Go small!
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
■ Build your oil-painting confidence with bold brushstrokes and thick paint
■ Look at your subject in an abstract way – look at shapes, not objects
■ Learn to paint fast and small
When it comes to the painting support, size has clearly a strong impact on the final result. Often, larger works help the artist to add more details and depth to the painting, while smaller artwork is often considered as a spontaneous sketch or study of the subject. While both options are valid and worth experimenting with, let’s explore here how painting small can help us grow as artists in some obvious but also unexpected ways. Below are some of the reasons why I often encourage my students to have fun with producing mini-oil sketches.
Simplifying
Unless you use the smallest brushes in the world, working small generally means you have to omit the details, and select what is worth including in the sketch and what needs to be left out. In short, it forces you to simplify. There isn’t enough room to fit all the information so you
