEM MAKING UP MY MIND WHICH IT WAS FROM THE PHOTO SO I WAS PICKED TRUNK, AND THEN HAD THE TREE LINES FOLLOW THAT OF THE POST, (GUESS THAT DIDN'T WORK TOO WELL). I'M ANXIOUS TO SEE WHAT I CAN DO WITH IT. THIS IS: 2" x 1 1/2" . ON MATT FINISH COMPUTER PHOTO PAPER. I USUALLY DO MINIS FOR DOLL HOUSES AND FIND THE VERY SMOOTH PHOTO PAPER ELIMINATES THE PROBLEM OF SCALE WITH THE TEXTURE OF THE PAPER Thanks. GG