There are several outstanding miniature sculptors, who hold expertise in sculpting pencil leads. To do so on an ordinary graphite pencil lead is a great feat in itself, but to do so on even a softer lead of a colored pencil is something to be seen to be believed. This is what a Russian sculptor, Salavat Fidai, does, and how!
One look at Fidai’s works and you’ll forget that pencil is actually meant for writing. This remarkable miniature artist has certainly given a new meaning to pencil art and opened up new horizons in miniature art. What’s most surprising is he was actually a trained lawyer with over 25 years of practice, when his creative side took hold of him.
Fidai, who’s based in Ufa, Russia, started expressing his creative side by clicking still-life photographs of fruits and vegetables by his digital camera. He next took up painting and created some outstanding works. During this time, he also experimented with miniature paintings, creating paintings on matchboxes, sunflower seeds, and grains of rice.
However, once Fida saw the works of a well-known Brazilian artist, Dalton Ghetti, it inspired him to turn to miniature sculpting. It’s one thing to be inspired by your mentor, but quite another to follow in his footsteps. This is because this art not only requires tremendous sculpting skills but oodles of patience and dedication too. Luckily, he has it all. It wasn’t long before he started creating miniature sculptures on pencil tips. Now, he’s a full-time artist.
There is nothing that Fidai cannot create on the tip of a pencil. His works include such diverse subjects as humans, animals, plants, furniture, musical instruments, buildings, and others. His eye for detail and sculpting skills in crafting these fragile graphite sculptures are evident in all his works.
Of course, such miniature sculpting requires special tools. Fidai uses tools, such as an X-ACTO knife for delicately chipping the graphite, a magnifying glass to see the details, and a thin brush to brush off excess graphite. With these limited tools, he’s able to carve these breathtaking miniatures. For him, even the simplest of sculptures takes about six hours to complete and the more complex ones, up to 12 hours of backbreaking toil.
Fidai’s works have been displayed in numerous exhibitions in his own country and in countries like the USA, UK, UAE, and others. He enjoys a fan following of over 80,000 on Instagram alone.
Buy Salavat Fidai art on his Etsy Shop.
Salavat Fidai
