Gallery: Birds at Thumbnail Scale

From the Autumn 2019 issue of Living Bird magazine. Subscribe now.

From their studio in Ahmedabad, India, artist duo Nayan Shrimali and Vaishali Chudasama transform hand-cut paper into detailed miniature bird sculptures, most no bigger than a human thumb.

Each bird takes up to six hours to complete, as the artists cut layers of paper to form the textures of the feathers, then add watercolor to bring the plumage to life.

In 2018, they created a portfolio of 365 bird species from all around the world.

“We were so fascinated by all these different species of birds living around us, which people are not aware about,” said Shrimali. “We took up a challenge of making highly detailed birds every single day [for a year], and in a miniature size so that it creates more curiosity for the viewers and engages them in learning more about the birds.”