In the 16th century miniature painting was a secret passed only from father to son or master to pupil. Nowadays there is no secret to miniature painting, and there are many artists willing to pass on their skills and techniques through books or classes. Another art that has come from the earliest times to the present day, and now produced in miniature form, is the art of calligraphy and illuminating. I have always marvelled at the skill and patience taken by the calligraphist when scribing a verse and painting an illumination on an area no bigger than one and a half inches square. In case you are wondering what illumination around a calligraphied work is, it is the beautiful painted work, perhaps of flowers or heraldry, or any such subject that might help to enhance the meaning and beauty of the scripted work and was in fact the beginning of miniature painting as a separate art form.
Some miniatures are smaller than a postage stamp.
Miniature paintings, except for small subjects, should be no larger than one sixth of the original subject size, making a portrait no more than two inches in height. If they are any larger than this then they are classed as small paintings. Above all the artist looks for the smoothest base on which to paint their work of art, for the delicate brushes used in the paintings sometimes have only a few hairs and the lines made by them can be ruined by even the slightest bump in the surface. The paints used by artists in recent times are a far cry from the water-colour or body colour used in the 15th century. We still use water-colour, but now oil paint, acrylic and gouache are used along with other mediums.