Issue 53 April 2026

Miniature Time Traveller 11 Fig. 1. Step 4. Leave your work overnight to dry thoroughly, Then you can contemplate how to frame it. Don’t forget to sign your work and date it. It leaves clues for those who may come across it in the future. There are some little secrets in how to make your portraits work. It is good to work from a downloaded image to practice on. à Think of where the light is coming from, from right to left or left to right. Always emphasise a darker side shading to light on the background and the face. à Start with light washes of colour if you are doing watercolour. You can darken the layers as you go but it is hard to lighten them if you make an error. à For flesh tones your first wash should be almost non existent. Then slowly work in your darker shadows. Burnt Sienna is a colour which is helpful when painting faces. Use a tiny bit of Ultramarine in the shadows. à Always keep your tones light. à Once you are happy with things, frame your masterpieces. They add something of your own personality into your dollhouses. à A good palette to work with only has to contain some very basic shades. à The blues: Cobalt and Ultramarine. à The warm colours: Warm Yellow, Warm Red, Burnt Sienna. à Shadow colours: Burnt Umber and Black. à Accent: White (if you really have to.) Feel free to send me an image of your work. Jill Fraser. Your paintings come alive once they are framed. Materials list: A solid MDF board (sealed) or a wooden chopping board on the unscarred side. Masking tape. Good photocopy or watercolour paper. Pencil. Eraser. Fine brushes. Acrylic or watercolour paints, Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine, Burnt Umber, Warm Yellow, Cool Red, Black and White. Container of water. Newspaper on the table. Clean rags.