Pencil lead is this artist’s canvas

A particular scene from the Tamil movie, Naan Ee, inspired this youngster to experiment with pencil art. After practising during her free time, Snehalatha Prithviraj has mastered miniature art on the lead of a pencil. She can easily carve alphabets, miniature models and images in a couple of hours.

The young artist from Madhuranthakam says, “I was intrigued by the way in which people create miniature art on pencils. Though it’s very complicated, we need to give a lot of attention to the process. During my first year at Stella Maris College, I decided to try my hand at it. I created miniature alphabets and models that popped up in my mind. During the jallikattu protest, I made a pencil carving that shows a man trying to control a bull. Usually, I follow some interesting themes that convey a social message.”

She posted all her works on her Instagram page and received an overwhelming response. “You need to have a lot of patience while doing pencil carving. Initially, I was very upset every time when the tip breaks; but you know that nothing comes easy in life. It took a lot of time and practice to master the art. The time taken to complete an artwork depends on the detailing — if the design is intricate it will take more time,” shares the skilled pencil miniature sculptor, who has an amazing eye for detail. She is planning to do a single series in pencil in the coming week.

This creative artist has a lot of other talents as well — she also does photography, painting, and sculpting. After completing her studies, Snehalatha started experimenting with creating miniature sets. “I make miniature of houses and landscape with available materials like thermocol, plaster of Paris and clay,” says the 27-year-old.

Currently working as a freelancer at  an art studio in Tambaram, Snehalatha wants to start her own stop-motion studio. “As artists, most of our work is influenced by the experiences that we go through every day. As women, while in public, we encounter unwelcome advances into our private spaces, which we resist by turning ourselves into a weapon. I made a life-size sculpture of a woman portraying her anger and sadness by using her own body as a shield made of weapons. I have used everyday objects like blades and safety pins which represent her way of defense,” she remarks.