Materials and Demos

I have been very fortunate to have tremendous support and encouragement from so many people along the way and I continue to enjoy sharing and learning more about painting 'in the little'.

On this page I have gathered together various resources from magazine articles, interviews, step-by-step demonstrations and videos that I have done over the years that may be of interest if you would like to find out more about my miniature painting techniques and the materials that I use.



owl painting in miniature


rose painting in miniature

Gorilla Step by Step

miniature art gorilla painting by tracy hall

Butterfly and Primrose Step by Step

materials 

This is a list of the materials I use for my both my illustration work and miniature fine art.

Please remember its a personal choice - what suits me and the way I like to work may not suit you. Neither is it an exhaustive list (and its always fun to try new materials) but I hope its of help to those who have asked.


BRUSHES: I use series 33 Kolinsky Sable. Mostly sizes 10/0 to 3, all from Rosemary & Co.


MAGNIFIER: Most miniature artists work with the aid of magnification of some kind, which can be anything from reading glasses to lenses fitted onto headbands. Hand-held magnifying glasses and 'gooseneck' magnifiers are also popular. It is worth trying out a variety to find the one that best suits you as it is very much a matter of personal preference. I also rely completely on my reading specs!


SURFACES: I only use Hot Pressed (HP). It's smooth, which is good for detail. Any surface texture will lead to frustration in miniature painting. 

Here are some to try (there are many more!):

Crescent Premium Watercolor Board 
Daler Rowney Saunders Waterford Watercolour Board 
Arches Paper - Widely available


PAINTS: Whatever the brand, only buy Artist quality - it's not that much more expensive and student grade paint is basically just frustrating! I use mainly Winsor and Newton Artist Watercolours and Daniel Smith Watercolors. Both are widely available.

FRAMES & MOUNTS:

After all the effort, it is a shame to try and skimp on decent presentation!

Try your local picture framer or you can order from a specialist miniature framer. They need to be really neatly made, especially at the corners. Mounts also need to be very well cut.

I use Brampton Framing and Polymer's Plus who are both excellent and produce outstanding custom frames for my miniature paintings.

(That's a penny for an idea of scale)




PAINTING BOX

For my miniature paintings I often to use an antique Reeves and Sons painting box that was a gift from an elderly artist friend and dates from her time in Paris at the turn of the twentieth century. I'm often asked about it so am mentioning it here! Although a little battered, it's an absolutely lovely thing and makes it easy to paint almost anywhere. It includes a tiny water bottle, water dish, pan tray, brush storage, palette, finger slot and adjustable bar to hold it all in place. There is even an adjustable picture viewer. They thought of everything!


If you do an internet search for 'pochade box' you will find lots of similar modern boxes. It's not an essential piece of kit by any means, but I do like mine!

magazines

  • Leisure Painter Magazine (Nov 2013) - step by step Gorilla
  • Dolls House and Miniature Scene Magazine (Nov 2013) - Step by Step Primrose and butterfly
  • Dolls House and Miniature Scene (Oct 2013)
  • Pratique Des Arts - Watercolour Special (Dec 2010)
  • Artists & Illustrators Magazine - Botanical Artists Feature (June 09)
  • Artists & Illustrators Magazine - Interview and article (Sept 09)
  • Leisure Painter Magazine - Article and step by step Feature (Oct 09)
  • The Animal World Magazine - Interviews and Cover Features (Nov 05 & Nov 06).

books

  • Watercolour Flower Painters' Handbook. Contributing artist. Search Press Ltd (Quarto).
  • A Collection of Flowers. Trish Burr has expertly converted some of my flower paintings into floral 'needle paintings' for her book.
  • The Watercolour Flower Artist's Bible. Contributing artist. Search Press Ltd (Quarto).
  • A Masterclass in Drawing and Painting Animals. Contributing artist. Anness Publishing - Lorenz Books
  • The Encyclopedia of Watercolour Techniques. Contributing Artist. Quarto Publishing / Running Press.
  • The Compendium of Watercolour Techniques. Contributing Artist. Search Press.