Let’s talk about something that’s been near and dear to me for a few years now: Miniature art. I specifically want to talk about a few reasons for making miniature art.
The main reason, of course, is making miniature art for the sake of the art itself. Miniature artwork is a very specialized art form, with societies of its own—The Miniature Art Society of Florida and the Hilliard Society of Miniature Art, for example.
There are also other dedicated groups and organizations. I even host a miniature group of sorts, the Colored Pencil ACEOs with Carrie group. This group focuses on one form of miniature art, ACEOs.
But even if you don’t make miniature art for its own sake, there are reasons to consider working with miniature artwork.
Reasons for Making Miniature Art
Improving Existing Skills
The first time I decided to do miniature art on a “large scale” was in 2007. Back then, I was still primarily an oil painter. I was dissatisfied with my work and especially my landscapes. So I decided to challenge myself to create six ACEOs every week for the entire year. I would paint one landscape every day (except Sunday) all year.
The purpose was to focus on landscape painting in a way that was fun, that allowed me to do a lot of work in a short time, and that I could throw away if it didn’t turn out. The hope was that I’d learn how to paint better landscapes.
When I started, I had no idea whether or not I would complete the challenge. I also didn’t know if it would do any good or not. I’ll let you be the judge. Here’s one of the first ACEOs, an oil painting.
Below is one of the last ACEOs for the year. This is also an oil painting, but in between, I used colored pencils, acrylics, and ballpoint pen.
I didn’t only draw the landscape. Sometimes I added things to the landscape such as a horse or a cow. I even painted a sunflower one day.
The point is that I painted, sketched or drew ACEOs all year, and that I could see the improvement over the course all those miniature works of art.
I also had fun. I enjoyed it so much that I continued painting ACEOs into 2008. The truth is, I’m still making them.
Learning New Skills
If you can improve existing skills by making miniature art, you can also learn new skills.
You can also try new supports, pencils, and other drawing mediums with miniature art. This 2026 ACEO is one of my first attempts at drawing with pigment markers. I focused on line to create values and define the shapes in the mountains.
The advantage is that you don’t have to invest hours and hours into a work to finish it. There’s also less guilt if the artwork fails. It’s easier to throw away.
That was one of the reasons I chose to do ACEOs for my 2007 challenge; I could throw away anything I didn’t like. But although there were some that I didn’t like, I didn’t throw any away.
Faster to Finish
Colored pencil is a naturally slow medium. It takes a long time to finish a detailed drawing no matter what size it is. Of course, the bigger the drawing the longer it takes to complete.
For a lot of us who work jobs or have families or other obligations, drawing time is limited. That means it may take months to finish a piece that takes only 24 hours of actual drawing time. That’s a long time to work on the same piece.
What’s the answer? Miniatures!
Even if you do a lot of detail, you can still finish a miniature in just a few hours. If you have an hour a day to draw, you can probably finish one miniature a week. I drew this ACEO in about a week, working every day in between other daily activities and chores.
Focuses Your Attention on the Important Details
When you draw small, you don’t have room to draw every detail, so you have to choose the most important details. That’s good exercise no matter how large you usually draw.
Unless you’re going for hyper-realism, when you really do draw every single hair.
Drawing Miniature Art is Perfect for Quick Sketches
Trying to figure out a difficult part of a larger drawing?
Working out compositions?
Miniature sketches are quick, easy, and extremely portable. You can keep a small sketch book or art journal in your purse, briefcase or a field kit.
Miniature Drawings are a Great Way to Use Paper Scraps
Speaking of expensive, don’t you hate throwing away those scraps of paper left over when you trim a sheet to size? Don’t throw them away; turn them into miniature art!
You don’t even have to cut them to any specific size. Use them in whatever size or shape they happen. I have a collection of scraps cut down to ACEO size because I did a lot of those one year.
But I also save scraps of paper that are more than an inch wide on the short side, no matter what shape they are. When I’m stuck for something to draw, I sometimes go through those scraps and see if one of them sparks an idea. Even if the result isn’t a masterpiece, I did draw something. Some days, that’s a huge win!
The Bottom Line
Those are just a handful of reasons for making miniature art; they aren’t the only reasons.
But I hope you end this article with the idea that making miniature art can be a good way to relax while drawing.
It’s also a great way to learn new things, try new tools, and put a little bit of fun back into your drawing routine.
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