Hi, I’m Renee — illustrator and Miniature Artist
MY STORY
Edmonston Studios was born from a simple belief the things made by hand carry a little bit of the person who made them.
Founded in 2008, my studio has taken many forms over the years, but creativity has always been at the center of it. Today, my work brings together two things I have loved for most of my life: illustration and miniatures.
ILLUSTRATED WITH A LITTLE PERSONALITY
I’m a colored pencil illustrator with a soft spot for characters that make people smile. My illustrations begin the old-fashioned way freehand, one pencil stroke at a time and are eventually transformed into greeting cards, paper goods, and seasonal printables. Some are funny. Some are sentimental. Some are just plain silly. But they all have the same purpose: to create a little moment of connection. I love knowing that something I drew at my desk in Minnesota might eventually be mailed to a friend, tucked into a lunchbox, displayed on a refrigerator, included with a gift, or saved in a keepsake box. That is when a drawing becomes more than a drawing. It becomes part of someone else's story.
TINY THINGS MADE THE SLOW WAY
My lifelong fascination with miniatures is the creative habit I simply can't quit. Working primarily in 1:12 scale, I create miniature foods, furnishings, accessories, and scenes by hand using materials such as wood, polymer clay, fabric, paper, and paint. I don't begin with molds, patterns, stamps, or mass-produced components whenever I can make something myself. I cut, sculpt, shape, paint, and assemble each piece individually. I call this approach “Artist in the Raw.” For me, it means starting with basic materials, an idea, and my own two hands then figuring out how to bring that tiny idea to life. The result won't always be perfectly identical from one piece to another. That's the point.
A CREATIVE LIFE
I have spent more than 25 years as a multidisciplinary artist, designer, and art educator and hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Visual Communications. My creative work has taken many forms and has found its way to people around the world. But these days, I'm happiest working from my home studio in Minnesota drawing a slightly mischievous animal or building something ridiculously tiny in the evenings and on my days off from my weekday gig as a systems analyst.
Illustration and Miniatures may seem like two very different things. To me, they're really not.
They're all about slowing down enough to make something with your hands. Something that makes someone smile. Something that feels personal. Something that reminds us that, sometimes, the little things in life really do bring the biggest smiles.
Welcome to Edmonston Studios.
I'm so glad you're here.
— Renee
Edmonston Studios was born from a simple belief the things made by hand carry a little bit of the person who made them.
Founded in 2008, my studio has taken many forms over the years, but creativity has always been at the center of it. Today, my work brings together two things I have loved for most of my life: illustration and miniatures.
ILLUSTRATED WITH A LITTLE PERSONALITY
I’m a colored pencil illustrator with a soft spot for characters that make people smile. My illustrations begin the old-fashioned way freehand, one pencil stroke at a time and are eventually transformed into greeting cards, paper goods, and seasonal printables. Some are funny. Some are sentimental. Some are just plain silly. But they all have the same purpose: to create a little moment of connection. I love knowing that something I drew at my desk in Minnesota might eventually be mailed to a friend, tucked into a lunchbox, displayed on a refrigerator, included with a gift, or saved in a keepsake box. That is when a drawing becomes more than a drawing. It becomes part of someone else's story.
TINY THINGS MADE THE SLOW WAY
My lifelong fascination with miniatures is the creative habit I simply can't quit. Working primarily in 1:12 scale, I create miniature foods, furnishings, accessories, and scenes by hand using materials such as wood, polymer clay, fabric, paper, and paint. I don't begin with molds, patterns, stamps, or mass-produced components whenever I can make something myself. I cut, sculpt, shape, paint, and assemble each piece individually. I call this approach “Artist in the Raw.” For me, it means starting with basic materials, an idea, and my own two hands then figuring out how to bring that tiny idea to life. The result won't always be perfectly identical from one piece to another. That's the point.
A CREATIVE LIFE
I have spent more than 25 years as a multidisciplinary artist, designer, and art educator and hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Visual Communications. My creative work has taken many forms and has found its way to people around the world. But these days, I'm happiest working from my home studio in Minnesota drawing a slightly mischievous animal or building something ridiculously tiny in the evenings and on my days off from my weekday gig as a systems analyst.
Illustration and Miniatures may seem like two very different things. To me, they're really not.
They're all about slowing down enough to make something with your hands. Something that makes someone smile. Something that feels personal. Something that reminds us that, sometimes, the little things in life really do bring the biggest smiles.
Welcome to Edmonston Studios.
I'm so glad you're here.
— Renee