THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A pencil, for most artists, is a tool to create art, but not for 22-year-old Krishnaj K. For him, the lead of the pencil itself is a canvas, wherein he sculpts some of the best miniature designs.
Stunning and precise, the works created by Krishnaj, a student of College of Engineering Trivandum, are
elegant in its own way. “I have always had a creative inclination from a very young age but it was only in 2015 that I started to take it seriously. I loved doing papercraft and it was later that I ventured into micro art, making miniature sculptures on pencil lead,” he says.
Krishnaj, an architecture student, has awed many with his artwork, carving everything from an elephant to monuments on the pencil lead. The artist makes these beautiful miniature designs using tools like scalpel, blade and needles. He shaves off the wood from the pencil and starts carving on the lead from right to left.
“To complete one sculpture, it takes around two hours, depending on the detailing required. We have to be very careful and patient while attempting micro art because the lead is very fragile and break off easily, forcing us to repeat the process again,” he adds.
Krishnaj, a self-taught artist, also does pencil drawings and is also an expert in charcoal sketches. His charcoal sketches are realistic. He adds, “I was always fond of monochrome. Like in photography, black and white images have a special attraction. I thought of doing the same using charcoal. Before starting, I saw videos online and practiced.” Till now he has done around 30 to 35 charcoal sketches which include sketches of actors, relatives and his friends.
Besides, Krishnaj also does etching on the metal surface and creates portraits. “I love etching and want to experiment more with it. When we etch on metal, we do it differently. We usually start etching from one direction and then give highlights to the portrait,” he adds.
He is also into scribble art and the focus is on portraits. He gives emphasis to people’s expressions and has recorded many facial expressions. Krishnaj also has plans to create wonders using other mediums besides charcoal, lead and metal. He also plans to conduct an exhibition soon.