For Adarsh V, carving pencil lead into micro models or statuettes is a meditative process. In a time span of two years, he managed to crack the micro art formula and became an expert of sorts. This Malappuram native recently passed out from Government Engineering College, Kozhikode. While he is in search of a full-time job on the side, it’s his micro art talent that keeps him busy these days.
Back in 2019, Adarsh was aimlessly scrolling through social media when he first came across a picture of a micro artwork. On how he started micro art, he shared, “I saw a friend put up a WhatsApp status of her friend’s (Hridya) micro artwork. At that time, there were hardly any people persuing this artwork. So, it was different to get the information I needed to start. But, thankfully, Hridya took me through every process, equipment needed, and the dos and don’ts of micro art.”
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Apart from practice, micro art demands 100 per cent patience from the artist. It’s a time-consuming process as it involves laborious chisels and slow hand movement. The lack of indulgence and impatience will lead to breakage. He stated, “My first 10 pencils met with disaster. But, I did not lose determination. I kept on practising. I started out by carving capital letters on pencil leads. Finally, when I was sure of my ability, I carved the word ‘Lakshya’, the name of my college fest. It was a hella proud moment. I immediately took a picture, posted it on my private Instagram account, and received a bunch of appreciation.”
He added, “My childhood friends were the ones who pushed me really hard to turn my newfound skill into a small business gifting venture. They set up my business account on Instagram and even took the responsibility to take great pictures.”
This self-taught artist soon began to receive customised orders. During the initial years, he carved around 100 pencils with capital letters using different font styles. In no time, Adarsh started receiving new, difficult orders that pushed his own creative boundaries. He commented, “Whatever work I receive, I make sure that I do it neatly and perfectly. While the tools complement my work, it’s patience that plays a more important role in the entire process. I take close to 4-5 hours to make one micro art. The more you sit on a piece of work, the better the output.”
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Apart from micro art, Adarsh also does customised wood carvings. As a child, his artistic pursuits always leaned towards carpentry. He shared, “I make really beautiful frames that symbolise an occasion. I also add my micro art as an additional design to make the overall output look really personalised. Many customers love this range of customised work.”
If you wish to get hold of Adarsh’s work, you can easily chat with him on Instagram. He charges around INR 60-70 per word for each micro art and more than INR 500 for customised woodwork. What’s great is that he delivers nationally and internationally.
To date, Adarsh has worked on around 250-300 pieces of micro art. He has even bagged the India Book of Records and Asia Book of Records for carving the names of all the Indian states and their capitals on pencil tips. The work took around 13 hours and 53 minutes to complete.
Adarsh hopes to turn this into a full-fledged, income-generating business. As a stern believer of his passion, he is working towards developing his passion into a life-changing opportunity.
