A Custom House Portrait - Tiny Scenic style
Hey folks – and welcome to the Tiny Scenic blog!
I’m kicking off by showing you a recent commission that I LOVED working on, which I'm sharing with the permission of my client (now that the piece has been safely gifted!)
Tom got in touch to ask if I could recreate a miniature version of his home that he shares with his wife and family, to gift to his wife for her birthday.
This is the third time I’ve made a miniature version of someone’s house, and given our homes hold so much emotional as well as physical space for us it always feels like a privilege. I also love doing one-of-a-kind personalised artworks like this because you get to really lean into the specifics – and include details and features that I may not have thought to include in my own imaginary house designs.
It also gives me the push to try new techniques when presented with challenges. This house for example, with the protruding section to the front, meant my usual approach of creating a very flat, front-on façade wouldn't communicate that it's Tom's house effectively enough. Instead, in discussion with Tom I went with a view of the house seen from an angle, to give a fuller sense of the house's features.
Given the roof is a prominent feature, it deserved special consideration! Here I used a thin layer of grey wood veneer with lots of varying tones in it, which when laser-etched created a really cool illusion of root tiles.
We discussed options for displaying the custom artwork from framing to simply displaying as a miniature ornament. I also suggested we could attach fixings to the reverse so it could be attached directly to the wall with a simple nail to hang from – which Tom decided to go for. Easy-peasy to display and it will look really cool, too!
Thank you to Tom for being a dream to work with and trusting me with your custom house artwork! I'm so pleased it went down so well when gifted.
I’ll be adding more about my personalised miniatures to this blog space but in the meantime you can see more photos on my Custom Projects gallery.
Psst!
If you’re interested in a unique item of home décor or a piece of personalised jewellery to gift a loved one this Christmas, I currently have a limited number of slots available before I close commissions until the new year. In November and December things get too busy in my shop for me to work on bespoke items, so do reach out if you don't want to miss out. Email me here – jo [@] tinyscenic.com – and I’ll come back to you to discuss options with you at a range of price points.