An artist created itty-bitty paintings every day for a year. Here are 15 of them.
Teeny tiny things are totally fascinating.
Which is why Brooke Rothshank took an interest in miniatures 11 years ago after attending a doll house miniature show. Shortly after, she began creating highly detailed, fascinating itty bitty (totally not a technical term) paintings in oils and acrylics. She even received a scholarship to attend the International Guild of Miniature Artisans school.
As many couples do, Rothshank and her husband started a family and a few years ago, with a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old, she was having trouble completing any tiny drawings.
"I enjoy being with my kids and I love being a mom but making art is an integral part of living well for me," Rothshank told Upworthy.
And so with the support and help of her husband, her mom, and baby-sitters, she decided to make herself a promise.
Brooke Rothshank committed to creating one tiny painting every day for an entire year.
She was successful in her year-long endeavor and got back into the routine of making time for her passion. In fact, it went so well that she's going to commit to a weekly commissioned piece of work for the entire year in 2017.
The paintings are gorgeous and immaculate and tiny! Each one can take anywhere from half an hour to four hours to complete. The paintings are at 1/12th scale and super detailed.
So here are 15 of her amazing tiny paintings!
1. A perfect miniature unicorn.
All photos of paintings belong to Brooke Rothshank and are shared here with permission.
2. The ultimate single serving Sriracha.
3. An itty-bitty kitty cat.
4. A tiny violin.
5. A super small fish bowl.
6. A teeny baby elephant.
7. A pocket-sized goat.
8. A minuscule gummy bear.
9. A teeny turtle.
10. The smallest cheese spread ever.
11. A sweet sleeping fox.
12. A minuscule sprinkled donut.
13. A pint-sized boot.
14. Slight strawberries.
15. A teensy treat.
The paintings are fantastic, but equally important is the message Rothshank shared along with them.
"I have a personal need to create," she said. But as most parents know, it's not always easy to balance parenting young children with work and hobbies. And often, our personal interests are the first things we set aside. "[F]inding smaller ways to satisfy that need has been my solution," she said.
How does that work? For Rothshank, who gave birth to her third child seven weeks early in December, it means asking for help from family and using baby-sitters to ensure she has even small windows of time for her art.
"My advice is to make your passions a consistent priority," she said. "When you are parenting small children, devoting time to yourself each day simply for self-care can make a radical difference."
