The Mad Scientist, original miniature portrait in vintage frame

Miniature Portraits 1  : “The Mad Scientist”

As a kid in the 80’s, watching The Muppet Show on tv was a highlight of the Saturday morning cartoons. Especially when Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker conducted experiments! 

I always felt for poor Beaker, who reluctantly had to try out the new inventions… often to his demise and disfigurement! It always frustrated me how Dr. Bunsen was so unaware of the danger to poor beaker! 

With these two portraits I wanted to capture the contrast between Dr. Bunsen’s benign expression and Beaker’s panick stricken face! 

Art Process : This was originally a vintage print on wood of famous Italian art. The backing was coming off and hanging ribbon and ring was a bit yucky and needed replacing. I pried out the wood panel (which had been glued in), sanded and primed the surface. After drawing and painting studies, I painted the miniature on this wood surface. Once fully dried I coated it with several layers of matte varnish to protect the artwork. Then I carefully shaved down the edges of the  the art needed to be trimmed down to fit it back in the frame. Once glued back in, I added a new ribbon & ring so it can be displayed on the wall. And finally added a new patterned back to seal it all in. 

Miniature painting in acrylic on reclaimed wood in 10 x 13 cm vintage gold resin frame. Ready for wall display.