You’ll need a magnifying glass or superhero vision to check out these miniature works of art by England-based micro-sculptor Willard Wigan. All of his sculptures are displayed on the head of a pin, the tip of an eyelash, or a grain of sand. He uses materials such as toothpicks, sugar crystals, and grains of rice to carve and paint his sculptures and the smallest sculpture can be measured in thousandths of an inch.
Wigan is completely self-taught. At the early age of five years old, Wigan said, “I started making houses for ants because I thought they needed somewhere to live. Then I made them shoes and hats. It was a fantasy world I escaped to. That’s how my career as a micro-sculptor began.”
If you aren’t impressed yet, read on. Wigan has actually figured out ways to control his body and nervous system, reaching meditative states and performing his sculpting between breathes to ensure exact control and detail in his sculptures. Though he learned the hard way that he has to be extra careful in his process. When referring to his Alice in Wonderland piece, he said, “There was a tragedy when I first tried making this piece…I inhaled Alice!”
