These tiny paintings are a miniature marvel

They say that the best things come in small packages, and it's a phrase that certainly applies to these stunning miniature images by German artist Frank Holzenburg, which push the limits of painting and watercolour techniques.

Known as WOODCASTLES online, Holzenburg packs a tremendous amount of detail into his small compositions. However, while the work might appear tricky and laborious, he finds creating his art the most exhilarating challenge possible.

Working with tiny brushes, watercolours, and unsurprisingly a magnifying glass, Holzenburg works on his paintings every day for a few hours. He cites medieval illuminations as the inspiration behind his art, and has recently completed the first year of his 'a picture for a day' challenge.

Click through to see more of Holzenburg's amazing artwork. For more tiny art, see these awesome nail art designs.

These feathers provide a great sense of scale for this tiny owl painting. Animals are a common theme in Holzenburg's work because he finds them an endless source of fascination.

Landscapes are another recurring subject. The subtle blending in the clouds and the mist over the water reveal Holzenburg's immense skill when it comes to watercolours.

This rusty nuts and bolts once again give a sense of scale to these miniature paintings. Holzenburg gets his ideas from observing the world around him. His says that his collection of tiny paintings have become like a small painted diary.

This small snail painting measures just 26mm by 13mm! On his site, Holzenburg sometimes accompanies his pictures with a poem. For this one, he described the snail as a 'bag of organs'.

To celebrate the launch of Pokemon Go, Holzenburg created this detailed and wonderfully layered illustration. Fans of Holzenburg will be happy to know that you can by artwork from his site, and that he even takes commissions!