Getting thoughts into a piece of paper can be made easier when your first executions are in the form of thumbnails (or small sketches). Here we draw a box which clearly defines our edges for us and gives a reference for our graphics and picture making. Then our attitudes and feelings of how we want to draw our picture gets its full expression and intention. Never be shy or afraid of making mistakes, for the more marks we make, the more we learn what we like and what we don't, so go ahead and express fully in those small sketches. These are not masterpieces. These are only for experimentation and learning and most of the process of letting go of what you ever thought you should draw like and assume the attitude of seeing the uniqueness and conveying that something special that only you and your fullest artist can create to share your rare vision.
There is a flip side to the idea of the thumbnail, which as described is to facilitate fabulous picture making with the multiple approaches and attitudes and explore the multitude of options. Putting down ideas quickly to avoid wasting time trying to create a masterpiece when the warm up hasn't even begun. The thumbnails are the warm up. Another interesting point our teacher Dave Passalaqua used to explain was that the thumbnail is only the first imaginary template or boarder to the whole of picture making which could be endless. He said if the art is good and the approach and attitude was good it could easily go beyond the boarders of the thumbnail to a bigger boarder and off the page onto multiple pages and off those pages on to an entire wall and onwards. The lines, the authority and way the marks are put down can all go beyond the boarders when it's good stuff being put down, it can just keep expanding. The thought is still the same if its the size of a stamp or a building. When someone asked Dave if they should copy the thumbnail to make the final and he replied, No, try to emulate the emotion of the thumbnail, the attitude, the approach, the thinking of the thumbnail.