articles, demos and materials

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

quince painting in miniature

Leisure Painter Magazine

miniature art gorilla painting by tracy hall

Dolls House and Miniature Scene Magazine 

miniature art, paintings of flowers, animals and birds by tracy hall

Dolls House and Miniature Scene Magazine 

miniature art, paintings of flowers, animals and birds by tracy hall

Artists and Illustrators Magazine

miniature art, paintings of flowers, animals and birds by tracy hall

Leisure Painter Magazine

miniature art, paintings of flowers, animals and birds by tracy hall

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




PAINTS: 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.

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



PAINTING BOX

For my miniature paintings I tend to use an antique Reeves and Sons painting box that was a gift from an elderly artist and dates from the early twentieth century. I'm often asked about it so am mentioning it here! It's a lovely thing and makes it easy to paint almost anywhere.


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, but I do like mine!