Miniature Olympic torch carved on the end of a pencil

[richard]

Many artists have used pencils to draw their masterpieces but very few can claim to have created artwork on the tips of them.

But sculptor Hedley Wiggan, 46, has managed just that - carving out intricate designs on the pencil nibs using just a pin and a magnifying glass.

Hedley, from Bolton, Greater Manchester, has spent hundreds of hours creating his exquisite works of art in graphite - which include an Olympic torch, a woman and a rat.

He only chanced upon his microscopic new hobby at Christmas when he sharpened a pencil and noticed the tip looked like a human hand.

And since then he spends every spare minute outside his day job as a theatre technician at the Royal Bolton Hospital carving out his creations.

Hedley said: 'I spent three to four weeks doing the torch and was spending up to seven hours a day on it.

'The woman took me two weeks but the hardest part was doing her legs and arms.

'I finished the torch after three attempts. The rat was done in just one attempt. The most difficult part was putting glitter in its eyes. It took about a week.

'Once I get my head into something I don’t like leaving it. I am that determined. Time just flies by.

'I feel like art chose me. I find it so relaxing and it makes you more aware of things. You just take so much in.

'When I tell people what I do, they don’t take me seriously, they look at me and think I am talking rubbish.'

Headley now needs to find somewhere small enough to place his creations as he has been displaying them in contact lenses.

But he's already set his sights on his next project - a mini sculpture of Olympic champion runner Lord Seb Coe.

Headley's designs follow in the footsteps of his older brother, world-famous Willard Wigan - the brothers spell their surname differently - who has created micro-sculptures from cocktail sticks, including a girl with a teddy, a witch and fairies.

Hedley’s famous brother taught him the skill of making art out of small objects.

Willard said: 'When we were children I noticed he too had a gift. We were taught by our mother, Zeta, to respect everything that was small.

'We used to study ants and I showed him how to make little houses for insects.

'His level of talent is still exceptional. I have been really encouraging him to take it up again.'


Source
By Suzannah Hills
www.dailymail.co.uk

Image 1 & 2: A close-up of Hedley's hand holding the Olympic torch, left, and the carving from further away, right
Image 3: Hedley Wiggan with his three completed carvings after he took up the hobby at Christmas
Image 4 & 5: Hedley has also completed a carving of a woman, left, and a rat, right, and now has his sights set on creating a miniature pencil tip creation of Olympic champion runner Lord Seb Coe
Image 6: Hedley uses a magnifying glass and a pin to carve out his creations, which can take several weeks for him to create
Image 7: Headley was taught the art by his brother Willard Wigan, who has become famous for his micro-sculptures, including these ones of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie made from lipstick