The House of Pencil, or Game of Thrones on a micro scale

Salavat Fidai, an artist from Ufa, impressed the world a few years ago with tiny figures he made from pencil lead.

Born to a family of art teachers, he nevertheless spent 25 years as a lawyer before choosing to professionalize his art hobby.

Since the beginning of his art career in 2014, his micro sculptures have increased in value tenfold.

He has clients all over the world, the largest of which is the TV network HBO.

Fidai was not a big fan of Game of Thrones before being commissioned by HBO to create a series of micro sculptures devoted to the show. But now all these characters have become very dear to him. “I look forward to watching season 7,” he admits.

To create such unique miniature sculptures, Fidai uses an ordinary craft knife, a magnifying glass and sometimes a microscope to add tiny details.

He prefers to work with 5 mm or 2 mm graphite, because a smaller scale (0.5 mm or 0.35 mm) does not give much opportunity to create details.

The artist usually devotes 12 hours a day to his work. “I don’t do it every day. I tend to work for 1-2 days and then have the rest of the week off,” he admits. “This is a physical necessity as I prefer to work in comfort and when I have inspiration.”

Even though Fidai is still working on improving his art, he already has many followers who try to copy his style. “A lot of people message me, ask questions and look for advice,” he says.

In May Fidai spoke at a TED conference in Ufa about why it’s never too late to start from scratch. He told the audience about his path as an artist and offered his views on how to find your true passion in life at any age. A recording of his speech will soon be available on the TEDx YouTube channel.

Works by the Russian artist are currently exhibited in many cities, both in Russia and abroad.

They can be found in St. Petersburg and Vitebsk (Belarus) as well as in South East Asia. Supported by HBO, Fidai’s Game of Thrones-themed micro sculptures were recently shown in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and soon will come to Bangkok (Thailand).

There is also an exhibition of Fidai’s works at the Samuel Owen Gallery (Greenwich, CT). According to the artist, two other exhibitions are also scheduled to take place in the U.S. this year.

Interested in what else he’s up to? Follow him on Instagram (salavat.fidai) or visit his website at www.salavatfidai.com.