The 30-year-old Bengaluru-based miniature artist, who was earlier in digital advertising and marketing, says that she began making these miniatures final yr, starting with considered one of a dosa. Initially only a pastime, she would publish pictures of her creations on Twitter. “One day, I posted a photo of a banana leaf meal and it went viral. It got over 11,000 likes and was liked and shared by some celebrities. So, then people motivated me to make my hobby my profession,” she says.
With that, HelloMiniverse was born (the title was prompt by Kirti’s husband) on Instagram the place she has almost 4,000 followers. “Now, I take orders from across India and some from abroad as well.”
Kirti, who’s self-taught, spends about 10 hours a day creating miniatures in her house studio. She says: “The time it takes to create depends on the design and the detailing of the product. Rice dishes take a lot of time; around one or two days. But it takes half an hour to make dosa, idli or vada miniatures.” And as for why she selected meals miniatures, Kirti has a easy reply. “I’m a foodie so making food miniatures makes me happy.”
Talking about her best-selling creation, immediate noodles (round 100 offered thus far), full with the packaging, she laughs, “It’s a two-minute recipe for everyone but not for me. It took me around five hours to create one packet and bowl. I roll out the clay as each individual thin strip of noodle. Everything is handmade; I don’t use moulds to make miniatures. I sculpt everything.” And it’s not simply the meals, Kirti even fashions tiny spoons, forks and plates from clay and resin.
Kirti additionally takes customized orders, learning pictures on the Internet to be sure the illustration of consumers’ favourite foods is as correct as potential. Adding that she loves to tackle challenges, Kirti says, “One different kind of product that I worked on was a complete cake shop for Christmas. That took around 10 days to make.”
On for what it’s about making miniatures that provides her pleasure, Kirti says: “The effort of making the miniature is all worth it when it reaches the customer and I get that feedback. They appreciate my work and that makes me happy.”
HelloMiniverse merchandise embody fridge magnets (₹500), earrings (₹300), and collectible figurines (₹2,500). Prices can differ relying on the design.