Daily Mini Interview: Miniature 3D Printing by Lance Abernethy

Lance Abernethy’s 3D-Printed Works in Miniature

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Lance-2015-04-3D-printer-shoot-020Tell us a bit about the conception of The World’s Smallest Circular Saw

It was just a natural progression from the miniature drill. I like to make and create things. Using power tools and 3D printers help me bring those things to life.

There are lots of things that get me excited and when I see something or come up with an idea I just want to have a go. The idea stems from joining multiple interests together but turning them into something different.

You wowed the tech world just a few months ago with your World’s Smallest Cordless Drill. Could you tell us a bit about the conception of this piece? 

It progressed from a general chat at our shift change over at work. We were sharing stories and jokes that are spread through the engineering field. Apparently a country made the smallest twist drill and sent it to another who drilled a hole down the center. Well, I thought: I can make a small drill to do that.

Lance Abernethy’s 3D-Printed Cordless Drill now holds the Guinness World Record for the smallest working power tool at 17 millimeters.

What’s your background and how did you get into 3D printing?

I’m a maintenance and diagnostic engineer… well, that’s what my certificate says. I have always liked technology and general mechanical things. The world of 3D printing is the ultimate way to create something. You can make things that were never possible before and with no waste. I would love to get more into that field and thought the best way to start was to get a printer of my own.

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What urged you to transition from full scale 3D printing into miniature? 

Tiny things are interesting, funny and can be surprising. I still print large and full sized items but it’s always fun when you pull off a cool tiny print. The type of printer I have isn’t suited to printing such small items, so it’s also the challenge to make it possible.

20150316_175150Approximately how long did it take you to create the saw and drill? 

Three days each, from the idea to a complete item. I don’t wait around, I just get to creating.

Do you plan on selling either tool or mass printing these? 

It would be nice and may become a option. But I’m not sure if people would be willing to pay enough to be worth my time.

Any other 3D-printed works or “World’s Smallest” creations to come from Lance Abernethy?

I’m always working on something, that’s for sure. Whether it interests other people, I don’t know. The problem is, I have more ideas than time in the world. The list grows faster than I can pursue my interests and the cost comes into play a bit too.SAMSUNG CSC

As for miniature items, I have a few ideas that I hope to work on some time soon. More tools, but a few other things that I’m not ready to share yet. Mainly as I’m not sure if and when I’ll be able to complete them.

Any inspirations you’d like to cite? 

I don’t really follow anyone’s footsteps, but all the people at Ultimaker and on the forum make up a good community that I enjoy being a part of. There are lots of talented people that share their creations. It’s very inspiring.

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Career highlights thus far?

Just being employed is a highlight. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to work with some very talented people and I really enjoy modifying machinery. SAMSUNG CSCSeeing people struggle operating or working with equipment and coming up with improvements to aid their jobs and improve overall performance.

Advice for beginner designers and entrepreneurs?

Don’t be afraid to fail and don’t worry about not being trained or taught how to do something. Just give it a go. You may start off rusty but the skills you will gain outweigh any of that. If you are passionate about something or something excites you, then pursue it. Life’s short so live it. If you wait for retirement then you may not be fit to do the things you would have loved to do.

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Other hobbies you enjoy?

I have many hobbies: fishing, hunting, doing professional firework displays, playing banjo and bird watching. I also grow, harvest and make different products from sugar cane.

Lance Abernethy is based in Auckland, New Zealand. Watch his miniature creations in action on YouTube.

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Daily Mini Interview: Musée Miniature et Cinéma Director Dan Ohlmann

Musée Miniature et Cinéma Director Dan Ohlmann

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What are your earliest memories with miniatures?

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Le dortoir by Dan Ohlmann

As a child, I was very attracted to miniatures. I especially liked to create mini interiors of wooden huts, hunters’ homes with all their furniture and utensils. I was building works perched on real branches, and soon they became tropical forests. I built small streams that became big rivers. I was six years old and my pleasure was in search of maximum realism. I never put figures or figurines in my spaces because it totally interfered with my desire to create a “visual illusion.”

Do you remember the first miniatures you created between 1985 and 1987 before you produced the 1:12 Chez Maxim restaurant in Paris?

Before Chez Maxim, I created a whole mahogany interior featuring the cellist Rostropovich. He had asked me to make this miniature for his friend Herbert Von Karajan’s birthday.

Prison Saint Paul Dan Ohlmann
Prison Saint Paul by Dan Ohlmann

Do you have a favorite work currently in the collection of the Musée Miniature et Cinéma (Museum of Miniature and Film)? 

I founded the museum for public awareness around the art of the miniature through the eyes of different artists. I did not found it to show my art, but also because I am a huge fan of ten other talented miniaturists. I love the hyperrealist miniature ruins by Laurie Chareyre, and very messy scenes by Ronan Jim Sevellec.

Who are your favorite contemporaries?

I love the work of Alan Wolfson and his New York atmosphere scenes. We exhibited a retrospective of his work at the museum earlier this year.

Other than that, I have no preference when it comes to the specific type of a miniature scene. Everyone has a different style, and I do not wish to compare them.

What miniaturists do you wish to feature in the Museum?

I have not yet had the opportunity to exhibit Charles Matton, who has had a very beautiful career. My greatest desire would be to achieve an exhibition featuring this great artist in Lyon! Maybe someday…

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Le hangard abandonné by Dan Ohlmann

What inspires you?

I like to reproduce places full of past spaces, where one feels the presence of a human is not far away. The presence of certain objects in my miniature scenes help to create a moving, breathing piece of work.

Why miniatures?

If I was not a miniaturist, I would probably be a filmmaker or a film set designer. I am very fond of the various spaces in which human beings move. “Tell me where you live and I’ll tell you who you are” is a sentence that rings true for me.

What has been the most difficult miniature project to create?

There are some interesting miniatures I would have liked to create. I always wanted to make the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. After getting special permission to photograph the Conservatory, and take thousands of photographs on site (over 5 days), I never started its production because I did not have the courage to launch into 4-5 years of miniature work for all the necessary micro-sculptures. Having previously created the Maxim’s de Paris, which took 15 months of continuous work, I realized that the Hall of Mirrors would be too difficult and would take too long for me to make. I would prefer to make 5 different miniatures over a period of time, rather than work on one. I like to have a bit of choice.

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Museum Director Dan Ohlmann with an animatronic prop from Gremlins 2

What is the most unusual miniature you have ever seen?

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Stuart Little

The miniatures of the late Charles Matton are especially beautiful. I am touched by the beauty of a scene first and foremost. I am not affected by the dexterity required to make a piece, because performance is not art.

What is your favorite period of History of Art?

I love Art Deco.

Career highlights thus far?

The best moments for me have been the encounters made at a location that I am studying to miniaturize. Whether at Le Havre in Normandy, at Maxim’s in Paris, in an incredible zen temple in Japan, in Cuba, or in the Drôme Provençale, there is this aspect of a “reporter miniaturist” that is so exciting! Whenever I start to photograph and analyze a rare and unusual place, I usually meet rare and unusual people!

What’s to come from the Musée Miniature et Cinéma?

We will celebrate this year the 10th anniversary of the Museum in its current location (a 16th century historical building, the Maison des Avocats), but also our 20 years of miniature and cinema in Lyon since the museum was actually founded in Lyon on January 1, 1990. In 2000, the museum had been in the Paris regions for 5 years (operated by Grévin of Paris) and was reopened again in 2005 in the capital of Gaul.

What do you want fans of miniatures know about you?

I want them to know that this museum exists only because of their love and support for over 20 years now!

Today one of my other passions is to restore objects that were used for filming movies before the era of “all-digital.” These numerous sets, costumes, prosthetics, animatronics, and more are very fragile due to materials which were poorly resistant to passing time. Thanks to our visitors, we preserve these props in our workshops. A big thank you to the public for its help in preserving nostalgic art!

Created by miniaturist artist Dan Ohlmann, the Musée Miniature et Cinéma in France presents two rare and exclusive collections: miniature scenes and film props and artifacts. The museum features over 100 miniature scenes exquisitely crafted by world-renowned miniaturists while the film collection boasts over 300 original film props and artofacts. To learn more about Dan Ohlmann or the Museum of  Miniature and Film, visit the Musée Miniature et Cinéma website or head on over to Facebook

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Dan Ohlmann with an animatronic triceratops from Jurassic Park

Daily Mini Interview: Paperholm by Charles Young

Paperholm Miniature Paper Sculptures

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How did the idea for Paperholm come about?

h_van_02_700The project came about as a way to keep myself making new work every day. Small paper models seemed like something that I could complete without it taking up too much time. The animations came about by chance really as I’d never made any before starting the project.

Do you save all the miniature paper sculptures you created?

I still have every model from the project and they’re now taking up quite a lot of space. I’d love to exhibit them as a constructed city, but I don’t have anything planned at the moment.

Do you have a favorite miniature sculpture thus far?tumblr_nomc3jhWgI1tjhih8o1_500

I think that my current favorite is number 281. which is a house in the form of a giraffe. I was just really pleased with the way that it came out, nothing deeper than that.

Most challenging miniature sculptures you’ve made?

The most difficult sculptures are the ones that feature complex curves. The way of making these shapes from single pieces of paper means that you can’t hide your mistakes. The watercolor paper that I use it great for work at this scale. It’s thick enough to hold its shape, but thin enough to bend fairly well.

Will you be retiring Paperholm in August 2015 at the 1-year mark?

tumblr_nsayam4Uos1tjhih8o1_500Even with just a few days to go before the one year mark, I’m still not sure about whether I’m going to carry on or not. I feel like a year of models would be a good block of work and Paperholm has fulfilled its purpose of keeping me making but I think i’d feel bad for stopping.

Advice for new artists?

I know that I’ve improved my skills a lot over the year just by making something small every day. Regular practice really helps and although it can be hard to get started, once you get established in the rhythm of doing a daily project it becomes very natural.

What inspires you?tumblr_nsgox7rosw1tjhih8o1_500

Inspiration for my work comes from all kinds of sources, existing buildings, things I read or illustrations in books but sometimes an idea is hard to trace and it’s not always clear where it originated. I’m interested in the full breadth of architecture, from Alvar Aalto to Jean-Jacques Lequeu, which is hopefully reflected in my work. It’s one of the great things about producing such small works so quickly that you can experiment with widely varying styles without worrying too much about how it will come out in the end.

Charles Young is based in Edinburgh, UK. To see the full collection of Paperholm miniature paper sculptures in photo and animation form, visit the Paperholm website, shop the Etsy store, or check out his Tumblr

Editor’s Note: Congratulations to Charles Young on successfully reaching 365 days of Paperholm! This dailymini article was published days before the 1-year mark of his delightfully designed paper city.

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Daily Mini Interview: Miniature Landscapes by Louise Smith

Miniature Embroidery by Louise Smith
Landscapes in Silk and Thread

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Tell us a bit about your background as an artist.

Free Bee 2 x 2 inchesAs a teenager, I saw an exhibition of free motion machine embroidery on silk, and was intrigued by how the stitched foreground appeared so near and the painted background so distant, making me feel I’d traveled miles while standing on the spot. But a little research on the subject—in books, in those pre-Internet days—left me feeling this was too tricky and time-consuming an art form to learn at the time.

I must have held onto the idea somewhere, though, and seven years ago when I was seeking something creative to do in my spare time, it popped straight into my head. By this time, the Internet, artists’ blogs and YouTube videos had made learning a bit easier. Despite having done neither painting nor sewing since my schooldays, I went all in, buying a sewing machine and a bunch of silk, paint and thread, determined to make a go of it.

R&R 3 x 4 inchesI did some painting on silk first, getting used to that medium, then took on the task of learning free motion machine embroidery. They’re very different disciplines, but they do share a common power to exasperate! When a painting or sewing session goes well, though, you feel like you’ve climbed a mountain.

Nowadays, I also incorporate a lot of other techniques such as hand sewing, gluing, ribbon work, and using thread lint—whatever’s demanded by the scene I’m trying to create.

What unique materials have gone in to your work?

I doubt it’s unique to me, but I use thread lint sometimes, which is just regular sewing thread chopped finely. I use a toothpick to stir different colors together to get the exact shade I want. It’s great for depicting fields or trees in the middle distance, that are too near for paint and too distant for embroidery. I attach it to the silk using acid-free tacky glue.

Blue Plate Special 4.25 x 5.5 inchesSince I work with woven silk, sometimes when I’m looking for a really fine thread, such as for boat rigging, I’ll pull a single strand of silk from the side of the piece and use that.

One piece featuring seagulls had me stumped, because I tried thread, then ribbon, and still wasn’t happy with the look of the gulls. I ended up using tiny slivers of Tyvek, which is used for everything from envelopes to house wraps, but counts as fiber.

I sometimes use snippets of ribbon or cotton. And I’m a fabric store’s nightmare because I’ll drag out a big roll of some fabric with an intriguing texture and buy a quarter-yard of it.

Tick-Tock 3 x 4 inchesAlthough I embroider mostly with regular sewing thread, I do subject it to processes that make it look different. My work should look absolutely nothing like traditional embroidery with its very tidy, recognizable stitch patterns, because nature doesn’t look like that. So, I might do some free motion machine embroidery and then rough it up with an emery board to make it look like windblown grass; or chop into it with scissors. It sometimes feels like hairstyling on a very small scale.

Why do you find yourself predominantly working in a small scale? 

With the medium of embroidery, it’s partly determined by the diameter of hoop that can fit within the arm of the sewing machine. Much larger than a 10-inch hoop, and you’ll find the edge of the hoop bangs into the arm of the machine and compromises your stitching. And even on pieces that don’t involve the machine, I still aim small because it would take too long to hand-sew a large area.

Half Moon 3 x 4 inchesAs for why embroidery as opposed to, say, large-scale landscape painting, I think it’s because I’m compelled to do something different. If embroidery on a small scale suddenly became a very mainstream hobby, I’d probably look for something else to do. There’s something special to me about bringing a relatively obscure art form to light.

Artists that have inspired you?

Alison Holt, who’s based in the UK, is one of the first artists to have inspired me in this particular medium. And Kirsten Chursinoff is a fiber artist local to British Columbia, whose work I’ve been lucky enough to see in person. I’m afraid I’ve never been able to find out the name of the artist whose exhibition originally inspired me as a teenager, but I’m very thankful to them!

I’m also inspired by artists in all media, because they all have so much to teach me about composition and color, and I enjoy participating in art groups both local and online.

Break in the Clouds 1.25 x 2.75 inchesFavorite artist working with miniatures?

Alison Holt creates small-scale landscapes using free motion machine embroidery—and magic, I think—on silk. Janet Granger, a fellow member of Stitchin’ Fingers, creates exquisite miniature dollhouse furnishings.

Advice you’d share with beginner artists or those working in small scale?

I count myself as a beginner still, but I’d say: don’t hesitate to create a website and/or blog to help publicize your work. In real life, miniatures can be overlooked when displayed beside larger-scale artwork, but in the virtual world nothing can be larger than the size of a screen, so your visual presence can be as large as anyone else’s.

What is the most memorable miniature work you have ever seen?

Maarten Meerman’s miniature wooden sculptures are probably the smallest-scale I’ve ever seen in person. I also admire the work of sculptor Willard Wigan; and I can’t name any one above the others, but I’m intrigued by eggshell carvers.

Into Silver Waters 3.5 x 2.625 inchesWhy small scale for your miniature landscapes? 

I love making people look more closely. I love a double-take. I love outright disbelief. But beyond the initial reactions I sometimes see, I love when somebody looks for a long time because a piece makes them feel something.

What’s to come from Louise Smith?

I’m working on pieces now for exhibition this winter in a group show called Positively Petite, featuring small-scale artwork and sculpture. That’s in Coquitlam, BC. The qualifying dimensions are around 3 x 4 inches or smaller, so after that I’m usually ready to bust out and do some comparative whoppers at 5 x 6 inches.

What do you want miniature fans to know about you?

Regardless of the scale of my work, my aim is always to create a piece that evokes an emotional response, rather than solely a reaction to the small dimensions or unusual materials. So, as much as I’m trying to master techniques and push boundaries in fiber, my true goal is to move you—miles and miles, and a mood away—through that little scrap of silk and thread.

Louise Smith is based in Vancouver, Canada. View many more of her miniature landscapes on the Threaded Views websiteThreaded Views blog, and check out her Stitchin’ Fingers profile.

Fall at your Feet - in 7-inch hoop

Daily Mini Interview: The Museum of Working Miniatures

The Museum of Working Miniatures

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Describe your earliest memory with miniatures.

Screen Shot 2014-12-07 at 17.29.11Great question! I remember having a couple of working miniatures when I was a child. I still have a couple of them (a miniature board game and a Rubik’s cube-style puzzle.) But I didn’t follow up with a collection until much later in life.

Where did you come up with the idea for the Museum of Working Miniatures? 

The Museum of Working Miniatures YouTube Channel was established to showcase a unique collection of fully working miniature toys, games, electronics and gadgets.

By coincidence, I was gifted a couple of working miniatures in my 20s, (a miniature briefcase and a tiny working Etch A Sketch). They sat in my cupboards for many years—and when in my 30s I found them again, and wondered if you could get anything else that was a functional miniature. I found a few in High Street shops, but they’re not easy to find! But it was also the early days of sites like eBay, and it opened up a whole new avenue for finding them. Screen Shot 2015-05-03 at 16.57.10Pretty soon, I had hundreds in the collection! It’s been slowly growing ever since. About a year ago, I finally got the whole collection together into cabinets—and then thought “what am I going to do with this now?” If I ever lost them all, I don’t think I could ever find some of them again (and it would be a huge undertaking)—so I wanted to do something to record the collection. It was going to be a blog with photos, but then I realized it was best to show the items working, you really needed to see them move—so why not video? That began the creation of the channel—it was really just for me initially, to have some permanent record of the pieces.

Do you have a favorite working miniature you’ve featured?

Tough one! I’ve always got a soft spot for the working Victrola (Gramophone record player) that I featured in the very first video. Screen Shot 2014-11-30 at 14.51.21I just love how it not only looks like a perfect miniature scale model, but also works with real miniature records. I also love the Basic Fun Mouse Trap game key chain—perfect miniature replica of the board game down to every last piece—and it all works!

Do you have a favorite “non-working” miniature object? 

I often order miniatures thinking that they’re working and then find out they’re not. I may do a video of these ‘Working Miniature Fails’ soon. I was recently given a miniature ship in a bottle, which I like.Screen Shot 2014-11-30 at 14.41.53

Favorite mini maker?

It has to be Basic Fun. In the 80s, they started making replica mini key chain versions of classic games and toys, and buy the end of the 90s, they had a massive range. Their range of working arcade games are my favorite (Miniature Pinball, Crane Grabber, Rod Hockey, etc.) — and they’re also the rarest to find.

Screen Shot 2014-09-27 at 19.11.09Have you ever made miniatures yourself? 

I nearly did with the working miniature TV set. I struggled to find anything that fitted what I wanted (able to play a video through its own speaker and look like a TV set.) I was going to make my own from a little MP3 video player. But the collection is about curating existing items, not creating new ones.

Advice for those that love to collect working miniatures?

As far as I know, I’m the only one who seems to have this kind of collection—can’t find any trace of anyone else. But I’d advise learning to love Internet searching—you’ll be doing a lot of it. And make use of all the tools that sites like eBay have for helping you monitor keyword searches.

Screen Shot 2014-11-30 at 14.47.06What inspires you?

The YouTube Channels that really influenced me are the work of Ashens, who was a pioneer of reviewing something without showing his face (only his hands). Also, Grand Illusions, for showing that there may be an audience for unusual curios.

What is the most memorable miniature you’ve come across?

Screen Shot 2015-02-08 at 15.05.41On Etsy, there is someone selling an extremely small working coffee maker. You can fit it on your finger. It comes with a tiny spoon and cup and a stand for a candle—it boils and a single drop of coffee drips out of the pot into the tiny cup. Absolutely insanity—but I have to get one one day! I also once saw a guy who made perfect working miniature lavatories—with perfect flushing mechanism! But he didn’t sell them as a business, so I’m not sure if that should be in the collection. I was really going for items that anyone (at the time) could have bought, not just one-offs.Screen Shot 2014-11-30 at 14.38.14

What appeals to you most about what you do?

I really don’t know. Something about the very tiny world appeals to me. I’m quite tall, so maybe it stems from not wanting to stand out physically? But I also really love the design, craftsmanship, and engineering that goes into making such tiny things really work. It’s amazing!

Screen Shot 2015-04-19 at 16.20.47What’s to come from the Museum of Working Miniatures?

Well, I still have hundreds of exhibits to film. I want to continue to plough through and record them all eventually. The ‘miniature fails’ video would be funny to do. And maybe another cooking video—the Cooking Bacon in Miniature video is still by far my most watched. I’m trying to find a tiny metal oven replica that you could theoretically cook with—I’ve got close recently. Fingers crossed. Oh, and I’d like to do some more competition giveaways. I have a few duplicates—a couple are the extremely rare Basic Fun arcade games so they would make great prizes.

What other activities do you enjoy?Screen Shot 2014-08-10 at 18.13.39

The Curator only knows Curating. There IS nothing else. That and tormenting Colin, my robot assistant.

What do you want miniature fans to know about you?

I get asked a lot why I don’t speak in the videos and what I look like. I actually did speak for the first few. The environment I film in just doesn’t allow me to do voice-overs. Screen Shot 2015-01-04 at 15.26.15Plus, I really like my videos in ‘pantomime’ style. There are many other channels that do the same, and some are extremely successful. So… no plans to start speaking again. And as to what I look like? A little like Colin, only with a beard.

The Museum of Working Miniatures YouTube Channel was established by The Curator to showcase a unique collection of fully working miniature toys, games, electronics and gadgets. Based in London, you can subscribe to working miniature videos on YouTube, follow the fun on Twitter, and check out the Museum of Working Miniatures blog!

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Daily Mini Interview: Miracle Chicken Miniatures

Miracle Chicken Miniatures

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How did you first get started in miniatures?

2Loving all things miniature is my oldest memory. As a child I loved to draw and create things. So as I grew up, I discovered I could make my own dollhouse miniatures. I began carving animals from wood for a sculpture art project at the end of 12th grade. I hated that orange clay on my hands so I rummaged through a drawer in the art room and found an X-ACTO knife and some wood. I carved animals for my project and never looked back! My mother also loved miniatures and bought me every piece of 1964 Petite Princess furniture.

Where does the name “Miracle Chicken” come from?1

Miracle Chicken is the name of a beautiful, sweet, little hen that I hatched. I was her mother, I brought her into the world. I named my business after her. You can read her short story here and see pictures of her.

How long does it take you to make a miniature? 

I make so many different kinds of miniatures… carving animals, carving fine furniture, even toothpick and match stick carving. One example would be it takes weeks to carve an animal in 1:12 scale and then painstakingly applying the fur.

1-1What materials do you use to make your miniatures? 

Mostly wood. The wood I use is Jelutong for the animals. Cherry and pear for the furniture.

What inspires you?

Seeing a picture of a particular animal or pose that I want to do.

What’s to come from Miracle Chicken?

I plan to keep making and furring animals. I do custom commissions: your pet from your photographs.tray

Advice for beginner artists and miniaturists?

1) Trust your gut.
2) Necessity is the mother of invention.
3) Junk is your friend!

Miracle Chicken Miniatures is made possible by Linda Master of Dexter City, Ohio. Check out many more of her wonderful miniatures on the Miracle Chicken website, Miracle Chicken blog, or head on over to Etsy, eBay and Facebook to see what’s new.

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Daily Mini Interview: Studebaker Miniatures by Bill Studebaker

Studebaker Miniatures by Bill Studebaker

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What’s your earlier memory with miniatures?

Barbara and I had just gotten married. I overheard a conversation she had with her sister about the toys they used to play with when they were little. She never had a dollhouse. I thought, “that’s something I could do!” So I started building. I had no idea you could buy anything for a dollhouse, so I made everything from scratch. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe more I worked on it, the more I fell in love with it. For Christmas, I presented my wife Barb with a box full of parts since the dollhouse would not be done in time. A time later, she bought a house kit while she was waiting for me to finish the dollhouse. In 2 years time, she had finished the kit and refurbished another one!

In the fall of 1990, I created my first 1:12 scale piece. It was a copy of a Victorian era schoolhouse clock that Barb’s father had built. I made it as a Christmas ornament.

How did you transition from making miniatures for your family to a career in this field?

At the 2-3 year mark of creating miniatures, the volume of things that Barb and I were making got out of hand. We looked around the house and thought, “maybe we can start selling these things.” I was a furniture maker in real life so the transition came fairly naturally.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWhat’s your favorite miniature you’ve ever made?

The next one. It’s always the one I’m working on next. Or the previous one.

What will you work on next?

I have an outstanding list of commissions and my customers have been very patient with me. I do of course have a bucket list of miniatures I would like to create in due time.

What’s the most challenging miniature you’ve made?

There was a piece I started about a year and a half ago. I have 700 hours into it, and have about 100 hours to go. It’s a copy of a table that was built by the Herter Brothers in the 1890s for William Vanderbilt‘s New York mansion.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERATool you cannot live without?

Tweezers. I have a pair I don’t let anyone else use. I use needle files for everything – I absolutely consume those.

Advice for new miniaturists?

Make the pieces you love. Don’t make pieces to sell. Don’t make the piece you’d think someone else would want. Do what has always made you just stand in open mouth admiration. Don’t worry about making it perfect, because you will love it, and others will love your work, too.

What do you want miniature enthusiasts to know about you?

I love fixing things. If I come across other work that’s broken, I take it and learn how they made it and repair it so that it appears as if it was never broken. So it looks just like their work. That’s very rewarding. And I learn a lot from it too.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI love antiques. And I love old houses. We’re serial collectors and hobbyists. Barb and I have learned craft after craft after craft our whole lives. Essentially, this whole time we’ve just been preparing ourselves to make miniatures.

I will never make 100 of anything. To me, the fun is in the challenge of discovering how to make that piece, and once I have made that piece, I don’t need to make it again. Pretty much everything I make is one of a kind.

How did you first get involved with the International Guild of Miniature Artisans?

It was nearly 20 years ago. We were members before ever attending the IGMA Guild School. Barb couldn’t get away as a school teacher until after she retired, so she came 9 years ago, when I had other commitments. She called me every night, and she was just so excited every day about what she was doing. So the next year I was able to come. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI had received my Artisan recognition from IGMA that same year. I just wanted to learn what other people were doing. What tools and what materials were they using? How were other people making their miniatures?

Do you ever collaborate with your wife, Barb?

We have on very few occasions. One of the few miniatures we have made together was auctioned off in Castine, Maine at the Guild School in 2015. She received Artisan status this year. A collaboration with her is definitely one of the things I want to do more of. Our working styles are very different; we work best together when we work separately.

Bill Studebaker is an Artisan in furniture with the International Guild of Miniature Artisans (IGMA). You can shop his work on the Studebaker Miniatures website.

Daily Mini Interview: Miniatures by Fanni Sándor

FannimiNiATURE: Miniatures by Fanni Sándor

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How did you first get started in miniatures?

I have always loved miniature things since my childhood. I made my first dollhouse out of a shoe box when I was 7 years old. I first saw professional 1:12 scale miniatures 10 years ago on the Internet, and it was love at the first sight. In my country, this art form is totally unknown. il_fullxfull.762749966_8r2iSo after that, I started to try to make my own miniatures, and after a few years I became a professional miniaturist. I have been making miniature things since my childhood, but professional 1:12 scale miniatures now for around 5 years.

Were you trained in the arts?

I learned drawing and painting through 7 years of art school. But I learned how to make miniature animals by myself, no one taught me. I have two miniaturist idols: Beth Freeman-Kane and Kerri Pajutee. I think they are the best wildlife and animal miniaturists ever, in all the world. Their art gave me lots of inspiration to become a professional miniaturist. Thank you to them both.

IMG_7074Do you create & sell miniatures full-time?

I have a three years old son and a one year old daughter. So now I’m a full time mother at home, and making miniatures part time for hobby, and for sell. Any free time what I have (it’s not too much because of my children), I try to do my craft, because it’s relaxing me totally. But I plan in the future I become a full time miniaturist.

How has your miniature work evolved over the years?

Nowadays, I mostly make birds, insects, and small mammals, but I used to make accessories and dolls. Thrice my dolls won the second price in an international doll exhibition and doll making competition in Hungary. My first exhibited 1:12 scale miniature work was a shadowbox, called Queen Elisabeth’s Kitchen. It was the beginning of my professional miniaturist life. In the kitchen there were foods, vegetables, fruits, pheasants and mounted deer trophies. Making the pheasants and the trophies were most enjoyable, so after this creation, I wanted to make more and more animals. It’s not a surprise, because I’m a biologist, so nature inspires me principally.

What materials do you use to make miniatures?

I don’t need too many supplies. I just need polymer clay, acrylic paint, feather and cotton thread in a various color, paper wire, and glue. IMG_7235All of my sculptures are made out of polymer clay. I love this material very much, because I can make really fine, detailed and lifelike figures with it. All of my works are hand sculpted, without the use of any mold.

Advice for new artists?

You have to do it with your heart and soul, and then any piece of your work will be unique.

What can’t you live without?

My hand, eyes, brain and polymer clay.

Favorite miniature you own by another artist?

I have a framed diorama by Beth Freeman-Kane, called The Racketeer, which includes a hummingbird and orchids. I love it and cherish it so much.IMG_6623

Most treasured miniature you’ve made? 

I have a lot. All of my miniature sculptures contain a little part of my heart. I love all of my creations, I can’t choose a favorite.

Upcoming projects you’d like to share?

In Hungary, dollhouse miniature making is an unknown art form. Almost no one knew about it. In this country, there are just 12 of us making miniatures. This year, we established the Hungarian Miniature Guild. We started to organize the first miniature exhibition of Hungary, which will be held in September 2015. We would like to promote and popularize the professional miniatures as an art form in Hungary.

IMG_6526Other activities you enjoy?

I love to take trips in nature. I love cooking, reading a book, painting, drawing, and sculpting.

Anything else you would like to add? 

In 2014, I received the IGMA Artisan title in Animal Figures category. It was the greatest honor for me. I’m 34 years old. I married the most fantastic man in the world four years ago. We have a 3-year-old son and a 1-year-old daughter. I’m a microbiologist, but now I stay at home with my children. Beside making miniatures, I love to paint, draw, and sculpt.

Fanni Sándor currently lives in Hungary. Shop her FannimiNiATURE miniatures on Etsy, or check out new creations on her “Parányi valóság” blog.

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Daily Mini Interview: Fairchildart Miniatures

Fairchildart Miniatures

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How did you first get started in miniatures?

mc4I credit my mom as she’s always been an avid collector of miniatures. There’s something inherently magical about tiny replicas so real you’d think there was a shrink ray gun lying around.

How many years have you been making minis?

Since the summer of 2008.

What materials do you use to make your miniature food?

Sculpey and Fimo brands of polymer clay. Since I stick to mostly food, my collection of pastel squares has come incredibly handing for blushing fruit and “toasting” pastries.

Advice for beginner artists?

Don’t stress about your first miniatures being perfect! As Adventure Time’s Jake the Dog wisely said, “Dude, sucking at something is the first step to becoming sorta good at something.” The Internet has a wealth of information when it comes to miniature making.mc7

Tool you can’t live without?

My trusted needle.

Favorite mini you own?

A pink tinted hand-blown glass bowl (a gift from my mom).

Where do you look for inspiration?

Lately, I’ve been studying Casey Baugh‘s charcoal portraits. The light captured in his subject’s eyes is incredible.

fv13Fellow miniaturists that inspire you?

From the beginning, I’ve admired Stéphanie Kilgast of PetitPlat, Betsy Niederer and Tomo Tanaka of Nunu’s House. There are so many more but they were my welcome into the mini world.

What is the most memorable miniature you have ever come across by another artist?

Paris café fare by Nunu’s House: a tiny suitcase fashioned to hold sweets, jars of candy and cup of tea. His eye for detail is uncanny.

Why miniatures? Why miniature food?sw18

I love being able to complete a sculpture in one sitting (the instant gratification is a big pull). I’ve gotten amazing feedback from the miniaturist community and being able to send my miniatures all over the world is completely surreal. Food is always appealing from the sheer variety of textures and shapes involved (and the references are delicious).

Kim of Fairchildart Miniatures hails from Minnesota. Is your interest piqued? View many more miniatures on Kim’s website, Etsy shop, Instagram, and DeviantArt accounts.

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