The 'Collectabills' - miniature painting series

I've been wanting to do this for some time now and finally started work on my new mini 'Collectabills'. The first of these are going to be officially released in Toowoomba at the Grammar School Art Show, this March the 28th-30th.

 So....... what are these 'Collectabills' you ask? 
Tiny canvases. All are 5 x 5 inches. They are intended to form a mix 'n' match collection that evolves over time. I plan to keep this as an ongoing project of mine

Why? 
Because I love you guys! I want to create something that people can build up and add to at a time that is right or when the budget suits. Rather than buy a large piece in one hit, I want to give you the option of building up a collection of really special and various individual pieces. I wanted to have something in my range of originals that just about anyone can afford to buy. A starting point. For you.

Each one is painstakingly painted with the minutest of details.

Just because they are small doesn't mean that they require any less dedication and are simply not just slap dashed together! It has been interesting to learn this. Small does not mean quicker or easier. Small does not mean less work. It almost certainly always means more! More time to get the details right, more detail to squeeze into the small area. It is basically a larger painting in condensed form. The designs have to be just as interesting to the eye. Just as desirable to look at. So in terms of value per square inch, small works are packed full of time, dogmatic love, intricate design, patience and a slice of madness!

Painting these small pieces I find myself hunched up and leaning into the painting. The little canvases are quite awkward to work with. I brace my hands against the canvas or a stable object to make sure the lines are smooth. My elbows and arms are resting on my legs or against the easel. Sometimes my shoulder 'clicks' within its socket forcing my paint line into some sort of Richter scale. So these are the little challenges to contend with.

The hours just melt away, it is surprising to see how little has been done at the end of each day.

So as a collection, these 'Collectabills' are very special to me. My hope is that I can convey this sense of effort, love, hard work and worth to you. Just because I can do it doesn't mean it came easy. Just because I can do it doesn't even mean I always like to. Can you imagine spending days worth of time just making the one small canvas? How many in a row then do you think you could make yourself do? I am doing it though. And I'm doing it for you!

It is interesting to contemplate these things. The true value here is not in size, nor in the asking price. It is in your level of understanding and coming to an appreciation of all these other things.

The Process:

Prep work:
I buy my mini 5 x 5 canvases primed and pre-stretched. They are of a reasonable quality to start with, nothing to rave about but they are ok. I then add several extra layers of gesso - I want the texture of the actual canvas to almost be gone, so this process of layering and sanding the gesso smooths the surface nicely for my designs. If i don't do this then fine washes of watered down paint collect in the dips of the fabric weave. Also finer details are sometimes lost or too difficult to paint onto a textured surface. So after the gesso is added, I then put down a few layers of background colour. Usually three layers, also sanding after each. 

Design:
The design for these I usually figure out on paper first. Really each painting is drawn twice. Once loosely to figure out the ins and outs of the design, and then again, directly onto the canvas, using the sketch as a reference.

Now after all this is done, I can finally begin to paint it. And thats another story all together.....

Thank you everyone for supporting my work so far! Peace and love to you all