The Art of the Miniature: Small Worlds and How to Make Them [Paperback]

Jane Freeman (Author), Roger Rosenblatt (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2002

For anyone who adores the art of creating small things, The Art of the Miniature provides a treasure trove of practical techniques and ingenious approaches. In this captivating guide, noted artist Jane Freeman shows readers, step by step, how to use modified kit components and found and handmade objects to create intensely detailed miniature constructions. Readers will learn the entire process of creating a miniature room, structure, or landscape, from selecting a container to choosing the subject, approach, and style. Page after page of wonderful, full-color examples display painstakingly accurate "portraits" of interiors and buildings (like a Hollywood studio and a trendy New York City retail store), imaginary opera sets (Don Giovanni, The Magic Flute) and even the studios of famous artists. The book also features the inspirational work of several other leading miniatures artists, including Susan Leopold, David Levinthal, Victoria and Richard MacKenzie-Childs, and Alan Wolfion.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jane Freeman began her career as a painter but has made her reputation as a master miniaturist. She has created over 200 pieces in several ongoing series and also designs works for corporate and private collectors. She contributes regularly to Dollhouse Miniatures Magazine, and her work has been featured in many other magazines and newspapers including the New York Times

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823003094
• ISBN-13: 978-0823003099
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #693,765 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not your average dollshouse book..., July 21, 2003

By 

"jacqt" (Sydney Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of the Miniature: Small Worlds and How to Make Them (Paperback)

...and this is the true strength of the book. Jane Freeman's work reflects her classically trained background and does not sit well with the often twee world of miniature 'craft'. If anyone can bring miniatures out of its association with children's toys, Freeman can! This book showcases the work of Freeman and other artists who work in miniature form in brilliant photographic colour and quality on every page- not a single, irritating and pointless black and white among them. I turn to this book when I feel the need to be 'freed' from the conventions of miniatures, namely expense, scale, and realism in the traditional sense of the term. Freeman's talent for producing the essence of what is most important in life is second to none in the miniatures world, and her flair for finding alternative uses for rubbish is ingenious. My work took quite a different turn after the influence of Freeman, from heirloom creations of the Australian past, to scenes of my own life which actively engages the onlooker by requiring their interpretation. This was my most expensive miniatures book purchase, and one of the most valuable. Highly recommended.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jane Freeman is an artist, September 25, 2002

By 

"catombro" (Ocean Isle Beach, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of the Miniature: Small Worlds and How to Make Them (Paperback)

Jane Freeman works mainly from found materials and transforms them into wonderful miniature worlds, mainly roomboxes. Many of her works are in private collections as well as museums. I've learned many techniques from her earlier publications in miniature magazines and this book was a bonus, both for her ideas and I wondered why she wasn't publishing anymore in what used to be known at Nutshell News, now Dollhouse Miniatures. I believe her artistic ability transcends miniatures and as one reviewer said "this book is candy for the eyes". Yes, I am interested in miniatures and this is a "must have" for the miniaturist.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Total eye candy!, August 23, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Art of the Miniature: Small Worlds and How to Make Them (Paperback)

Even if you're not into dollhouses or miniatures (which I'm really not), you should check this book out. It's amazing what the artists in this book have come up with--scenes elevated to extraordinary. There is a room box for every taste, from recreated and reinterpreted Van Gogh and Matisse paintings to office cubicles and Chinese restaurant facades. There are more traditional rooms like kitchens and bathrooms, but there are also diners, dentists' offices and even a funky Frida Kahlo house. Are the projects intimidating? Mostly. Are they inspiring? DEFINITELY. There are fantastic things that spark ideas in here, even if you have no intention of ever making a room box yourself. It's a great book to peruse if you're interested in collage and assemblage, and if you like miniatures there are all sorts of directions and ideas for how to make something out of virtually nothing. When I bought this and showed it to a friend, she looked at it and said, "That's...creepy." She meant it in the best possible sense--this stuff is so realistic you can't imagine someone made it. BUY THIS BOOK! It's a lot of fun, even if it is sort of creepy.