Think Small Before You Draw Big
Thainlin shares how a quick thumbnail can help you see the bigger picture, make better decisions, and sketch with greater confidence on location!
By Thainlin Tay
When I first started sketching and painting outdoors, I was always eager to get started. I would find a scene that caught my eye and sketch it right away. It was thrilling, but I soon discovered that enthusiasm alone does not always lead to a good painting.
I encountered the same problems repeatedly. Sometimes, I would run out of space on the paper because I had not thought about the size and placement of the subject. Other times, the composition simply didn’t work, or I would get carried away drawing details—a window, a doorway, or some architectural feature—only to realize later that I had lost sight of the bigger picture.
That was when I began to appreciate the importance of doing a thumbnail sketch before starting the larger piece.
A thumbnail is a small, simplified sketch of what I intend to draw. It is not a miniature version of the finished artwork, and it doesn't need to be detailed or beautiful.
For me, it is more like making a mental note and quickly putting it on paper.
A Few Minutes Now Saves Time Later
Thumbnails do not take much time; I usually spend just a few minutes on one. I start by looking at the scene as a whole rather than the details, and pose myself these questions:
What are the big shapes?
Where is the main subject?
How much space should it occupy?
Where are the areas of light and dark shadows?
When I need to make a large or important painting, I start by making two or three thumbnails, trying different viewpoints or crops. One recent plein air session was a good example.
I wanted to paint a historical colonial building, so I started by walking around it and stopping at different spots to make quick thumbnails. Each took about five minutes, using just a fountain pen and black ink on small loose sheets of paper.
Four Thumbnails
My first view was straight on, showing the main facade. It was too centralized and boring. The second showed part of the building with a grass lawn in the foreground. I liked it, but it still did not make the cut. I continued walking and sketched two more views: one showing the building in its full glory, and another from the right, with trees and an outdoor cafe framing part of the building.
I loved both, but chose the third thumbnail for the day’s painting, and I kept the fourth for another day.
Before starting the final piece, I made one more thumbnail based on my chosen composition, this time using blue to indicate the shadow areas as a quick test. I also added a few notes to remind myself what I wanted to do in the final artwork.
By the time I started the larger painting, I had already explored the composition, tested the light and shadows, and made some important decisions.
Big Ideas Start with Thumbnails
The thumbnail is not a rigid blueprint. When sketching outdoors, things change—the light shifts, people move, and new details catch your eye. A thumbnail is simply a visual roadmap that gives you a confident starting point.
For me, that is the real value of working small first. It takes only a few minutes, but it helps me slow down, observe, and make better decisions before committing to the larger sheet.
I still enjoy the spontaneity of outdoor sketching. But now I know that sometimes the best way to begin a large artwork is to think small before you draw big.
Thainlin’s Materials for Thumbnail Sketching
Demi Palette with Mini and Standard Pans (filled with Daniel Smith watercolors unless otherwise marked).
Mini Pans: Prussian Blue and Payne’s Grey.
Standard Pans: Hansa Yellow Deep, Quinacridone Rose, Cobalt Blue, Burnt Sienna, and Holbein Grey.
Paper: typically scraps of unused watercolor paper
Fountain pen with black ink
Thainlin Tay
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About Thainlin
Thainlin Tay is an Art Toolkit Ambassador who has led an Art Toolkit Travel Sketching live demo and instructed People in Motion, available on our workshops page. Learn more about Thainlin on his Ambassador Page and read his previous blog post: Sketching and Painting with Ink Outdoors.
