# Is This Miniature Artist Legit? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 13, 2007, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-miniature-artist-legit/387811 "2007-01-13T06:12:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-miniature-artist-legit/387811/1 "2007-01-13T06:12:15Z")
Here’s a link for an artist that specializes in micro-miniatures. [http://www.willard-wigan.com////index.html](http://www.willard-wigan.com////index.html) A couple of things about the site bother me… > [@](#): > > Painstakingly fashioned from gold, specs of dust, precious gems, droplets of glue and paint along with numerous other materials including eyelashes and spiders webbing, each artwork is living proof of the power of belief. He uses spider webs? Aren’t they too fragile to be manipulated by whatever tools he uses? And while were on the subject of tools, are tools made that would allow him to create these micro-miniatures by hand out of dust particles? …living proof of the power of belief? huh? > [@](#): > > It’s unpredictable how long this talent will last, but ultimately his unique and exclusive creations will outlive him for generations to come, as national treasures like a priceless Rembrandt or Picasso. It’s unpredictable how long this talent will last? Did he wake up one morning and suddenly become a miniature artist? Will he wake up tomorrow without his talent? Isn’t that an odd thing to say about an artist? If he’s legit, his art is utterly amazing. ---
**Author:** ![dbuzman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de0a6/32.png) [@dbuzman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dbuzman)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-miniature-artist-legit/387811/2 "2007-01-13T10:48:27Z")
Snopes says [yes](http://www.snopes.com/photos/arts/microscopic.asp). I knew he was legit but wanted to show you a ---
**Author:** ![dbuzman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de0a6/32.png) [@dbuzman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dbuzman)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-miniature-artist-legit/387811/3 "2007-01-13T10:49:29Z")
Er, that should be “show you a cite”. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-miniature-artist-legit/387811/4 "2007-01-13T10:58:02Z")
The artist is for real. However, few men have hired him to do likenesses of their penis. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-miniature-artist-legit/387811/5 "2007-01-13T11:36:03Z")
Hi. I do wargaming minis. I’m not as good as he is, but judging from scale, it’s not impossible. > **[Under Construction](https://werry.co.uk/construct/)** > > Under Construction Each human figure there is about the size of… Hm. A match head? Tall as about three pennies? 6 MM humans, at any rate. He’s doing smaller things, and given time, I rather suspect it’s possible to duplicate it for anyone who wanted to. He’s right about controlling breathing and heartbeat, mind you, but that’s hardly unusual. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-miniature-artist-legit/387811/6 "2007-01-13T11:48:10Z")
6mm = ~\<1/4" ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-miniature-artist-legit/387811/7 "2007-01-13T17:57:14Z")
[QUOTE=Ruby] It’s unpredictable how long this talent will last? Did he wake up one morning and suddenly become a miniature artist? Will he wake up tomorrow without his talent? Isn’t that an odd thing to say about an artist? [/QUOTE] They’re referring to his seemingly superhuman muscle and breath control. As he ages these will deteriorate, and given the scale on which he works and the mediums he uses, it won’t take much deterioration of either of these skills at all before he finds himself unable to work on scales quite that small. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-miniature-artist-legit/387811/8 "2007-01-13T18:37:25Z")
> [@](#): > > Is This Miniature Artist Legit? Mini-Me, dressed in a beret, striped shirt & paint smock, in front of an easle…I’m such a sick bastard. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-miniature-artist-legit/387811/9 "2007-01-13T21:04:24Z")
I like how the article in the Snopes starts out by mentioning his learning disablity. Dyslexia ohhhh, how special. Not to discount what severe dyslexia can do, But it’s phrased like he’s an idiot savant or something. ---
**Author:** ![Sonia\_Montdore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Sonia\_Montdore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sonia_Montdore)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-miniature-artist-legit/387811/10 "2007-01-14T02:25:32Z")
I wonder how many angels the artist can make dance on the head of a pin? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-miniature-artist-legit/387811/11 "2007-01-14T02:46:23Z")
[QUOTE=wolfman] I like how the article in the Snopes starts out by mentioning his learning disablity. Dyslexia ohhhh, how special. Not to discount what severe dyslexia can do, But it’s phrased like he’s an idiot savant or something. [/QUOTE] You’re missing the point of their mention: > [@WW's Website](#): > > From being a traumatised and unrecognised dyslexic child, he is now emerging as the most globally celebrated micro-miniaturist of all time… It’s not saying he overcame being “stupid” from dyslexia to become a genius…it’s saying he overcame the “stigma” of having dyslexia which basically BRANDS you as stupid (especially while he was growing up in the 60’s) and instead of being traumatized and unrecognized (because he was “stupid”) now his life has shifted to being known for being an incredible and unique artist. Whoever wrote that could have written the same thing if he had grown up poor, orphaned, asthmatic, geeky, awkward, with a limp, abused, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-miniature-artist-legit/387811/12 "2007-01-14T06:37:28Z")
Well, thanks, all. I never thought to check Snopes. I’m glad to hear he’s legit and I now understand what they meant about losing his talent. His work is absolutely amazing to me (who couldn’t carve a knot out of a knothole). ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2007, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-miniature-artist-legit/387811/13 "2007-01-14T12:01:47Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] Mini-Me, dressed in a beret, striped shirt & paint smock, in front of an easle…I’m such a sick bastard. [/QUOTE] You beat me to it! Bwahaha!