Brooke's Work
Brooke works in primarily in miniature watercolor. She also has experience in egg tempera, oil, acrylic, pencil, pastel, collage, and letterpress and has painted and illustrated in full scale as well. She has illustrated several children's books.
In 2015-2016 Brooke took on the challenge of painting one miniature painting per day. You can see a full album of this project on her instagram page @blrothshank. All of these miniatures are painted in watercolor. A selection of them and similar pieces are available for purchase in our shop. Some of these paintings are featured in Brooke's book, Tiny Gratitudes, which is the culmination of yearlong reflection on gratitude.
Find out more information about Brooke’s process, tools, and interests in this interview on the Orchestrated Harmony website.
Brooke’s miniature reproduction paintings are painted with oil on ivorine. Most of these paintings are smaller than 2.5 inches by 2.5 inches. Each piece is painted using a layered painting technique. Brooke can do custom portraiture with images of your choice. Brooke also does large scale portraiture.
Please email blrothshank@gmail.com for pricing, availability, or commission questions.
Frequently Asked Questions about Brooke’s Work
Q: How can I purchase a painting?
A: The best way to make a purchase is to send me an email when you see something you’re interested in. I list available paintings for sale in our shop when I can.
Q: Can I commission a painting?
A: Yes. Pricing and availability can fluctuate depending on my schedule. Send me an email, blrothshank@gmail.com if you would like to talk about a commission.
Q: What kind of paper do you use?
A: Canson edition antique white
Q: What kind of brush do you use?
A: Any small natural bristle brush that comes to a fine point will work just fine. I have used 5/0 Rosemary & Co. Pure Sable Series 92, 5/0 and 0 Da Vinci Pure Kolinsky Series 1505, and 6/0 Raphael series 8404
Q: What kind of pencil do you use?
A: .5 mm pentel P205 mechanical pencil
Q: What kind of paints do you use?
A: Sennelier watercolor pan set
Q: What other tools do you use?
A: I use an Ott light and a desktop easel as my painting station. I use my iPhone to photograph each piece, and to find and source imagery to paint from.
Q: Do you use magnification?
A: Generally, no. I am nearsighted so I usually just paint with my glasses off. I do have a magnifying headset which I have used sporadically in the past, but isn’t part of my regular practice.
Q: How long does each painting take?
A: I paint one painting each day. Depending on the complexity paintings can take between 45 minutes and 4 hours. Some of my 1/12 scale replica paintings can take several days to complete. Usually I paint 2 paintings on Saturday, so I can take a break on Sunday.
Q: How long have you been painting in miniature?
In 2005 I attended the Tom Bishop Miniature show in Chicago with my mother. Since she knew that I also had a love for small details she encouraged me to check it out on a professional level. I had already been painting with oils and acrylics, and many of my paintings were already small, but not miniature. After visiting the show and trying my hand at some miniature painting, I was encouraged to apply for a scholarship to attend the International Guild of Miniature Artisans Guild School in Castine, Maine. I was able to take a class with Johannes Landman and was introduced to fine 1/12 scale painting. I have since become a member and fellow of IGMA, and have taught miniature painting at the school off and on for the past five years.