Through the Portal...New Fine Art Miniature in Graphite

Through the Portal ©Barbara A. Freeman

Graphite and Mixed Media on Film 2 3/4"x 3 5/8"

This is a new miniature work on film using graphite and mixed media. It's another of my fantasy trees, this one with an opening to tempt the viewer to follow the path inside. I used the photo as a basic reference, for shape and light source. Next to that, is a copy of a colored pencil drawing I did many years ago thinking I would use a similar opening in the new work. However, once working I decided on a different pathway. I started this drawing in my studio with the intention of taking it along with me to work on while visiting family in Indiana. I figured graphite would be easy to carry and work on in short spurts of time. Rather than buy a hand held magnifier and have to pack it, I decided to buy one after I got there. I did some research and found most of the large office supply and art supply store chains have magnifiers and lighting. I googled the location of several in the areas we were passing through and stopped on the way. (I found a decent enough one with a good balanced light AND it was on sale! It worked out great and I left it there for our next visit.)


Once I had the outline worked out and the drawing started, I then focused on doing the inside of the portal. The castle idea came from the work that I did in the miniature, Always Illuminated. I was able to complete enough of the acrylic painting before leaving so would only have to concentrate on the graphite work while away.

The inside work was so tiny, measuring 1/2" x 3/8" !!!

I love doing the texture of trees and bark, so the rest of the work flowed and was a calming mediation for me. I managed to finish all the graphite work while away. However, I'm sorry I don't have more photos of the work in progress. I only have the beginning as above. In fact, I even forgot to photograph it before I put it in a mat and frame under glass! Luckily, I do have the official scans for my website which I hope to have up soon.

Once back home in my studio, I was able to look at the work as a whole and decided that some changes needed to be made. I did a bit more work on the inside acrylic, smoothing out some of the color and added some colored pencil on the underside of the film between the two sets of stairways. I also added a touch of blue on the right side to balance out the color. Below are the photos with the work framed under glass, so there is a bit of glare. I'll be submitting this to a local holiday show. I'll say more about that show as the time draws near. Meanwhile, thanks for taking the time to read about my work.

Through the Portal ©Barbara A. Freeman

Graphite and Mixed Media on Film 2 3/4"x 3 5/8"

**When using film, the product is Dura-lar Matte film by Grafix.

Always Illuminated, New Work of Miniature Art

As promised, here is the finished work, Always Illuminated! It started out as a first attempt at egg tempera, (First Attempt at Egg Tempera blog post), but alas, that didn't succeed. This piece is from that design with some additional work all done in acrylic. It still needs to have the master scan done so the "Always" has not been completely attached to the miniature landscape. Each piece will be scanned separately. This is to show how it will look when all together and which frame I have chosen. It will not be matted, but will have spacers between the glass and the artwork. That is so that the art does NOT rest on the glass. It was done on 100% rag illustration board using acrylics, including gold and iridescent colors. The only thing I would do differently next time is to make my background much lighter. The varnish seemed to darken the work more than I intended. But otherwise, I am happy with the final image. I loved painting the tiny landscape with the fields and trees. The castle was great to do. I mean, how often do you get to add a castle to your landscape?

I wanted the work to be more than just the word, so I added a landscape to rest the word on. I used the same surface and background color. Because the letter design used the autumn leaf and colors, I tried to bring that same theme and color to the landscape.


The word is attached to a piece of rag board with acrylic gel medium to lift it slightly when attached to the landscape with the same gel medium.

Always Illuminated, ©Barbara A. Freeman, Acrylic on Rag Board, 4"x 5"

Above is the frame I have chosen for it. Sorry, it is showing more of a shadow at the top than it will have when framed. Thanks for taking the time to read about my new miniature work. I'll let you know when I have decided which upcoming show I will be submitting, Always Illuminated to. I really had fun doing this, I hope it comes through in the work! It will be interesting to see what kind of response I get with this. I could see a series of illuminated words!